"He Was Murdered By ICE, Our Government"

Hi,

I last left you as I hit "send" from my car this morning, reporting on the fact ICE had executed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

It's now 9.47pm. A lot has happened since then.

We now know that Alex was an intensive care nurse at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital. We also know the American government is lying about what happened – openly and brazenly.

And just like clockwork, my own DMs filled up with messages that gently indicated Alex somehow had it coming.

With all of this in mind, I want to be very clear about what happened to Alex – because I've seen multiple videos of what took place.

Alex had a gun which was never drawn from its holster on his hip. An ICE agent removed that gun – disarming him entirely – before another agent executes him on the ground.

As reported by local TV station Kare11, Alex's parents released a statement making it clear that the US government is lying about the death of their son:

"We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world."

Video from bystanders captured Pretti before the shooting, appearing to intervene as federal agents sprayed an unknown chemical in the face of a woman, who looked to be filming the agents. Videos show the agents take Pretti to the ground, attempting to detain him.

"Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However his last thought and act was to protect a woman."

I am not going to embed any of those videos showing Alex's murder here on Webworm, but I uploaded one here if you want to validate what happened for yourself. If you choose to watch it, please watch with care and know that you can never unsee it.

Of course, many Americans will follow the government's narrative – and at times, I wonder if we can blame them. Even "liberal" media is parroting lies from Homeland Security –

Or in the case of The New York Times, can't quite bring itself to say that the government is lying – choosing instead to indicate that video may "contradict federal accounts."

After I sent my last newsletter, I moved my car a few blocks before it entered ICE's blast zone. I talked with a bunch of locals who were still clearing their lungs and eyes, some of them grabbing canisters of what had hit us.

Thankfully, things didn't escalate during the afternoon – largely due to ICE and police officers leaving the area.

The public moved in, silently standing around a police cordon that was now blowing in the wind. The yellow tape may have once meant something – investigation, care, protection – but in today's America, it meant absolutely nothing.

At 1.45pm, something extraordinary happened as members of the public quietly and organically started taking the police tape down, replacing it with foliage and flowers.

There was no discussion; it just happened. I stood by and filmed.

The tape had been half detached and fluttering in the wind – and I got the feeling people here found it offensive. The killers had left something unsightly at the scene, and it needed to be replaced by something natural. And so loud yellow tape was replaced by organic green.

People came to the place of Alex's government-sanctioned murder and left words, flowers and – sometimes – screams.

Residents and visitors had blocked the surrounding roads with dumpsters, chairs and wood. This wasn't out of some desire to tear the city apart, rather to keep the streets free from cars; safe for the crowds that would be visiting all day and into the night.

People came and spoke. Some were measured and precise. Others were furious. Some were somewhere in-between.

As the day wore on, more and more people spoke Alex's name out loud. "He was murdered by ICE, our government. We should be outraged. All of you should be mad. All of you could be angry. Say his name," one woman said.

In all of this, the caring spirit of this city I'd encountered yesterday during the strike and march was on display everywhere, still.

Local businesses like Glam Doll opened their doors and offered food, bathrooms, coffee and warmth. Someone arrived with stacks of tacos – a catering order for another event had been rerouted here, to those who needed it more.

A bartender at the Copper Hen told me they'd been here since 8am – while Alex was still alive. As news spread about what had happened, all the venue's staff came in. "This is where we live, this is our home, what else are we going to do," he said.

I had a whisky at the bar, and this is where I cried as the videos of Alex's death finally hit.

In the freezing temperatures outside, people brought snacks, water, and hand warmers. A couple leaving for the night must have thought I looked particularly cold and pathetic, one of them offering me his jacket. He didn't just say the words – he'd already taken it off and was holding it out to me.

At around 6pm – as things got even more cold, and energy started to wane – thousands of new faces started marching towards us from a nearby vigil in a park. They were chanting Alex's name, sometimes swapping it out to a much angrier, "Ice Out, Fuck Ice."

"Ice Out, Fuck Ice."

There's been a few images and memes going around of people using leaf blowers to shove ICE's tear gas back at them – and some of those were out on full display.

Those marching finally all arrived at ground zero for today's murder, making it clear that they weren't stopping tonight. With two of their citizens now dead, they know they're in this for the long haul.

Chants were everywhere, but directly around the makeshift memorial site things were quiet and reserved. It felt like church. It felt much more important than church.

There was a candlelit vigil set for 7pm, and it was beautiful. Those who'd marched lit their tiny fires, and – I imagine – reflected on what the fuck was going on.

And here's the extraordinary thing about this city – and these people. Sure, thousands showed up at this one spot for a vigil, but those who stayed home for whatever reason showed up, too. Walking back to my car, neighbours had come out to freezing front yards to pay their respects.

They were everywhere.

There's hope everywhere in this city – and I'd be almost tempted to end on a hopeful note. And I am hopeful in that so many Americans are beautiful, empathetic, caring people. The kind of people I want to be.

But hope also feels – fickle, somehow. ICE just executed someone, and the government is lying about it.

As I drove away, I stopped at a few street corners and took photos of the National Guard who had quietly slipped into town a few hours earlier.

At one point, the presence of the National Guard would have indicated help from a natural disaster or something else that's too big for us to face alone. They would have offered hope.

At one point, they'd have been here to protect the people. Here in 2026, they're here to protect ICE.

David.

I'm only here in Minnesota thanks to paying Webworm members, who not only power all of Webworm's journalism - but keep all my public interest journalism unpaywalled and ad-free.

See you in the comments, or you can reach me in confidence at: davidfarrier@protonmail.com