The Partial Observer by Virginia Kennedy

Local Indivisible Groups Demand Action on ICE, CBP after Minnesota Shooting

On Saturday, January 24, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Minneapolis shot and killed another American citizen protesting their presence, as protestors have been doing for weeks. CooperstownOneonta Indivisible, Butternut Valley Indivisible, Indivisible for Schoharie County, and Indivisible Cherry Valley decry this killing and the unacceptable, horrific, and brutal violence U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and CBP are inflicting on the streets of America.

Enough. ICE and CBP need to leave Minnesota and Maine, where they have started another invasion operation, full stop. Our own New York senators, representatives, and Governor Hochul must call for the full cessation of ICE and CBP activities in all American cities, towns, and rural areas immediately.

Governor Hochul must raise her voice more forcefully and often about coercion by the federal government to force over-armed, undertrained ICE and CBP agents into American cities. She must work to persuade other governors to do the same.

Senator Chuck Schumer has stated that, “Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included.” We commend Senator Schumer for this statement and affirm that he must keep Democratic senators in line with this commitment.

Otsego County Sheriff, Richard Devlin, needs to immediately cancel the 287(g) agreement he unilaterally signed with ICE.

Currently, the Department of Homeland Security is claiming the CBP agent who fired his weapon was in fear for his life because the victim, Alex Pretti, was carrying a gun that was legally registered to him. Bystander videos make clear that Pretti, who had been directing traffic with his phone in his hand, rushes to the aid of a woman being pepper sprayed and is immediately tackled to the ground. He is shot once and falls immobile and prone and then is shot multiple times more. Heavily armed and vested agents, one of whom was continually hitting Pretti in the head as they tackled him, were not in lethal danger. In fact, Bellingcat, a well-respected independent collective of researchers and investigators. after careful examination of video evidence, stated “an agent appears to have removed the firearm from its concealed position on the victim before retreating with it, all prior to the first shot being fired.”  

DHS and the administration have promised an investigation, just as they did when mother and teacher Renee Good was shot three times while driving away from ICE officers on January 7. As in the case of Renee Good, President Trump and Kristi Noem quickly announced that Pretti was violent, dangerous, and at fault prior to any investigation at all. In Renee Good’s case, the state of Minnesota has been restrained from participating in the investigation, and federal authorities have refused to cooperate with state and local investigators who are trying to address all the facts. Multiple news sources report that the career FBI agent assigned to the Renee Good case has resigned because she was not allowed to properly investigate the shooting. Clearly, the Trump administration and DHS will try to prevent Minnesota authorities from investigating this shooting as well. They are highly motivated not to want the truth to come out in both these shootings.

Alex Pretti was a 37-year old intensive care unit nurse at a VA hospital. He had no criminal record. His friends, family, and colleagues spoke of him as a passionate outdoorsman who loved hiking with his dog, was friendly to all, and was a caring and excellent nurse. Now he is gone. He was shot on a Minneapolis street because he went to the aid of a woman being pepper sprayed and physically accosted by CBP agents.

As New York Indivisible groups, we stand with Minnesota, Maine, and all communities being harassed and severely harmed by unaccountable federal agents turning America into a police state where people are shot in their communities by masked agents, who are often improperly trained and armed as if they were fighting an invading army.

 Enough. 

Virginia Kennedy is the group leader of CooperstownOneonta Indivisible.