(WASHINGTON, January 26, 2026) – Today, Independent Sector President and CEO Dr. Akilah Watkins released the following statement on the killing of Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti by federal law enforcement this past weekend.
“We stand with the people of Minnesota mourning the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who was killed while peacefully protesting in Minneapolis this past weekend. In life and in death, Alex Pretti was a helper—both in his career caring for ill veterans at the Minneapolis VA and in his final moments utilizing his First Amendment right to protest the actions of federal law enforcement. The charitable sector is powered by helpers who stand up to support our neighbors just as Alex did, and we will not allow this injustice to deter us from our work or from exercising our rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Those rights are the backbone of a free and just society. Independent Sector calls on the federal government to cease the dangerous actions of ICE in Minneapolis, defend the lives and civil rights of the American people it is called to serve, and to welcome a thorough and independent investigation of these events so this does not happen again.”
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Independent Sector is the national membership organization that connects, strengthens, and advocates for nonprofits and philanthropies. Learn more at independentsector.org.
Media Contact: Chloe Kessock, chloek@independentsector.org, 727-433-2972
