01/26/2026
Alex Pretti's murder is a tipping point.
When Mister Rogers said "look for the helpers," he meant people like Alex -- who, in the moments before federal agents killed him, stepped forward to protect two women under attack.
The brutality of his murder has enraged Americans across the political spectrum. And the lies that followed were the last straw.
The immediate smear campaign by the administration calling Alex a "domestic terrorist" who intended to "massacre law enforcement" was demolished within hours by video evidence captured by courageous observers.
Americans have had enough of the lies, the state-sanctioned violence, the cruelty and chaos. Enough of "the worst of the worst" being unleashed on American cities to abuse citizens and immigrants alike with impunity. After weeks of brutality in city after city, Alex's murder is finally pushing even some of the administration's staunchest defenders to speak up.
Today, a Republican candidate for governor of Minnesota withdrew from the race. Chris Madel is no moderate -- he's a law-and-order candidate endorsed by the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis who provided legal counsel to the ICE agent who killed Renee Good. And today, he walked away from his own party.
"I cannot support the national Republicans' stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so," he declared. "United States citizens, particularly those of color, live in fear. United States citizens are carrying papers to prove their citizenship."
He denounced Operation Metro Surge -- the massive federal occupation of Minneapolis, which he initially supported -- stating that it has "expanded far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threats" and calling it "an unmitigated disaster."
"At the end of the day, I have to look my daughters in the eye and tell them, 'I believe I did what was right,' and I am doing that today."
Alex's murder was Chris Madel's moment of reckoning -- and it should be a moment of reckoning for all Americans.
To those who have been quietly sitting on the sidelines watching as this unconscionable administration has pushed the country to the brink -- to the point where federal agents are shooting citizens in the back AND lying about it -- there are no more excuses.
Now is the time for all of our elected officials to hear our voices -- to hear overwhelmingly that what's happening is wrong, and that Americans, Democrats and Republicans alike, have had enough.
Flood their phone lines today.
--> Here's how to take action - Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak with the offices of your Senators and Representative.
* For Senators: Demand no DHS funding until ICE and Border Patrol are reined in and an independent investigation is launched into the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
* For Representatives: Demand real oversight of these lawless agencies -- and the launch of an independent investigation into the activities of ICE and the killings of American citizens by DHS agents.
- Don't worry about having detailed talking points. The most important thing is that our elected officials hear that Americans are angry and demand action to stop this lawlessness.
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The New York Times has released frame-by-frame video analysis bringing together all of the available observer footage of Alex Pretti's murder: https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000010668660/new-video-analysis-reveals-flawed-and-fatal-decisions-in-shooting-of-pretti.html?smid=url-share
For books for children and teens about the importance of standing up for truth, decency, and justice, even in dark times, visit our blog post, "Dissent Is Patriotic: 50 Books About Women Who Fought for Change," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14364
For books for tweens and teens about girls living under real-life authoritarian regimes throughout history that will help them appreciate how precious democracy truly is, visit our blog post "The Fragility of Freedom: Mighty Girl Books About Life Under Authoritarianism" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=32426
For children's books that encourage empathy and understanding of Mighty Girl immigrants of the past and present, visit our blog post, "A New Land, A New Life: 25 Mighty Girl Books About the Immigrant Experience" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12855
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