East Nokomis honors Alex Pretti, local VA nurse

People converged last night from several points in East Nokomis and walked down 34th Ave. to the bridge over Highway 62 to honor Alex Pretti, a nurse who worked at the VA hospital in East Nokomis. Pretti was killed by Border Patrol agents, who held him down and then emptied their clips into his back while he was at Nicollet and 26th yesterday at about 9 a.m., as shown by bystander videos. He was killed not far from his home in the Lyndale neighborhood. 

The site at Hwy. 62 and 34th Ave. S is a little over a mile from both the VA hospital and the Whipple Building, where federal agents are holding people in custody. They have held observers there, as well as U.S. citizens, as reported by multiple sources.

His parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, pointed out: “His last thought and act was to protect a woman…. He has 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.”

Angry Catfish bicycle shop (2900 E. 42nd) said: “Alex Pretti was a customer of ACF. A member of our local cycling community. An integral community member serving as a nurse at our local VA hospital. Murdered while standing up to bullies in his city. Then falsely smeared in the media as an agitator with an agenda. Do not believe the lies. He could be anyone of us standing against evil, but evil cannot get us all if we stand against it!”

While Border Patrol agents have long stayed within about 100 miles of a border, their range has been expanded under the Trump administration, using a federal law that states that, without a warrant, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents can search for people without immigration documentation “within a reasonable distance from any external boundary of the United States,” according to the ACLU. Minneapolis is 315 miles from the Canadian border. Former Border Patrol agent now working for ICE, Jonathan Ross, shot Renee Good at close range on Jan. 7, a mile and one-half away from where Pretti was shot. 

Both victims were 37 years old, white, lived in Minneapolis, and were observing ICE activity in the city.

Pretti lawfully owned a handgun that bystander video shows was taken by an agent after he was forced to the ground and before he was shot to death. He had a conceal and carry permit. Yesterday, the Gun Owners Caucus of Minnesota stated: “We are deeply concerned by this morning’s reports that a federal law enforcement operation in Minneapolis resulted in the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents. According to local officials, the man was legally armed, a firearm was recovered at the scene, and he is believed to have been a lawful gun owner and permit to carry holder. ..Every peaceable Minnesotan has the right to keep and bear arms—including while attending protests, acting as observers, or exercising their First Amendment rights. These rights do not disappear when someone is lawfully armed, and they must be respected and protected at all times.”