Yesterday (Jan. 24), 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti was fatally shot by United States Border Patrol amid ongoing anti-ICE protests within the space. It was the third ICE-related taking pictures within the metropolis this month, and since then, quite a few rockers have reacted to the incident in relation to the overarching political local weather concerning ICE.
What Occurred to Alex Pretti + What Have Rockers Stated?
There’s so much to learn about yesterday’s protests and the killing of Alex Pretti. However, suffice it to say right here that – as NBC reported yesterday – Pretti was an “ICU nurse” who “served at a Veterans Affairs facility” and who was “shot simply earlier than 9 a.m. after a heated confrontation between brokers and protesters who opposed the federal government’s immigration enforcement ways, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara mentioned at a information convention.”
Understandably, the incident – which follows the Jan. 7 deadly taking pictures of Renée Good and the Jan. 14 non-fatal taking pictures of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, each additionally in Minneapolis – has gotten the eye of quite a few rock and steel artists over the previous day.
As an illustration, God Forbid/Snot/ex-Unhealthy Wolves guitarist Doc Coyle has posted over a dozen tweets in response to the Pretti taking pictures (and the Trump administration) since yesterday.
He replied to somebody by posting images of Martin Luther King Jr. in jail whereas commenting: “Protest and civil disobedience go hand in hand. Be taught some historical past. Why do you suppose MLK, Malcolm X, Medger Evers, Gandhi had been killed? As a result of they obeyed all the principles. You may’t change issues with out disruption.”
Then, he replied to the identical particular person (who urged that “civil disobedience” will lead to “extra casualties”) by clarifying:
If ICE had arrested the two individuals they shot to dying the final couple of weeks, it’s not information. I confirmed you an image of MLK in JAIL. Not in a fucking coffin. You may arrest individuals for civil disobedience. However you shouldn’t kill them. Except there are excessive circumstances. However doesn’t have an effect on you, proper? They fucked round and discovered, proper? You’re an actual humanist.
Throughout the identical alternate, Coyle additionally requested the opposite X consumer: “Critical query, once you see protests in different nations on information, do you simply all the time assume these individuals are dumb and don’t have any good motive to protest?”
Across the identical time, he tweeted a lengthier clarification of his views:
What actually is attention-grabbing/confounding to me is how we try to grasp and choose these killings which are caught on digicam.
It’s like we instinctively perceive that there’s some spectrum or scale between 1-10, the place a killing is totally justified like some hatchet wielding psychopath or a literal shootout with an assailant at one finish and the opposite is sort of a cop taking pictures a child with an ice cream cone he thought was a gun.
However the incidents that change into these huge tales are often extra as much as interpretation. It’s someplace between 4-6 on the dimensions. After which we rip it aside body by body like a replay on play from sports activities.
And folks resolve if it’s 1 inch over the road in a single route it’s both vicious, evil homicide 187 or 100% justified, self protection, no different selection.
And morality simply can’t work that approach even when the regulation does. If there’s a god, you suppose he’s enjoying the sport tape on the pearly gates to see what Inch you might be within the route of? Hell or heaven by an inch? That does not make sense.
I think about a cop would possibly kill somebody who completely deserved however nonetheless is wrought with guilt. Like Superman killing Zod on the finish of Man of Metal.
And I feel that must be our societal reckoning. That violent killing of any form is tragic. However this administration has eliminated any humanity from this. They’re all the time 100% proper the lifeless American is terrorist, psycho, killer, and their dying must be celebrated.
That is mass ethical decay. We shouldn’t settle for this. An ethical, respectable society would attempt to keep away from violently killing anybody. Even when it has to occur on occasion.
He additionally retweeted footage of an ICE agent claiming that he’s photographing somebody’s automobile to place them in “a pleasant little database” of “home terrorist[s],” asserting: “They don’t kill you since you’re a terrorist. They name you terrorist to allow them to kill you. Yeah, it’s like that different silly slogan, besides this one is definitely true.”
Lastly, Coyle posted the well-known “Tank Man” photograph from the 1989 protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Sq., captioning: “Simply comply and also you received’t’ have any hassle.”
Elsewhere, Journey guitarist Neal Schon shared a photograph of Pretti’s confrontation with an agent, writing: “That is fucking insane and all of it must cease.”
Shortly thereafter, Schon replied to Stephen King’s tweet that “ICE is the American Gestapo” by merely stating: “Employed thugs.”
Silent Planet vocalist Garrett Russell first posted concerning the Pretti taking pictures by retweeting an October 2025 publish by Homeland Safety that confirmed an image from the Halo online game collection with Homeland Safety remarking: “Ending this battle.” Russell’s retweet additionally included him asking, “I imply who may’ve seen this coming tho.”
Later, Russell tweeted, “i’m getting phrase that every one ten ICE brokers that took half in immediately’s curbside execution have been taken to the hospital for inside bleeding” and “i simply know J.D. Vance is at the moment listening to Nikki Minaj whereas he applies his Door-to-Door Diva™️ eyeshadow, serious about tips on how to spin immediately’s execution into explanation why extra civil liberties must be taken away from us”
Additionally, All That Stays lead singer Phil Labonte retweeted a video of Pretti’s altercation with brokers, writing: “the extra movies i see the extra it seems just like the god damned Sig induced the taking pictures. this escalated WICKED quick and it’s a complete shitshow.”
Lastly, outspoken guitarist Tom Morello replied to somebody claiming that he “assist[s] white males with weapons” by retorting: “You assist masked federal authorities secret police murdering US residents now. Acquired it. (PS—ur seemingly a paid MAGA troll bot residing in S. East Asia, however anyway).”
READ MORE: ICE Recruitment Advertisements No Longer Working on Spotify Following Artist Backlash
Tom Morello’s Retweets
Since yesterday, Morello has additionally been retweeting comparable sentiments by different X accounts.
For instance, he retweeted writer Zito Madu’s response to footage of the killing: “So all of it began as a result of they determined to push the lady, and when the dude stepped in to cease them from assaulting her, they killed him. Insane.”
He additionally reposted The Airborne Poisonous Occasion singer Mikel Jollett saying: “All of those ‘proper to hold’ dipshits who’ve been screaming about tyranny for 100 years are out of the blue weak scared little bootlicking fucks when confronted with precise tyranny.”
Plus, Morello shared BreakThrough Information’ footage of 1000’s of individuals “rally[ing] in entrance of Washington, DC ICE headquarters chanting, ‘F*ck Ice!’ after immediately’s killing of 37 year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.”
As well as, he reposted Chuck D sharing a drawing of ICE whereas contextualizing: “Hearth And Ice : Blood Of The New Gestapo.
Beneath are another issues Morello has retweeted inside the final 24 hours:
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