 Photo Taken by CM Chowdhury at Alex Pretti's Memorial at 26th & Lyndale
Dear Neighbors,
Yesterday was an immeasurably hard day for Minneapolis. We tragically lost Alex Jeffrey Pretti. He was shot and publicly executed by ICE agents in front of Glam Doll Donuts at 26th & Lyndale while trying help a woman who had fallen after ICE agents pushed her and began descending upon him. He was trying to guide traffic, help her, and film the situation. In one hand, he had a phone, and the other was empty and raised.
Alex was 37-years-old. He was an ICU Nurse at the VA Medical Center, a hub for care that many residents of the 12th Ward use and support. He was described by his neighbors as "our Alex," a kind person who checked in on them and, like all of us, loved living in our City and being part of our community. His parents describe him as a good man who "cared about people deeply."
The ICE agents who were involved must be arrested and brought to justice. I call on local and state law enforcement to enforce the law; this cannot continue without accountability. We will believe what we see with our own eyes
I spent the morning on the scene, and I watched as the federal agent only escalated tensions and tear gassed the neighborhood indiscriminately until whole city blocks became walls of white fog. I watched as border patrol agents laughed in the face of community members chanting and asking them to leave. I helped community members who had been maced in the face clear their eyes and gave rides to those who needed to get out of the neighborhood and back home. I heard from neighbors concerned about workers stuck in businesses along the corridor, and I watched everyone just keep helping each other. What was clear is that our community, the people of Minneapolis, were peaceful, were using their First Amendment rights, and ICE was intentionally trying to sow chaos and harm residents.
Alex Pretti should be alive. Renee Good should be alive. Victor Manuel Diaz should be alive.
Later that night, I visited Alex's memorial and attended vigils in our neighborhoods. The feeling of our collective unity was palpable: we are in grief, we are angry, we are resolved, and we are hopeful. Minnesota is a cold place that is filled with people with warm hearts. It's all so tough right now; we are being asked to do more than we ever should be asked to, and yet we show up one day at a time. I am so proud of Minneapolis and Minnesota, so proud of you-- I have heard from people all over the country and world the last few weeks, our struggle is a beacon of hope across the nation and throughout the globe.
At all levels of government, we must act. At the City level, I have supported and co-authored a resolution requesting the Governor enact an eviction moratorium and increase rental assistance for those in need during the crisis period in our city. There will be more actions I will be taking in the next few weeks that I look forward to sharing with you.
 We will still be hosting our know your rights and observer training, Monday 1/26 at 5:30pm at the Coliseum Building. The training will be given by the ACLU, then we will have time for updates from and questions to CM Chowdhury, Senator Mohamed, and the Office of Immigrant Rights and Refugee Affairs, and finally the last part of the night will be for neighborhood level breakouts.
Please register at this link: https://forms.gle/Gfb4eGBMniTpuji49
There will also a virtual option as well, please mark that you will be attending virtually to get access. |
