A Case for First Degree Murder

 

     My old buddy and fellow Bay Stater Charlie Pierce at Esquire posted a bombshell of an article yesterday making the case that the (literal) brownshirts of ICE had murdered Alex Pretti last Saturday with malice aforethought and premeditation. In other words, first degree murder. 

     New footage came to light showing an altercation between Pretti and ICE on January 13th. They'd broken one of his ribs after Pretti kicked off the tail light of one of the departing ICE vehicles, making the goons inside to pile out of the car and assault Pretti.

     That was the moment the VA ICU nurse got on ICE's radar.

     Then this came out via CNN:

     Federal immigration officers have been collecting personal information about protesters and agitators in Minneapolis, sources told CNN—and had documented details about Alex Pretti before he was shot to death on Saturday. It is unclear how Pretti first came to the attention of federal authorities, but sources told CNN that about a week before his death, he suffered a broken rib when a group of federal officers tackled him while he was protesting their attempt to detain other individuals. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said that “DHS law enforcement has no record of this incident.” 

     Of course they don't. That would be too incriminating.

     However, it doesn't square with an infamously vindictive entity that seems to know where every dark-skinned person is at all times even when they're out getting medication or picking their kids up from school. And, again, the fascist douchebags at Homeland Security are compiling granular information on anyone who even looks at them cross-eyed.

    They may be brain-dead thugs on the streets but their intel-gathering skills border on the supernatural (Palantir, anyone?). So we're supposed to believe that DHS never became apprised of the assault on Pretti on January 13th?

     The day Pretti was murdered on the 24th, ICE claimed among their welter of lies that there was a riot going on. In reality, as the videos show, there weren't enough protesters to pack a phone booth and they certainly weren't rioting. But the ICE goons saw Pretti across the street, recognized him then walked across the street to engage him.

     I'll say that again: They. Engaged. Him. 

     The rest is history. Pretti came to the aid of a woman that ICE had thrown to the ground and that's when they swarmed him. One disarms him after he was down then seconds later at least two ICE "agents" pumped 10 bullets into him.

     I'm no lawyer, but I think a Minnesota prosecutor could make a pretty solid case for first degree murder.

     The trick, of course, unless this prosecutor would try them in absentia, is finding these scurrilous cowards. DHS has confirmed they're on paid administrative leave after they hustled them out of the state, as they had with Jonathan Ross after he murdered Renee Good. 

     Murder an unarmed American citizen, get a paid vacation.

     What a country.