NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Adam Graham
ag@jenanelson.com | (405) 655-6624
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Jena Nelson, candidate for Oklahoma’s Fifth Congressional District, issued the following response to Stephanie Bice’s statement regarding the latest ICE-related death in Minneapolis:
Our Constitutional rights to peacefully protest and lawfully carry arms are not mutually exclusive. It’s my belief, and the belief of millions of Americans, that Alex Pretti was operating safely inside his rights when he was killed during a peaceful protest turned violent by the ill-trained ICE enforcers sent to Minneapolis by a corrupt leader.
My opponent, Stephanie Bice, released a statement that both minimizes the harm done to these rights and attempts to shield the Trump administration from its blatant abuses of power. It’s so egregiously wrong and uninformed that it’s necessary to break it down, piece-by-piece:
The tragic event in Minnesota over the weekend should be thoroughly and completely investigated.
Yes, I agree that it merits investigation, but not by the same Justice Department that deployed this squad to Minneapolis in the first place. In case there is any confusion, the “tragic event” referenced above is the death of Alex Pretti, an ICU Nurse at the local VA Hospital who attended a peaceful protest and recorded ICE officers with his iPhone. The fact that Alex Pretti was armed with a permitted gun (that was never brandished) isn’t a crime. It certainly isn’t something that would merit his death.
I support peaceful protests, but all too often we are seeing agitators inflaming tensions against ICE and law enforcement officers.
Bice is using the term “agitator” here because it’s tied to 50s-era notions of communism and spies. She is building her straw man one limb at a time, trying to characterize Alex Pretti as untrustworthy. She also fails to grasp that protests are inherently agitating. They are intended to create change. Peaceful protests simply mean no actual or threatened harm to property or people occurred. This would’ve been the case here if not for ICE callously shooting Alex Pretti to death.
This is especially true in cities where law enforcement operations are hindered as elected officials and highly organized groups are encouraging and mobilizing citizens to intervene.
This is the most specious argument in the statement. Bice appears to argue that Constitutional rights are contingent on what city you happen to be in at the time and that more progressive cities are inherently less deserving of these rights.
It’s also simply untrue. The governor and the mayor both urged peaceful demonstrations since the ICE incursion. They were trying to bring the temperature down while Trump released more and more masked men into their streets. Alex Pretti was not a paid protester. He was a nurse trying to help someone, like he did every day at work. He was also a gun owner, like me and about 1.5 million other Oklahomans.
Everyone has a responsibility to turn the rhetoric down, and we must uphold the laws of our nation.
Bice is attempting to have her cake and eat it, too. She has demeaned Alex Pretti, provided cover for Trump and ICE while now trying to paint herself as a peacemaker. I’m astonished she is unwilling to acknowledge that this was an unprovoked, unacceptable and unbelievable attack on a person and on our Constitutional rights.
Oklahomans deserve so much better. In Congress, I’ll hold these officials accountable and more transparent. It’s time to restore trust in our government.
Oklahoma voters wanting to learn more about Jena Nelson and her priorities for Oklahoma’s kids can visit JenaNelson.com. Also on the website, supporters can sign up for updates on how they can help make Mrs. Nelson Oklahoma’s next Representative for CD-5. Those wishing to donate to the campaign may also do so online.
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