SLO County vigil protests killing of Minneapolis man by immigration agents
A main intersection in Los Osos was taken over on Monday night by an ICE Out rally and vigil for the man who was killed by federal immigration agents over the weekend — the second citizen to be fatally shot in the streets of Minneapolis by federal agents this month.
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse for veterans and an avid outdoorsman, was pepper sprayed, pinned to the ground and shot by U.S. Border Patrol agents on Saturday after using his phone to film an interaction. Multiple verified videos show agents removed a handgun from Pretti’s body that he had not brandished, before shooting him 10 times.
Pretti’s death came just weeks after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, also 37, with verified videos showing her trying to drive away from a confrontation on Jan. 7.
The FBI agent who tried to investigate the agent who killed Good resigned after bureau leadership pressured her to abandon her inquiry, according to the New York Times.
All four corners of Los Osos Valley Road and South Bay Boulevard were filled with about 150 people carrying protest posters on Monday at sunset while an acoustic musician sang “we shall carry on” on her guitar. The music, mixed with the sounds of passing cars honking loudly, created a cacophony of support.
An image of Pretti was propped up on a table adorned by flowers and candles — a tribute to “an American hero,” Joanne Coghlan, an Indivisible movement co-founder and rally organizer, told The Tribune.
“It really is our way to stand with our community, for our community, and our community is San Luis Obispo County, but it’s also the United States, and it’s also Michigan, and it’s also Minnesota,” organizer Lois Boulgarides told The Tribune. “All we can do is stand on our corner and be here and grow as much as we can, because that’s what it’s taking — it’s taking the people with their boots on the ground to make anything happen in this country.”
Following nearly an hour of peaceful protest and a moment of silence, organizers read out the names of people who have died in ICE custody or interactions over the past year, either in immigration detention centers or shot in the streets, like Good and Pretti.
“This is not only for him,” Coghlan said. “This is not only for Renee. This is for all the people who have died at the hands of ICE, all our immigrant neighbors.”
Minnesota residents rally against ICE in SLO County
Multiple Minnesota residents were among the crowd of SLO County locals on Monday night.
Susan Kingsbury left Minneapolis for SLO County years ago, but her college-aged son still lives there. He said all his non-white friends are carrying their passports with them wherever they go. Her best friend lives up the street from where Good was killed.
“Our hearts are heavy,” she said. “Already living through George Floyd in Minneapolis” — a Black man who was suffocated by a police officer in the city in 2020 — “it just weighs heavy on you.”
Dorothy Slegman and Karen Oothoudt are best friends and snowbirds who have visited Morro Bay from the North Star State together every winter for nearly a decade.
Their trip this year, however, has been different from any other. The women hear horror stories daily from their families and loved ones back in Minnesota.
Slegman, who usually lives in St. Paul, said her Latino friend in Minneapolis hasn’t left her house in three weeks out of fear — not for groceries, gas or work, because people had been taken into custody by ICE. Her son’s best friend patrols his daughter’s Chinese immersion day care on half-hour shifts with the other parents to protect the children.
It’s “horrible, absolutely horrible,” Slegman said. “I can’t tell you what an occupation it is.”
“It’s not about immigration, it’s about retribution,” she said. “Everybody’s petrified.”
Oothoudt, from Big Fork, Minnesota, said she feels “almost guilty living here” right now while her home state is in crisis.
A loved one of hers sent her a chilling text before going out to protest:
“I’ll send this now so you have it,” the text read. “I will be going unarmed and will be following orders if given, so if they arrest me, or kill me, feel free to screenshot this and sent it to whatever government official tries to call me a domestic terrorist.”
She remembers growing up reading “1984” by George Orwell, a dystopian novel that now feels like an all-too-real warning, she said.
“We will stand on this corner every week if we have to,” Oothoudt said.
Vigil-goers prepare for TRUTH Act forum
Many in attendance at Monday’s nights vigil were preparing to attend the highly anticipated TRUTH Act forum on Tuesday, where the Sheriff’s Office will explain how it cooperates with federal immigration officers.
Boulgarides, the Indivisible organizer, hopes for a commitment from local law enforcement at the forum to protect everyone who lives in SLO County, regardless of immigration status.
“I think what would I really want is for ICE to be out of San Luis Obispo County,” she said. “I just want ICE out, and I think everyone here feels that way.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 12:20 PM.
