Trying to wrap my mind around what happened on a Minneapolis street Saturday, where an innocent man was killed in an act of brutal violence, is difficult enough. But realizing that man was someone I once knew is something else entirely. It is beyond comprehension.

Even speaking publicly about this is a struggle. I won’t pretend that I was Alex Pretti’s best friend. That familiar Catholic guilt sits in the background, reminding me that so many people knew him far better than I did, and that their grief is deeper than mine.

But I also know this: I am a proud alumnus of the Green Bay Boys Choir, where I sang for years alongside dozens of others, including Alex. To understand what this loss means, you have to understand how close-knit that community was.

This was before constant texting and social media. We spent hours every week rehearsing together at St. Norbert Abbey. We laughed, played dumb jokes, and made the kind of foundational memories that stay with you for life. Our parents all knew one another. We toured together and sang in some of the most iconic venues in the world. Alex was part of the choir when it performed in the British Isles.

We weren’t just a group. We were a family. And even though it has been more than two decades since I last spoke with Alex, I know that if I ran into him today, we would hug, sit down, and talk like no time had passed at all. That is true for so many of us who shared that experience.

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So when something so senseless and horrific happens to one of our own, it feels — to borrow a line from Star Wars — like a disturbance in the Force.

What I remember most about Alex is how universally liked he was. He had a sharp sense of humor, but he was also kind. He looked out for the younger kids in the choir. He made people feel safe. He made people feel seen.

It is no surprise that he carried that into adulthood, becoming a nurse who cared for our nation’s veterans. And it is tragically fitting that his final act was one of courage and selflessness. Because Alex died trying to help someone.

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I recognize that, because of my civic involvement, the things I say sometimes travel farther than I want them to. After I made a brief post online, every local TV station reached out asking for a statement. I did not want to speak. I have been trying hard not to make this about me, because it isn’t. It is about Alex.

But I also know what is coming. The media will do what it always does: “Tune in as we hear from both sides.”

Both sides. There are no “both sides” to this. Alex Pretti was trying to help a woman who was violently shoved to the ground by ICE agents. He was beaten. He was disarmed of a gun he was legally permitted to carry. And he was executed. There is no other side to that.

What makes this even more grotesque is watching powerful people in this country twist his story into something unrecognizable. Alex dedicated his life to caring for veterans, the very people the GOP claims to champion. And yet, almost immediately, some began smearing him as an “assassin.” That accusation would be laughable if it weren’t so sickening.

Once again, Trumpism demands that people ignore what they can plainly see and instead believe whatever narrative they are told. It is Orwellian. It is “1984” brought to life.

These are the same people who claim to worship the Second Amendment, yet their first question is: Why did he have a gun at a protest?

If you truly believe in that right, then the answer should not matter. Alex was legally allowed to carry. He did not brandish it. He did not threaten anyone. He was attacked, disarmed, and killed.

For years, these people bragged about standing up to tyranny. But it turns out they were not opposed to authoritarianism at all. They were simply waiting until they were the ones holding power. Every day, they sink further into the very tyranny they claimed to fear.

Alex Pretti’s death now sits on a growing mountain of grief and terror created by this administration’s cruelty. We were told they would deport “the worst of the worst.”

They lied. Instead, they are arresting teachers, children, veterans, mothers, and fathers. They are ripping apart communities. They are destroying workplaces. And now, they are killing innocent Americans in the street.

This must be stopped. We cannot let Alex’s death be in vain. Speak up. Stand up. Tell the truth. Do not be silent. This ends only when we decide that enough is enough.

And my God, it is enough.

Mark Becker is a small business owner, former Brown County Supervisor, and former Chairman of the Brown County Republican Party. His work has been featured in numerous publications, most notably for his article in The Bulwark where he discloses Ron Johnson personally admitted won the election, but couldn’t risk “political suicide.” Mark now hosts the Rational Revolution, a weekend feature program on Civic Media.

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Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer and at BlueSky at @danshafer.bsky.social.

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