ACLU Maryland Executive Director Statement on Fatal Shootings by Federal Agents in Minneapolis

We are inspired and energized by the Minnesota community that rallied behind Alex Pretti and Renee Good, just as people are doing across communities in Maryland and in other places that continue to experience over-policing and the erosion of basic rights. These moments remind us of the power of community, of people showing up for one another when systems fail to do so.

At the heart of these actions is a simple truth. People have the right to protest. People have the right to have their voices heard. People have the right to document and record what they experience. These rights are fundamental, and they are essential tools for transparency, accountability, and democracy itself.

We are deeply troubled by the federal government’s lack of compassion, accountability, and remorse in the face of loss and harm. Communities deserve honesty, clear answers, and meaningful accountability, not silence, deflection, or lies. Trust cannot exist without transparency, and justice cannot exist without responsibility.

A democracy cannot survive when truth is dismissed, voices are suppressed, and lives are taken without consequence.

This moment calls for collective, peaceful action and a renewed commitment to human dignity. It calls on all of us to use our voices, to demand better, and to stand together in defense of our shared rights. Exercising our rights, persistently and peacefully, is how we protect them.

We stand with the people of Minnesota. We stand with families who are grieving. And we stand with communities everywhere who are organizing, speaking out, and insisting that dignity, accountability, and justice are not optional. They are essential.

- Dana Vickers Shelley, ACLU Maryland Executive Director