Locals turn out for vigil in memory of Alex Pretti and ‘ICE Out’ protest in Riverhead

Despite the frigid temperature Friday night, about 75 people turned out for a solemn candlelight vigil in Riverhead in memory of Alex Pretti, 37, who was fatally shot by two federal agents Jan. 24 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

The vigil in Riverhead, outside Town Hall, was one of nine vigils held Friday night in locations across the East End, organized by Anita Boyer of Hampton Bays.

“Alex Pretti was an ICU nurse at a Veterans Hospital, a helper and a healer in the truest sense of the words,” said Brienne Ahearn, who coordinated the Riverhead vigil. “We have poems and readings that reflect who he was as a person and who we should all strive to be in this moment,” she said. “One of his patients penned a poem upon hearing of his death. We will share it now while thinking of all the victims of ICE as whole human beings.”

Allyson Matwey read the poem, written by Joseph Fasano. 

Because his last words were for a woman;
because he asked,
are you okay, are you okay;
because he had learned to say it
by standing each night beside the dying;
because sometimes he held their hands;
because he had lived only as long
as the scent of childhood in an album;
because he was a son;
because he sang once;
because of all of it,
because of all of it
because of all of it,
tell it, tell the story:
a breath has left;
a country is dying;
and a man laid his face
on its pavement today
as though he were listening
to a patient’s heart—
even then, even at the ending—
to do what he was there to do: heal.

Ahearn then read remarks written by Pretti for a final salute to a veteran who had passed away in the intensive care unit at the veterans hospital where Pretti was employed as a nurse. 

“Today, we remember that freedom is not free. We have to work at it, nurture it, protect it, and even sacrifice for it. May we never forget and always remember our brothers and sisters who have served so that we may enjoy the gift of freedom. So in this moment, we remember and give thanks for their dedication and selfless service to our nation in the cause of our freedom. In this solemn hour, we render our honor and our gratitude.”

The Rev. Dr. Sean Murray, pastor of First Congregational Church of Riverhead offered a prayer “for the many families and friends of those who are grieving or lost…

“We pray, O God, that your spirit will be known by our leaders, by those who are truly called to protect us, to stand up for what is good and right, and just give ears to the hearts of all, O God, lead us as your people to a path of true justice, compassion and love.”

Rally Saturday draws crowd to protest ICE

On Saturday morning, a crowd more than twice the size of that attending the vigil lined up on Roanoke Avenue between Second Street and Railroad Avenue, to protest ICE actions and the Trump administration’s mass deportation policies.

RiverheadLOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti