Last I heard, that this videos exists and that DHS was aware of it before he was murdered suggests this was premeditated as it gives them motive.
Whether or not that link could be proven I don’t know, but the fact that the government is using it to show what a bad person he is means they’re okay with murdering people for damaging their vehicles.
Which is funny since I heard (was it here) that their car rental agreement isn’t going to be renewed because every car they’ve returned has been damaged.
I’ve been to two protests against ICE in the past two weeks, local protests against the Minneapolis killings.
The first one started off fine, but a large contingent from the Party for Socialism and Liberation showed up en masse with their “Down with Capitalism” signs, and a sound system through which one of them took over the demonstration. And while I’m not down with Capitalism and want us to be working on a better alternative, that discussion was as much a hijack of the protest as it would be a hijack of this thread. I Wiki’d the PSL, and discovered that they’re fans of North Korea and consider claims about its human rights abuses to be capitalist propaganda. Given that I’m telling conservatives that they need to divorce themselves from the Republican party due to its appalling stances and actions, I didn’t think I could stand by the PSL. So I left. On the way out, I passed a group of senior citizens playing “This Land is Your Land” on kazoos and ukuleles, and between those two groups was encapsulated the parts of the left I just can’t deal with.
The second one was organized by our National Nurses Union local. Sure, there were chants of “Chinga la Migre!” but there were also speeches by pastors, lots of talk about protecting our community, a candlelight vigil, and songs adapted from songs that, according to the speaker, prisoners in Apartheid South Africa sang to one another as they were being led to their executions. The songs were something like,
Courage, my friend
You don’t walk alone
I walk beside you
I sing with you
I sing you home.
and it just about broke me. Even typing this, I feel the grief.
This, then, is the kind of protest that fits me, and that I think is the most effective: rather than a bunch of white kids cosplaying as revolutionaries, it’s a bunch of people projecting decency and compassion to stand in stark contrast to the killers.
Those on the front lines in Minneapolis have to do what they have to do. But those of us at a distance need to win the war for public opinion if ICE is going to be stopped.
It’s the nurses, not the communists, who’ll win that war.
I’ve watched that video several times. Although we don’t know what transpired before the video was shot, Pretti was definitely being an asshole, and he could have (and probably should have) been detained or given a ticket for damaging the car. I really don’t understand why he was allowed to leave after that incident. If you or I would kick out a taillight of a police car, I don’t think we’d be walking away without a ticket.
Or maybe he was issued a citation, but I’ve not heard that happened. Probably wouldn’t have changed what happened 11 days later, but who knows?
Oh. 
That brought me to tears…
Here’s that song – appropriate now for a grieving community trying to come together.
Never heard this one but I have been singing it all morning.
Tears indeed.
Who would have issued the citation? ICE would have needed to find a local cop for that. They are not general law enforcement. In terms of the damage, that’d be a civil matter.
Thank you for sharing that. I am going to learn it and use it.
I thought they smashed Pretti’s rib. Wasn’t that in the news before the video of him breaking a headlight?
Yes, I believe they’re attacking and detaining protestors under bullshit pretenses but it’s not like they can arrest someone for disturbing the peace or protesting without a permit. The protestors who have been detained have (as far as I know) been released, sometimes after a routine citizenship check.
They’re cosplaying as law enforcement for intimidation purposes but they wouldn’t have been able to arrest Pretti for a basic assault charge, for example.
They are not general law enforcement, but can arrest someone for committing certain federal crimes they actually witness. One of those crimes is destruction of Gov’t property. (ero) ICE would arrest the person and hand them over to another fed agency for initiating the criminal action.
Late: Good point below. They can’t arrest someone for damaging their personal vehicle (not owned by US) or a rental. I think there would be other crimes committed by kicking out the light of the vehicle they were driving, though (interfering with a fed officer - forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with a federal officer while they are performing official duties.).
Most of the ICE vehicles are just rentals, though.
Until the rental companies refuse to comply because of the high number of damaged vehicles being returned.
LegalEagle breakdown on the circus show that is the DOJ wanting to and then arresting Don Lemon:
BREAKING: Don Lemon arrested for covering the black protestors whom the DOJ charged with violating the Klan Act on MLK day. Classy.
Maybe more suitable for CS but certainly relevant to current events.
Peggy Seeger song written in 1969 - “Song of Choice” lyrics here
The song was covered by Solas on their The Words that Remain CD. Coincidently (or not) Pastures of Plenty (Woodie Guthrie) is also on the CD The Seeger song is about the rise of fascism and the Guthrie one about the migrant farm workers who put food on our plates.
Have a listen to the Solas covers.
Moderating:
This may be relevant to current events in some way, but it is still an off-topic hijack of this thread.
This thread is for the purpose of discussing specifically the shootings of individuals by ICE agents in Minneapolis. Tangential discussions belong elsewhere. This one, as you noted, belongs in CS.
There have been by my count 16 separate mod notes issued in this thread to stay on topic. Since you’ve decided they don’t apply to you, this is an official warning for disregarding moderator instructions.
Small town police chief in Minnesota personally intervenes to stop ICE from kidnapping a woman who was filming them.
Man, that is scary. Not blaming the woman at all, but will be interested to hear more of the story. What was going on before the thugs jumped out with their guns drawn. And what they did with her before releasing her.
In what world does anyone think that is the correct way for an “officer” (whatever we call these assholes) to approach someone - unless they have damned good reason to suspect they are armed and dangerous?
Seems like the local PD had the opportunity to arrest the people claiming to be ICE agents for kidnapping and brandishing a weapon and probably some other (state level) charges.
I’m kinda surprised no one has gone this route yet. I understand no local PD wants to attract Trump’s ire, but it does seem like one of the next steps in all this is to start arresting ICE agents that are blatantly breaking laws and let the courts figure it out.
The cops have more solidarity with ICE than with the rest of us. That’s not going to change quickly, if at all.