squistion

Congresswoman AOC on Pretti killing: "Donald Trump accuses a Veterans Affairs ICU nurse (Alex Pretti) of being a terrorist against the US. A man who cared for the military personnel of our country, who dedicated his life to serving Americans. Who in his final act on this earth helped a woman who was lying on the ground. And they call him a domestic terrorist to justify his flagrant abuse of power, his absolute violation of the law, and to precipitate a larger conflict"

NYT update: Residents throughout the Twin Cities are setting out candles to memorialize Alex Pretti. A single flame flickered in a second-story apartment window. A row of votives illuminated the icy walkway of a house. Red and white candles are glowing on porches throughout the streets of Minneapolis.

From NYT: SMH. Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota on Saturday, blaming him and other Democratic elected officials for allowing “lawlessness.” In the letter, Ms. Bondi demanded that state officials turn over records of welfare recipients; that local officials “repeal sanctuary policies;” and that the state turn over voter records to the Department of Justice. “The time has come for state and local officials in your state to change course,” she wrote. It was uncertain whether the letter was sent before or after the shooting.

NYT update: On the lawn outside Alex Pretti’s home in Minneapolis, two candles were nestled in the snow, their flames flickering in the chill of the night. Neighbors on his block had come together for a small, private gathering.

NYT update: Those gathered near the site of the shooting Saturday night used words like apocalyptic, disheartening, and horrifying to describe what they were feeling. ”They want us to feel disheartened, to give up in these moments,” said Kevin Krahmer. “But I think the city is showing that we are going to be resilient in this moment, and we will rise to the occasion.”

https://x.com/TheJFreakinC/status/2015211148262436960 (video clip at link) NEW VIDEO PROVES ALEX JEFFREY PRETTI NEVER PULLED HIS LEGAL FIREARM In the video, you can clearly see an agent grab Alex’s legal firearm out of his holster. That is the only time the gun is removed. And Alex never touched it. They then yelled, “he has a gun!” and shot him, while he was completely unarmed. Alex never drew his firearm. Alex never threatened anyone. Alex never even tried to reach for it as he was being violent assaulted. He was not a threat, he was unarmed, and they shot him… And they kept firing into his motionless, unarmed body. They executed a U.S. citizen for legally carrying a firearm.

NYT news update: Mary Moriarty, the elected prosecutor in Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, said in a video statement that her office, along with state officials, was “committed to conducting an objective investigation into this case.” She encouraged people with information that might help that investigation to submit materials through an online portal.

NYT update: “This is not another vigil,” one speaker said at a large protest in Whittier Park in Minneapolis. “This is the damn turning point.” Many of the protesters marched in downtown Minneapolis on Friday and were protesting in subzero temperatures again on Saturday night.

Been off the site for a couple hours. NYT update for those like myself who have missed the latest: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/us/minneapolis-shooting-ice?nl=breaking-news&regi_id=125207237&segment_id=214270 Minneapolis Live Updates: Videos Appear to Contradict Federal Account of Killing Here’s the latest. Federal agents shot and killed a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident on Saturday morning, prompting renewed protests and clashes in a city where tensions have reached a breaking point after weeks of aggressive federal immigration enforcement. As dusk fell, Minnesota officials deployed the National Guard in an effort to prevent further violence. Colleagues and a senior law enforcement official identified the man who was shot as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an intensive-care nurse. Videos analyzed by The New York Times appear to contradict the accounts of federal officials, who said Mr. Pretti approached Border Patrol agents with a handgun and the intent to “massacre” them. Video footage shows Mr. Pretti stepping between a woman and an agent who is pepper spraying her. Other agents then pepper spray Mr. Pretti, who is holding a phone in one hand and nothing in the other. His concealed weapon is found only after he is restrained on the sidewalk, the videos show, and taken from him before the agents opened fire. Federal officials posted an image of the gun they said Mr. Pretti was carrying, and initially blocked Minnesota law enforcement officers from the shooting scene. Chief Brian O’Hara of the Minneapolis police said Mr. Pretti was an American citizen with no known criminal record, and had a valid firearms permit, allowing him to carry a gun openly.

Shamir Womack Guess Dey Color. Yeah right, tough one with that name. Another day and another racist thread trying to make some negative point about black people.

I doubt from a legal standpoint it works that way...that Minnesota forfeited their right to investigate the shooting of one of their citizens.

Including the shooting and possible murder of a Minnesota citizen? I would think that the state has the jurisdiction to investigate this.

What the hell are you talking about?

From NYT: Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said the Department of Homeland Security blocked state agents from the scene of Saturday’s shooting. Evans said his agency took the rare step of obtaining a search warrant to access the — the shooting happened on a street — but that has not yet yielded the access to evidence his investigators need. The state agency investigates shootings by law enforcement officials in the state. Evans said Minnesotans deserve an independent, thorough and transparent investigation into the shooting. But his agency, which has often cooperated with federal agencies in the past, is struggling to get access to witnesses and evidence. “We’re in uncharted territory here,” Evans said. Superintendent Evans said that state investigators had a signed warrant to access the shooting scene, but they were denied access by federal officials. Even though state investigators “were not able to do really any work at the scene once we had access,”he said, they had been talking to witnesses and seeking videos. Superintendent Evans said federal officials have refused to disclose the identities of federal agents involved in Saturday’s shooting, as well as the names of federal agents who have shot people in recent days in the course of the continuing immigration crackdown.

Doesn't sound like the typical profile of a terrorist (as Trump claims): From NYT: Alex Pretti, the man shot and killed by federal agents, was a nurse in the intensive-care unit at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis, his colleague, Dimitri Drekonja, said. Pretti was capable, competent and friendly, Drekonjo said, the kind of person who cared deeply about his work and his patients. “He was a really great colleague and a really great friend,” he said. “The default look on his face was a smile.”

SCOTUS disagrees: AI Overview Yes, U.S. Supreme Court cases have consistently confirmed the right to protest, primarily through First Amendment protections of freedom of speech and assembly, though not absolutely. Key rulings protect peaceful, public demonstrations and restrict government punishment of such activities. However, protests are subject to reasonable time, place, and manner regulations. Key Supreme Court precedents and limitations include: Protection of Public Expression: Cases like Thornhill v. Alabama and Cantwell v. Connecticut (1940) established that governments cannot broadly restrict peaceful, public, or truthful protest. Limiting Liability: The Court has ruled that protesters cannot be held liable for others' violent acts just because they organized the protest, requiring a higher standard of intent rather than negligence (e.g., Counterman v. Colorado, Mckesson v. Doe). Restrictions: Rights do not cover violence, direct threats, inciting immediate violence, or disrupting privacy in the home. Specific Locations: Regulations on protesting, such as near courthouses, have been upheld to ensure the administration of justice.

From NYT: The man who was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis Saturday morning is Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, according to a senior law enforcement official familiar with the investigation. Alex Pretti’s neighbor said he was an amiable man who worked as a nurse and would often walk his dog around his Minneapolis neighborhood, exchanging pleasantries with neighbors along the way. “This is not a violent person,” said Jeanne Wiener.

You're wrong. Under the First Amendment Americans do have a right to protest.

NYT update: In new social media posts, the city of Minneapolis asked protesters to remain peaceful and advised staying away from the shooting scene. “Your right to protest is protected; however, vandalism and violence is not,” one of the posts said. “Your safety is paramount.”

From NYT subscriber live update: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01/24/us/minneapolis-shooting-ice?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20260124&instance_id=170072&nl=breaking-news&regi_id=125207237&segment_id=214266&user_id=14502a7228c5a9b835a15627514bfe28 Trump and other federal officials put blame on local officials and man who was killed. President Trump moved swiftly on Saturday to shift the blame for another shooting death in Minneapolis away from the federal agents involved in the incident, claiming instead that it was the result of inflammatory rhetoric by local officials and the victim himself. Members of Mr. Trump’s administration also quickly labeled the man, whom Minneapolis police said was 37 years old and an American citizen, as a “domestic terrorist” and a would-be-assassin hours after the morning shooting, before all the facts were yet known or an investigation could take place.

AI Overview Yes, Americans have a constitutional right to protest, guaranteed by the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech, assembly, and petition. While peaceful protests in public spaces are protected, the government can enforce "time, place, and manner" restrictions, meaning demonstrations must comply with certain rules and cannot turn violent or obstruct traffic.

Most legal experts I've seen discuss this have said that ICE agents do not have blanket or absolute immunity from criminal prosecution or civil lawsuits. Contrary to what Vance and Miller have said recently they are not immune from prosecution if they break state or federal law.