What Does It Mean to Be a Witness? In Memory of Alex Pretti

What does it mean to be a witness? 

To be a witness is to stand up for your neighbor. To be present when someone is being threatened. To document what’s happening, To ensure the world sees the truth. To be a witness means bearing witness to injustice and acting based on what you see.

What does it mean to be a witness? 

It means building bridges, not walls. It means coming together across faiths and worldviews. In Minneapolis, more than 600 interfaith clergy — Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jews, Hindus, Unitarians, and even atheists — stood shoulder to shoulder to protest federal immigration enforcement actions. They came together not as separate religious traditions, but as one voice for justice.

What does it look like to be a witness? 

It means recording on your phone when something doesn’t seem right. On January 24, 2026, 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Preti was doing just that. He was protecting his neighbor by recording when he was shot and killed by federal immigration agents with ten bullets – all ten bullets were fired when Alex had no gun in his hand (he had a cell phone in his right hand and a his left hand raised, empty, and wide open). All ten shots were fired at Pretti after an ICE agent had removed Pretti’s legally licensed gun from his belt. Five of those ten bullets were fired after Pretti lay motionless on the ground. 

What does it look like to witness?

It requires sharing how you see this well-documented shooting online and sharing how you see this well-documented shooting with your legislators.

The interfaith gathering in Minneapolis adapted the words from Micah 6:8 as their mission:

Do Justice, Love Mercy. Abolish Ice.