Alex Pretti Memorial Grows as Community Protests ICE Presence
The Alex Pretti memorial continues to grow in South Minneapolis as residents mourn his death and protest ongoing federal immigration enforcement operations. Community members have gathered daily at the site near 26th and Nicollet, calling for accountability and an end to the enforcement surge that has drawn national attention.
Since the killing of Alex Pretti on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis, outrage over the federal immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota has grown exponentially and pushed the state into the national spotlight. As Pretti’s memorial site continues to grow, residents have come together to comfort each other through mourning and to remind each other that the fight against Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not over.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office declared Pretti’s death a homicide after he was shot multiple times by a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a federal immigration operation in South Minneapolis. The examiner’s report listed the cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds.
The site of Pretti’s shooting, right outside Glam Doll Donuts at 26th and Nicollet, once filled with masked ICE officers, tear gas and cop cars, now is a growing memorial with candles, flowers, food and more. Dozens of residents have shown up every day to pay their respects.
“They’re destroying a place that I would once call super peaceful, a very nice community with very nice people,” Minneapolis resident Dorian said while at the memorial. He has been a Southside resident his entire life, having grown up in the 35th and Nicollet area.
“You could walk the streets freely,” said Dorian. “Talk to anybody, ask someone for help, walk into a store, get warm, or ask to use the bathroom. Now it’s just a place of chaos and destruction.”
Pretti was an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Hospital and was shot by a Border Patrol agent during an attempted ICE raid in front of Glam Doll Donuts. Multiple videos of the incident show Pretti trying to help a woman who was maced by agents before he was pinned to the ground and shot.
As the incident continues to attract broader media and political attention, national outlets and local reporters have published new accounts, including timelines and eyewitness testimony about the shooting, as well as coverage of community scenes around “Eat Street,” as this stretch of Nicollet is known. Coverage increasingly highlights both the memorial and ongoing protests.
The site has grown into a shrine dedicated to Pretti, with hundreds of candles and flowers gathered at the site where he was killed, as well as letters and artwork from locals and visitors. While some people came to pay their respects, others provided support, supplying food, hand warmers, candles and more, showing a community coming together in mourning.
“In my mind, I wanted to believe it wasn’t real; this can’t be happening, no, this didn’t happen,” artist Noval Noir said she felt when she heard about Pretti’s death. She has been working on a large-scale canvas painting of Alex Pretti in his memory.
“You get really numb,” Noir said. “Sometimes grief is avoiding what really took place, because you don’t want to mentally process it. I am very sad. I’m very traumatized. I am angry at this administration.”
Small business owner of Today’s Candle, Miya Brown, has been selling candles at the memorial site for those who would like to pay their respects and to raise money for equipment for her son, who plays basketball.
“We want to keep the love and the unity lit. We want to keep the peace lit, so I am out here supplying candles for everyone,” Brown said, after she sold candles to U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley, who visited the site last Wednesday.
Federal immigration agents are being drawn down in the wake of the protests and national scrutiny. White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced a reduction of about 700 ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents from Minneapolis, though a significant federal presence remains in place as part of Operation Metro Surge.
Investigations into the shooting are ongoing. Both federal and state authorities, including the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in cooperation with federal agencies, are engaged in inquiries, and there have been reports on efforts to preserve evidence and scrutiny of federal handling of the case.
Some early claims, such as direct talks with former President Donald Trump, have evolved. Discussions about leadership responses have moved into updates about operational changes and formal rulings, rather than just rhetoric.
However, residents say the community’s resistance to ICE will not slow.
“It just shows they’re not going to stop. They’re just gonna keep on replacing them like puppets,” said Minneapolis resident Sage. He was recently detained at Sherburne County Jail after protesting.
Despite Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey saying they are encouraged by recent changes, it has not been confirmed how long the federal presence will last. The surge continues.
“These guys are sellouts,” Dorian said of ICE. “They don’t care about us. They are not even from here. They’re not out here in the community. They’re not out here like we are. They’re not socializing with the people who are experiencing this pain.”
Despite the violence seen in the past weeks, these residents have continued to gather at the memorial and surrounding area providing food, supplies, transportation and safe places to stay for those at risk of raids, showing the nation what a community that comes together in the face of tragedy looks like.
Izzy Canizares is a freelance journalist and contributing journalist for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder