These are the facts and they are undisputed.
A 37-year-old American citizen was shot 9-10 times by multiple masked agents of the federal government on Saturday in broad daylight in Minneapolis. He was being held to the ground by multiple agents moments before his life ended. His name was Alex Pretti. He was the second 37-year-old American citizen shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis in the last three weeks.
Alex was a medical professional who had dedicated himself to serving the veteran population as a VA ICU nurse. He was a son. He was a friend. He liked to mountain bike and hike. He was born in Illinois. He had no criminal record beyond a handful of traffic tickets. He was deeply troubled by the actions of ICE in Minneapolis and protested them.
Moments before his life ended, Alex can be seen helping to direct traffic with his phone in his hand. His last act before he was shot? He came to the defense of a woman shoved to the ground without cause by a clearly angry ICE agent. In the minutes leading up to the shooting, Alex was clearly holding only his phone in his hand, just as he was when he stepped between the ICE agent and the woman. He, and she, were then pepper sprayed — Alex had his back to the agent who pepper sprayed him as he tried to help the woman. Alex was then descended upon by multiple ICE agents. He was forced to his knees in a fetal position. An ICE agent can be seen in multiple angles of videos striking Alex with the pepper spray can angrily while other agents subdue him.
Alex was exercising both his First and Second Amendment rights shortly before he was killed. He was protesting government actions that he did not agree with and he was carrying his handgun, as he was permitted to do. He did not ever unholster his handgun. In fact, the footage captured clearly shows Alex’s handgun being removed by an ICE agent moments before he was shot to death.
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These are the facts and they are undisputed.
I am a proud supporter of law enforcement professionals who take their job seriously, respect our Constitution, and work to keep us safe. They have taught me not to jump to conclusions when force is used. However, in rapid response to both the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the Trump administration rushed to conclusions in mere minutes. Thirty-seven-year-old award winning poet and mother, Ms. Good, was characterized by Kristi Noem as a “domestic terrorist” who “tried to kill” an officer. This is not what video evidence shows. Gregory Bovino, “commander-at-large” of ICE, in reference to Mr. Pretti stated, “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” This is not what video evidence shows. While these gross distortions of truth are troubling in and of themselves, the speed with which they were was spewed speaks volumes about the lack of credibility and integrity within the Trump administration.
Equally troubling, Vice President JD Vance and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller have misled the public about the immunity federal agents possess in a thinly veiled attempt to encourage ICE agents to continue violently violating constitutional rights. Make no mistake about it: This is a culture that President Trump actively wanted and created. While he is now backpedaling as fast as he can without getting whiplash, he brought us to this place.
We can and we should have a reasoned and thoughtful ongoing national discussion about crime in this country — no matter who is committing it. We can, and we should have, a reasoned and thoughtful debate about a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who are productive members of society. We can and we should have a reasoned and thoughtful debate about our border policy. But I simply don’t care enough to do that right now. We are beyond that. This is not a red vs. blue issue any longer; this is a red, white and blue issue — an American issue. The president’s masked ICE agents are engaging in racial profiling, they are violating civil rights with reckless abandon, and they are killing American citizens in broad daylight — all while he and his administration are lying to us on a regular basis. This is not a dystopian work of fiction; this is our current American reality. What are we going to do about it?
Charles Stone is a partner at Goethals & Stone, PC and the former mayor of Belmont.
(8) comments
Leaving aside the issue that many of your so-called "undisputed facts" are in fact, quite disputed (and no context provided for other "facts"), I find it interesting Mr. Stone that you "don't care enough" now to debate our immigration policy or border control. When, if ever, did you "care enough" about this important issue that is dividing our country (to the point that those like Mr. Pretti and Ms. Good are motivated to endanger their lives by impeding ICE from arresting and deporting criminals)? Were you speaking out when Biden let millions stream across an open border? When Newsom and CA Democrats passed laws to provide free healthcare to anyone who makes it across on taxpayer's dime? When the San Mateo BOS voted not to cooperate with ICE to deport criminals, including murders and rapists? When young women like Laken Riley were brutally murdered by criminals here illegally? What would make you "care enough" to have this discussion?
Super column Charles. Watch out, you may have a national political career opportunity in your future!!!
Cheers, Mike C.
It is typical Charles pablum. He did not contribute anything new to what we know already. And, yes, Charles is just trying to stay in the lime light so that he can run for an office again. It is perhaps not astounding however, that he has difficulty differentiating facts and hearsay, a prerequisite for a politician.
Thank you Charles Stone for a common sense response to such a scary time in our country for so many of us, immigrant and non immigrant. So many law enforcement professionals have pointed out that the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good were not good policing tactics and now it seems even the feds are beginning to backtrack on their original defamation of Mr. Pretti.
I am really upset about what happened to Mr. Pretti and Ms. Good. We should all heed your advice and avoid rushing to political conclusions before all the evidence is complete. For example, Alex's Sig Sauer P320 weapon is subjected to a class action lawsuit involving 100+ incidents of unintentional firing. Google it, please. I am not saying this is an excuse, but I withhold my judgement until this is ruled out.
More importantly, I want to know why was Pretti "directing traffic" at a federal operation? That's not a civilian's role. Please understand this...in Minneapolis, these armed protesters have blockaded streets and controlled access to neighborhoods. They are forcing US citizens to "show their driver's license" to justify their presence in order to enter a zone...in our own country! That vigilante checkpoint behavior should scare all of us as it echoes authoritarian control, not democracy. The real threat to democracy isn't officers enforcing federal immigration law amid chaos. It's mobs disrupting federal duties, resisting arrest while armed, and escalating confrontations. Today it's ICE. Tomorrow it's your political party affiliation. Rule of law protects us all.
Ariolimax - Rule of law is not a one way street. It applies to everyone including the bused in rioters in that city. Notice that ICE is operating in may other places where there are no mobs opposing them. This is a cynical, organized effort to divert attention by the governor and the mayor from the massive fraud cases in Minneapolis. The protestors are, unfortunately enough, useful idiots but they will not prevail. Then we have two citizens who believe that playing with fire is not dangerous and they paid for it with their lives. None of this would have happened if the sanctuary status of that city, which welcomed and sheltered thousands of criminal aliens, would have cooperated with federal authorities.
It was tragic what happened to Pretti and Good, and a full investigation should be made. As Mr. Stone said, this is an American issue not red vs. blue, and we should also examine the forces providing direction for our law enforcement officers to follow. In the words of former Border Patrol agent Jenn Budd, “…many of the leaders of these agencies believe they are chosen by God to lay waste to the undesirables.” In a recent Border Patrol promotional video paid for by tax-payers, Greg Bovino is visible talking to masked agents while a voiceover recites Isaiah 6:8. A link to the video is in Budd’s Substack post: https://jennbudd.substack.com/p/border-patrol-ice-and-christian-nationalism. The Book of Isaiah, chapter 6, is used by Chief Bovino to forward an agenda informed by the Christian nationalist movement. Trump removed DHS Director Kristi Noem and Bovino from Minneapolis and sent Border czar Tom Homan to deescalate the situation there. Tom Homan is a member of the Pioneer Fund (a eugenics organization) and Federation for Immigration Reform (FAIR). One of FAIR’s main goals is to repeal the 1965 Immigration Act according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/federation-american-immigration-reform/). Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, is a member of the denomination presided over by theologian Doug Wilson, a co-founder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches and associated with Christian nationalism. Among his teachings is women should not have the right to vote. Rob and Michele Reiner produced the documentary God & Country about the rise of Christian nationalism.
ClashFan - and your point is?? Let numb nuts like Biden and his gang run the country again and allow millions of unvetted undesirables flock to sanctuary cities to commit further mayhem? Are you happy with the murders and rapes committed by these thugs that were let in? The SPL Center is a hotbed of anarchism and you mention it as if they are a wholesome organization? Know your sources before you spout out of context blather.
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