The United States is burning. In a scene that looks terrifyingly familiar to any Kenyan who witnessed the Gen Z protests on the streets of Nairobi, federal agents in Minneapolis have gunned down a 37-year-old nurse, Alex Pretti, sparking a global outcry. Former Presidents Obama and Clinton have broken their silence, urging Americans to "stand up," but for the family of the slain man, these are empty words in a nation addicted to state violence.

Alex Pretti was not a criminal. He was an ICU nurse—a healer. Yet, on a freezing Saturday morning, he was executed by the US Border Patrol while holding a cellphone. The official narrative from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was swift and predictable: "He had a gun." It is the same script used by police forces from Minneapolis to Mathare. "He was armed." "He resisted." "It was self-defence."

Triangulating the "Sickening Lies"

But in the age of the smartphone, the lie has lost its power. Video evidence verified by multiple sources shows Pretti with his empty left hand raised, trying to protect a woman being assaulted by ICE agents. He held a phone, not a Glock. The DHS claim that he "approached officers with a 9mm" has crumbled under the weight of visual proof, leading Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to label the federal account "nonsense."

For Kenyans, the parallels are chilling. The "planted gun" theory is a staple of our own extrajudicial killing culture. Pretti’s death is a mirror reflecting the universal impunity of uniformed men. His family’s statement—"The sickening lies told about our son... are reprehensible"—echoes the cries of mothers in Kayole and Kibera mourning sons lost to "stray bullets."

• The Political Fallout: The killing has paralyzed Washington. Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, are threatening to block DHS funding. But in a polarized America, even the death of a nurse is political football.
• The "Gunman" Myth: President Trump’s social media post labelling Pretti a "gunman" before an investigation even began is a masterclass in narrative control, designed to demonize the victim and exonerate the shooter.

"I Can't Breathe" 2.0

Minneapolis, the city that birthed the George Floyd movement, is once again the epicenter of resistance. Thousands are braving sub-zero temperatures to chant "No Justice, No Peace." The teargas hanging over Nicollet Avenue smells just like the teargas on Moi Avenue. It is the scent of a broken social contract.

As Obama and Clinton call for a moral awakening, the world watches a superpower eating its own children. For the Global South, the lesson is clear: The "American Dream" is armed and dangerous. And Alex Pretti, a man who spent his life saving others in the ICU, could not be saved from the very state he served. Streamline