Another shooting in Minneapolis

[mister_coffee]

https://barackobama.medium.com/a-wake-u ... 0115195303

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NYT editorial board follows suit with the WSJ editorial board's call for accountability
By The Editorial Board

The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom.

The federal government owes Americans a thorough investigation and a truthful accounting of the Saturday morning shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti on a Minneapolis street. When the government kills, it has an obligation to demonstrate that it has acted in the public interest. Instead, the Trump administration is once again engaged in a perversion of justice.

Mere hours after Mr. Pretti died, Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, declared without offering evidence that Mr. Pretti had “committed an act of domestic terrorism.” Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official, offered his own assessment: “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”

These unfounded and inflammatory judgments pre-empt the outcome of an investigation, which the Department of Homeland Security has promised. They also appear wholly inconsistent with several videos recorded at the scene.

Those videos showed that Mr. Pretti had nothing but a phone in his hands when he was tackled by Border Patrol agents, and that he never drew the gun he was carrying (and reportedly had a license to carry). Indeed, the videos seem to show that one federal agent took the gun from Mr. Pretti moments before a different agent shot him from behind. Separate analyses by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, CBS News and other organizations all concluded that the videos contradict the Trump administration’s description of the killing.

The administration is urging Americans to reject the evidence of their eyes and ears. Ms. Noem and Mr. Bovino are lying in defiance of obvious truths. They are lying in the manner of authoritarian regimes that require people to accept lies as a demonstration of power.

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Even worse is that all of this feels so terribly familiar. Earlier this month, a federal agent shot and killed another Minneapolis resident, Renee Good. In that case, too, the Trump administration has demonized the victim and has blocked a state investigation of the killing.

Truth is a line of demarcation between a democratic government and an authoritarian regime. Mr. Pretti and Ms. Good are dead. The American people deserve to know what happened.

The temperature in Minneapolis is dangerously high. There is an urgent need for the federal agents deployed to the city to step back and take a breath before more Americans are hurt or killed. Those protesting the Trump administration have an equal obligation to avoid violence.

The American people also need answers about whether federal agents acted inappropriately, and the behavior of the Trump administration means that it will be impossible to trust any federal investigation that it conducts. President Trump and his appointees have demonstrated themselves to be unconcerned with truth and willing to lie to serve their own interests. Congress therefore must step in. The Constitution vests it with the power to hold hearings, issue subpoenas and demand answers.

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Congress ought to investigate both the circumstances of the recent killings in Minneapolis and the broader conduct of the federal agencies engaged in Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown, including their treatment of peaceful protesters. The video evidence shows that the incident that ended in Mr. Pretti’s death began when a federal agent lunged at a protester and knocked her to the ground. There are many similar videos and documented instances of federal agents using unnecessary violence against people who are peacefully protesting or documenting events — both behaviors protected under the First Amendment.

Congress has the power to hold the administration accountable through its control of federal spending. A pending bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security offers a crucial opportunity to perform scrutiny and impose necessary guardrails, such as funding for body cameras.

The federal government also has sought to prevent investigations by the state of Minnesota. This must end. A federal judge in Minnesota issued a temporary restraining order on Saturday evening, at the behest of the state, barring federal agencies from destroying evidence related to Mr. Pretti’s killing. The need for such an order is both evident and extraordinary.

“The credibility of ICE and D.H.S. are at stake,” Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican increasingly at odds with Mr. Trump, posted on social media on Saturday. “There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth.”

The Trump administration has made no attempt to calm the waters in Minneapolis. It is a disgrace that the first public comment by Mr. Trump in the wake of Mr. Pretti’s death was to post a picture on social media of what he described as “the gunman’s gun.” Stephen Miller, arguably Mr. Trump’s most influential adviser, wrote on social media, without offering evidence, that Mr. Pretti was “an assassin.”

It is premature to reach conclusions about what exactly happened on that Minneapolis street. The Trump administration should not have done so, and we will not do so. What is clear, however, is that the federal government needs to re-establish public faith in the agencies and officers who are carrying out Mr. Trump’s crackdown on immigration. If the administration is allowed to act with impunity and avoid even the most basic accountability, the result will be more violence."
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Don't know if this will be accessible, but this guy is so spot on in this TikTok video
https://substack.com/@paultshattuck/not ... are-action

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6-7

[dorankj]

Ice and border patrol have been doing the same operations in multiple areas for years (and still do in most states) but when the billions in fraud in Minnesota by mostly Somali's was brought to the forefront the dumba** gov and his lame Trudeau mayor sidekick have riled up the freaks and morons to sacrifice themselves against the rule of law! Just sayin'

[just-jim]

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Just sayin’…….

Ever since ICE started recruiting anybody with a pulse & a lame haircut to get out there and abduct kids or indiscriminately kill regular citizens, there haven't been any school or church shootings...

Coincidence? I don't think so!!
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MN's National Guard arrives with hot cocoa & Doughnuts
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BwP8jASL3/

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Full text of the letter AG Bondi sent to Gov Walz on Saturday
https://annepmitchell.substack.com/p/he ... irect=true

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"‘The National Rifle Association (NRA) has joined other gun lobbying and advocacy groups that are typically aligned with Donald Trump in calling for the Republican president’s administration to conduct a “full investigation” into the killing of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old nurse who was shot dead by federal immigration officials in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Pretti was reportedly legally permitted to carry a gun and is a citizen of the US, where it is a constitutional right to bear arms. Widely circulated video of his shooting death does not depict Pretti ever holding a gun. It does show an officer reaching to Petti’s lower back and stepping away with what appeared to be a pistol – and Petti being subsequently shot to death.
The NRA waded into the national dialogue over Pretti’s killing after Bill Essayli – who was appointed by Trump to temporarily serve as a US attorney in California in 2025 – posted on social media: “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.”
In response, the NRA posted: “This sentiment … is dangerous and wrong. Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”
Gun Owners of America, a non-profit lobbying organization, also criticized that claim from Essayli – who is now an acting first assistant US attorney for California’s central federal district court.
“Federal agents are not ‘highly likely’ to be ‘legally justified’ in ‘shooting’ concealed carry licensees who approach while lawfully carrying a firearm,” the group posted. It added that the US constitution’s second amendment “protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting – a right the federal government must not infringe upon.”
California governor Gavin Newsom’s press office responded to the NRA’s criticism of Essayli, saying on social media, “Wow. Even the NRA thinks Trump’s [justice department] stooge in California has gone too far for claiming federal agents were ‘legally justified’ to kill Alex Pretti.”
Newsom’s press office added: “Your position is truly horrible when even the NRA calls you out.”
Essayli in turn claimed: “You’re adding words to mischaracterize my statement.” He argued that he meant “agitators approaching law enforcement with a gun and refusing to disarm” risked being justifiably shot by officers.
Nonetheless, Essayli’s post received a community note on X which said the US constitution prohibits “officers from shooting citizens merely for possessing a weapon that is not an ‘imminent threat’”. Beside the second amendment, the community note alluded to the constitution’s fourth amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure and its 14th amendment rights to equal protection under the law.
Yet Essayli also posted: “My advice stands. If you value your life, do not aggressively approach law enforcement while armed. If they reasonably perceive a threat and you fail to immediately disarm, they are legally permitted to use deadly force.”
Former NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch, who has generally been supportive of Trump, also pushed back on Essayli, stating on social media: “Your words verbatim were ‘if you approach law enforcement with a gun.’ What does this mean to you? Do you believe that mere legal possession within the vicinity of [law enforcement officer] is a criminal offense or merits use of force as response? Language matters.”
Witnesses stated in sworn testimonies that Pretti was not brandishing a gun when federal immigration officers descended on him. Those statements are both consistent with publicly available video evidence and contradict the Trump administration’s claims that the shots officers aimed at Pretti were defensive in nature.
Among those to call for a criminal investigation into Pretti’s killing was Newsom’s office, saying one was necessary for the public to “fully understand what occurred and maintain confidence in the rule of law”.
The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus issued a similar call.
“Despite widespread speculation regarding intent, there has been no evidence produced indicating an intent to harm the officers,” the group stated in a press release. “We are calling for a full and transparent investigation by both state and federal authorities.
“Every peaceable Minnesotan has the right to keep and bear arms – including while attending protests, acting as observers, or exercising their first amendment rights” to peaceably assemble.
The caucus’ statement continued: “These rights do not disappear when someone is lawfully armed, and they must be respected and protected at all times.”
Notably, while successfully campaigning for a second presidency in 2024, Trump publicly said to an audience that “your guns will be confiscated” if he lost to election rival Kamala Harris.
“They’re gonna confiscate your guns,” Trump said. “I’m the one that’s protecting” them. He also bragged about having “the total endorsement of every gun group, including the NRA”.
Harris later said at a debate with Trump: “We’re not taking anybody’s guns away.” The NRA responded with a statement declaring Trump was correct in saying Harris supported gun confiscation.’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... gun-groups

[mister_coffee]

We are at "Baghdad Bob" levels of gaslighting here.

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https://www.facebook.com/reel/152189655 ... __tn__=H-R

The video shows the agent pulling the gun from the victim, not holding it correctly, shooting it out into the street and running, whereupon the other agents opened fire on the unarmed, pepper sprayed victim laying on the sidewalk.

[mister_coffee]

I think the likely next step in escalation is going to be federal agents shooting into crowds of protesters.

Let's hope there exist some politicians that are at least as courageous as the people of Minneapolis.

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Pam Bondi sent a letter threatening that if unredacted voter rolls weren't sent to DoJ that ICE would ramp up its presence.

Bruce Fanger:

"This Was Never About Immigration
Pam Bondi’s letter exposed the shakedown at the heart of Trump’s second term
White Rose
January 24, 2026
Strip away the uniforms, the acronyms, the breathless talk about “agent safety,” and what remains is blunt power politics. Pam Bondi did not send Minnesota a law enforcement memo. She sent a threat letter. Comply or we escalate. Hand over your voter rolls or we keep the streets hot with federal raids.
That is not immigration policy. That is leverage.
The timing alone tells the story. Hours after a man was shot and killed during a federal immigration operation in south Minneapolis, as protests erupted and ICE became politically radioactive, Bondi drops a three page letter on Governor Walz’s desk. Not condolences. Not de escalation. Conditions.
End sanctuary policies. Force local jails to act as ICE holding pens. Share state benefits data. And then the real prize buried in the middle like a loaded weapon wrapped in legalese: turn over unredacted voter registration data to Trump’s Department of Justice.
ICE stays if you comply. ICE ramps up if you don’t.
Anyone pretending this is routine federal coordination is either lying or willfully blind. You do not tie street level immigration enforcement to voter database access unless the databases are the point. You do not condition public safety on election infrastructure unless you are testing how far coercion can go.
Minnesota has already run the numbers. A state audit found non citizen voting to be statistically negligible. One thousandth of one percent. That did not stop the DOJ from demanding access anyway. Because facts are not the objective. Control is.
Senator Chris Murphy said the quiet part out loud and immediately got accused of hysteria. But read the letter. It says exactly what he claimed. ICE is a bargaining chip. Fear is a bargaining chip. Dead bodies become bargaining chips.
This is not subtle. The Trump administration has been telegraphing this strategy since before the election. Label states as “sanctuary jurisdictions.” Sue them for voter data. Claim fraud without evidence. Use federal force to create disorder. Then offer calm in exchange for compliance.
That is not law enforcement. That is extortion with a badge.
Supporters point to federal statutes like NVRA and HAVA as if citing the rulebook absolves the behavior. The DOJ can request voter rolls. That much is true. What it has never done before is pair those requests with armed raids and the threat of continued violence. That linkage is new. And dangerous.
Supreme Court precedent is clear on one thing. The federal government cannot commandeer states to carry out federal policy by force or threat. Printz v. United States was decided for a reason. When Washington starts dictating local law enforcement priorities under duress, the line between governance and occupation disappears.
And let’s be honest about the audience for this performance. Minnesota is not being targeted because of crime. It is being targeted because it is competitive. Because it resists. Because it refuses to play along with the fantasy that voter fraud is rampant when every serious audit says otherwise.
ICE is not the mission. Elections are.
Immigration is the excuse. Chaos is the tool. Compliance is the goal.
You can call it federal supremacy if you want. History has another word for it. Shakedown.
If this were really about safety, the DOJ would not be inflaming protests hours after a fatal shooting. If it were about immigration, they would not be demanding voter databases. And if it were about law, they would not be conditioning peace on political surrender.
This is the architecture of an authoritarian state being assembled in plain sight"

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Scott Pilutik:

"There's a new video of a new ICE shooting in Minneapolis, it'll be easy enough to find/hard enough to avoid.
It's disturbing on multiple levels, the first being merely for what it shows--multiple ICE "officers" surrounding a man who had been recording them on his phone (I included his photo from one of the videos), dragging him toward the ground, and pummeling him. One "officer" grabs what appears to be possibly a gun from the man's belt and runs toward the camera. A moment later, multiple shots are fired (it's difficult from the video to make out exactly who shot him first, but there appears to be at least two shooters), and the man is dead on the sidewalk.
At no point in the video is there any indication that the man posed a threat to the "officers," especially given that multiple "officers" were enaging with the man.
I think they're going to make a lot of the "fact" that the man was supposedly armed (a fact I'm hardly conceding b/c the DHS has been thoroughly dishonest and unaccountable), but concealed and even open carry isn't illegal in MN. Regardless, the man does not appear to have posed any danger. And again, to the extent a gun was removed from the man (which the video suggests may be the case), the shots were fired *after* he was disarmed.
Every element here adds up to murder, and I can only hope that these thugs, who reportedly tried to intimidate witnesses immediately after, will be held accountable.
ICE needs to be dissolved completely, it's basically a terrorist organization acting under color of law. They don't need "better training," either, they need to find jobs where they can't kill people through their malevolence."

[just-jim]

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/liv ... oting-live
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