ICE shooting generates impromptu protests

CODY — Following the death of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by ICE agents last Saturday, some grassroots vigils and protests in Cody emerged over the weekend.

On Sunday, a group of protestors arrived on the corner of 14th and Sheridan. Alex Benjamin, Christie Muilenberg and Susan Lasher spent the afternoon on the street corner with signs memorializing Pretti. They each said they were spurred to action after witnessing the ongoing events in Minnesota, including video of Pretti’s death at the hands of federal agents and the government’s subsequent response.

“It hurt my heart,” said Benjamin, referring to what she called “a coordinated smear campaign” to malign Pretti, who had been peacefully protesting and directing traffic prior to interacting with agents. 

“I watched the video from multiple angles and independently formed a conclusion that this man was subdued … and an agent nonetheless released 10-plus rounds into (his) back. I’d never seen anything like it. In my 30 years as an American, I had never felt more disappointed or disillusioned.”

She decided to bring a protest sign to a street corner on Sunday because it felt “like (the) one individual action” she could take.

“I started out feeling alone, but quickly felt the support of fellow Cody residents. I received honks, waves and thumbs up,” she said. “People stopp(ed) to say, ‘Thank you’ and made hearts with their hands out the window and yell(ed) ‘I love you.’ I had a man stop to say, ‘This is brave what you’re doing in this town, thank you. I’d join you if the Broncos weren’t playing.’ I couldn’t believe the amount of kindness I was being shown in a town where 78% of us voted for Trump.”

Muilenberg joined Benjamin after an hour, which Benjamin described as “a moment of spontaneous, organic human connection in the face of an incredibly tragic and dark moment in American history.” 

Two more women, including Lasher, and a young man, ultimately joined the pair, bringing the total to five.

“My objection is not towards enforcing reasonable immigration laws, but towards the aggressive enforcement tactics and unconstitutional arrests of immigrants, U.S. citizens, and lawful residents without cause,” said Muilenberg, a Cody resident.

“The Department of Homeland Security refuses to take accountability for the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, innocent U.S. citizens,” she continued, adding that she believes misinformation and lies were being spread about both events. 

“(Our) community needs to be informed of what is really happening, the injustices occurring across the country,” Muilenberg said. “Our 4th and 5th amendment rights are being impeded, ICE agents are forcing themselves into homes without warrants, arresting and deporting persons without due process, and executing anyone who dares to stand up for their neighbors. I ... encourage my community to do their own research, watch the videos for themselves, and make an educated assessment about what is truly happening in this country.”

Lasher said she, too, was motivated after viewing footage of Pretti’s death. She’d seen Benjamin and Muilenberg on her way to an appointment and returned later in the afternoon to join the pair, describing it as an important action.

“I love my country and can’t do nothing while fellow citizens are being killed in cold blood by government agents,” she said. “This is not a partisan issue. We can all see with our own eyes what happened to Alex Pretti, an American citizen – a nurse at the VA for God’s sake – exercising his constitutional rights and trying to help others.”

Benjamin said she doesn’t know if “in the grand scheme of things, (our actions) helped or changed anything, but for me individually, it brought me hope and made me feel more connected to my community, a little alone and a little less powerless. I hope it made others feel that way, too.”

On Saturday night, Dewey Vanderhoff reported “an ad hoc gathering (at City Park) because of the shooting.” 

Multiple organizations called for a nationwide candlelight memorial at 6 p.m., and a group of local residents answered. Vanderhoff said some of the group told him they hoped to return again on Sunday.

“The point is they turned out,” he said. “The amazing thing is to see anything in Wyoming. It was small, but, like a candle flame, it’s symbolic.”

“(On Saturday,) several people commented on the Wyoming Rising page asking what they could do to show solidarity with those in Minnesota,” said Renée Tafoya, the chair of Wyoming Rising, a local nonpartisan organization. “I suggested folks go to City Park … but we didn’t organize anything, we just shared that a national vigil was happening.”

Tafoya said she did not know the people in Vanderhoff’s photo, but that she was heartened by it.

“I am happy to see the photo of the kids that went out to protest. They don’t need us to tell them what to think,” she said, “they understand what is happening.”

Park County Republican Party Chairman Vinnie Vanata encouraged people to “have patience and await the outcome of the investigation” into Pretti’s death. “It’s certainly unfortunate anytime someone loses their life … but I think it’s most important for people to base their concern on fact and not emotion.”

“When it comes to people protesting and exercising their first amendment right,” he added, “as long as they do so in a neat and orderly fashion that does not interfere with law enforcement. That's the great thing about America: we have that right to protest.”

This story was published on Jan. 26, 2026.