Shortly after 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Alex Jeffrey Pretti was fatally shot by a federal immigration officer this morning, I arrived at the scene among hundreds of residents when ICE threw tear gas on u
Federal immigration officers threw tear gas on me following this morning’s fatal shooting(Image: )
Hundreds of people stood on the other side of the yellow tape, taunting the agents with slurs, insults, and orders to “get the f— out of Minnesota.”The man beside me compared the scene to the dystopian horror film The Purge. His friend quickly pointed out that it was actually much scarier, because “only one side has weapons.”Just minutes before, the body of the man who had been shot multiple times in the chest had been hauled away, after CPR was performed on him to no success. As the minutes ticked by, news reports started to confirm that he had died.
Hundreds of people took to the Minneapolis streets in protest(Image: Alana Loftus)
The word spread quickly amongst the bystanders, inciting a new level of fury. Chants got louder, and tensions grew even higher. One man was chased down the street at speed by an ICE agent. It was unclear what he did or said, but people cheered him on as the agent failed to catch up with him.
In the brief moment of celebration, things took a dramatic and horrifying turn. A protester threw a snowball into the sea of agents, and almost immediately, they retaliated by tossing tear-gas canisters into the sea of unarmed bystanders.Thick clouds of white smoke filled the air around us, and at once, hundreds began to run in every direction. As we ran, the bangs got louder and closer, and I realized that they were throwing them after us.
One man shouted, “Cover your face,” as more screamed, “Clear the streets.”
The canisters made a loud bang noise when they exploded, and for a brief moment, unable to see above the crowd, the thought crossed my mind that maybe gunfire had erupted in the crowded area.
The idea would be unthinkable most of the time, but under these war-like conditions, it seemed for a moment like it could indeed be possible.
One Minneapolis protestor held a sign reading “Murder by nazis” (Image: Alana Loftus)
The only shadow of hope in the horrifying moment was the solidarity in the crowd. As hundreds of people ran from the chemical agents that followed them through the air, they were still looking out for each other.As I tried to cross a snow bank, my feet failed me, and I landed on all fours, hundreds of people stampeding just inches behind me. A stranger picked me up and uttered five chilling words, “You have to keep going.”This sentiment seems to be shared by all Minnesotans at this rate. They are tired and angry, and their culture of kindness is wearing thin. However, they are united by the notion that no matter how bad things get, they will not give up and they will not back down.
