I'm a retired cop as well and you're doing a better job than I am atm of controlling your rage. Thanks for the thorough and sober coverage of what's happening. Like the Nicole Good shooting, ICE/Border Patrol appear to have instigated this event by pushing a woman to the ground who the victim was subsequently trying to protect. The only terrorists in Minneapolis right now are wearing masks and outfitted like they're invading Venezuela. There's even a video clip of one of the thugs clapping seconds after the last shot was fired. Unfortunately, with the entire federal apparatus standing fully behind their actions and condemning, again, the victim as a terrorist, we won't see justice anytime soon. Thanks for your reporting.
Likewise, brother. I am so disgusted with my cohort of retired cops that are all in for what is happening in Minnesota. I am unable to coherently communicate what is running through my mind.
It clearly WAS a domestic terrorist attack ... on Alex Pretti, By ICE. (...likely by the CBC part of ICE). More specifically it was a (second) unwarranted lethal federal government attack on a citizen of MN in the month.
As HCR also notes, this is an execution; there's not a fig leaf of self-defense:
Alex was killed AFTER his holstered and permitted gun was taken, and after he was tackled from behind and subdued by 5-7 masked and armed men. While he was trying to help a women get up after having been shoved to the ground by ice.
The repeated pattern of behavior shows these masked and armed T agents were looking for someone to kill, in order to further terrorize T's political opposition, AND to provoke a violent response. DO NOT RESPOND VIOLENTLY. Do NOT give them ANY cover.
At this point, the large majority of citizens are going to throw this Regime OUT. Ironically, the ONLY thing that can SUSTAIN this regime now, is a violent opposition to it, that might appear to legitimize their violence, to the systematically deceived faux news viewers. T wants martial law.
Ironic dynamics, and not fair to these martyrs, but that's how it will go.
If we are NOT violent, we are CERTAIN to prevail. BUT we MUST be politically, financially, vocally, (and legally) intelligently assertive. We need discipline. We must spend less time sharing with like-minded folk online (as I am likely doing), and more time calling and writing congress persons - and researching pressure points - and organizing to bring pressure to bear on the 16Rs that need a change of wallet NOW, who can stop this terrorism TOMORROW.
AND we need to relearn how to talk to the R soccer moms and the R baseball dads, and those with different faiths - or none.
(I'm not a Christian but am a PK. Suspect most readers here will recognize that I am advocating the means by which an oppressed minority permanently conquered the brutal Roman Empire. HE didn't have podcasting or capacity to video-stream the entire interested world. Didn't even have a printing press. So it was word of mouth. Took a few hundred years. But his humanist ideal was in the RIGHT, he rather brilliantly crafted a viral message, and he 'won' beyond all imagining.)
THIS won't take that long. I'd wager T will be gone before midterms; Vance, Miller, Vaught, Ruffo, Heritage FDN, Federalist Society, tech oligarchs, billionaires (Thiel, Andreessen, Musk, Kochs, Murdock, ...), Putin, white nationalism, & AGI are now ALL bigger issues than T, who is a distractingly orange but fading symptom. They will remain. What shall we do with them?
T's lost his final round - provided WE don't fall into categorical simplistic and obviously brain-dead rants like 'Defund the pol-ICE'. Or violent mass actions.
Government is necessary; borders are necessary. Immigrants are absolutely essential - and with strategic, managed rates and modes. Enforcement of all laws is necessary, even while we strive to fix the bad ones. And fix any enforcers who've gone bad; a very tough job. This is maintenance of governance. WE WANT Rule of Law!
Past time - for many of us - to plan for post-T, and for curing our 2-part disease (racism & billionaire control) in a refreshed America v2.0. This is a lifetime project; starts now.
Ann, I feel this too. What's the point of defending yourself in the middle of the night when they come for you and your family, and you can't shoot them in self defense? ICE can shoot someone in broad daylight in front of people filming it and claim it wasn't what we all saw. They lie. So be prepared, because this is not going to end well.
Any ICE Gestapo should be presumed guilty until proven innocent. If you've ever read the history leading up to WWII and The Holocaust, we are duplicating it in real time right now. No amount of peaceful protests are going to deter this fascist regime any more than they would have deterred Hitler. Bullies only respect overwhelming force against them. Hopefully Canada and the EU are ready to send troops to America to end the fascist takeover, since Congress is too fucking spineless to do it.
At some point enough social resistance to despots can rob them of their power. I has happened. I am unsure of how well the US maps onto pre-WWII Germany. Certainly there are parallels, and a lot of differences. I see Republicans seemingly trying to follow the Third Reich script, but I'm not convinced it's enough of a fit in the US today. There are surely a dangerous number of Trump fanatics among us, but overall, MAGA is unpopular. And while Trump talks talk about "America First", his prioritizing of displays of gratuitous brutality at home and abroad, and the many trashy trimmings of his palace and privileged lifestyle is not making the lives of we the people any easier.
I have no experience in law enforcement, but I'm wondering with these goons running around with gators and free government issued guns and little training other than video games while they've been unemployed since high school graduation, how do actual law enforcement feel about this endangering their own lives? Granted, the peaceful protestors, who also happen to have guns but with training, don't pose a lethal threat in most cases, unlike Rittenhouse who got away with it, I would think legit law enforcement would have added stress now because they should be the professionals. Yet, if a real police officer is involved in a shooting of a civilian with no probably cause, they get investigated. Seems like Noem and Bovino's gang of derelicts can do whatever the f*ck they want with no repercussions. Today was heavy. Too heavy to bear. Thank you for your posts.
Lisa, I cannot speak for current cops. I'm 13 years retired, which is about 1.5 generations for cops. I can speak for a fair number of retired cops. about 70% are all in for what the maladministration is doing. 30% of us are not.
I stood on a street corner outside the Federal building in Eugene, OR today. I'll be out at my usual protest on Monday.
Speak out & resist the lawless cruelty & violence peacefully. When (according to Trump & ICE) agitators, the worst of the worst, domestic terrorists etc are disguised in bunny hats, boxer shorts & feigning disabilities... https://youtube.com/shorts/Uyksv33fwTw?si=eE4qA-bFccH-i-Jv
Now, gangland style ICE execution of 37 yr old peacefully filming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz0v3RiXaJM Legal holstered firearm that DHS & other feds falsely claim was “brandished” was in possession of feds before victim was shot at close range 10 or more times.
Thank you for this; having seen two of the videos, and heard bits of the press conferences, I'm wondering if what we need right now is outrage. You're providing the factual foundation for that outrage, so that's good. And yet these horrid excuses for government leaders in DC need to know that we see straight through them and oppose them with every breath we have. Video makes all the difference, and they don't yet seem to have learned that. #AbolishICE #DismantleDHS
T & Regime are using violence to (try to) instigate a violent reaction, so that
T can call in troops and declare martial law, so that
T can compromise the midterms and subsequent elections, so that
T is ours forever and 'you won't have to vote anymore' as he puts it.
This need for violent reaction to their violence is existential for his administration.
They now know if there were a fair election, they would lose big, be impeached, and some (again) will be convicted, perhaps T himself - if he lives that long.
So they WANT US to respond with violence. DON'T COMPLY!!!
Don't give this to T!
Respond with intense political, social, financial, and media pressure NOW (and until success) on the 16 republicans in congress who can STOP ICE deployment and violence in states IMMEDIATELY.
Do the same on the 23 persons who can stop this immediately (via 25th amendment).
Outrage can motivate, but can render one senseless and impotent as well; be sure your actions are rational, calculating, intelligent, strategic, collaborative, synergistic, and have enduring qualities that PERSIST LONG AFTER any emotions wear flat or displaced. Then turn this new focus and collaboration into the next 250 years of a BETTER government, USA v 2.0.
Thanks for your reporting. As Walz said, this is sickening. This is very clearly out of control. I am deeply saddened and furious and so much more. At this point I don’t even know how to express what I’m feeling. This outright cruelty has got to stop, but I don’t think it will anytime soon. This is like a very bad dream…a nightmare.
This was another cold-blooded murder of an American citizen by the American government. Everything that has happened to every immigrant and every non-immigrant has been cold-blooded. I can only assume the individuals hired as ICE agents are criminals. No more. We have to figure out a non-violent way to stop this immediately. I felt it had to be immediately weeks, months ago. It has to stop now. It has to stop now. It has to stop now.
We've tried non-violent ways. Protests, general strikes, boycotts of corporations, helping our neighbors with food and laundry while they hide in their homes. Giving our PTO for workers too afraid to show up. We can do all of this but this regime does not care. The planning has been for decades. We need another plan. A gentle man, a VA nurse and veteran, trying to help a woman who was just pepper sprayed in the face, along with himself, and he was tackled, pistol whipped, and shot over 10 times in broad daylight. The news is reporting it as a domestic terrorist attack. Cry BS to your circle of influence, your friends and your family. We can't let propaganda destroy us of our own senses.
Well I have a lot. This is trumps America. Elections have consequences. We don’t need to say fascist we don’t need to say Nazi. We see it. Stephen Miller essentially gave the green light when he said. You all have immunity and if anyone intervenes it’s a felony. After that it was open season for whoever decided to challenge the authority of these goons. So you see it now. No repercussions or justice. Just gaslight and distract. Thank you X for this brilliant piece. Praying for the victims and their families. Maybe this is the watershed moment for the country to come together and make sure justice is served in this country. Great perspective you two law enforcement.
I remember Kent State, this is worse, much worse. Stop funding ICE until we have a thorough investigation. Shut down the country if necessary.
THIS MUST STOP. It’s the least we can do to honor Renee Good, Alex Pretti and all the other innocent people who’ve been terrorized, kidnapped and abused. No more words, we need action from state and federal leadership.
Alex Pretti, RN a VA ICU nurse, age 37 was tackled and piled on as he tried to help up a woman who had fallen in the frozen street after an ICE agent had forcefully shoved her.
As he reached to help her with one hand, he continued recording ICE with his phone with the other hand. He held no gun.
He was pulled to the ground and piled on by multiple ICE agents and punched in the head and perhaps kicked in the side. It appears for a moment he was on all fours (knees and elbows) head to the ground with hands above his head trying to protect head and face from blows.
While it is not visible, it is reported that a) he had a concealed weapon permit and that b) at about this moment (hands over head, on knees or by then prone) a weapon was found in his waistband (presumably at the small of his back under his coat). Within seconds or simultaneously of a person appearing to run away with something (gun? No video actually shows a gun, that I can see, so again this is reported info), one sees an agent not in the pile-on draw a gun with his right hand and look for a clear shot in the pile of bodies . Alex appears to have been shot by one agent (can’t tell which) and collapsed, and within seconds a seemingly different agent emptied 9 more bullets into his still body as people & agents scrambled to get away.
A woman came up to us after church today and admitted that she had a hard time not crying during the service because of what happened in Minneapolis this month. I had felt exactly the same way because I had to wipe tears off my face as well. While it was comforting to hear that someone else was as emotional as I was, it was also disheartening to know that even in the peaceful sanctuary of a church, the idea of a cruel and lawless government is entering our minds and interrupting our prayers.
I'm a retired cop as well and you're doing a better job than I am atm of controlling your rage. Thanks for the thorough and sober coverage of what's happening. Like the Nicole Good shooting, ICE/Border Patrol appear to have instigated this event by pushing a woman to the ground who the victim was subsequently trying to protect. The only terrorists in Minneapolis right now are wearing masks and outfitted like they're invading Venezuela. There's even a video clip of one of the thugs clapping seconds after the last shot was fired. Unfortunately, with the entire federal apparatus standing fully behind their actions and condemning, again, the victim as a terrorist, we won't see justice anytime soon. Thanks for your reporting.
Likewise, brother. I am so disgusted with my cohort of retired cops that are all in for what is happening in Minnesota. I am unable to coherently communicate what is running through my mind.
Alex Jefferey Pretti. Renee Nicole Good. Martyrs.
It clearly WAS a domestic terrorist attack ... on Alex Pretti, By ICE. (...likely by the CBC part of ICE). More specifically it was a (second) unwarranted lethal federal government attack on a citizen of MN in the month.
As HCR also notes, this is an execution; there's not a fig leaf of self-defense:
Alex was killed AFTER his holstered and permitted gun was taken, and after he was tackled from behind and subdued by 5-7 masked and armed men. While he was trying to help a women get up after having been shoved to the ground by ice.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-24-2026-fa1
The repeated pattern of behavior shows these masked and armed T agents were looking for someone to kill, in order to further terrorize T's political opposition, AND to provoke a violent response. DO NOT RESPOND VIOLENTLY. Do NOT give them ANY cover.
At this point, the large majority of citizens are going to throw this Regime OUT. Ironically, the ONLY thing that can SUSTAIN this regime now, is a violent opposition to it, that might appear to legitimize their violence, to the systematically deceived faux news viewers. T wants martial law.
Ironic dynamics, and not fair to these martyrs, but that's how it will go.
If we are NOT violent, we are CERTAIN to prevail. BUT we MUST be politically, financially, vocally, (and legally) intelligently assertive. We need discipline. We must spend less time sharing with like-minded folk online (as I am likely doing), and more time calling and writing congress persons - and researching pressure points - and organizing to bring pressure to bear on the 16Rs that need a change of wallet NOW, who can stop this terrorism TOMORROW.
AND we need to relearn how to talk to the R soccer moms and the R baseball dads, and those with different faiths - or none.
(I'm not a Christian but am a PK. Suspect most readers here will recognize that I am advocating the means by which an oppressed minority permanently conquered the brutal Roman Empire. HE didn't have podcasting or capacity to video-stream the entire interested world. Didn't even have a printing press. So it was word of mouth. Took a few hundred years. But his humanist ideal was in the RIGHT, he rather brilliantly crafted a viral message, and he 'won' beyond all imagining.)
THIS won't take that long. I'd wager T will be gone before midterms; Vance, Miller, Vaught, Ruffo, Heritage FDN, Federalist Society, tech oligarchs, billionaires (Thiel, Andreessen, Musk, Kochs, Murdock, ...), Putin, white nationalism, & AGI are now ALL bigger issues than T, who is a distractingly orange but fading symptom. They will remain. What shall we do with them?
T's lost his final round - provided WE don't fall into categorical simplistic and obviously brain-dead rants like 'Defund the pol-ICE'. Or violent mass actions.
Government is necessary; borders are necessary. Immigrants are absolutely essential - and with strategic, managed rates and modes. Enforcement of all laws is necessary, even while we strive to fix the bad ones. And fix any enforcers who've gone bad; a very tough job. This is maintenance of governance. WE WANT Rule of Law!
Past time - for many of us - to plan for post-T, and for curing our 2-part disease (racism & billionaire control) in a refreshed America v2.0. This is a lifetime project; starts now.
Say his name: Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an intensive-care nurse at the VA hospital.
And don't forget, these fascists are the same people promoting the carrying of firearms and making people feel they have to have one "to be safe."
Ann, I feel this too. What's the point of defending yourself in the middle of the night when they come for you and your family, and you can't shoot them in self defense? ICE can shoot someone in broad daylight in front of people filming it and claim it wasn't what we all saw. They lie. So be prepared, because this is not going to end well.
Any ICE Gestapo should be presumed guilty until proven innocent. If you've ever read the history leading up to WWII and The Holocaust, we are duplicating it in real time right now. No amount of peaceful protests are going to deter this fascist regime any more than they would have deterred Hitler. Bullies only respect overwhelming force against them. Hopefully Canada and the EU are ready to send troops to America to end the fascist takeover, since Congress is too fucking spineless to do it.
At some point enough social resistance to despots can rob them of their power. I has happened. I am unsure of how well the US maps onto pre-WWII Germany. Certainly there are parallels, and a lot of differences. I see Republicans seemingly trying to follow the Third Reich script, but I'm not convinced it's enough of a fit in the US today. There are surely a dangerous number of Trump fanatics among us, but overall, MAGA is unpopular. And while Trump talks talk about "America First", his prioritizing of displays of gratuitous brutality at home and abroad, and the many trashy trimmings of his palace and privileged lifestyle is not making the lives of we the people any easier.
Unfortunately, after Davos and our dear leader's ramblings, Canada and the EU formally divorced us. I don't blame them. I hate us too.
I have no experience in law enforcement, but I'm wondering with these goons running around with gators and free government issued guns and little training other than video games while they've been unemployed since high school graduation, how do actual law enforcement feel about this endangering their own lives? Granted, the peaceful protestors, who also happen to have guns but with training, don't pose a lethal threat in most cases, unlike Rittenhouse who got away with it, I would think legit law enforcement would have added stress now because they should be the professionals. Yet, if a real police officer is involved in a shooting of a civilian with no probably cause, they get investigated. Seems like Noem and Bovino's gang of derelicts can do whatever the f*ck they want with no repercussions. Today was heavy. Too heavy to bear. Thank you for your posts.
Lisa, I cannot speak for current cops. I'm 13 years retired, which is about 1.5 generations for cops. I can speak for a fair number of retired cops. about 70% are all in for what the maladministration is doing. 30% of us are not.
I stood on a street corner outside the Federal building in Eugene, OR today. I'll be out at my usual protest on Monday.
Sobering.
I wonder how 70 /30 would hold up in other jurisdictions.
Not very well. We’re in a liberal area of the state.
So would be worse, but how about other states?
Speak out & resist the lawless cruelty & violence peacefully. When (according to Trump & ICE) agitators, the worst of the worst, domestic terrorists etc are disguised in bunny hats, boxer shorts & feigning disabilities... https://youtube.com/shorts/Uyksv33fwTw?si=eE4qA-bFccH-i-Jv
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ5NXhja9zk
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/24/us/minnesota-ice-violence-tactics-videos.html?smid=url-share
Now, gangland style ICE execution of 37 yr old peacefully filming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz0v3RiXaJM Legal holstered firearm that DHS & other feds falsely claim was “brandished” was in possession of feds before victim was shot at close range 10 or more times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdLhbQNELJY
Thank you for this; having seen two of the videos, and heard bits of the press conferences, I'm wondering if what we need right now is outrage. You're providing the factual foundation for that outrage, so that's good. And yet these horrid excuses for government leaders in DC need to know that we see straight through them and oppose them with every breath we have. Video makes all the difference, and they don't yet seem to have learned that. #AbolishICE #DismantleDHS
T & Regime are using violence to (try to) instigate a violent reaction, so that
T can call in troops and declare martial law, so that
T can compromise the midterms and subsequent elections, so that
T is ours forever and 'you won't have to vote anymore' as he puts it.
This need for violent reaction to their violence is existential for his administration.
They now know if there were a fair election, they would lose big, be impeached, and some (again) will be convicted, perhaps T himself - if he lives that long.
So they WANT US to respond with violence. DON'T COMPLY!!!
Don't give this to T!
Respond with intense political, social, financial, and media pressure NOW (and until success) on the 16 republicans in congress who can STOP ICE deployment and violence in states IMMEDIATELY.
Do the same on the 23 persons who can stop this immediately (via 25th amendment).
Outrage can motivate, but can render one senseless and impotent as well; be sure your actions are rational, calculating, intelligent, strategic, collaborative, synergistic, and have enduring qualities that PERSIST LONG AFTER any emotions wear flat or displaced. Then turn this new focus and collaboration into the next 250 years of a BETTER government, USA v 2.0.
Never give up, never surrender.
It is very clear, now, that the Dump regime is the enemy of the American people and the Constitution.
Thanks for your reporting. As Walz said, this is sickening. This is very clearly out of control. I am deeply saddened and furious and so much more. At this point I don’t even know how to express what I’m feeling. This outright cruelty has got to stop, but I don’t think it will anytime soon. This is like a very bad dream…a nightmare.
This was another cold-blooded murder of an American citizen by the American government. Everything that has happened to every immigrant and every non-immigrant has been cold-blooded. I can only assume the individuals hired as ICE agents are criminals. No more. We have to figure out a non-violent way to stop this immediately. I felt it had to be immediately weeks, months ago. It has to stop now. It has to stop now. It has to stop now.
We've tried non-violent ways. Protests, general strikes, boycotts of corporations, helping our neighbors with food and laundry while they hide in their homes. Giving our PTO for workers too afraid to show up. We can do all of this but this regime does not care. The planning has been for decades. We need another plan. A gentle man, a VA nurse and veteran, trying to help a woman who was just pepper sprayed in the face, along with himself, and he was tackled, pistol whipped, and shot over 10 times in broad daylight. The news is reporting it as a domestic terrorist attack. Cry BS to your circle of influence, your friends and your family. We can't let propaganda destroy us of our own senses.
That is the way I saw it, too. I think he had his back to the ICE personnel when they first rushed him from behind.
Well I have a lot. This is trumps America. Elections have consequences. We don’t need to say fascist we don’t need to say Nazi. We see it. Stephen Miller essentially gave the green light when he said. You all have immunity and if anyone intervenes it’s a felony. After that it was open season for whoever decided to challenge the authority of these goons. So you see it now. No repercussions or justice. Just gaslight and distract. Thank you X for this brilliant piece. Praying for the victims and their families. Maybe this is the watershed moment for the country to come together and make sure justice is served in this country. Great perspective you two law enforcement.
I remember Kent State, this is worse, much worse. Stop funding ICE until we have a thorough investigation. Shut down the country if necessary.
THIS MUST STOP. It’s the least we can do to honor Renee Good, Alex Pretti and all the other innocent people who’ve been terrorized, kidnapped and abused. No more words, we need action from state and federal leadership.
Alex Pretti, RN a VA ICU nurse, age 37 was tackled and piled on as he tried to help up a woman who had fallen in the frozen street after an ICE agent had forcefully shoved her.
As he reached to help her with one hand, he continued recording ICE with his phone with the other hand. He held no gun.
He was pulled to the ground and piled on by multiple ICE agents and punched in the head and perhaps kicked in the side. It appears for a moment he was on all fours (knees and elbows) head to the ground with hands above his head trying to protect head and face from blows.
While it is not visible, it is reported that a) he had a concealed weapon permit and that b) at about this moment (hands over head, on knees or by then prone) a weapon was found in his waistband (presumably at the small of his back under his coat). Within seconds or simultaneously of a person appearing to run away with something (gun? No video actually shows a gun, that I can see, so again this is reported info), one sees an agent not in the pile-on draw a gun with his right hand and look for a clear shot in the pile of bodies . Alex appears to have been shot by one agent (can’t tell which) and collapsed, and within seconds a seemingly different agent emptied 9 more bullets into his still body as people & agents scrambled to get away.
These uniformed clowns kill way too easily.
A woman came up to us after church today and admitted that she had a hard time not crying during the service because of what happened in Minneapolis this month. I had felt exactly the same way because I had to wipe tears off my face as well. While it was comforting to hear that someone else was as emotional as I was, it was also disheartening to know that even in the peaceful sanctuary of a church, the idea of a cruel and lawless government is entering our minds and interrupting our prayers.
Sarge, thanks for this. I have no coherent words to add. I've tried all day.
We are not seeing any footage since yesterday out of Minnesota!