On Sunday night, community members, labor leaders, veterans and elected officials gathered outside the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center to honor the life of Alex Pretti, a longtime VA employee whose career was defined by service to others.
Pretti was shot and killed by Border Patrol officers on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis. The Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights investigation into Pretti’s death, according to the Associated Press.
The candlelight vigil was both a remembrance of Pretti’s life and a broader call for accountability, compassion and safety for those who serve the most vulnerable. Pretti cared for veterans in the ICU — a role that requires not only medical skill, but deep empathy and resilience. Dozens of people attended the vigil.
Ohio State Rep. Sean Patrick Brennan, a Democrat from Parma, spoke to the significance of Pretti’s career choice and character.
“This vigil is not only for Alex Pretti, who served our veterans for many years selflessly. There are a lot of other things he could have done with his life and probably made a lot more money,” Brennan said. “But everything I have read about him tells me he cared for our vets, and he also cared about democracy.”
Steve Campisi, a legislative and political organizer for Districts 6 and 7 of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) — the union that represents VA workers, of which Pretti was a member — reflected on Pretti’s dedication to some of the most fragile patients in the system. Campisi worked for the VA for more than a decade, receives his own care through the VA and now advocates for its workers.
“Alex Pretti worked with the most vulnerable — veterans in the ICU unit,” Campisi said. “It takes a special person to care for veterans. There are a lot of specialized issues. What stood out about him is that his whole life was dedicated to serving people, and he died that way — standing up for a vulnerable woman.”
Videos of Pretti’s killing, recorded by bystanders, appear to show him stepping between a female protester and ICE agents prior to being pepper sprayed, according to an AP analysis of the footage.
Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill O’Neill, a nurse and a veteran who also receives his care through the VA, emphasized the grassroots nature of the vigil.
“This vigil is normal people like you and me coming out and saying enough is enough,” O’Neill said.
Labor solidarity and collective responsibility were also central themes of the evening. Brian Pearson, executive secretary of the North Shore AFL-CIO, said the vigil sent a message beyond the hospital grounds.
“This vigil reminds everyone and sends a signal that an injury to one is an injury to all,” Pearson said.
As candles flickered outside the VA hospital, speakers and attendees alike underscored that Alex Pretti’s legacy is not only in how he lived, but in what his life continues to demand — dignity for veterans, protection for workers and a shared commitment to standing up for those who cannot always stand alone.
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