God and man in Minnesota
- Guest contributor
- 22 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Robert Welton
I was raised in Sunday school to follow the Golden Rule, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That rule has remained my north star — to act with honesty and compassion towards others as best I can. Most of you do, too. We take turns, and respect one another. This shared kindness really means the world to me.
Which made the tragic and unnecessary killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good all the more disturbing. It was an affront to Jesus’s teaching to love thy neighbor as thy self.
Alex Pretti didn’t raise a hand to the ICE officers. A phone was in his hand, not a gun. ICE agents shoved him, pepper sprayed him, wrestled him to the ground and beat him. ICE discovered his pistol, and took it off of him. They then shot him 10 times.
A week earlier, ICE agents shot and killed Renee Good while she was trying to drive away. At a separate demonstration, ICE agents secured an area with yellow police tape. Demonstrators did not cross the perimeter. ICE agents did, crossing the line to chase and pepper spray demonstrators. All of this is unnecessary, excessive force. We need to nip this in the bud.
Leaders set the tone. Gregory Bovino strutted around Minnesota in body armor, acting tough and throwing gas canisters at protesters. Kristi Noem posed in front of shackled prisoners at CECOT. Later she engaged in cosplay with cowboy hats and armored vehicles. They were acting “tough” in front of the cameras. That sent a message to ICE to act tough, too.
What did these so-called leaders do in the wake of shootings? Normal leaders try to calm things down and announce an investigation into the use of force. They don’t jump to conclusions about what happened. They take steps to ensure tragedies aren’t repeated.
That’s not what we got from President Trump, Vice President Vance or Kristi Noem. Instead we got bald-faced lies about the protesters being domestic terrorists who attacked ICE officers. This despite video evidence showing both were peaceful protestors who did not attack ICE officers. We can see it with our own eyes. They did not try to calm the waters, and they did not immediately announce investigations. They doubled down on acting tough.
What about congressional oversight? They have been a mixed bag. Sen. Murkowski was a portrait in courage, speaking out against the excess violence and calling for Kristi Noem to resign. And Sen. Sullivan, or Rep. Begich? Crickets. Portraits in cowardice.
We must answer the moment. Tell our elected leaders to take actual steps to rein in the excess violence of ICE. Talk is cheap. Ask for concrete actions, like calling for the resignation of Kristi Noem, or adding safeguards to the ICE funding bill before the Senate. Then we must keep score and remember in November. If Sen. Sullivan or Rep. Begich sit on their hands, we need to show them the door.
I know the silent majority of Alaskans and Americans are kind, decent people. Sure, our borders need to be secure. But protesters and immigrants should be treated with Christian charity and decency. If we speak out, the politicians will follow.
We are better than this. Together we can help guide society to something closer to what we all learned years ago in Sunday school.
• Robert Welton is a Douglas resident.
