Alex Pretti, 37, was an ICU nurse at a VA hospital in Minneapolis. His parents live in Arvada. He was protesting Renée Good's death when he was shot and killed by Border Patrol on January 24th. U.S. citizen. His father: "He cared about people deeply, and he knew it was wrong."
Any U.S. person can file a FOIA request. You do not have to live in Minnesota.
Commissioner Wysong read the proclamation. Then something less common happened: Stacey Quiddick, Executive Director of the Department of Human Services, and Katanya Jones, Director of Children, Youth, and Family Services, came to the dais and talked about what this work actually looks like.
24,462 calls to the child abuse and neglect reporting hotline in 2025. About 67 a day. Not every call opens a case. Many connect a family to something they didn't know was available. Commissioner Williams spoke about how hard parenting is. Chair Geitner said: if you're struggling, ask for help. No shame, no judgment, a lot of courage.
Pinwheels — blue and silver — were planted out front after the meeting. Men's Resource Fair: April 17th, 10am–2pm, Citizen Service Center.
El Paso County Parks held their volunteer appreciation event. Bear Creek turns 50. Fountain Creek, 34. Total volunteer hours logged last year across both centers: 4,679 — equivalent to 585 eight-hour workdays, roughly $155,000 in labor the county didn't have to fund.
Top volunteer Bobbi Lewis: over 200 hours. One unnamed volunteer: 390 hours — 49 full days. Additionally, 61,571 people walked into one of the two nature centers last year with no event or program — just because they wanted to be near something that felt like it was still intact.
Commissioner Williams raised a Colorado bill that would require businesses to stop automatically distributing single-use straws and utensils — customers would have to ask. His concern centered on tourism friction on I-70 corridors.
Compostable PHA straws and bamboo forks exist at competitive prices that decrease at bulk volume. The regulation debate is slow. The market already offers the alternative. People driving to Colorado for the mountains notice what a business does with the landscape they came to see.
Ren Trudell from Monument spoke immediately after the Child Abuse Prevention proclamation. He was gracious and direct: these workers burn out. State and federal funding is shrinking. The people who just stood at the dais need mental health support, not only recognition. He asked the board to fund the work they were praising.
Gavin Rainey said he had previously spoken in favor of sheriff-ICE cooperation at a county meeting — and had changed his mind. The names he referenced were Renée Good and Alex Pretti. He acknowledged the BOCC has no direct authority over federal agencies. He asked whether even one commissioner might say publicly that ICE doesn't belong here. Nobody responded on the record.
Renée Good grew up in Colorado Springs. Coronado High School. Choir. Poet. Mother of three. Two of her children, ages 12 and 15, still live in Colorado. She was driving home after dropping her six-year-old at school in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026 when she was shot and killed by an ICE agent. U.S. citizen. Not a target for arrest. Protests happened at Coronado High School and outside the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. Her family is here.
Alex Pretti, 37, was an ICU nurse who cared for veterans at a VA hospital in Minneapolis. His parents live in Arvada, Colorado. He was protesting Renée Good's death when he was shot and killed by Border Patrol on January 24, 2026. U.S. citizen. His father: "He cared about people deeply, and he knew it was wrong."
Both deserve to be said by name. Both deserve to be remembered accurately. We are sorry for the loss of these two people and for every family they left behind.
The BOCC has a stated public position supporting ICE cooperation — that is in the public record. It is not a dead end. It is a map. Any U.S. person can file a FOIA request for federal records. You do not have to live in Minnesota. The Resources tab has everything needed to file.
| Body | Item | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| BOCC | Proclamation — Child Abuse Prevention Month · April 2026. Guest speakers: Stacey Quiddick (DHS), Katanya Jones (Children, Youth and Family Services). | 5–0 ✓ |
| BOCC | Parks volunteer appreciation noted — Bear Creek 50th anniversary, Fountain Creek 34th year. 4,679 volunteer hours logged FY2025. | 5–0 ✓ |
| Note | All five commissioners Republican. Holly Williams term-limited, final year. Every vote 5–0. The Dais will track dissenting votes. | Noted |
"Both deserve to be said by name. Both deserve to be remembered accurately."
hotline calls · 2025
Bear Creek + Fountain Creek
of volunteer hours
The most common mistake is filing a request on a topic that feels important in the abstract but that you won't actually follow through on. Pick something you're genuinely curious about — something where you'd read the documents if they arrived.
Good starting questions for students:
— How much does my school district pay for standardized testing materials?
— What did the county spend on the park renovation on my street?
— How many use-of-force incidents did the city police department report last year?
— What contracts did my city council approve in the last 90 days?
— What are the inspection records for the restaurant I eat at every week?
These are not trick questions. They are normal government records. They exist. You are entitled to them. Starting with a question like this — rather than a high-profile political case — is easier to complete and teaches the same skills.
FOIA requests work best when you describe specific records rather than ask for explanations. The agency will search for documents matching your description — not answer your question in prose.
Weak: "I want to know about police misconduct."
Stronger: "I request all use-of-force reports filed by [AGENCY NAME] between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025."
Be specific about: the date range, the agency or office that would hold the record, the type of document (report, contract, email, invoice, recording), and any names or case numbers you already know. The more precise you are, the harder it is for an agency to say they found nothing.
Tip: If you are not sure what type of document to ask for, search "[AGENCY NAME] records retention schedule" — most governments publish lists of every document type they keep and how long they keep it.
There is no single form that reaches all government agencies. Different laws govern different levels of government, and each request goes to one agency at a time.
Federal agencies (FBI, ICE, DHS, EPA, USDA, etc.):
Use the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Every federal agency has its own FOIA office and portal. File directly with the agency that holds the records you want. Start at foia.gov ↗ — the official federal FOIA portal maintained by the Department of Justice.
State agencies (state police, state health dept, state education dept, etc.):
Each state has its own open records law. In Colorado it is called CORA — the Colorado Open Records Act. In Minnesota it is the Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA). Search "[YOUR STATE] open records law" to find the right name and filing instructions. State requests are often faster than federal ones.
Local agencies (city police, county commission, school boards, etc.):
Same state law applies. File directly with the agency's clerk, records office, or public information officer (PIO). Most will accept requests by email. One sentence is enough: "I am requesting [document description] under [state open records law]."
For the Renée Good and Alex Pretti cases specifically:
File with DHS/ICE for federal records at foia.ice.gov ↗. For city-level records file with Minneapolis PD at minneapolismn.gov ↗. For county-level records file with Hennepin County at hennepin.us ↗. You can use the Minnesota MGDPA for state agencies — it is often faster than federal FOIA.
Subject: Public Records Request — [Brief description of what you want]
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to [FOIA, 5 U.S.C. § 552 / Colorado Open Records Act, C.R.S. § 24-72-201 / Minnesota MGDPA, Minn. Stat. § 13 / your applicable law], I am requesting access to and copies of the following records held by [AGENCY NAME]:
1. [Specific document type] related to [subject, date range, location, or case number]
2. [Second document type if applicable]
3. [Third document type if applicable]
I am requesting these records in the public interest. I am willing to pay reasonable duplication fees up to $[amount — $25 is a reasonable starting cap]. Please notify me before processing if fees will exceed this amount.
I expect a response within the timeframe required by law. Please confirm receipt of this request and provide a tracking number.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your mailing address]
[Your email address]
Send by email whenever possible — it creates an automatic timestamp. Keep a copy. Screenshot the sent email. Write down the date.
MuckRock will write and send the request for you if you prefer — and it tracks everything automatically. Go to muckrock.com/foi/create ↗, describe what you want, and it will route it to the correct agency. That's M-U-C-K-R-O-C-K — not MuckRack.
Federal agencies must respond within 20 business days. State and local agencies vary — often 3 to 10 business days. In practice the first response is almost always an acknowledgment letter with a tracking number, not documents. That is normal.
If you receive full documents: Read them. Share them if they are in the public interest — once released, public records belong to the public. You can upload them to DocumentCloud ↗ for free, which makes them searchable and shareable.
If you receive redacted documents (black bars covering parts of the text): The agency is using one of nine FOIA exemptions. The exemption number will appear in the letter. Look it up — knowing which exemption they used tells you what they are protecting and whether it can be challenged.
If you receive a denial: This is not the end. See Step 06.
If you receive a delay letter asking for more time: Acknowledge it in writing, note the new expected date, and follow up when it passes. Silence after a delay letter is itself a denial you can appeal.
All of these responses are information. A delay tells you the agency treats this as sensitive. A specific exemption number tells you the legal justification they are using — which you can research and challenge.
Every denial includes an exemption number. You have the right to appeal within the same agency before going to court. Most people never appeal — which is exactly why denials often stand. An appeal costs nothing and requires no lawyer.
To appeal, write one letter:
"I am appealing the denial of FOIA Request [tracking number] dated [date]. I believe the [Exemption X] cited does not apply to the records requested because [brief reason]. I request a full administrative review."
Send it to the same agency's FOIA Appeals Officer — their address is usually in the denial letter. MuckRock has pre-built appeal templates at muckrock.com ↗ that walk you through this step by step, without needing any outside help.
If the appeal is also denied and you believe the records are genuinely in the public interest:
— Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press ↗ — free legal support for FOIA litigation
— Student Press Law Center ↗ — specifically for students; free advice and legal referrals
— Knight First Amendment Institute ↗ — takes cases involving federal agencies improperly withholding records
Public records belong to the public once released. There is no restriction on sharing them. You do not need anyone's permission.
Where to share what you receive:
— DocumentCloud ↗ — free, searchable, shareable. Upload your documents so anyone can find them.
— MuckRock ↗ — your request page is public by default. Others can follow it and see what comes back.
— Your school or community newspaper, local journalists, or civic organizations working on the same question.
Share the tracking number, the acknowledgment letter, and the denial — not just the final documents. The record of what you asked and how long the agency took to respond is part of the story.
A FOIA request filed by one person is a question. A hundred people filing the same question independently is a pattern agencies notice. The guide you are reading right now is designed so that everyone who uses it can work completely on their own — no coordinator, no bottleneck, no one person handling it for everyone else.
iCivics: icivics.org ↗ — free games and lesson plans on how government works, including open records and civic participation. Standards-aligned. No account required to play.
Student Press Law Center: splc.org/foia ↗ — free legal advice specifically for students. If you hit a wall on a records request, they will help.
MuckRock Student Resources: muckrock.com ↗ — step-by-step filing guide, agency lookup, and request tracking. Everything needed to file independently.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: rcfp.org/open-government-guide ↗ — state-by-state open records law guide. Look up Colorado or any other state to find the exact law, deadlines, and fee rules.
Kind Therapy Pro Bono Program: khesedwellness.com ↗ — $0 per session, funded by grants. Apply or donate to fund someone else's session.
NAMI Colorado Springs: namicoloradosprings.org ↗ — free peer support, no cost to access.
Colorado Crisis Services: 1-844-493-8255 — 24/7, statewide.
Licensed therapist? Contact El Paso County DHS about a pro bono referral program: humanservices.elpasoco.com ↗
- This episode is about the people in the room. The threads — coroner data, school districts, ADA deadline — are in Episode 010B.
- 24,462 calls to the child abuse reporting hotline in El Paso County in 2025. About 67 a day. A concern is enough to call.
- Bear Creek Nature Center turns 50. 4,679 volunteer hours logged last year — roughly $155,000 in labor. Bobbi Lewis: 200+ hours. One unnamed volunteer: 390 hours.
- Men's Resource Fair: April 17th, 10am–2pm, Citizen Service Center. Employment, housing, health.
- Ren Trudell: proclamations are good, throw some money at them. Child welfare workers need mental health support, not just recognition.
- Gavin Rainey changed his mind on ICE cooperation. He named Renée Good and Alex Pretti — both with Colorado roots, both U.S. citizens, both killed in Minneapolis.
- Any U.S. person can file a FOIA request. You do not have to live in Minnesota. File with DHS/ICE for federal records. Resources tab has the full guide.
- State bill on single-use food serviceware: compostable alternatives already exist. Tourism marketing angle: the people driving here came for the mountains.
Tuesday, April 7th. Nine in the morning. Centennial Hall, 200 South Cascade Avenue. BOCC Regular Meeting. This episode covers the human threads. The data threads — the coroner's parking lot, seventeen school districts, the ADA deadline — are in Episode 010B.
Child Abuse Prevention Month — The County Brought the Receipts
The commissioners didn't just read a proclamation and move on. They brought in the actual people doing the work. Stacey Quiddick, Executive Director of El Paso County's Department of Human Services. Katanya Jones, Director of Children, Youth, and Family Services. Both came up and talked about what this looks like on the ground.
Here's the number: 24,462. Calls to El Paso County's child abuse and neglect reporting hotline in 2025. One county. One year. About sixty-seven a day. Not every call opened a case. Some connected a family to something they didn't know existed. That's the point. You don't have to be certain something is wrong. A concern is enough. Their job is to figure out the rest.
Commissioner Williams talked about how hard parenting is. Chair Geitner said: if you're struggling, ask for help. No shame, no judgment, a lot of courage. Both things are true and worth saying out loud. 5–0. Pinwheels in the ground out front — blue and silver, the symbol for Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Bear Creek Turns 50 — and Some People Deserve to Be Named
El Paso County Parks held their volunteer appreciation event. Bear Creek turns 50. Fountain Creek, 34. 4,679 volunteer hours logged last year — 585 eight-hour workdays, roughly $155,000 the county didn't have to spend. That's not charity. That's infrastructure.
One volunteer — Bobbi Lewis — logged over 200 hours. Another person, not named in the public record, logged 390 hours. That's 49 full days. The soil is compacted clay. The rocks don't move because you asked. Trees fall across trails at angles that suggest they planned it. There is always trash, because people love nature and also leave things in it. That's what 4,679 hours looks like. Gloves on. Sun up.
Two People Showed Up on a Tuesday Morning
Ren Trudell from Monument stood up right after the Child Abuse Prevention proclamation and said the quiet part out loud: Proclamations are good. Throw some money at them. He's talking about the child welfare workers who just stood at the dais. State and federal funding is shrinking. These people burn out fast. They need mental health support, not just appreciation.
An idea that doesn't exist yet but should: licensed mental health professionals in the Springs each committing to one child welfare worker per year, pro bono. One therapist. One caseworker. One year. If fifty clinicians did this, fifty people doing the hardest work in this county would have support. Kind Therapy has a Pro Bono Program at khesedwellness.com ↗ — zero dollars per session.
Gavin Rainey came to the microphone and said something you don't often hear at a county meeting: he had spoken in favor of sheriff-ICE cooperation at a previous meeting — and he had changed his mind. The names he referenced were Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
Renée Good grew up in Colorado Springs. She went to Coronado High School. She sang in the choir. She was a poet, a mother of three, and by all accounts someone who spent her life taking care of people. Two of her children — ages twelve and fifteen — still live here in Colorado. She was driving home after dropping her six-year-old off at school in Minneapolis on January 7th when she was shot and killed by an ICE agent. She was a U.S. citizen. She was not a target for arrest. Protests happened at her high school. Protests happened outside the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. Her family is here.
Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old ICU nurse who cared for veterans at a VA hospital in Minneapolis. His parents live in Arvada. He was protesting Renée Good's death when he was shot and killed by Border Patrol on January 24th. Also a U.S. citizen. His father said: "He cared about people deeply, and he knew it was wrong."
The BOCC has a stated public position supporting ICE cooperation — that's in the public record. That's not a dead end. It's a map. Any U.S. person can file a FOIA request for federal records. You do not have to live in Minnesota. File with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, specifically ICE records — use-of-force reports, bodycam footage, internal investigation documents. For local records: Minneapolis Police Department and Hennepin County separately. Federal agencies delay and redact. Local ones are faster. You'll need multiple requests and possibly appeals. The Resources tab has everything. We hope Gavin Rainey keeps this community posted on what he's learning.
The Straw Bill — Quick Take
Commissioner Williams flagged a state bill requiring customers to ask for single-use straws and utensils rather than receiving them automatically. Tourism friction is a real concern. Short version: compostable PHA straws and bamboo forks already exist at competitive bulk pricing. The people driving to Colorado came for the mountains — not the plastic. A sign that says "we switched to compostable because we live here too" is free marketing to exactly that customer. More business, no regulation required.
Closing
That's the people half of this week. Episode 010B has the threads — a parking lot mystery at the coroner's office, seventeen school districts in one county, an ADA deadline eleven days away, and a CORA request we filed with CDPHE — pronounced "see-dee-fee" and we are committing to that.
If something here stuck — the hotline number, the 390-hour volunteer, the therapist idea — that's probably your lane. If you want something even simpler: pick up one piece of trash on your way inside. Colorado Springs has about half a million people. If everyone did it once a day, that's half a million pieces gone by sunset. Small things scale. Thanks for listening. I'll read the paperwork again next week. You just get home safe.