NEW YORK -- The Vikings, Wild, Timberwolves, Lynx and Minnesota United FC joined dozens of Minnesota-based companies that signed an open letter calling for state, local and federal officers to work together in the wake of tensions over two fatal shootings by federal agents in the state.
The shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good came amid a massive immigration enforcement operation that has spurred protests throughout the state.
"With yesterday's tragic news, we are calling for an immediate deescalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions," the open letter reads.
The letter joins other calls from across the sports world, including a statement Sunday by the National Basketball Players Association that said NBA players can "no longer remain silent."
"Now more than ever, we must defend the right to freedom of speech and stand in solidarity with the people in Minnesota protesting and risking their lives to demand justice," the NBPA statement read. "The fraternity of NBA players, like the United States itself, is a community enriched by its global citizens, and we refuse to let the flames of division threaten the civil liberties that are meant to protect us all."
The NBPA also extended condolences to the families of Pretti and Good.
The NBA postponed Saturday's game between the Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors in Minnesota to Sunday, citing the growing unrest in the city following the Pretti's shooting. Before the teams matched up on Sunday for the make-up game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr talked about the situation in the country.
"My concern as an American, we're not perfect," he said. "We never have been. But I think our ideals have been in the right place a long time, our values. No matter what side of the aisle you stand on, I think remembering the values that come with the constitution, that come with citizenship, the values of looking after each other, are so important right now because of the extremism we can feel.
"People are so angry. There should be an appeal to our better angels to look after one another and to recognize what's happening. We're being divided by media-for-profit, by misinformation. There so much out there that's really difficult for us all to reconcile.
"In times like these you need to lean on values of who you are and who you want to be -- either as an individual or as a country. That's what's so sad about all this. We're at each other's throats right now. You can't just say I'm right and the other person is wrong. Not in this current climate in this nonstop news flooding at us. ... It's hard to decipher what's real and what's not, what's true and what isn't. People arguing over the same video -- this happened, no that happened.
"It is a confusing time to be alive and be an American. What I would appeal to everyone is to remember what our constitution stands for, what our values are and what that means to how we treat each other."
Two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart also spoke out about the shootings, holding up an "Abolish ICE" sign during player introductions at Unrivaled on Sunday afternoon.
CEOs that signed Sunday's open letter included 3M CEO William Brown, Best Buy CEO Corie Barry, General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening, Target incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke, UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Helmsley, and others.
Before the letter, most of the biggest Minnesota-based companies had not issued any public statements about the enforcement surge and unrest.
But the issue has become more difficult to avoid. Over the past two weeks protesters have targeted some businesses they see not taking a strong enough stand against federal law enforcement activity, including Minneapolis-based Target. Earlier in January a Minnesota hotel that wouldn't allow federal immigration agents to stay there apologized and said the refusal violated its own policies after a furor online.
Meanwhile, the state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities cited devastating economic impacts in a lawsuit filed this month imploring a federal judge to halt the immigration operations. The lawsuit asserted that some businesses have reported sales drops up to 80%.
"In this difficult moment for our community, we call for peace and focused cooperation among local, state and federal leaders to achieve a swift and durable solution that enables families, businesses, our employees, and communities across Minnesota to resume our work to build a bright and prosperous future," the letter reads.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
