The Mask Falls in Minneapolis: A 20-Point Anatomy of a Dictatorship

By Janet Kira Lessin with Sasha Alex Lessin, Ph.D. Originally published on January 25, 2026

MINNEAPOLIS — On the morning of January 24, 2026, the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue became a crime scene that may well be remembered as a turning point in American history. Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA, was wrestled to the ground and executed by federal agents.

Pretti was a man who dedicated his life to saving veterans. He was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit. He was a U.S. citizen. Yet, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), he was a “threat.” As we stand here today watching federal agents circle their wagons, the “beneficent public narrative” of American democracy has finally shattered. What we are witnessing is not “law and order”; it is the overt manifestation of a covert dictatorship of the oligarchs that has finally felt bold enough to remove its mask.

The Execution of the Witness

Alex Pretti was killed while holding a cellphone, not a gun. Bystander video—now the only “Key” we have to the truth—shows Pretti acting as a legal observer, filming agents as they shoved a woman to the snow. When he stepped in to shield her, he was pepper-sprayed, tackled, and pinned by six agents.

Frame-by-frame analysis confirms the most chilling detail: an agent removed Pretti’s handgun from his waistband and ran away with it seconds before other agents fired ten rounds into Pretti’s back. He was disarmed. He was prone. He was executed.

The 20 Identifiers of the New American Dictatorship

If you are wondering if we have crossed the line from democracy into a dictatorship, look at the evidence currently on the streets of the Twin Cities:

Federal Paramilitary Primacy: Federal agents (DHS/ICE) overriding local governors and police chiefs, answering only to the Executive.
Impunity for State Killings: Three shootings in three weeks with zero accountability.
The Second Amendment “Trap”: The state uses your “right” to bear arms as a pretext for “defensive” execution.
Targeting the “Witness”: Executing those who film police to destroy the public’s ability to document state crimes.
The “Judas Cow” Strategy: Elevating “token” minority figures—like FBI Director Kash Patel—to lure communities into a false sense of security while the regime targets the rest.
Seizure of Digital Identity: Confiscating cellphones and IDs from bystanders to erase evidence.
Witness Intimidation: Recording faces and following observers home to ensure silence.
Centralized “Official” Truth: Government narratives legally prioritized over undeniable video evidence.
Internal Passports: Needing “papers” or passports just to move through neighborhood “surge zones.”
The “Kisses Class” Loyalty: Safety is for the billionaire elite; working professionals like Pretti are expendable.
Purging Expertise: Replacing career civil servants with political loyalists (Schedule F).
Weaponization of the DOJ: Targeting Democratic donors and activists as “conspirators.”
Military Munitions on Civilians: Using flashbangs and chemical agents on peaceful mourners.
Digital Authoritarianism: Throttling social media accounts that share footage of federal brutality.
Suspension of Due Process: Holding detainees in “temporary centers” without access to legal counsel.
Scapegoating the “Other”: Using marginalized groups as a “testing ground” for brutality.
Censorship of History: Banning education on state violence and civil rights.
The Messianic Complex: A leader claiming “only I can fix it” while creating the chaos.
Neighbor-on-Neighbor Surveillance: Encouraging citizens to report “un-American” activities.
The Economic “Purge”: Freezing assets of those who support “disruptive” protests.

From Shays to Pretti: The Long History of Theft

History doesn’t just repeat; it rhymes. In 1786, Shays’ Rebellion proved that the American “elite” were willing to use military force to crush veterans and farmers who stood in the way of their wealth. The state has always been a murderous, stealing entity for those who aren’t in the “Elite Class.”

Today, the “Judas Cows” lead the way, promising safety while the ramp leads to the slaughterhouse. We must wake up, find our Key, and build the sanctuaries where life, animals, and conscious human connection come before the greed of the oligarchs.

Join the movement. Support our mission to build sanctuaries of peace and consciousness. Subscribe to the Full Story Visit us at: Dragonattheendoftime.com

The True Story of Shays’ Rebellion This video provides a historical breakdown of Shays’ Rebellion, showing how the early American state used military force to protect the interests of the elite over the rights of veterans—a direct parallel to the events you are documenting today.

Header Collage: The Mask Falls

Concept: A cinematic, gritty collage that juxtaposes the sterile cold of a Minneapolis winter with the high-tension heat of federal overreach.

Prompt: A gritty, high-contrast digital collage for a journalistic header. In the center, a cracked porcelain mask with the American flag pattern lies shattered on a snowy Minneapolis street, revealing a cold, robotic eye underneath. To the left, a silhouette of a nurse in blue scrubs (Alex Pretti) holding a glowing cellphone camera as a “Key.” To the right, a phalanx of faceless federal agents in dark tactical gear with DHS patches. In the background, the Minneapolis skyline at dusk under a brooding, stormy sky. Cinematic lighting, photorealistic textures, style of a modern political thriller poster.

Internal Image Prompts

Section 1: The Execution of the Witness

Concept: Emphasizing the vulnerability of the witness and the “Key” (the cellphone).

Prompt: A dramatic, low-angle ground-level shot. A hand lies in the cold, gray slush of a city street, still gripping a smartphone. The phone’s screen is cracked but glowing, showing a blurry recording of tactical boots. In the blurred background, the red and blue lights of emergency vehicles reflect off the wet asphalt. Moody, somber, hyper-realistic, 8k resolution.

Section 2: The 20 Identifiers (The New American Dictatorship)

Concept: A symbolic representation of “Federal Primacy” and the loss of due process.

Prompt: A powerful symbolic image. A heavy, black combat boot stepping onto a stack of historical parchments (The Bill of Rights), crushing them into the mud. Surrounding the boot are yellow “CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS” tape and shadows of barbed wire fences. The lighting is harsh and institutional, conveying a sense of cold, bureaucratic authoritarianism. Professional editorial photography style.

Section 3: From Shays to Pretti (The Long History of Theft)

Concept: Connecting the 18th-century rebellion to the modern struggle.

Prompt: A split-screen historical transition. On the left side, a Revolutionary-era veteran in tattered continental uniform holding a pitchfork in a dim, sepia-toned field. On the right side, a modern-day man in a VA nurse uniform standing against a backdrop of flashing police lights in a snowy city. Both figures share the same defiant, weary expression. The two eras are separated by a jagged, lightning-like crack. Artistic, evocative, oil painting meets modern photography.

Section 4: The Sanctuary Vision (The Call to Action)

Concept: A hopeful contrast—the “Sanctuary” Kira is building.

Prompt: An architectural concept of a lush, green sanctuary. A beautiful, restored Victorian estate surrounded by ancient oak trees. In the foreground, healthy organic gardens and a peaceful cat colony near a stone fountain. People of diverse backgrounds are sitting together in a circle, talking and learning. The sun is setting, casting a warm, golden, “conscious” glow over the entire landscape. Dreamy, vibrant, utopian, high-detail.

Journalistic Footer & Call to Action

The events in Minneapolis serve as a grim herald of the era we have entered. This is no longer a drill; the mask has been discarded. To understand the deeper archetypes at play—from The Timelord watching history loop to The Key held in the hand of a fallen nurse—you must see the full picture.

Support the mission to build sanctuaries of peace, animal rescue, and conscious living. Help us preserve the estates and Victorian homes that will serve as the front lines of human connection.

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By Janet Kira Lessin with Sasha Alex Lessin, Ph.D.