“Are you okay?” were the last words of Alex Pretti as he helped a young woman to her feet. She had been pushed to the ground by federal immigration officers operating under ICE authority. The two demonstrators were strangers to one another, linked only by their shared decision to exercise their constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
All around them, residents of Minneapolis were outdoors recording the escalating encounters with their phone cameras. Documenting federal agents has become a common act of civic vigilance, especially after a young woman was shot through the open driver’s-side window of her car just a week earlier. Hoping to prevent any future tragedy from being obscured or disputed, residents recorded each new encounter so that whatever occurred was documented.
Sadly Pretti’s simple act of human concern caught the attention of the same group of officers. Pretti was wrestled face down onto the pavement, his arms restrained behind his back, and searched, A holstered Sig P320handgun – legal and concealed – was removed from beneath his clothing. Moments later, he was shot ten times in the back while still lying on the sidewalk. Those who later reviewed the footage saw a very different story than the one initially broadcast.
“What the videos depict is that this guy did not walk up to anybody from CBP in a threatening manner,” states John Cohen, former acting U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Now a police trainer and ABC News contributor Cohen maintains that nothing in the verified video evidence supports the DHS claim that Pretti was “brandishing” a weapon, but simply holding a phone. Several independent sources, including Fact Check, agree with this conclusion.
Actually Alex Pretti would have been a rather unlikely shooter. At 37 his adult life as an intensive care nurse was dedicated to the care of American veterans. Friends describe him as gentle, steady and deeply committed to service. With his dog by his side he explored the outdoor trails around Minneapolis and he lived quietly, without a criminal record or history of violence. As to why he was wearing a gun, we may never know the hopes or fears that guided him that day.
Pretti was licensed to carry a concealed weapon as are many citizens in Minnesota and across the United States. While some argue that bringing a weapon to a public event is unwise, it is not illegal, and Pretti never drew his gun at any point. It was simply the sight of the gun that may have set the officers on edge, creating a situation that had little to do with Pretti’s actual behavior and everything to do with their professional objectives and assumptions.
Despite careful reporting, the story of Alex Pretti’s death is being told in many conflicting ways. Some claim he attacked officers with his gun, even though multiple bystander videos show his hands visible and occupied with his phone in the moments before he was taken down. He may have struggled – as anyone forced to the ground naturally would – but he remained pinned until the moment he was killed in cold blood. These false narratives are being circulated widely.
It’s discouraging that another of “the good guys” is gone. The question for American citizens is: Are you okay. Do you feel safe with what is happening on the streets of our cities. Wouldn’t strongly enforced laws at our borders—and in our courts regarding the processing of immigrants—be a better solution than these forceful intrusions into our neighborhoods, churches, and schools? And wouldn’t equitable peace be worth paying close attention to the intentions and commitments of those seeking office in the upcoming elections?
 Alex Pretti 11/9/1988 #44 WED SCO   |
Alex Pretti was born on a Wednesday in Scorpio, a combination ruled by Mercury and Mars. The #44 WED SCO Dayology Signature produces individuals who are acutely aware of what is happening around them, yet who may remain somewhat misunderstood. Pretti was loved by his family, respected for his work, and he will be remembered nationally as someone who paid the ultimate price while standing up to tyranny. Yet no one may ever fully understand exactly why he was carrying a gun that day, or why he chose not to use it to defend himself.
This strange sequence of events is not so difficult to understand if deciphered by Dayology. Being Wednesday’s Child Pretti was not only well educated, he was instinctively perceptive. His Mercury mind operated quickly keeping him aware of everything unfolding around him. Those born on Wednesday often find their place in scientific, technical or medical fields. When Pretti saw a fellow demonstrator being treated roughly, he helped her to her feet and asked ,“Are you okay?” responding as the highly professional caregiver he was trained to be.
What Pretti could not anticipate was the reaction that this simple act of kindness would provoke from the ICE officers on the scene. He kept his composure as he was forced to the ground with his hands behind his back. Yet a hint of his Mars-ruled Scorpio complexity surfaced as the officers discovered a holstered gun beneath his clothing – a quiet but unsettling detail that deepens the narrative, as he made no move to reach for it. Moments later, two officers fired ten shots. The news spread like wildfire as to Pretti’s sudden and enigmatic end.
NOTE: The many ways that we study Dayology is by collecting the birthdates, photos and biographies of well-known individuals. Some of this information is displayed within the pages of our Dayology Album. A number of individuals with the #44 WED SCO are presented on its own page. If you take the time to “discern” the character of the same gender individuals on this page you will note similarities. Despite being of different ages, races and backgrounds, the photos on this particular page represent the 84 different signature types.
Hi,
worthy considerations!