America has always wrestled with the tension between law and conscience. At our best, the two reinforce each other. At our worst, the law becomes a shield for harm, and conscience is dismissed as naïveté. We are living in one of those moments.¹

Two recent deaths in Minneapolis underscore this crisis: the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renée Nicole Good, both U.S. citizens killed by federal immigration enforcement agents under highly contested circumstances. These killings have energized protest movements and drawn growing scrutiny of federal law enforcement in cities like Minneapolis and beyond.² ³

This is not a debate solely about immigration policy. It’s about how power is exercised, how facts are interpreted, and whether citizens can collectively confront uncomfortable truths about state force when identity and bias shape perception.

The Killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti

On January 7, 2026, ICE agent(s) shot and killed Renée Nicole Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, during a federal enforcement encounter. Local medical examiners ruled her death a homicide, and video evidence contradicted initial federal narratives that framed the incident as self-defense.² ⁴

Seventeen days later, on January 24, 2026, federal Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and Minneapolis resident who had been protesting the earlier killing of Good and was documenting immigration enforcement activity. Independent analysis of bystander videos shows Pretti was holding a phone when agents grabbed, pepper-sprayed, tackled, and ultimately shot him. State law enforcement obtained court orders to preserve evidence amid allegations that federal authorities initially obstructed access to the scene.⁴ ⁵ ⁹

Both deaths have catalyzed protests and legal action; Minnesota officials have challenged federal control over evidence and called for independent investigations.⁴ ⁵ ⁶

White Immunity and the Psychology of Denial

Many white Americans—across income levels—operate with an unspoken assumption of immunity: the belief that state violence is something that happens to other people. Sociologists and psychologists document how in-group identity reduces perceived personal risk and dampens moral urgency when harm is inflicted by authority figures aligned with one’s worldview.¹⁰ ¹¹

This phenomenon overlaps with what scholars describe as white fragility—a defensive response triggered when evidence challenges the belief that systems are fundamentally fair or protective. Rather than engaging with facts, individuals may minimize harm, shift blame, or insist victims must have “done something wrong.”¹² ¹³

Closely related is motivated reasoning, a well-established cognitive bias in which people selectively interpret information to preserve identity, ideology, or emotional safety. When evidence threatens one’s sense of belonging or moral self-image, denial often feels safer than truth.¹⁴ ¹⁵ ¹⁶

These mechanisms help explain why the killings of Alex Pretti and Renée Good were so quickly reframed by some commentators—not as constitutional crises demanding accountability, but as unfortunate outcomes of noncompliance, even when bystander video and eyewitness testimony conflict with official narratives.² ⁴ ⁶

Obedience Without Accountability

A recurring pattern in coverage of both Minneapolis shootings is the reliance on official federal accounts that emphasize defensive force, even when independent video evidence suggests otherwise. The refusal by federal authorities to grant state investigators immediate access to preserve evidence in the Pretti case raised legal challenges and court orders directed at the Department of Homeland Security.⁴ ⁵ ⁹

When law enforcement narratives are accepted at face value without independent verification, a question naturally emerges: who is being protected—society as a whole, or the authorities wielding power?

Normalization of State Violence

The broader discourse around both killings illustrates how quickly institutional violence can be normalized through framing. Some media and political figures initially echoed or amplified claims that Good posed a threat before video evidence was widely reviewed. In Pretti’s case, federal agencies’ statements that he was armed and resisted arrest were challenged by witness footage showing him holding only a phone.² ⁴ ⁷ ⁸

This pattern mirrors broader social science findings on information polarization: individuals often evaluate evidence through the lens of preexisting beliefs and group loyalty, reinforcing narratives that affirm identity and dismiss contradictory evidence.¹⁵ ¹⁶

Beyond Privilege — Eroding Shared Reality

Whatever one’s political leanings, Americans have long believed in constitutional protections: due process, proportional use of force, and equal protection under the law. When citizens are killed by federal agents under circumstances that elicit conflicting narratives and defensive reactions, the issue becomes not just one of policy, but of collective belief in shared moral and legal reality.

When portions of the public prioritize comforting interpretations over evidence, it can erode trust not only in institutions but in the possibility of a shared understanding of facts.

The Antidote: Confronting Truth, Not Comfort

Psychological research suggests that defensive responses to challenging information—whether labeled white fragility, motivated reasoning, or expressive responding—are not isolated anomalies but recurring aspects of human cognition and group identity. Confronting these patterns requires not just more information, but engagement with emotional and identity anchors that shape how facts are interpreted.¹² ¹⁴ ¹⁶

Ignoring or reframing evidence to protect a preferred narrative may preserve short-term comfort, but it undermines accountability, shared reality, and the possibility of constructive public discourse.

Conclusion: Mourning What Was—or What Never Was

The deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti are tragedies in their own right. But the reactions they elicit reveal something deeper about how Americans interpret violence, truth, and responsibility.

Whether or not a better America ever fully existed, confronting uncomfortable realities transparently and honestly is essential if this country hopes to uphold its professed principles of justice for all citizens. The test before us is not just political—it is psychological, moral, and collective.

Footnotes

1. Ms. Magazine, “The Cruel and Unusual Killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti” (Jan. 30, 2026).
2. Human Rights Watch, “US: Second Unjustified Killing by Federal Agents in Minneapolis” (Jan. 27, 2026).
3. People.com, “Trump Says He Feels ‘Terrible’ About Alex Pretti but ‘Even Worse’ About Renée Good” (Jan. 2026).
4. The Guardian, “A week of ICE and outrage in Minneapolis” (Jan. 26, 2026).
5. CBS News Minnesota (WCCO), “Why evidence preservation matters in the Alex Pretti case” (Jan. 2026).
6. Democracy Now!, “‘He Was Executed’: Minneapolis Residents Outraged After Immigration Agents Kill Alex Pretti” (Jan. 27, 2026).
7. Al Jazeera, “Who was Alex Pretti, the nurse shot dead by federal agents in Minneapolis?” (Jan. 26, 2026).
8. TIME, “Federal Agents Kill Another Person in Minneapolis Immigration Crackdown” (Jan. 2026).
9. Newsweek, “Federal Judge Grants Restraining Order in Alex Pretti Case” (Jan. 25, 2026).
10. Wolfe, R., & Caliskan, A. (2022). American == White in Multimodal Language-and-Image AI. arXiv.
11. Dancy, M., & Hodari, A. (2021). How well-intentioned white male physicists maintain ignorance of inequity. arXiv.
12. DiAngelo, R. (2018). White Fragility. Beacon Press.
13. Verywell Mind, “What Is White Fragility?” (Aug. 20, 2020).
14. Kunda, Z. (1990). “The Case for Motivated Reasoning.” Psychological Bulletin.
15. Thaler, M. (2023). The Fake News Effect. arXiv.
16. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, “Motivated Reasoning and Political Decision Making.”

America has always wrestled with the tension between law and conscience. At our best, the two reinforce each other. At our worst, the law becomes a shield for harm, and conscience is dismissed as naïveté. We are living in one of those moments.¹

Two recent deaths in Minneapolis underscore this crisis: the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renée Nicole Good, both U.S. citizens killed by federal immigration enforcement agents under highly contested circumstances. These killings have energized protest movements and drawn growing scrutiny of federal law enforcement in cities like Minneapolis and beyond.² ³

This is not a debate solely about immigration policy. It’s about how power is exercised, how facts are interpreted, and whether citizens can collectively confront uncomfortable truths about state force when identity and bias shape perception.

The Killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti

On January 7, 2026, ICE agent(s) shot and killed Renée Nicole Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, during a federal enforcement encounter. Local medical examiners ruled her death a homicide, and video evidence contradicted initial federal narratives that framed the incident as self-defense.² ⁴

Seventeen days later, on January 24, 2026, federal Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and Minneapolis resident who had been protesting the earlier killing of Good and was documenting immigration enforcement activity. Independent analysis of bystander videos shows Pretti was holding a phone when agents grabbed, pepper-sprayed, tackled, and ultimately shot him. State law enforcement obtained court orders to preserve evidence amid allegations that federal authorities initially obstructed access to the scene.⁴ ⁵ ⁹

Both deaths have catalyzed protests and legal action; Minnesota officials have challenged federal control over evidence and called for independent investigations.⁴ ⁵ ⁶

White Immunity and the Psychology of Denial

Many white Americans—across income levels—operate with an unspoken assumption of immunity: the belief that state violence is something that happens to other people. Sociologists and psychologists document how in-group identity reduces perceived personal risk and dampens moral urgency when harm is inflicted by authority figures aligned with one’s worldview.¹⁰ ¹¹

This phenomenon overlaps with what scholars describe as white fragility—a defensive response triggered when evidence challenges the belief that systems are fundamentally fair or protective. Rather than engaging with facts, individuals may minimize harm, shift blame, or insist victims must have “done something wrong.”¹² ¹³

Closely related is motivated reasoning, a well-established cognitive bias in which people selectively interpret information to preserve identity, ideology, or emotional safety. When evidence threatens one’s sense of belonging or moral self-image, denial often feels safer than truth.¹⁴ ¹⁵ ¹⁶

These mechanisms help explain why the killings of Alex Pretti and Renée Good were so quickly reframed by some commentators—not as constitutional crises demanding accountability, but as unfortunate outcomes of noncompliance, even when bystander video and eyewitness testimony conflict with official narratives.² ⁴ ⁶

Obedience Without Accountability

A recurring pattern in coverage of both Minneapolis shootings is the reliance on official federal accounts that emphasize defensive force, even when independent video evidence suggests otherwise. The refusal by federal authorities to grant state investigators immediate access to preserve evidence in the Pretti case raised legal challenges and court orders directed at the Department of Homeland Security.⁴ ⁵ ⁹

When law enforcement narratives are accepted at face value without independent verification, a question naturally emerges: who is being protected—society as a whole, or the authorities wielding power?

Normalization of State Violence

The broader discourse around both killings illustrates how quickly institutional violence can be normalized through framing. Some media and political figures initially echoed or amplified claims that Good posed a threat before video evidence was widely reviewed. In Pretti’s case, federal agencies’ statements that he was armed and resisted arrest were challenged by witness footage showing him holding only a phone.² ⁴ ⁷ ⁸

This pattern mirrors broader social science findings on information polarization: individuals often evaluate evidence through the lens of preexisting beliefs and group loyalty, reinforcing narratives that affirm identity and dismiss contradictory evidence.¹⁵ ¹⁶

Beyond Privilege — Eroding Shared Reality

Whatever one’s political leanings, Americans have long believed in constitutional protections: due process, proportional use of force, and equal protection under the law. When citizens are killed by federal agents under circumstances that elicit conflicting narratives and defensive reactions, the issue becomes not just one of policy, but of collective belief in shared moral and legal reality.

When portions of the public prioritize comforting interpretations over evidence, it can erode trust not only in institutions but in the possibility of a shared understanding of facts.

The Antidote: Confronting Truth, Not Comfort

Psychological research suggests that defensive responses to challenging information—whether labeled white fragility, motivated reasoning, or expressive responding—are not isolated anomalies but recurring aspects of human cognition and group identity. Confronting these patterns requires not just more information, but engagement with emotional and identity anchors that shape how facts are interpreted.¹² ¹⁴ ¹⁶

Ignoring or reframing evidence to protect a preferred narrative may preserve short-term comfort, but it undermines accountability, shared reality, and the possibility of constructive public discourse.

Conclusion: Mourning What Was—or What Never Was

The deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti are tragedies in their own right. But the reactions they elicit reveal something deeper about how Americans interpret violence, truth, and responsibility.

Whether or not a better America ever fully existed, confronting uncomfortable realities transparently and honestly is essential if this country hopes to uphold its professed principles of justice for all citizens. The test before us is not just political—it is psychological, moral, and collective.

Footnotes

1. Ms. Magazine, “The Cruel and Unusual Killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti” (Jan. 30, 2026).
2. Human Rights Watch, “US: Second Unjustified Killing by Federal Agents in Minneapolis” (Jan. 27, 2026).
3. People.com, “Trump Says He Feels ‘Terrible’ About Alex Pretti but ‘Even Worse’ About Renée Good” (Jan. 2026).
4. The Guardian, “A week of ICE and outrage in Minneapolis” (Jan. 26, 2026).
5. CBS News Minnesota (WCCO), “Why evidence preservation matters in the Alex Pretti case” (Jan. 2026).
6. Democracy Now!, “‘He Was Executed’: Minneapolis Residents Outraged After Immigration Agents Kill Alex Pretti” (Jan. 27, 2026).
7. Al Jazeera, “Who was Alex Pretti, the nurse shot dead by federal agents in Minneapolis?” (Jan. 26, 2026).
8. TIME, “Federal Agents Kill Another Person in Minneapolis Immigration Crackdown” (Jan. 2026).
9. Newsweek, “Federal Judge Grants Restraining Order in Alex Pretti Case” (Jan. 25, 2026).
10. Wolfe, R., & Caliskan, A. (2022). American == White in Multimodal Language-and-Image AI. arXiv.
11. Dancy, M., & Hodari, A. (2021). How well-intentioned white male physicists maintain ignorance of inequity. arXiv.
12. DiAngelo, R. (2018). White Fragility. Beacon Press.
13. Verywell Mind, “What Is White Fragility?” (Aug. 20, 2020).
14. Kunda, Z. (1990). “The Case for Motivated Reasoning.” Psychological Bulletin.
15. Thaler, M. (2023). The Fake News Effect. arXiv.
16. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, “Motivated Reasoning and Political Decision Making.”