The Second State Sanctioned Murder

Since ICE and the DHS first invaded Minneapolis 3 weeks ago, neighbors have come together to launch massive networks of smaller neighborhood watches. As the entirety of southside Minneapolis organized, ICE has continued to retaliate against peaceful protesters and observers.

On Friday, January 23rd, we saw the largest protest of the month despite sub-zero temperatures, and in truth it was an entire day of marching and protest. All day hundreds of local businesses were closed out of solidarity. At 9am, the Whipple Building (where ICE is currently based and where detainees are currently being held) saw a surge of protesters, who have actually been demonstrating daily since the murder of Renee Good. Before noon, clergy led protesters marched on MSP international airport and around 100 of them were arrested by police of MANY local jurisdictions. At 2pm tens of thousands of people gathered in downtown Minneapolis in Commons Park and marched for 3 hours. All the while, local neighborhood ICE watches still operated, keeping eyes on vulnerable neighbors and our homes. The power in our city and of our community was palpable in the air. 

Unfortunately, at the same time, ICE was extra aggressive in our neighborhoods. 

The massive success of Friday’s many protests really seemed to get under the skin of ICE agents here, because, through out Friday, our networks reported escalating incidents of ICE agents jumping out of cars, driving aggressively and endangering fellow motorists, aggressively confronting observers, and deploying the use of pepper spray. That escalating pattern of aggressive behavior continued to the next day. 

Saturday morning, ICE agents were seen staging outside Black Forest Inn at 26th St. and Nicollet Ave. Neighborhood observers gathered at the scene, fearing ICE was planning a raid. ICE began escalating the scene, neighbors called for back up as ICE got more and more aggressive, until finally, Alex Pretti is said to “approach” ICE, phone in hand to film them and ICE tackled him. 

In several of the videos floating around online, you can see Alex and another observer are wrestled to the ground by 8 agents. In one of the videos, you can see the moment an agent discovers the gun on Pretti while he is on the ground and this agent secures his gun. You can also see another ICE agent watches his fellow agent take and secure the gun, then reaches for his own gun and shoots Pretti in the back. The other agents jump back in surprise, Pretti goes from on the ground to on his knees reacting to the first shot. The agent begins firing again, shooting Pretti another 9 times, continuing to shoot even after Pretti has fallen back on the ground limp, and likely lifeless. 

This was a brutal public execution.

It’s worth mentioning that Pretti, while he had the gun on his person, never is shown to have the gun in his hand. He had a permit to carry and conceal his handgun, according to this article from the Associated Press, as is his second amendment right. He was protesting the presence of armed militia on our streets abducting our neighbors, as is his first amendment right. The article further details the perspective of his family and more of his life and the person he was. Please read it.

Now from here I don’t have all of the events in order, but observers stayed on the scene as ICE continued to keep them back from Pretti’s body. ICE continued to get more aggressive, our neighbors called for more back up with the caveat “only if you have full protective gear”, over 100 people showed up and started setting up defensive barricades, and ICE deployed tear gas on the entire street. 

Still, the neighbors refused to leave. 

In fact, one business opened its doors to observers for the use of a decontamination station. Police arrived on the scene, ICE was either pushed out or moved on slowly after being confronted by police, those details are entirely unsure, but for awhile, there was both massive MPD and ICE presence before MPD called the county for back up, and the county called in the state’s National Guard. After the National Guard was called, all ICE agents left the area. A vigil and rally for Alex Pretti was planned for 1pm amid this chaos, but right before many folks could start making their way for the vigil, MPD gridlocked the area and the National Guard arrived to begin staging around the perimeter. For the rest of the evening, only residents of the quarantined area were able to enter, and the vigil was postponed. 

Yesterday evening the community still didn’t have access to the site where Alex Pretti was murdered to hold the vigil as we did for Renee Good. So at 7pm, the city gathered at hundreds of mini vigils. There were some bigger ones at some major neighborhood street corners, but driving home and seeing all of the vigils on random neighborhood blocks, everyone holding candles and gathering together with their neighbors both warmed and broke my heart. The air of community power and solidarity was alive and only continues to harden and strengthen our bonds as the ICE occupation continues.

A poster concerning Vigils for Alex Pretti shared among Minneapolis residents. Artist unknown. (1.24.2026)

Right now, this occupation in Minneapolis has been our new normal. The reality is 3,000 ICE agents are here, perfectly prepared to publicly murder us no matter who we are. ICE and the DHS are acting as if our rights don’t matter because to them, they don’t. It is everyone’s personal responsibility to make a risk assessment before we patrol, or do a supply run, or go to work, or even just leave the house: Is what I’m doing today worth the risk to my safety? Is it worth it for my loved ones and my neighbors? Do I have everything I need to keep myself safe? The people of Minneapolis are going to keep saying yes, it’s worth it. We going to keep sharing what we can to make sure we are all prepared. We are going to keep patrolling our own streets, checking in on each other, and holding vigil even when we can’t be there.

A sign for 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer earlier in the day, is displayed during a vigil Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis. Adam Grey/AP

There has been a call for support. If you have the means to donate any safety supplies: gas masks and filters, respirators, sealed goggles, cold weather gear, hand warmers, first aid supplies, and gas cards, please do so. Powwow Grounds, an indigenous-owned coffee shop and community space, has been redistributing supplies as it comes in. There is also a fundraiser for Alex Pretti's family and Renee Good's family. The people of Minneapolis will not be intimidated. We will hold each other through all of this, and there will be another side to come out on. 

A man was murdered in Minneapolis.

The third shooting in as many weeks. A second murder of an American Citizen in Minnesota. It shouldn’t even matter that Alex Pretti was American, the state sanctioned brutality on our streets remains unacceptable. Our neighbors and his family mourns Alex Pretti. I mourn Alex Pretti, because he was among my neighbors.