Bozeman, MT rallies to demand justice for Alex Pretti
Bozeman, MT – On January 25 at 3 p.m., over 1500 people gathered on Main Street in Bozeman to protest in response to the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE, expressing solidarity with Minnesota and demanding that ICE stay out of their town.
Among protesters of all ages, many students attended the rally, some of whom had been participating in Bozeman’s new Students Against Genocide campaign, with even more being newly interested and seeking ways to get involved in activism across Bozeman.
Besides remembering Alex Pretti, the people of Bozeman also demanded justice for Renée Good and Keith Porter, the release of Liam Ramos, and the end of the Trump administration by which the recent injustices have been perpetrated.
On the steps of the Gallatin County Courthouse, community members gave speeches about the recent events.
Julian Staggs from Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) told the crowd, “There is no function for this federal agency other than the oppression of immigrants and the American people, oppression that gets turned directly against us. Therefore, ICE serves no service to us, and we must demand its abolition and legalization for every immigrant in America!”
Staggs continued, “We should also know that the federal agents who killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti were not doing that due to a lack of training. They were veteran agents who had been with the agency for years. It is because of the function of this agency to oppress the American people and the immigrant population that they are committing these crimes!”
Homa Masood, another speaker from SDS, said “While we are in grief, we are not here just to grieve. We are not here just to go home and post about it. We are here to build pressure. We are here to disrupt business as usual. We are here to make it impossible for this violence to continue in silence. Change has never come from waiting politely. Change comes when people fill the streets. When people organize together. When people refuse to accept injustice as normal.”
Speakers also gave attention to the Bozeman Police Department, urging them not to follow the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office in collaborating with ICE.
After several speeches, the crowd marched down the sidewalk and across the street, chanting, “No justice, no peace, no ICE in our streets!” Many returned to the courthouse to repeat their demands and continue to show their anger against the administration. The afternoon ended with a call for all in attendance to join progressive organizations.