When Care Is Met With Violence, Silence Is Not an Option
We are outraged and deeply grieved by the killing of Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse and federal employee serving veterans, and Renée Good, a lesbian, mother, and poet. Both incidents hit especially close to home given Cascade AIDS Project’s (CAP) people and communities. At CAP, our work is grounded in a belief that care is sacred and that those who dedicate their lives to caring for others deserve protection, dignity, and safety — not fear or violence.
No caregiver—or anyone—should lose their life due to an unaccountable paramilitary force serving an illegitimate warrant. Violence against those who serve and protect community health undermines the very foundation of public safety and public health. The loss of both Pretti and Good underscores a pattern of harm at odds with the values of care, dignity, and community safety we stand for.
“My service in the military and federal government taught me that authority carries a profound responsibility to carry out one’s duties with care for community and respect for individual dignity. Accountability is never optional. When a government causes harm to its people instead of protection, action must be taken to restore legitimacy. Such actions range from withholding funding to recording misdeeds for a future reckoning.”
- Kevin Bumatay, CAP CEO
This loss is not only a personal tragedy for the families and colleagues of Pretti and Good, it is a moral failure that reverberates through every community built on trust, care, and collective well-being.
At CAP, we see every day how fear, instability, and systemic harm erode health outcomes and human dignity. Our staff includes caregivers, advocates, and public servants like Alex. They are people who show up daily to protect life and support community well-being. That same staff also includes spouses, parents, and friends like Renée. Their safety and the safety of our communities must never be negotiable.
We stand with the families of both Pretti and Good, with immigrants, with healthcare workers across the country, and with communities calling for accountability, humanity, and justice. Care and justice are inseparable, and we will not remain silent when either is violated.
MEDIA CONTACT
Dustin Vance
Marketing & Communications Manager
e: comms@capnw.org
p: 503-278-3854
w: capnw.org/press
About Cascade AIDS Project
Founded in 1983 and incorporated in 1985 as Cascade AIDS Project, CAP is the oldest and largest community-based provider of HIV services, housing, education and advocacy in Oregon and Southwest Washington. We work to advance equity and access through inclusive health and wellness services for LGBTQ+ people, people affected by HIV, and all those seeking compassionate care. From Prism Health, our primary care and behavioral health clinics, to Our House, our long-term residential care facility for those living with HIV, we are proud to provide comprehensive programs that meet the individual care needs of our community. To learn more about CAP, please visit www.capnw.org.
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