When Federal Power Turns on Its Own People
When Federal Power Turns on Its Own
People
Shooting of Aelx, a 37-year-old US citizen,
by ICE
What we are seeing out of
Minneapolis should alarm every American. According to media reports and video
footage, ICE agents shot and killed a man later identified as a U.S. citizen.
He was not aiming a weapon, was not posing an immediate threat, and was already
being restrained when multiple shots were fired.
That is not law enforcement. That
is excessive force.
The number of shots matters.
Officers are trained to stop threats, not to kill someone for resisting arrest.
If six armed agents feared one unarmed man, that does not show courage. It
shows recklessness. Resistance, protest, or verbal opposition is not a death
sentence in this country. At least, it is not supposed to be.
ICE operates under federal
authority. These agents were deployed by the president. Responsibility does not
end with the person who pulled the trigger. When federal power kills a citizen,
accountability must reach the highest level.
Officials have attempted to
justify the operation by claiming ICE was pursuing another individual accused
of domestic violence. Serious allegations deserve due process, not
military-style intervention. If there was a lawful warrant, local police were
fully capable of serving it. There was no need for ICE, no need to confront
protesters, and no justification for lethal force.
Public safety in Minneapolis is
the responsibility of local and state governments. Federal intervention is
meant for extraordinary threats, not routine policing. So far, no explanation
meets that standard.
After watching the video, the
most disturbing part is not only the killing, but the response. Instead of
transparency, we are getting deflection. When the federal government kills a
citizen and hides behind vague claims, it loses moral authority.
This is no longer just about
immigration enforcement. It is about unchecked power. When armed federal agents
operate without accountability, civil rights become conditional.
If this can happen to a citizen,
on camera, in a major American city, then no one should pretend this is someone
else’s problem.
Silence is not neutrality. It is
permission.
The federal government’s account does not align with the video evidence. Bavino’s claim that the man was violent is contradicted by what the footage clearly shows.
ReplyDeleteAlex Pretti was killed during a federal enforcement operation in Minneapolis, and available video and reports raise serious questions about how and why it happened. Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and U.S. citizen, was identified by his family as someone committed to helping others. He legally owned a firearm and had a permit to carry, but there is no indication from widely shared footage that he posed an imminent threat to federal agents when he was shot.
DeleteWhen asked about Pretti’s firearm, federal officials have not fully addressed where it was or how it factored into the shooting, even though authorities say he had two magazines with him.
Local law enforcement and state leaders say they have been denied full access to the scene and the investigation, which undermines transparency and trust. That lack of cooperation fuels public concern about a federal cover-up rather than a good-faith inquiry.
Minneapolis residents and officials argue that public safety is primarily the responsibility of local authorities and that routine warrants or arrests should not require militarized federal intervention. The escalation of federal presence, especially after a recent fatal shooting by an ICE agent earlier in the month, has intensified protests and widened calls for accountability.