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Detroit vigil honors Minneapolis nurse killed during immigration protest

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Detroit vigil honors Minneapolis nurse killed during immigration protest


Detroit — Members of the nation’s largest federal government employee union, elected officials, religious leaders and others held a vigil Sunday to honor an intensive care nurse who was killed by federal immigration agents during a Jan. 24 protest in Minneapolis.

About 50 people gathered for the vigil outside the John D. Dingell Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center on John R. Similar events were held at VA hospitals across the country to honor Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old member of the American Federation of Government Employees union who worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In an incident that is the subject of a U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation, Pretti was shot multiple times by federal agents during a protest in Minneapolis against President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration deportation surge and the tactics used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

According to witnesses and video of the incident, Pretti was recording the agents with his phone and directing traffic before intervening in a woman’s arrest. After he approached agents who were struggling with a woman they were taking into custody, Pretti was pepper-sprayed and tackled before an agent removed a handgun from his waistband. Someone yelled “Gun, gun” before at least two agents fired shots at Pretti, killing him.

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Trump administration officials have accused Pretti, who had a concealed pistol license, of unlawfully interfering with an arrest, while critics of the shooting said Pretti was exercising his constitutional right to protest. Pretti was filmed during a Jan. 13 demonstration spitting at agents and kicking the taillight off a federal law enforcement vehicle. In that incident, federal agents tackled Pretti and scuffled with him, although he was not arrested.

Pretti’s death followed the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Rene Good, who was fatally shot after driving her vehicle toward an ICE agent. Good’s death is not being investigated by the Department of Justice.

Members of the AFGE union, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, and Pastor Charles Williams II of the National Action Network Michigan Chapter and the Historic King Solomon Baptist Church in Detroit were among those who attended Sunday’s vigil.

“It’s very encouraging to see so many people felt a connection to Alex and wanted to honor him this way,” Tlaib said. “Alex’s parents have asked (people) to please stop spreading lies about (their) son. He liked helping people, and he did that until his last breath.”

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ICE officials did not respond to an email seeking comment Sunday.

Pastor Maurice Rudds of Greater Mount Tabor Church told the gathering: “You are at the right place at the right time. I am grateful to be with people who are making things happen.

“We are going to win,” Rudds said. “It may take a lot of time, but we are on the right side of justice and we are going to win. I was taught as a boy to recite the Pledge of Allegiance … but this is not the America I love.”Christine Kozicki, a retired teacher from White Lake, said she doesn’t like the direction of the country.“I see fascism, coming,” said the retired teacher from White Lake Township. “My grandparents came to this country from Poland in 1905, and I’ve been to Poland and have seen the concentration camps. I hear that same drumbeat here in the United States right now.”Roachal Ford, member of the union Local 933, said ICE is taking money from other federal agencies.“ICE needs to be defunded,” Ford said. “They’re killing people.”Bryanaa Wilkiams, also a member of Local 933, added: “This is affecting my generation. America is no longer free.”The AFGE is the nation’s largest federal employee union, representing more than 820,000 workers.

ghunter@detroitnews.com

(313) 222-2134

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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis construction workers call on developers to take stand against ICE

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Minneapolis construction workers call on developers to take stand against ICE


Construction workers in Minneapolis on Friday called for developers to demand that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leave Minnesota and offer protections for their crews. Protesters at a separate demonstration on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis asked corporate businesses to end what they call cooperation with immigration enforcement.



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Minneapolis, MN

Fan behind Anthony Edwards’ orange bracelet has beaten cancer

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Fan behind Anthony Edwards’ orange bracelet has beaten cancer


The story behind Anthony Edwards wearing a bright orange bracelet since last season has received a positive development, after Timberwolves fans learned Luca Wright has beaten leukemia.

Anthony Edwards, Luca Wright connection

What we know:

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Last January, the 6-year-old Minnesotan met “Ant” for the first time following a game against the Detroit Pistons, proclaiming him to be his favorite player, and asking him to wear a bracelet that symbolizes leukemia awareness, resilience and support for those affected. During the interaction, the fan had created a sign with a to-do list: “1. Beat Cancer. 2. Be The Next MJ.”

Leukemia is a type of cancer that spreads throughout the bloodstream, infecting bone marrow and a person’s lymphatic system by rapid production of abnormal white blood cells that can’t fight infection.

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Since then, the Wolves’ MVP has worn a bracelet that proclaims, “Love Like Luca” on it for every game he has played, vowing to wear it “until he hangs up his sneakers.”

Ant has gone on to explain how the gesture connected with him given that he lost both his mother, Yvette, and grandmother, Shirley, to cancer when he was 14 years old. The No. 5 jersey he wears currently is a tribute to them both.

Luca bracelet latest

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Dig deeper:

More than a year later, Wolves fans have received the update they hoped for – now 7-year-old Luca has beaten his cancer.

What’s next:

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Ant has since responded to the news with his own social media video, calling it “God’s gift” and saying, “Let’s do this Luca.”

No word yet on whether he intends to keep wearing the bracelet, though he’s previously said he has a stash of replacements near the team bench should one ever be broken.

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The Source: Information provided by the Minnesota Timberwolves public relations department.

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Family of Minneapolis brothers killed by cousin says their deaths were preventable:

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Family of Minneapolis brothers killed by cousin says their deaths were preventable:


A Minneapolis family is struggling to make sense of a tragedy that has left them heartbroken. 

Family tells WCCO 14-year-old Xavier Barnett and 23-year-old Akwame Stewart were killed Monday.

The brothers were very different, but equally loved. Barnett was a good student and athlete. Stewart was a painter, creative and thoughtful. Two brothers, loved and full of promise, gone. 

Police say the accused shooter is their cousin, 23-year-old Eddie Duncan.

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Court records show Duncan was released on bail Monday on charges of fleeing law enforcement and possession of a gun modified with an “auto sear switch.”

Court records also show Duncan was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation, but not until next month, on March 24.

Deasia Freeman, Barnett and Stewart’s sister, says this loss could have been prevented. 

“They all failed us. We got two innocent lives gone for no reason. Didn’t do nothing to nobody,” Freeman said.

Family members say the system and Duncan’s family let them down.

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Freeman says Duncan’s family saw the warning signs and still bailed him out

“If you knew this man was thinking like this, y’all should have kept him in there and he should not even have bail,” she said. 

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says they noted Duncan was a public safety risk and asked for a high bail, much higher than a typical request. 

“In Minnesota, there is a constitutional right to bail, and the bail amount is set by the Court. Our office noted a public safety risk with Mr. Duncan and asked the judge to set bail at $70,000, or $35,000 with conditions; both of which are higher than we would typically request in this scenario. The judge set bail in that amount. Mr. Duncan posted $35,000 bail with conditions of release, as is allowed under the Minnesota Constitution, and was released from custody. Our thoughts are with all those impacted by yesterday’s violence. This was a terrible tragedy for this family and our community,” a spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said.

For Freeman and her family, the hardest part isn’t just the legal process but living each day without their brothers. 

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Even in the heartbreak, she says the memories of the good days, the laughter and love they shared will carry them through.

“I wish I could get just one more phone call from them asking me where I’m at,” Freeman said as tears rolled down her face. 

Court records confirm Duncan left the scene of the crime and fled to nearby Brooklyn Center. There, a search warrant says Duncan “fired a gun at officers, striking two squads,” when police arrived. That’s when officers returned fire, shooting and killing him.

Three officers have been placed on critical incident leave as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension leads the investigation into Duncan’s fatal shooting.

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