109 Comments
User's avatar
Jay Moore's avatar

In Minneapolis, I see two sides that both want federal agents to get violent. Protesters are goading the agents, hoping they will lose it and act out. Agents are intimidating and provoking protesters, hoping one of them will make a slip that technically gives them permission to use deadly force. Both sides want violence; each is just hoping to pin blame for it on the other.

Alex Pretti is dead because both left and right wanted him dead. And as you note, it ultimately won't matter.

Film from a safe distance. Criticize agents but do not taunt them. The law says you are not allowed to interpose yourself between federal agents and someone they are engaging with. It doesn't matter if you're morally in the right and the agents are wrong. Don't do it. And for the fucking love of Christ, don't carry a firearm while you do it.

J. J. Ramsey's avatar

"Protesters are goading the agents ..."

Oh, please. ICE has the guns, it has the pepper spray, it has the physical power. The protestors have smartphones and words. If ICE stayed professional, any goading would amount to nothing.

This is not a "both sides" thing.

dbistoli's avatar

yeah no

you can tell that neither pretti or good had any clue they would be in any danger. Why would they?

Jay Moore's avatar

I don’t believe you. You think ICE/BP are courteous professionals who will give angry protesters the benefit of the doubt? You think Good and Pretti thought that? This is dangerous shit. You know it and so did they.

dbistoli's avatar

what the absolute fuck are you talking about??????

pretti and good had a belief that they weren’t going to die. There was no common sense reason they would believe they were engaging in dangerous activity. You can even hear Mrs. Good interacting sassily but not evil or threatening. They didn’t believe they would be killed because WHO DOES THAT

no law enforcement kills like that. Nobody. My friends work for Detroit Police Dept. and they have to answer for every bullet discharged from their guns, not to mention required investigations behind every shooting. There are several that haven’t fired in ages. IN DETROIT-doing drug busts! Get the absolute fuck out here! this is stupid ignorant shit that no law enforcement officer does.

Jay Moore's avatar

I watched the videos carefully. I’m on your side politically. I’m not trying to justify the feds’ actions. Yes, Trump could end all this today by calling off ICE.

None of that matters. We don’t control what Trump does. We control what we do. We can end the killing by staying the fuck out of the way. I don’t care how righteous your death is, I don’t want it.

bk's avatar

Your picture of this isn’t accurate. Neither Pretti nor Good were at a protest when they were shot. (I’m sure they had been in previous days or were perhaps planning to later)

Specifically speaking to Pretti — ICE rolled up into that space, not the other way around. Re: your “stay the fuck out of the way” line… he wasn’t in the way of anything, because nothing was happening until ICE approached, and it escalated quickly from there.

ICE is literally driving around picking fights with people. I’m in close touch with my friends and family in Minneapolis, and no matter who I speak to, there is one clear collective agitator.

Aristocat's avatar

Good was actively protesting, and actively obstructing law enforcement. Then she decided to play "chicken" with a cop. Using a 2000 pound vehicle.

Pretti... I dunno -- there were people standing in the street. That's a very minor bad thing, in my book (we have snow here, and not everyone shovels). An ICE cop pushes someone (not Pretti), who falls to the ground. I don't know if this was reasonable or not... Pretti appears to get between her and the cop, possibly to help her stand up.

Pretti passes the "good Samaritan bystander" check, in my book. "Is he behaving how we'd want someone to act, normally?" Yes, he seems to be. He's not helping a fleeing criminal escape (which would be bad, normally), or otherwise "interfering with cop business" other than just walking in front of the cop. Which happens, and the cop should use WORDS to get folks out of the way.

Dugan, the judge? She was smuggling an arraigned guy (so probable criminal) out the back. We'd never want a judge doing that, normally. Throw the book at her (which they did.)

ICE is literally driving into agitators' driveways, getting out and waving at them. The Agitators are then calling 911 (documented phone calls). I'd far rather ICE prank people than hurt them, wouldn't you?

Noah McDonald's avatar

Your profile pic is extremely fitting, evil real life Hal

Aristocat's avatar

2000lb car versus gun? Car wins. Car wins AGAIN. (Car with intact windshield beats pepper spray too).

To quote Torchwood: "You Are In A Car."

The protestors are picking up live ammunition and then wondering why they have suddenly lost a finger. And, afterwards, when they see the cameras on them, falling to the ground in hilarious pratfalls.

ICE is mooning the protestors out of their bedroom windows. You know, because you don't have to be professional while sleeping. Asking someone to behave professionally when they are under 24/7 assault with whistles is... asking an extraordinary amount of patience.

ICE is driving around traffic circles (over and over again, in a circle), and then playing "Turkey in the Straw" as they drive to the next traffic circle (to repeatedly circle while someone honks behind them). I fully support this level of non-violent protest of the protestors, it's kind of funny.

J. J. Ramsey's avatar

"2000lb car versus gun? Car wins."

By now, if you still believe the lie that Renee Good was trying to hit an ICE agent, that's on you: https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000010631041/minneapolis-ice-shooting-video.html

Aristocat's avatar

This is an analysis from a trained video analyst (aka the expert witness in court):

https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/lets-talk-about-renee-good

No claims that she was "trying" to hit the ICE agent, but definite claims that she spun out on the ice, and so trying to claim that the direction her tires were pointed is the direction she intended to go is a falsehood.

Most people do not intentionally commit murder, even when (to put ourselves into an extremist's mindset) they are stopping fascist police in a heroic fashion in front of her wife.

Kelliann K's avatar

The car sure as hell didn’t win in this case. How the hell do you even type that when you know the outcome?

Aristocat's avatar

It's an explanation as to why an officer would shoot a car, after the driver looks him dead in the eye and then guns the gas.

Was the officer unbelievably stupid? Yes. Gun doesn't stop a car, after all.

Car wins, this is just physics (car did not stop moving when Good was shot).

Renee Good died because she was doing something inadvisable and illegal (obstructing federal officers). Debatably, she was trying to avoid punishment for doing illegal actions (This is no longer "King's non-violent protests" -- people went to jail for sit-ins.) -- her wife screaming "Drive Baby Drive" is limited evidence for this...

Jay Moore's avatar

This is a “both sides” thing. Absolutely.

Good and Pretti could have chosen to protest in ways that didn’t result in their death. They didn’t achieve anything remotely worth the cost of their lives by engaging agents closely. I don’t give a flying fuck whether the agents acted legally or not. They’re still dead, and we’re no closer to winning the Senate because of it.

Mike Kidwell's avatar

You're mistaken. I live in Minnesota and there is only one side that's making things violent.

Jay Moore's avatar

I’ve seen the videos carefully, over and over. The protesters are trying to make the agents angry, trying to get them to do something violent. Being in the moral right doesn’t make this okay.

Mike Kidwell's avatar

Anyone who can be incited to murder someone by being yelled at shouldn't be authorized to carry a weapon. If someone said mean things to you, do you think you have the right to murder them?

Aristocat's avatar

No kidding. I'm certain you're going to volunteer to take the guns away from our autistic soldiers. Please, go right ahead, they're right over there in the Special Forces Units.

(I think that people who are likely to not be their best self with excessive stimulation should not be hired as cops, obviously. Part of a cop's job is to deal with yelling people.)

Pan Narrans's avatar

So a protester says something that makes an ICE agent cross, and in response the agent physically attacks someone, and, in your mind, that's the protester causing the violence?

Look, from what I've seen of your comments you're a lot better than most of the right-wing commenters on this issue, whose view can be summed up as "ICE are innocent angels and their victims deserved death". But you're still skewing things in your preferred direction to a rather dramatic degree.

Jay Moore's avatar

This is not my preferred direction. Trump is a fascist. ICE is his gestapo. The protesters are morally right. I am on their side. This is my team.

My teammates are doing absolutely dumbass things and dying while accomplishing nothing. I want that to stop.

melanin's avatar

This is what I told the judge when I stabbed my neighbour in the throat for playing music loudly after 9pm. He knew that made me angry and he did it anyway! And then when I started banging on his door he swore and me and called me a rude name. I mean what was I suppose to do? He should have known fbis was what would happen. Sure I may have been a bit out of line, but he could have chosen not to do that if he wanted to still be here today, so it was pretty silly of him to die like that over something so inconsequential.

Anyway, as you would expect, the charges were dropped because we were both at fault so we called it even. I guess the lesson here is that we all just have to turn the temperature down, although I personally don't regret anything and will readily do the same again if anyone else irritates me.

Jay Moore's avatar

Yep. If you showed up at his house in a rage with a big ol’ knife in your hand and he came out on the patio and got into it with you, then he bears responsibility for his death just like you do. He was morally right, but he could have closed the door and called the cops. He was probably legally right, unless he was holding a knife, too. But if you’re acquitted, he’ll still be dead. And it was all about the fucking noise. Nice work, dude. Your widowed wife and orphaned children thank you.

Glad to see you understand me now.

Aristocat's avatar

Were this the case, Walz' caving on "we'll help you!" would not deescalate the matter. If there's violent cops who are frothing at the mouth to hurt people, you don't fix that by having the governmental film crew* leave Minneapolis.

*Cow-boy Bovino gets a film crew.

Mike Kidwell's avatar

The federal government backed off because they were getting hammered on the messaging. The "cooperation" with Minnesota officials is just face-saving for the administration. Interesting that you bought it.

Aristocat's avatar

The message about "backing off" is not the full story. Nobody leaned on Trump to "back off" -- people did lean on Walz to "back down."

TheOtherKC's avatar

Dipshits were also goading the Minneapolis Police Department during the 2020 George Floyd protests, and it didn't result in them killing two people in a month.

Why? Because (contra the ACAB crew) the MPD is a competent, disciplined police force. An objectively superior organization to ICE, who are a disgrace to anyone who ever put on a uniform.

Greg Nix's avatar

Wow, if I were you I would be embarrassed to reveal this deep of a misunderstanding of the last two weeks!

Jay Moore's avatar

I’m not embarrassed at all to argue that our people should stop dying. If you’re ready for armed insurrection, then fine; get your gun and go man the barricades. I’m not there. And nobody who isn’t there should be approaching federal agents with a gun on their hip, legal or not.

Greg Nix's avatar

I agree that it was a mistake to bring a gun. To say “Alex Pretti is dead because both left and right wanted him dead” still demonstrates a profound misunderstanding of both why the agents are there and why residents are protesting against them.

Jay Moore's avatar

I understand exactly why the agents are there. They’re there to kill protesters. I don’t want dead protesters. Explain to me why you do; I’m just not getting it.

Mike Kidwell's avatar

They attacked him before the gun ever became a factor

Shaun's avatar

I think this is really accurate. The sense I'm getting from the left over these two shootings isn't "this is tragic", but rather "finally!". In no way am I saying the victims are to blame for being shot, but there were so many steps both could have taken, any of which would have them alive right now. I think of it as "what would mum say?". Let there be a voice in your head yelling at you not to do stupid things (being legally allowed to do them isn't a helpful guide).

ICE have not acquitted themselves well, and yet at the same time, they face an impossible task. They are threatened with doxing and so they put on masks, that's not a good look. They are subjected to harassment and abuse, and so they're on a hair trigger. They should not be engaging with citizens, local law enforcement should be the buffer here, but instead they need to both secure a perimeter (something they clearly aren't sufficiently trained for) and actually arrest illegal immigrants. With lax recruiting, truncated training, and politicisation that ensures only a specific type of person will join, how can the results be anything other than tragic?

dbistoli's avatar

Not accurate. Perhaps Mrs Good had her car in the way and that was obnoxious to an officer. Mr Pretti just went over to pick a lady up. Bear in mind protesting tactics Mrs Good morning was moving her car.

Jay Moore's avatar

No. I heard that, too: “Mr Pretti just went over to pick a lady up, and agents tackled him because he dared to help the poor woman.” All Saturday, that’s what I thought happened, just like you.

Then I looked for good video showing the initial interaction. Not the part where the shots are fired. Before that. Here’s what I saw:

Pretti has his arm around someone, helping her off the street. This looks like the person described in accounts of him helping someone who was pushed down or sprayed. While he is doing that, an agent to his right and slightly behind him gives another protester a huge shove. Pretti lets go of the person he was helping and turns toward the agent. He reaches his hand out toward the agent and moves toward the agent. The protester was shoved way, way back. Pretti is definitely not moving toward them. He is moving toward the agent, arm out, possibly touching the agent’s arm; it’s hard to tell. He is physically engaging with the agent. And he’s doing that while carrying a gun.

dbistoli's avatar

i don’t agree with this”view” of yours, but none of that is material. Law enforcement is not supposed to kill annoying and provocative and disruptive ppl. They aren’t even supposed to kill criminals or dangerous ppl. They are only supposed to kill if they or someone else is in imminent danger. That’s it. We are done here.

Shaun's avatar

I can't believe this is an honest take. Renee Good was there for the specific purpose of obstructing and impeding law enforcement. She and her wife were there to be provocative. They succeeded beyond what they set out to do, but it's insane to try to frame this as her not deliberately putting herself into a heated conflict with armed law enforcement.

The same for Alex Pretti. He didn't just walk by and try to help a woman up who had fallen. He embroiled himself with law enforcement, and then got into a struggle with them.

None of this is to say that they should have been killed, but it is to say, they didn't need to be. Good could have not used her car to obstruct ICE. Pretti could have a) not gone to a protest armed, b) if he had, been vigilant to immediately comply with law enforcement, c) stayed out of the way of law enforcement while protesting. Just take reasonable precautions, be willing to be arrested, trust in the court system, and you almost certainly won't be shot by ICE.

dbistoli's avatar

Here is what i need you to recognize. Cops do not kill provocative and annoying people, and even ppl breaking laws. As a rule. Hell they don’t even kill provably dangerous ppl unless they are in danger of being killed in the moment. Nothing else-not obstruction, not what she said or did, not pretti carrying a gun on his person, matters. There is zero equivocating.

Jay Moore's avatar

Either side can end this. We only control our side. We should end it.

Stewie's avatar

Gangnam Style is the gateway drug to watching hours of idols dancing to the point that you can recognize what song it is from the first few motions. We could all use a little more Kpop in our lives.

Erica Etelson's avatar

Too cynical, Jeff. The extremity of what's happening is really breaking through.

WJ Hayes's avatar

"No, it will take at least three weeks — and maybe up to a month — for me to forget about this entirely."

That seems pretty on par most everyday Americans. The Kent State shootings occurred on May 4, 1970. That November, the Democrats picked up a modest 12 seats in the House and lost one in the Senate. So I doubt the events in Minnesota are going to be the ones that causes the walls to start closing in on Trump.

sbslaw's avatar

If the State officials would honor detainers, the criminal aliens that ICE seeks to arrest would be quietly and peacefully transferred into ICE custody in the jails…but no- the idiot governor and mayor, for purely political reasons, refuse to honor detainers and release criminal aliens back into their citizen populations (which is incredible in and of itself) which forces ICE to retrieve them out in the community. The chaos in Minnesota is solely the fault of the governor, mayor, Omar and company. Sadly, they sow this division and expose their citizens to danger for purely their own self-aggrandizement

Mike Kidwell's avatar

You're wrong. The responsibility lies with the people who pull the trigger and then lie about it. But it's definitely helpful for them to have useful idiots who believe them.

Kelliann K's avatar

The old “why do you make me beat you, honey” defense. Not a great defense for spouse abusers and not a great defense here.

Lucid Horizon's avatar

Resisting arrest is not comparable to being a battered spouse.

If you want to make a domestic comparison, the illegals are like people who snuck into a home and said "We're your spouses now, we have as much right to be here as you" and ICE is the citizens saying "the fuck you are, get the hell out of my house."

Kelliann K's avatar

Nope, acting like ICE has no choice but to shoot people in the back because of something the governor said is very much a “if you didn’t dress that way and talk back, I wouldn’t have to do this” defense. This isn’t Captain Phillips.

Lucid Horizon's avatar

Who is Captain Phillips, and who was shot in the back?

sbslaw's avatar

He put himself in harms way. Protesting what? Removal of illegal criminals from the streets that the citizens’ own representatives thought should be put back into the community for absolutely no reason other than ideology. I don’t hear one word of sorrow or regret from any on these idiots about the thousands of victims that were preyed upon by illegal perpetrators of crimes or the ruination of their families’ lives. If that’s who the citizens of Minneapolis want, that’s what they should get-wait, they have. These so-called organic protesters have been the ignorant tools of nefarious movements since time began.

Gavin Pugh's avatar

What you're asking for is already happening.

https://mn.gov/doc/about/news/news-releases/#/detail/appId/1/id/719911

"Sadly, they sow this division and expose their citizens to danger for purely their own self-aggrandizement"

MN seems more unified than ever.

Daniel Henneberger (Lsismo)'s avatar

What I can see is A: Border Patrol should NOT be in these cities… of the two ( ICE being the other) Border Patrol agents have a rep of cruelty bigger than ICE… and they should be where they’re trained to be the Border. And B: ICE agents need more training… to be Un-masked… and wearing body cameras before they should be allowed anywhere. America conducts itself much better in foreign countries, fighting wars than they do in our own country… supposedly arresting criminal aliens. We respect our military… and people are protesting because nobody respects masked thugs who refuse to take responsibility for their actions and the straw men and women proping them up. Thanks, Lsismo

Will Hudson's avatar

I don’t get it. Are you saying I should care what happens to someone who physically confronts active law enforcement while visibly armed? Is that that the joke? Because I do have to buy groceries and get my kids to practice after work. I don’t have time to look for cops to run over.

Frank Lee's avatar

Awh… F*ck this.

Hey you dingbat commie leftists. Protest to change the law if you don’t like the law. But impeding law enforcement deserves the risk of you getting shot you mf stupid dirt bags.

Snoodie's avatar

👨‍🍳 😙