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While some people involved in Wednesday’s vigil outside Olde Towne Mall, 20 S. Main St., have helped organize other demonstrations over the past year, no single group is formally organizing this event. Inside Olde Towne Mall is the office of Republican U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, which has been the focus of several protests in recent months.

Scheduled speakers include Democratic state Rep. Ann Roe of Janesville, Nate Feine of the Rock County Democrats, and local pastors Neil Deupree and Collette Broady Grund. Broady Grund held a vigil last Friday at her church, Faith Lutheran Church, 2116 Mineral Point Ave., the day before the shooting death of Alex J. Pretti, a Green Bay native who was killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday.

Federal authorities later said Pretti was carrying a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and opened fire on federal agents. Video footage circulating online appears to show him holding only a cellphone as he stepped between immigration agents and a woman on the street. Pretti, an intensive care nurse, was licensed to carry a concealed weapon and had recently participated in other protests against immigration enforcement.

No demonstrators allowed in building

Jackie Wood, the owner of Olde Towne Mall, said demonstrators are not allowed inside the building.

“This is a retail and office building, and people are getting off work and wanting to browse the mall,” Wood said. “It can feel daunting for tenants and customers to walk through a crowd. Our biggest concern is that business not be impeded.”

Wood said Congressman Steil’s office is typically staffed offsite when he’s in Washington, D.C., and that his staff members have previously been receptive to questions when they are on-site.

She said tenants are justifiably concerned about their property and safety, giving rising tensions nationwide.

Organizers are “a peaceful group, but these events are open to anyone, and you never know who might show up,” Wood said. “It’s a scary time, and our priority is the safety of tenants, customers and the general public.”

Wood said some businesses may choose to close early on Wednesday.

Coral Swanson, a member of the Town Hall Coalition, that has hosted a variety of demonstrations in Janesville this past year, said while the group is not directly organizing the event on Wednesday some of its members are participating.

“People feel an urgent need to express in some way their support for Minnesota and their anger and distress at the lawless and violent actions of ICE and CBP in Minneapolis,” Swanson said. “The execution-style murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by agents of the federal government, is shocking.”

Also shocking, Swanson said, “is the effort by the government, without conducting an investigation, to manufacture stories about what happened, smear the victims, and bar Minneapolis law enforcement access to evidence. “

She said that Town Hall Coalition only participates in nonviolent demonstrations. “We believe that is the best way to deliver our message in support of our rights according to the Constitution,” she said.

Neil Dupree, also of the Town Hall Coalition, concurred that violence is not tolerated at any of its events.

“Most of the violence we’ve seen, to us it comes from government actions, not from the values we hold,” he said. “Our philosophy is one of nonviolence because violence doesn’t work. Nonviolence is what lasts over the long run.”

“When we gather with others who share our concerns, we strengthen one another. We need each other,” Dupree continued. “In Minneapolis and St. Paul, and everywhere, people are standing up for accountability. We want to hold ICE and Border Patrol accountable for their actions, and we will do so peacefully,”

Police guidelines

The Janesville Police Department said its focus, as with other demonstrations that have gone on this year, will be protecting life and property and maintaining order.

According to department guidelines, peaceful picketing and demonstrations are allowed but may not block building entrances or exits, streets or sidewalks. Weapons of any kind are prohibited. Disorderly conduct, threats, harassment or attempts to impede businesses or individuals will be subject to law enforcement action.

Police said people conducting business in or passing through the area have the right to do so.

Baldwin press conference

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, meanwhile, held a press conference on Tuesday calling for the reining in of ICE.

She said the killing of Alex Pretti was “entirely preventable.”

“Alex should still be alive today,” Baldwin said. “I send my deepest condolences to his parents, his loved ones and everybody grieving his loss.”

Baldwin described Pretti, a Wisconsin native and intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital, as someone known for his kindness and service.

“Alex was someone who went out of his way to help others, a role model to many and kind to everyone,” Baldwin said. “Alex’s last act was an act of service, shielding a neighbor who had been thrown into a snowbank.”

“We watched as ICE agents shot Alex 10 times, even as Alex lay motionless on the ground,” Baldwin continued. “He was not brandishing his weapon. He was holding his phone to document what was happening to him and to his community.”

“We warned the president for weeks that sending thousands of masked, armed and untrained ICE agents into Minneapolis would only create chaos and make everyone less safe,” Baldwin continued. “This violence was predictable.”

Baldwin further accused U.S. Department of Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem of spreading false information.

“Instead of lowering the temperature and calling for an investigation, Secretary Noem threw gas on the fire,” Baldwin said. “She called Alex, an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA, a domestic terrorist. Wisconsinites are smarter than that.”

Baldwin said local law enforcement in Minneapolis must be included in the investigation into Pretti’s death.

“You can’t sweep this under the rug and say the very agency whose agent is accused of homicide is going to investigate itself,” she said.

Baldwin said she will oppose funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security if accountability measures aren’t immediately forthcoming.

“I refuse to give ICE a blank check to keep acting lawlessly, putting American lives at risk,” Baldwin said. “There should not be masked, armed, ill-trained federal agents roaming American cities, residential neighborhoods, schools and places of worship.”

She also called for Noem’s impeachment and/or removal from office.