SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:
As we just heard, federal officials claim the latest shooting victim in Minneapolis, Alex Pretti, approached immigration agents with the intent to, quote, "massacre officers." NPR's Liz Baker is in Minneapolis and joins us now with the latest from there. Hi, Liz.
LIZ BAKER, BYLINE: Hi, Sarah.
MCCAMMON: At this point, there are several videos that have been widely circulated showing what happened to Alex Pretti, but there are extremely conflicting narratives emerging about what happened. What's going on?
BAKER: Well, the Trump administration has one narrative, as we heard from Luke just a minute ago. And people who live here, who have seen the videos have seen something else. They think that the Trump administration is not being as forthcoming as they would like. And so that's leading to a lot of anger and a lot of sadness and confusion. Last night, there were candlelight vigils all over the city and, on most street corners, little huddles of neighbors holding candles and signs, singing, praying, just voicing their worries and really being together in this moment. That's where I met Nick. He asked that NPR not use his full name because he, like others, fear ICE retaliation, regardless of citizenship. Here's what he told me.
NICK: We just had one of the biggest protests ever yesterday, and here we are today, killing another person. Like, what are we supposed to do? What are we supposed to do at this point? I don't know what to do, and it's just scary.
BAKER: And as we're talking right now, Sarah, there are more protests happening in downtown Minneapolis. There's one just outside my window in the hotel downtown. They're calling for a continuation of the general strike that started on Friday where hundreds of businesses were closed and people called out of school and work. You know, at those vigils last night, I talked with another attendee. His name is Tormu Diggs. He's an American citizen and he's Black. He's been carrying his passport on him at all times 'cause he worries federal agents could target him because he looks like he could be an immigrant because of his skin color, regardless of his citizenship status. But he said he's really proud to see how Minneapolis has kept to peaceful protests. Here's what he told me.
TORMU DIGGS: What's happening here is beautiful, and it brings a tear to my eyes. But sometimes I don't know if it's going to stay peaceful no more after someone just got executed in the street, a couple of blocks away from here. And I can't - and I don't know what's going to happen next, and it's scary.
BAKER: Sarah, there's just this feeling that the city is being pushed to the brink and could descend into destructive riots at any moment, at any provocation. Everyone remembers the damage caused by the protests over the murder of George Floyd in 2020, and that's kind of the fear is that if ICE keeps doing these raids, people will feel like the only way to be heard is by escalating these protests into something less peaceful.
MCCAMMON: To that end, local and state officials over the weekend urged people to remain peaceful. What are officials there trying to do to keep things orderly on the ground?
BAKER: Well, the National Guard is out in the city. They were requested by the mayor of Minneapolis yesterday, and they're wearing fluorescent vests to differentiate themselves from immigration enforcement officers, which are wearing similar-colored camo in many cases. We did see them blocking roads near the shooting scene last night, but things have been peaceful so far. We know immigration enforcement is continuing here, though, so there's still the potential for more clashes. But there's hope that maybe a few legal actions, including an injunction tomorrow against this ICE action, could make a difference and stop the crackdown.
MCCAMMON: NPR's Liz Baker reporting from Minneapolis. Thanks so much, Liz.
BAKER: Thanks, Sarah. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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