Hey, so I'm still not deactivating here, but if you're an educator or interested in following my educator journey, I have an account over on the b-sky as thirdgrademcdade. Yep, I'm teaching 3rd full time now, and living on the beautiful Oregon Coast!
The National Basketball Players Association has released a statement on the killings in Minneapolis:
“Following the news of yet another fatal shooting in Minneapolis, a city that has been on the forefront of fight against injustices, NBA players can no longer remain silent”
The PROMISE (and cash reward system) of ICE agents and the Trump administration under executive order to put all “domestic terrorists” on a watchlist should terrify you when THIS is who will be on the list and when the PATRIOT Act allows them to do ANYTHING to you b/c of it
People keep asking what that man was doing "at the scene". Do y'all not realize the "scene" of ICE operations in Minneapolis are literally our homes and local neighborhoods and businesses? Are we not supposed to live?
Read this. The Minnesota state prison system suggests Gregory Bovino outright lied about the target of the operation during which agents shot and killed Alex Pretti.
I do not usually comment on political posts, and this is not intended to be political. As we all know a tragic event happened in America. I am speaking strictly from a professional training and use of force perspective.
Before coming to train Ukrainians, I spent years training various law enforcement organizations through my company on use of force and high risk encounters. That background includes departmental policy, police training standards, threat assessment, de escalation, and the legal thresholds for justified and unjustified shootings.
Several facts matter here.
The individual involved was a licensed concealed carry holder from the state. He was legally permitted to carry a firearm, including in a public setting such as a protest. There was no violation of law simply by his possession of the weapon.
At no point did this individual draw, point, or openly brandish the firearm. The weapon was physically removed from him by law enforcement officers prior to the shooting. Once that occurred, the immediate deadly threat no longer existed.
When a weapon is secured and officers have physical control of a subject, the legal and training based justification for deadly force disappears. At that stage, the situation transitions to control, restraint, and de escalation. Deadly force is reserved for an active, imminent threat, not a past or hypothetical one.
Any use of deadly force also carries an absolute responsibility to consider public safety. Officers are trained to identify their backstop and ensure that rounds fired do not endanger civilians or fellow officers. In this case, there were multiple officers and civilians directly within the potential line of fire. The risk of catastrophic injury, friendly fire, or unintended civilian casualties was extremely high.
Equally important, this incident does not align with established de escalation principles. Rather than slowing the encounter, increasing distance, and reducing risk, the situation was escalated rapidly to lethal force after control had already been achieved. That is the opposite of what modern policing doctrine teaches.
Based on the available video footage, camera angles, and observable officer behavior, this incident reflects failures in threat assessment, use of force decision making, backstop awareness, and de escalation. From a professional standpoint, it represents a breakdown across multiple training and policy standards.
This is a tragic outcome. It deserves a serious, objective review grounded in established law enforcement practices, not emotion or politics.
This definatley deserves a full independent investigation and review.
With all the moral chaos and confusion haunting our national soul, I wish every Christian in the United States would read or listen to @TrippFuller's reflection on how we managed to get here as a nation of aspiring Jesus-followers. It will take one hour out of your life to listen, but it'll give back so much more: https://t.co/hnaJurnMBL
As parents, we deeply feel the pain of Michael and Susan Pretti. They lost their son Alex—a dedicated nurse, a kindhearted man who spent his last moments trying to protect another person.
The lies this administration is telling about Alex are disgusting and reprehensible. The truth is clear: Alex Pretti was not holding any gun. He had his phone in one hand and the other raised while defending an innocent woman—and ICE agents killed him.
This cowardly violence cannot remain silent. We share his parents' words en español because they deserve to be understood by everyone. Alex was a hero. And we demand justice.
Share this message. Say his name. Alex Pretti.
Y'all. Senators. Representatives. Former presidents. Facebook & Twitter posts are great. Voting against ICE funding, even better. But the time has come for you to physically lead. Stand up, link arms, lead a march, lead a sit-in. SHOW LEADERSHIP. Get people moving. IT'S TIME.
Y'all. Senators. Representatives. Former presidents. Facebook & Twitter posts are great. Voting against ICE funding, even better. But the time has come for you to physically lead. Stand up, link arms, lead a march, lead a sit-in. SHOW LEADERSHIP. Get people moving. IT'S TIME.
MORE: Plaintiffs in the case have added a declaration from a pediatrician who sought to administer aid to Alex Pretti after he was shot. "ICE agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds." https://t.co/2Jw11lIAvO
Renee Good’s killer: 10 year ICE officer
Alex Pretti’s killer: 8 year Border Patrol officer
We can’t pretend this is all the result of Trump’s sloppy training. The entire agencies are rotten to the core.