how are we supposed to process this
some words on the death of Alex Pretti
For the past week or two, i’ve been working on a piece titled “i think its gonna be ok” (the “its” in this case being the USA). My argument for why America is going to be ok essentially boiled down to the fact that juries across the country are rejecting the U.S. government’s attempts at jailing protesters, and that this serves as proof that a constitutional democracy can withstand authoritarianism.
That all seems so very trivial now, because for the past several weeks, a violent army of ICE agents has been occupying the Twin Cities1. And in that time, the U.S. government has shot and killed two U.S. citizens.
Renee Good, and Alex Pretti. Two names that will forever be spoken when we talk of those who resisted this occupation, resisted ICE, and fought against the violation of our constitutional rights under Trump.
The video of Renee being killed has already been hotly debated. And perhaps she would still be our main focus if not for the murder of Alex Pretti.
As with Renee Good, I felt that I had some strange sense of civic duty to watch the videos of Alex Pretti’s killing, to make sure I could be a witness to what happened to him. Perhaps that’s because I knew that the government would lie about it, so I had to know for myself.2
What he did is nothing less than an act of heroism, and what happened to him is a tragedy.
You can see for yourself if you so choose. This event, compared to past ICE killings, was far more documented. The link might be dead by the time you are reading this, but someone put several angles side by side, synced them up, and slowed them down. What happened is very clear.
While a group of men, four of them, are pinning Alex to the ground and attempting to restrain him, another man comes from behind and appears to removes a gun that Alex was carrying on his back hip (which he was legally allowed to do). 3 While both of his arms are clearly being held down, a sixth ICE agent draws his gun and shoots, almost point blank, into Alex’s back. Several shots ring out as the other ICE agents back away (most clearly surprised). Another ICE agent draws his gun and shoots Alex. Ten shots were fired in five seconds.
This is all quite difficult to process. I’ve written in the past about the breakneck pace Trump’s administration has taken into raw authoritarianism, but what Americans saw was nothing short of an execution. An execution of a man who was standing up in the face of tyranny. Standing up for, and defending, a woman who was being needlessly pushed around. For the people in his community. For immigrants. For Renee Good.
Alex Pretti is almost too easy to paint as a hero. He was an ICU nurse for a VA hospital in Minneapolis4. Not long after he was killed, the son of one Alex’s patients posted a video that could have been directly pulled from an episode of The Pitt5. A nurse performing what, to him, may be an everyday task - the Last Salute, a ceremony performed at VA hospitals for veterans who die while under their care. I’m not sure if what Alex reads in the video is something he wrote himself, the deceased wrote it, or if it’s something the hospital reads for every patient that passes.6 Regardless, what he said is… well, its this:
Today we remember that freedom is not free. We have to work at it, nurture it, protect it, and even sacrifice for it. May we never forget to always remember our brothers and sisters who have served so that we may enjoy the gift of freedom. So in this moment, we remember and give thanks for their dedication and selfless service to our nation in the cause of our freedom. In this solemn hour, we grant him our honor, and our gratitude.
I think it’s safe to say Alex Pretti has the honor and gratitude of people across the nation.
Hearing Alex read these words, with his own voice, it’s incredible, and it’s heartbreaking.
There actually isn’t any way we can “process” what is going on right now. What is going on right now is that the U.S. government is committing acts of extrajudicial violence against immigrants as well as people who don’t agree with extrajudicial violence against immigrants. That’s not something you “process”, that’s something you fight, something you resist, however you can, whenever you can.
I still think it’s going to be ok. In some way, it might be ok because of the deaths of Renee and Alex. Senator Chuck Schumer (the guy in charge of the Dems in the Senate) has said that Democrats will not support funding the DHS in upcoming negotiations unless something changes (which is wayyy more than he’s done so far)7. The government could shut down (again). And it very well should. A functioning government does not kill innocent civilians.
We still need to do more. ICE, DHS, it all may need to be stripped down and rebuilt. Recently, we found out that ICE supervisors were essentially instructing agents to violate the Fourth Amendment. That is not an agency you want to rehabilitate. It’s one you abolish completely.
And still, there seems to be no path to swift justice for Renee Good (and likely none for Alex Pretti). The trials of their killers will have to wait.
While I would love for ICE to be abolished tomorrow, it very well may be that we have to deal with them until 2029. I really hope not, but if we do, we will find new ways to keep each other safe.
Regardless, the sacrifices of Renee Good and Alex Pretti will not be vain. And they will never be forgotten.
what else do you call a group of armed people (aka an army) staying in a city when the people living in the city CLEARLY DO NOT WANT THEM THERE, and those armed people respond by killing and terrorizing civilians
its fucked up that I feel civically obligated to watch videos of people being shot and killed
And as much as I may disagree, carrying a gun is considered to be a constitutional right
that is, a hospital specifically for veterans
which is soooo fucking good. if you aren’t watching it, you’re missing out. New episodes out on Thursday on HBO and HBOMax (or wherever you can safely sail the high seas)
from what I can find online, the exact practice can vary from hospital to hospital, but the flag on the coffin and a moment of silence seems to be standard
he should be kicked out of office tbh. he’s the textbook definition of a limp dicked corporate politician