Vigils in San Francisco and Oakland honor Minneapolis victims amid scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement actions

Gatherings on both sides of the bay followed two fatal shootings in Minneapolis

Dozens of people gathered Sunday evening, Jan. 25, 2026, in San Francisco and Oakland for candlelight vigils memorializing two Minneapolis residents killed in separate encounters with federal immigration agents this month. The events came after a weekend of protests across the Bay Area focused on the expanding role and tactics of federal immigration enforcement.

In San Francisco, mourners assembled at Sutro Heights Park to remember Alex Pretti, 37, identified as a Veterans Affairs nurse who was fatally shot in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24, by federal Border Patrol agents. The same vigil also honored Renee Good, 37, described as a stay-at-home mother, who was killed in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer.

Organizers selected Sutro Heights Park in part because it is located less than a half-mile from San Francisco’s VA hospital, a detail that drew health care workers and others who said they wanted to recognize Pretti’s work in medicine. Attendees held signs, stood around makeshift memorials, and received tea lights as the gathering remained focused on remembrance rather than marching.

Oakland rally at Oscar Grant Plaza expanded the memorial list beyond Minneapolis

In Oakland, participants gathered at Oscar Grant Plaza for a separate vigil and rally that also memorialized Pretti and Good. Speakers and attendees additionally paid tribute to Keith Porter Jr., 43, a father of two who was killed on New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles by an off-duty ICE agent.

Accounts surrounding Porter’s death remain disputed. Family and neighbors have said he was firing celebratory shots into the air and posed no threat, while federal authorities have said he pointed a rifle at the agent and did not comply with commands.

Weekend protests framed the vigils within broader opposition to enforcement tactics

The Sunday vigils followed demonstrations on Saturday in San Francisco, where hundreds marched from the Embarcadero through downtown streets and stopped outside a federal building housing ICE offices. In Oakland, about 40 people held a vigil near the Fruitvale BART Station later that evening. Organizers at the Fruitvale gathering invited attendees to speak about immigration enforcement and federal actions more broadly.

Key facts at the center of the Bay Area response

• Renee Good was killed in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, 2026, in a shooting involving an ICE officer.
• Alex Pretti was killed in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026, in a shooting involving Border Patrol agents.
• Vigils in San Francisco and Oakland were held Sunday evening, Jan. 25, 2026.

Both Bay Area gatherings emphasized mourning and public accountability as the deaths in Minneapolis continue to draw national attention and prompt protests beyond Minnesota.

As of late Sunday, the Bay Area events had remained peaceful, with organizers signaling more gatherings could follow as investigations and public debate around the shootings continue.