L.A. Mayor Bass sharply criticizes Minneapolis shooting; protest begins on Olvera Street
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Saturday assailed the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old man by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis, the second such death in that city this month involving U.S. immigration officers.
“This morning we learned of yet another tragic shooting in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents,” Bass said in a statement after news broke of the killing of a man identified as Alex Pretti. “This violence has to stop and the president must remove these armed, federal forces from Minneapolis and other American cities.”
Bass referenced legal action she and other mayors are taking in federal court to “stop the Trump administration’s unconstitutional and unlawful deployment of federal agents in the Twin Cities.”
“Our amicus brief supports Minnesota, Minneapolis, and St. Paul’s lawsuit to immediately end this militarized presence in their communities,’’ Bass said.
The Los Angeles County Republican Party cautioned against a rush to judgment in what is certain to be another highly volatile case.
“In the aftermath of any officer involved shooting, it’s important to figure out what happened, which often is not possible to ascertain immediately,” the party’s chairman said in a statement provided to City News Service. “We were not present at the scene of this regrettable incident in Minneapolis, and neither was Mayor Karen Bass.”
Assemblyman Mark Gonzalez, D-Los Angeles and currently the Assembly’s
majority whip, was even more blunt than Bass in a statement in which he wrote, “SHAME ON ICE.”
“Where there should be protection, there is only the echo of gunfire,” Gonzalez said. “Where there should be justice, there is only another name taken too soon.”
A demonstration and vigil for Pretti beganon Olvera Street in Los Angeles around 4 p.m. About 200 to 300 protesters were in attendance. Another protest was scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Federal Building, also downtown. at 300 N. Los Angeles St. in downtown L.A.