Members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Young Democratic Socialists of America orchestrated a protest in Gainesville in response to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti in Minneapolis.
The protest drew over 100 participants, shouting chants and sporting signs urging the end of operations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis and the nation as a whole.
“After what happened yesterday in Minneapolis, with the giant general strike and the second murder by ICE, we just decided we have to come out here and show support,” Steering Member of UF’s YDSA chapter and sophomore at UF, Jay Kalogiros-Pepper said.
Gainesville residents picketed with signs reading “Stop ICE terror now!” and “UF Admin and UFPD: End 287(g).”
287(g) allows state and local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws. UFPD signed the 287(g) agreement in April 2025, following the detainment of UF student Felipe Zapata Velasquez.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you look like, or what family you grew up with, this affects all of us,” Gainesville resident Zero Lunsford said.
Alex Jeffrey Pretti was fatally shot Saturday in Minneapolis after recording ICE officers during protests in the city which escalated following the death of Renee Good. These deaths were just over two weeks apart from each other. Videos of the scene showed Pretti approaching federal agents with his phone in hand, recording an already detained person being arrested by ICE agents.
Federal agents alleged Pretti of having a gun on his person, but eyewitness accounts challenge that, saying Pretti had a phone in his hand and not a gun. Videos of the incident support the eyewitness accounts as well.
By Minnesota law, residents may carry a handgun without concealment, according to the Minnesota Firearm Carry Laws. Pretti is not seen in the video of his death drawing a gun.
His death caused scrutiny from both sides of the political aisle. Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz publicly opposed the deployment of ICE agents in the state and Republican politicians Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Thom Tills of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska all insisted on more information from the Department of Homeland Security on the shooting.
“We need to show that in reality, the only way to defend against this is by building a massive people’s movement and mobilizing people and organizing people into systems that can actually defend against this kind of fascist tendency growth in America,” said Gainesville resident Hunter Wesley, who attended the protest.
The protest went on for an hour and led into an “Emergency Organizing Meeting” at the Alachua County Library, during which speaker Quinnton Cooper, a member of PSL, presented key points for the organizers in Gainesville to touch upon.
The room fell silent as he spoke, encouraging the attendants to connect with one another for resources.
“The power of the people is in our numbers,” Cooper said. “So just like in Minneapolis, they were able to shut down their city, shut down their economy there, and really flex the muscles of the people in a coordinated general strike.”
People gathered in groups of 10 during the meeting, offering ways to organize. Those present sought to answer questions on how to stop 287(g) agreements in Florida, how people can respond if approached by ICE agents and how Gainesville residents could create a general strike as modeled by the Minneapolis strike on Jan. 23.
The conclusion of the meeting had members of the community contributing points of wisdom on what they will do next, focusing on organizing a coalition of local activism groups and businesses.
