A candlelight vigil was held inside St. John’s Episcopal Church on Wednesday as community members gathered to remember Alex Pretti and acknowledge the impact of his death amid ongoing national attention surrounding federal law enforcement actions.
Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, was shot multiple times and killed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Pretti, a U.S. citizen was reportedly trying to help others at the scene when the fatal altercation occured. His death followed the Jan. 7 killing of Renée Good, also a U.S. citizen, by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis during another federal operation. Both incidents have drawn widespread protests across Minnesota, with demonstrators demanding accountability, transparency, and changes to federal immigration enforcement practices.
The vigil, organized by Crawfordsville resident Courtney Houghton, drew neighbors, faith leaders, health care workers and activists who connected the events in Minnesota to their own community. The group sang “Amazing Grace” and observed a moment of silence.
Houghton opened the evening with remarks that expressed grief, anger and resolve, describing Pretti as someone whose final moments reflected a life rooted in care.
“I recognize the care that he showed his patients from the video of his last moments spent trying to help a woman under assault by federal agents,” Houghton said. “It was like looking in a mirror toward the people that I love who would have done the same exact thing.”
Houghton, who worked for a decade at the VA, said watching a slowed-down analysis of the footage of Pretti’s death forced her to confront both rage and empathy.
“I wasn’t prepared for what I felt,” she said. “I saw fear, shock and panic. I realized I had fallen into this cycle of division. And I refuse to be a pawn. I refuse to let go of my faith that our country will get through this.”
Several speakers framed the vigil as a response not only to Pretti’s killing but to what they described as a broader erosion of compassion. Sarah Garrison, a health care worker and organizer, spoke through tears as she described Pretti as “somebody like us.”
“He was a human,” Garrison said. “He was a son. He was a brother. He was a friend.”
She said Pretti’s instinct to intervene when he saw others in danger reflected the values that draw people into caregiving professions.
“That instinct has a name,” Garrison said. “It’s called love for humanity. Tonight we are rejecting the lie that compassion is weakness.”
Crawfordsville resident Aaron Morrison led a prayer known as “Presente,” a call-and-response practice rooted in Latin American justice movements.
“Wherever the value of human life is threatened, near or far, citizen or non-citizen, that threat reaches all of us,” Morrison said. “When we speak their names, the dead become a source of moral and spiritual power.”
Two speakers with personal ties to Minnesota underscored the connection between the protests there and the gathering in Crawfordsville.
Zachary Anderson, who was born in St. Paul and now lives in Crawfordsville, described Minnesota as a place shaped by immigration and mutual care.
“What we are seeing from Minnesotans right now represents the best of who we are as a people,” Anderson said, citing residents marching in subzero temperatures and organizing food pantries. “His courage and care in that moment represent the best of us.”
Leah Ewing, a Minnesota native who moved to Crawfordsville a year and a half ago, said the vigil helped bridge the distance she feels from her home state.
“These past three weeks have been really hard, where I want to be with my community there and I’m not,” Ewing said. “To be here tonight and know that there’s a community here as well is really wonderful.”
She thanked those gathered for standing with Minnesotans and said the support matters more than people may realize.
“One of the things I’ve been hearing a lot from the people of Minnesota is, ‘they sure picked the wrong state,’” Ewing said. “And maybe Minnesota isn’t the only wrong place for them to try this.”
Other speakers, including longtime residents, spoke of fear, exhaustion and a search for purpose.
Ellen Ball, a longtime Crawfordsville resident, said she attended the vigil as someone still searching for how to respond to what she described as a steady accumulation of violence and loss.
“I’m an average citizen,” Ball said. “I care about the United States. I’ve lived here forever. I’m proud of it. Not now.”
Ball said the killing of Renée Good earlier this month struck her deeply, intensifying fears she had already been carrying.
“When Renée was murdered, it hit me just like a brick,” she said. “It could have been my daughter. It could have been me. It could have been you.”
She said the events have been difficult to process.
“It’s too much,” Ball said. “I felt a physical illness reaction. Lots and lots of crying. Lots and lots of thinking. What can I do?”
Ball said she has struggled with feelings of helplessness but found some reassurance in the presence of others at the vigil.
“I don’t know what’s next,” she said. “It might be a whisper. It might be my community and my friends. And I think that’s what’s going to tell me what to do next.”
Though Mayor Todd Barton could not attend the vigil, he issued a statement addressing residents’ fears about current events in Minnesota taking place locally.
“I’ve kept myself well apprised of recent events and feel confident we have many layers in place in this community that will prevent these kinds of situations from unfolding here,” Barton said.
Barton said he welcomes opportunities to meet with community members or groups to discuss immigration and law enforcement concerns.
“We have a great community built on meaningful dialogue and teamwork that has positioned us well in creating a strong model of how to successfully navigate the challenges associated with our nation’s lack of a sensible immigration policy.”
He urged residents not to let the events in Minnesota create fear here.
“We will stay focused and not allow ourselves to be taken off course by what is happening elsewhere,” he stated.
The vigil concluded with a moment of silence and the playing of Taps, followed by a prayer led by Father Jason Fortner. Attendees remained inside the church as the final notes ended, closing the evening of remembrance for Pretti and others who speakers said have died during immigration enforcement actions.
