A Minneapolis woman recounts death of Alex Pretti as lawyers eye a class action lawsuit
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis woman who confronted federal immigration agents alongside Alex Pretti in January was among a group of would-be litigants who spoke out Thursday about alleged excessive force against people protesting or monitoring law enforcement in Minnesota.
Georgia Savageford, who identified herself as Wynnie at a news conference, said she was inside an officer’s vehicle when she saw federal agents shoot Pretti.
“That day changed me forever,” she said. “The trauma will haunt me for the rest of my life and I will never be the same.”
Savageford said she has been legally observing the actions of federal agents in Minneapolis since the Jan. 7 shooting death of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. She said she was doing it again on the morning of Jan. 24 when an officer pushed her twice and caused her to fall.
“As I was going downstairs, three officers tackled me and dragged me face down into the middle of the street. They knelt on my back, twisted my arms and legs to the ground and handcuffed me. The handcuffs were so tight that I lost feeling in my hands, which led to temporary nerve damage,” she said.
Department of Homeland Security and ICE officials did not immediately respond Thursday to emails seeking comment. Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration Tuesday for access to evidence they say they need to independently investigate the killings.
Savageford said Pretti recorded video of her arrest and yelled at officers to leave her alone.
She said the officers placed her in the back of a vehicle, from which she saw officers shoot and kill Pretti from across the street.
“At that moment, I thought I was going to die too. I begged the officers to understand why another life was taken and not to take mine,” she said.
She said they told her to shut up and stop being hysterical. She said they then took her to an ICE detention center where she was held for 12 hours in a cold cell without access to food, water or the toilet until she was released without being charged.
“I didn’t know him, but I knew he had my back,” she said of Pretti. “I know the kind of heart he had. One that loves and protects without limits.”
Savageford shared his story at a news conference where civil rights attorney John Burris, of Oakland, Calif., and other attorneys explained how they are paving the way for possible class-action lawsuits over the use of excessive force against protesters and observers.
Burris, who specializes in police misconduct, helped secure an $11 million settlement against the Oakland Police Department in 2003, and helped secure a $3.8 million civil jury verdict for the late motorist Rodney King, who was beaten by Los Angeles police officers in 1991.
He said he and his colleagues filed complaints with federal agencies involved in Minnesota’s enforcement spree on behalf of 10 people, including Savageford, as a first step in a process that could lead to a larger class-action lawsuit.
“We have many others that are under investigation and haven’t completed the process. But I thought it was important for us to start that process now. Let the government know we’re here,” Burris said.
