“He Was a Good Man”
The federal government murders another American citizen
“Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact,” wrote Alex Pretti’s parents in an anguished statement published in the aftermath of their son’s murder. But because we have fallen so far, before most of us could begin to make sense of what happened to this 37-year-old ICU nurse, members of the Trump regime came out almost immediately to blame the victim.
Gregory Bovino, head of Border Patrol operations said Alex Pretti was there to “perpetrate violence, obstruct, delay or obfuscate border patrol in the performance of their duties in an active crime scene.” He claimed “the suspect put himself in that situation. The victims are the border patrol agents there. [Pretti] brought a semiautomatic weapon to a riot, assaulted federal officers. This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who also called Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” echoed these sentiments. F.B.I. Director Kash Patel called Pretti “a violent actor” and said, “You do not get to attack law enforcement officials in this country without any repercussions.”
Just like their boss, Donald Trump, the likes of Bovino and Noem and Patel lie with alarming frequency and a sickening fluency. That is no reason to become numb to their lies. Statements and video provided by witnesses paint a starkly different picture from the one fabricated by the members of Trump regime. It was not a riot, it was a peaceful protest against the actions of ICE. Pretti was there as an observer, not to “perpetrate violence.” He was certainly not there to “massacre law enforcement,” an outrageous lie that would be absurd if the man about whom it was told hadn’t been murdered by said law enforcement. And Mr. Pretti, while armed with a legally owned gun, never touched his weapon and was himself assaulted by as many as seven ICE agents who demonstrated an appalling lack of professionalism, restraint, and training. They murdered Mr. Pretti because they could, not because of anything he did. The only domestic terrorists in this scenario are the ICE agents and those in positions of power giving them orders.
In an obvious attempt to cover up the crime, federal agents have refused to allow state investigators access to the scene despite their having a search warrant. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the federal government has provided him with no information and are refusing to cooperate with state law enforcement. “Even when our officers initially responded to the scene, our watch commander was not given even the most basic information that is typical in a law enforcement-involved shooting.”
In response to this obstruction, Judge Eric Tostrud handed down an order last night explicitly “barring federal from destroying evidence,” according to The New York Times. That’s how far gone we are.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has activated the state’s National Guard at the request of the Hennepin County sheriff’s office which released a statement that read, in part:
Their job will be to assist the Sheriff’s Office in protecting life, preserving property, and helping to ensure the safety of all community members.
In other words, the Minnesota National Guard is being deployed to protect United States citizens from the federal government.
Shining a bright light on the pretense that the Trump regime has deployed ICE into Minneapolis in order to deport “the worst of the worst,” Attorney General Pam Bondi told Gov. Walz that she will pull ICE out of Minnesota if Walz turns over Minnesota’s voter database as well as information about the state’s Medicaid and SNAP programs. She also wants him to repeal the state’s immigration sanctuary policies.
You and your office must restore the rule of law, support ICE officers, and bring an end to the chaos in Minnesota. Fortunately, there are common sense solutions to these problems that I hope we can accomplish together.
Not only does this misrepresent the facts on the ground—it is ICE that is creating the chaos and the federal government that must restore and abide by the rule of law—this is extortion. There is no longer any denying that the Trump regime is operating wholly outside the bounds of basic human decency and our shared values. It is a lawless regime that has no interest in protecting and defending the Constitution, the rights that are enshrined within it, or the life, liberty, and happiness of anyone living in this country. The lawlessness and viciousness with which these people operate are self-reinforcing; every day they present an increasing danger to our safety and our way of life.
The Pretti’s letter reads in full:
We are heartbroken but also very angry.
Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact.
I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed.
Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.
Like Mr. Pretti’s parents, we should be heartbroken and angry. We are on a precipice of much worse in this country if we don’t find a way out of the trap the Trump regime is laying for us. The worse their violence against us gets, the more likely our anger is to tip over into rage. To avoid the resulting escalation, which would perhaps provide Donald with the excuse he’s been looking for to declare martial law, Democratic governors have to bring the full weight of their state governments to bear on lawless federal agencies and their agents. Blue state governors may be the last, best line of defense in this fight.
But Congressional Democrats have a role to play, too. ICE is a fascist agency that is receiving its marching orders—and its impunity—from leaders like Donald, and Bovino, and Noem. In the upcoming budget discussions, they’ve got to leverage every kind of power they have to dismantle it.
In the meantime, we’ll keep showing up in any way we can. And we’ll keep telling the truth in the face of the Trump regime’s “sickening lies.” We’ll get the truth out about the Pretti’s son.
His family are really gonna sue. Renee Good's family are definitely gonna sue. There should be a fair and dire warning to federal agents who commit unlawful actions, Mary. They will be held accountable, because if they are not being held accountable, they will remain a danger to themselves, to their families, and to everyone else.
Where is his cell phone ??
Where did they take the body?