Decision on Charging Renee Good and Alex Pretti’s Killers Looms Over Minneapolis DA Race
The decision on whether to file criminal charges against the federal immigration agents who killed two U.S. citizens during a turbulent winter sweep hangs heavily over the race for Hennepin County Attorney in Minneapolis. Cedrick Frazier and Anders Folk are vying for the top prosecutor seat, a contest transformed from a routine local election into a high-stakes national referendum on law enforcement accountability.
The Long Shadow of Operation Metro Surge
Cedrick Frazier’s yard signs carry a blunt message for Minneapolis voters: “PROSECUTE ICE. VOTE FRAZIER.” The slogan captures the profound anger rippling through the city following the January killings of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers during a Trump administration immigration crackdown known as Operation Metro Surge.
Before those fatal shootings, the county attorney contest was shaping up as a standard debate over progressive prosecution models that began in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by former police officer Derek Chauvin. Instead, the race morphed into something far more consequential. The victor will likely inherit the responsibility of deciding whether to criminally charge the federal agents involved in the deaths of Good and Pretti.
Hamline University political science professor David Schultz noted the unique historical gravity of the election. According to Schultz, people are watching the race to understand what it signals about holding law enforcement accountable, noting that without Metro Surge and the city’s recent history, the contest would otherwise be a quiet local election.
On the ground, ordinary residents have captured these tensions on video. Bystanders clutching smartphones in the bitter cold documented the fatal shootings of Good and Pretti within shouting distance of the victims. These cellphone recordings ricocheted across social media platforms, fueling public outrage and driving national conversation.
A Quinnipiac University poll published in January found that 82% of registered voters had seen video footage of the Good shooting. Clinical psychologist Sherry Turkle, who teaches at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, observed that residents have been tutored by digital culture to document events first, creating a new political ecosystem where image-sharing drives civic engagement.
Diverging Paths: Frazier’s Grassroots Push Versus Folk’s Federal Resume
Frazier, a 47-year-old state representative and former Hennepin County public defender, captured 36% of the vote in the nonpartisan primary last month. Backed by strong connections to the state Democratic Party and Minnesota’s labor movement, he walks neighborhoods like Longfellow where voters frequently press him on accountability for ICE.
While carefully avoiding premature commitments that could disqualify him from handling the cases, Frazier stated in an interview with The Intercept that violating the law in Minneapolis will bring accountability regardless of a perpetrator’s title. He also expressed zero confidence in parallel federal investigations, stating he has no trust that a Donald Trump-led Department of Justice will deliver justice.
Conversely, his opponent, 49-year-old first-time candidate Anders Folk, brings a different background to the ballot. A former U.S. Marine, Folk built his career at the U.S. Attorney’s office in Minneapolis, eventually serving as interim top prosecutor in 2021 where he signed Chauvin’s federal civil rights indictment. He later became a partner at Jones Day, attracting endorsements from figures like Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and support from wealthy donors.
Folk leans on his federal prosecutorial experience, arguing that handling cases against federal officers requires deep familiarity with federal criminal proceedings. However, his past work also serves as a political liability. Frazier and other critics frequently point out that Folk rejoined the U.S. Attorney’s office during the Trump administration, saddling him with what Schultz describes as “guilt by association.”
Navigating the Legacy of Mary Moriarty
The political fallout from the tenure of current County Attorney Mary Moriarty adds another layer of complexity to the race. Moriarty chose not to run for re-election after facing severe backlash from former Democratic allies, including state Attorney General Keith Ellison and Governor Tim Walz, over her handling of juvenile prosecution policies.
Folk has sought to tie Frazier directly to Moriarty’s legacy, asserting in radio interviews that Frazier lacks courtroom prosecution experience. Frazier has pushed back against the comparison while attempting to chart a pragmatic middle ground on issues like juvenile sentencing and police oversight.
Frazier maintains that if elected, he will rely heavily on use-of-force experts to inform his charging decisions and promised to communicate directly and transparently with the community, even if a case cannot legally be charged.
As the runoff approaches, the outcome remains open. With mobile documentation continuing to fuel grassroots activism and federal-local tensions running high, the next Hennepin County Attorney will step into an office defined by the urgent, unresolved demand for justice.
