Along with all Minnesotans and decent people everywhere, the Buddhist Coalition for Democracy grieves the senseless murder of Alex Jeffrey Pretti. We especially grieve for those who knew him best—his family, coworkers, and friends. Alex was executed in cold blood by federal agents while attempting to render assistance to a woman that agents had pepper-sprayed and shoved to the ground. He was an I.C.U. nurse who, according to all accounts, had a friendly and cheerful disposition and was always interested in helping others. As in the case of Renee Nicole Good just weeks ago, the goal of the culpable federal agents was to intimidate and terrorize members of the resistance in Minneapolis and, by extension, all of us who want to preserve democratic institutions.
It is not enough to mourn. We need to make clear that we will not be intimidated. We need to turn our anger and grief into skillful actions that can confront authoritarianism. The federal government must pull ICE, CBP, and Homeland Security from Minnesota. ICE must be defunded and abolished; it is a corrupt agency from top-to-bottom and cannot be trusted. The U.S. Senate must filibuster the Homeland Security funding bill. The murder of Alex Pretti must be investigated by Minnesota and Minneapolis authorities, and not by the Department of Homeland Security or the FBI.
In the end, the current attempted federal cover-up will fail because what happened was captured in dozens of citizens’ cellphones and is plain to anyone with eyes to see.
We are inspired by how Minnesotans have stood up for their neighbors. Their peaceful resistance serves as a powerful example of how to respond to oppression.
We pray this murder, together with the murder of Renee Nicole Good, will mark an inflection point in public awareness and determination—and mark the beginning of the end of America’s flirtation with fascism.