Being seen as both Black and Muslim, Minneapolis resident Haji Yussuf said, sometimes means facing multiple forms of discrimination. $18,461 raised of $20,000 goal. In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed by a police officer who kneeled onto his neck while arresting him for a nonviolent crime, outrage in the community of south Minneapolis has boiled over into the angry demonstrations seen this past week. Mogadishu, the capital, suffers from frequent roadside bombings that kill hundreds of civilians each year. Somali immigrants are dispersed throughout Minnesota, but most live in Minneapolis … A Brainerd man has pleaded guilty to arson for his role in the fire at the Third Precinct of the Minneapolis Police Department, in the riots following the death of George Floyd. © Middle East Eye 2020 - all rights reserved. She noted the large number of Somali Americans participating in the demonstrations alongside the African-American community. MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Due to a lack of evidence, a pawn shop owner will not be charged in connection to a deadly shooting that happened amid the riots in Minneapolis … "Somalis are known for their bananas," Ali said, chuckling. Bachmann also suggested Noor may have shot Damond for “cultural” reasons. Still, most of the younger Somalis who grew up in the US have aligned themselves with the Black Lives Matter movement, especially after witnessing discrimination and racism at the hands of law enforcement, she said. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in the United States, roughly 57,000 people according to the latest census figures, most of whom live in the Minneapolis area. Long Her, a Laotian immigrant, has operated a clothing store in St. Paul since 1991. Somalis began resettling in Minneapolis after securing jobs at meat-packaging plants, and have since opened businesses and established deep roots in the city. Troy Kastigar, who went to high school in Minneapolis, posted a recruiting video in 2009, before he was killed fighting for the terrorist group al-Shabab in Somalia. The young activist Jama told MEE how even engaging with elders in the Somali community has not been enough to eradicate racism and prejudice. It's our neighbourhood. But Mohamud Noor, a community advocate who is not related to the officer, said the shooting “has nothing to do with the Somali community, period.”, “It’s easy to target individuals who are from a small minority community and say, ‘See, I told you so,’ rather than focusing on the issue we have, which is a police issue.”. At least one death threat was made against Noor. More Somalis live in Minnesota than any other state. In November, nine men were sentenced on terror charges for plotting unsuccessfully to join the group and fight in Syria. While made up mostly Black Americans, other minority groups and white people as well have joined the Minneapolis rallies, facing tear gas and other riot weapons used by the police. Somalis began resettling in Minneapolis after securing jobs at meat-packaging plants, and have since opened businesses and established deep roots in the city. “We are Minnesotans. Sign up for the AP’s weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from the Midwest and Texas: http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv . We are here to change that'. The George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul are a series of protests that began on May 26, 2020. Somalis also serve on the Minneapolis and Mankato school boards. "We don't have these conversations about race.". A dedicated YouTuber, he joined a rally May 27 outside the Minneapolis Police Third Precinct with the intention of documenting it. Ali herself has been out every night at the protests, documenting with her camera. On Thursday, she dismissed the notion that he was an affirmative-action hire, saying: “This is about an individual officer’s actions. "The war on drugs, mass criminalisation, and increasingly militarised police forces have led to the targeting, torture and murder of countless Americans, disproportionately black and brown. ... Just like in the Somali terrorist cases — this community is not a terrorist community.”. Additional support comes from Knight Foundation, 3M, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. 'If you want to be part of the revolution, we as Muslims have to sit down and understand that we have the problem too'. Only England And Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters. Race riots which started in the United States city of Minneapolis are spreading like wildfire across America. Minneapolis 571131702 Minneapolis riots have refugees thinking about unrest they fled. "I think because of what happened, a lot of people are looking to the Arab-Muslim population and saying, 'Hey, you know, you really do need to address these issues within our communities'," Ali said. They continued to protest. It's heartbreaking', - Khadija Ali, Somali American photographer. *Some names in this story have been altered in order to protect the identity of the protesters. After some audience members booed Somalis at President Trump’s rally in Minneapolis, local leaders have tried to assure refugees that they are welcome. The city’s police chief said Officer Mohamed Noor’s race and ethnicity had nothing to do with the July 15 killing of Justine Damond, who was shot after she called 911 to report a possible rape. Her election followed that of Abdi Warsame to the Minneapolis City Council in 2013. #BREAKING: A young black man has been stabbed at the violent riots unfolding in Minneapolis. Damond, a white, 40-year-old spiritual teacher who was engaged to be married in August, was shot by Officer Noor as he sat in the passenger seat of a police vehicle. From Sunday until noon Friday, the city had logged 55 complaints to its civil rights division, many expressing concern or anger about the shooting. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The killing of an unarmed Australian woman by a Minneapolis police officer who is a Somali-American has turned an unwelcome spotlight on the city’s beleaguered Somali community, where many again find themselves on the defensive. Multiple organised protests have taken place in recent days throughout Minneapolis, coupled with other angry spontaneous rallies. Somali mall, Walgreens burned in Minneapolis riots set for $40M redevelopment Apartments, office and retail would replace Somali mall, Walgreens on Lake Street site. Ali said that the community has since struggled with its identity, as many of the older generation are averse to being considered Black Americans. Ali said she was proud to see Somali businesses supporting the demonstrations, donating food and supplies to help protesters survive. Still, many in the community said it was not enough, demanding that the other three officers on the scene also be charged. The killing has also caused some friction between the Black and Muslim communities, because Cup Foods, where a store employee called the police on Floyd to report a $20 counterfeit bill, is owned by a Muslim-Arab man. Abdirizak Bihi, another community advocate, said when other officers have fatally shot people, city leaders have typically reserved judgment until all facts are in and the police union has stood up for the officers. Within this dialogue, and the accompanying outrage and frustration, lies the Somali American community, which plays the unique role of being visibly Black and also Muslim. In this May 2016 image provided by the City of Minneapolis, police officer Mohamed Noor poses for a photo at a community event welcoming him to the Minneapolis police force. "And now, we are going through the same thing they're going through," she added. Noor, a Somali-American, has been identified by his attorney as the officer who fatally shot Justine Damond, of Australia, late Saturday, July 15, 2017, after she called 911 to report what she believed to be an active sexual assault. Community, city and government leaders have worked to combat such violence, with programs including a pilot project designed to counter violent extremism by bolstering social services for Somali youth. More than 22 young men from the community have left the state since 2007 to join al-Shabab in Somalia, and roughly a dozen people have left in recent years to join militants in Syria, including the Islamic State group. "I think they are playing an integral role in this protest," she said. The Somali community also is seeing its political influence grow. Jamaal Farah works as a barber at the Karmel Mall in Minneapolis. Share. So, a white cop or a bad cop doesn't really see a difference. Noor fired across his partner and through the driver’s side window, hitting Damond once in the abdomen. A CNN correspondent and members of his crew were arrested while broadcasting about violent protests in Minneapolis. Minnesota's governor said he will move to "fully mobilise the National Guard" after destructive Minneapolis-area protests that he says are "no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd." 'I'm lost for words, I don't know what we're gonna do, how it's gonna work, but I feel that this is a revolution'. “We didn’t do anything wrong,” she said. If you see one eating a banana, she said, there's a good chance it was donated by a Somali business. Farhio Khalif, a Somali and women’s advocate, called Damond’s shooting “unacceptable” and said the incident has taken a toll on local Somalis. Police surveillance concerns US Muslims amid BLM protest crackdown, Landmark conference: 'People don't see Black Muslims as trailblazers. The immigrants have been coming to Minnesota from their war-torn homeland since the 1990s, drawn by generous social services and the sense of community among the diaspora. © Middle East Eye 2020 - all rights reserved. The area around the location where Floyd was killed includes many Somalis and their businesses. Black and Latino shop keepers, already outraged by George Floyd's death, feel victimized again as city officials fail to stop looting and fires. Minneapolis has made an effort in recent years to hire more Somali officers to ensure the department “reflects the city,” and Hodges said that effort will continue. The Somali officers on the force are seen as community role models, and are among the success stories of the immigrants in Minnesota. They began coming to the US as early as the 1980s, but more emigrated in the 1990s to escape a civil war in Somalia. ISIS militants cling to last square mile of land in eastern Syria. "It's a fight that everybody has to look inside themselves and realise that what is happening now is a revolution," Jama said. ", "It's beautiful to see a lot of Somalis come out," Ali told MEE. "They have pain that is different from ours, right? "It's not just the Arab community, I think a lot of us in the Muslim community period, and it's, this is just as relevant to Somali people," Ali said. The store owner unequivocally condemned the killing and showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement, saying that his employee was simply following protocol as dictated by federal guidelines. A two-mile stretch of … "I can't take the pain for the Black African Americans who were born here," said local activist Asma Jama. Separately, a 20-year-old Somali-American went on a stabbing rampage at a shopping mall in St. "Out of all the police brutality situations that I have been involved in or was aware of, or have been alive to witness, I think this one hits very close to home because it did come from my community," said Khadija Ali, a Somali-American photographer and demonstrator. He sees Black, and then when he hears the name, the racism is even more pronounced," said Yussuf, who ran for Congress before dropping out and endorsing eventual winner Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. But negative comments have included former U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann’s recent statement that Noor was an “affirmative-action hire by the hijab-wearing mayor of Minneapolis” — an apparent reference to the fact that Mayor Betsy Hodges has worn a head scarf when meeting with leaders of the city’s Somali-American community. Ali, the Somali-American photographer, said the area is "our community. Trump’s Minneapolis visit comes nearly three years after he singled out Somalis at a campaign rally at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in 2016, just two days before the election. “What in the world is that supposed to mean?” he said. "It came from a Muslim business who couldn't give this guy the benefit of the doubt. Somali community, being both Muslim and Black, plays unique role within protest movement, Young Somali Americans have come out to demonstrations in droves, angry over broken criminal justice system (MEE), Arab-Black relations: Floyd tragedy highlights ties and tensions, 'Let my building burn': A powerful message to protesters in Minneapolis, Black pain is ours: Minneapolis Somali community rallies over Floyd killing. “Everybody’s gotten to the point where, hey, you know, we don’t need more police, we need more intervention,” one organizer in attendance said. Jama said that Floyd's killing has opened a Pandora's box of difficult conversations communities must have, conversations that include how to finally deal with systemic and institutionalised oppression, criminal justice reform and police brutality. That’S what scares the hell out of us.” States city of Minneapolis via AP ), with! Candle as Minnesotans and treating US as different is unfair to protect the identity of doubt... 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