The Good Grocer opened its cafe space for a three-hour “moment of healing” on Jan. 28 to help Whittier neighbors and visiting mourners process the slaying of Lyndale resident Alex Pretti by U.S. Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez on Jan. 24.
A few dozen people filled the sunny eatery facing Nicollet Avenue, half a block south of the curb where Pretti died. Upbeat oldies set the mood, courtesy of a Good Grocer delivery driver who moonlights as a DJ.
Donuts, sandwich wraps, spring rolls and other treats from nearby restaurants covered the cafe bar as volunteers beseeched visitors to eat their fill.
Paper bags, small rocks, Post-It notes and acrylic pens beckoned from an art therapy station near the store’s community food shelf.
A uniformed Minneapolis police officer moved through the crowd, smiling and chatting with volunteers and neighbors.
“This is our way of opening our doors to our amazing community,” Good Grocer co-owner Jeanette Vickman said. “To honor Alex, Renee (Good) and all the people impacted” by the events of the past several weeks.
Vickman, who co-owns the Good Grocer with her husband Kurt, said she decided to create a more formal day of remembrance amid a steady stream of people coming into the store Monday to mourn and reflect on Pretti’s killing.
The event came together remarkably quickly — a credit, Vickman said, to a beleaguered but resilient community’s hunger for connection.
Outside the front entrance, which remained closed to avoid disturbing a double-width paperboard display bearing Post-It messages from the community, a steady procession of people moved to and from the Pretti memorial in the sub-zero windchill.
The sweet smell of hundreds of fresh-cut flowers enveloped onlookers arranged around the display in a loose oval as camera-wielding media darted in and out.
Back inside the Good Grocer, a small poster adorned with photos of Pretti and Good stood outside the cafe area, welcoming cold-weary visitors rounding the deli well from the store’s rear parking lot.
“In loving memory of… Renee Good - Alex Pretti …and in honor of all those who have been impacted by ICE in our state,” it read. “We stand with you.”
As morning turned toward afternoon, small tokens of appreciation accumulated on a nearby window sill: painted rocks, colorful flyers and cards bearing messages like “Better together - MSP strong” and “Good will prevail.” Some attendees sat quietly at tables in apparent reflection. Others spoke to their neighbors. Some laughed.
“This is a manifestation…of the collective act of love and loving,” Vickman said. “People want to know that when the mean people leave, beautiful people remain.”
Good Grocer is a volunteer-operated grocery store that was originally located at 122 E. Lake St. before relocating to 2650 Nicollet Ave. in 2021 due to the I-35 reconstruction.
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