Warriors HC Steve Kerr speaks out on Minneapolis killings at hands of federal agents

In the wake of the NBA postponing the Golden State Warriors-Minnesota Timberwolves game due to the killing of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti at the hands of federal immigration officers, coach Steve Kerr spoke to the media about the ongoing situation.

“It’s very sad,” Kerr said. “This has always been a great stop on the NBA tour. I love the city of Minneapolis. The people here are wonderful. And it’s very sad what’s happening. I feel for the city. There’s a pall that has been cast over the city. You can feel it. And a lot of people are suffering.”

In multiple social media videos of the Pretti’s shooting, analyzed by the New York Times and other media outlets, Pretti can be seen holding only a cellphone in his hand after a Department of Homeland Security agent shoved a woman protester. When Pretti intervened on her behalf, at least six DHS agents surrounded him and forced him to the ground, subsequently shooting him 10 times, the analytical reports found.

“Loss of life is the number one concern,” Kerr said. “Those families will never get their family members back. And you know, when all the unrest settles down, whenever that is, those family members won’t be returning home, and that’s devastating.”

Over the last three weeks, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have occupied Minneapolis, creating widespread turmoil. Earlier this month, ICE agents shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good as she drove away from a group of officers, which was caught on video by multiple onlookers. Good’s death was one of the catalysts for a state-wide general strike from Minnesotans this past week.

Kerr’s experience in these kinds of situations

Just three weeks ago, Kerr heavily criticized the Trump administration in the wake of Good’s killing at the hands of federal agents.

“It’s shameful, really, that in our country, we can have law enforcement officers who commit murder and seemingly get away with it,” Kerr said. “It’s shameful that the government can come out and lie about what happened when there’s video and witnesses who have all come out and disputed what the government is saying.”

In the hours before the NBA postponed the game, Kerr spoke to Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and veteran Joe Ingles. Finch and Ingles expressed the “uneasiness” among the players about playing in the wake of Pretti’s death, with Kerr being open to whatever the T-Wolves decided they wanted to do. And when the NBA eventually postponed the game, Kerr and the Warriors agreed wholeheartedly with the league’s decision.

In the same presser, Kerr also reflected deeply on what’s happening in this country, in politically tumultuous times. 

“We’re being divided by media-for-profit. By misinformation,” Kerr said. “There’s so much out there that is really difficult for all of us to reconcile.

“What’s so sad about all this is we’re at each other’s throats right now. You can’t just say ‘I’m right’ and the other person is wrong. Not in this current climate of non-stop news flooding at us. It’s hard to decipher what’s real and what’s not. What’s true and what’s not. People arguing about the exact same video and saying, ‘This happened, no, that happened.’ It is a confusing time to be alive and to be an American. What I would appeal to everyone is to remember what our Constitution stands for. What our values are and what that means to how we treat each other and our fellow citizen.”

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