The Minneapolis Institute of Art, the city’s leading art museum, announced on Sunday that it would remain closed on Sunday “for the safety of staff and visitors,” according to a statement posted to Instagram.
The institution was one of many in the city to close on Friday as part of the Day of Truth and Freedom, a statewide protest organized in response to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota communities in recent weeks.
On Saturday, during an ICE operation, a Border Patrol agent shot and killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, in Minneapolis. After the shooting, federal officials said that agents acted in self-defense, claiming that Pretti “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun,” according to Security of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. She further said that officers “attempted to disarm” Pretti and that he “violently resisted.”
But the killing inflamed tensions in the city after multiple eyewitness videos posted to social media ran counter to the Trump administration’s narrative. In the videos, Pretti is seen coming to the aid of a person pushed by federal agents. Over half dozen agents take Pretti down before shots are fired. In at least one of the videos, a federal agent appears to remove a gun from Pretti before he is shot.
The shooting, which occurred at Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street, is only a few blocks from the MIA. The institution was open Saturday, but it closed early after news of the shooting broke. A statement posted to Instagram reads, “Due to unfolding events in the local area, the museum will be closing early today … The safety of our visitors, staff, and community is our primary concern.”
While other institutions did not make similar announcements, the NBA postponed Saturday’s game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors in response, saying that it did so “to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community.” It did say, however, that the game would be played Sunday evening.
