St. Louis Park, Minn. Nadia Mohamed, the first democratically elected Somali mayor in the United States, has called for a gun ban after shootings linked to Somali gangs forced a high school to cancel its homecoming dance.
Minnesota’s Eden Prairie High School in southwest St. Louis Park has canceled its homecoming dance after a shooting outside the school’s football field Friday night that left two people injured and authorities believe a Somali gang was involved.
“We can absolutely talk about this without making it a Somali issue,” Mohamed said. “Don’t make it all about Somalis, Somali gangs, Somali this, Somali that…The rhetoric you’re promoting is irresponsible at best and dangerous at worst.”
“You may be wondering, ‘Hey mayor, how do we solve this problem?’ … The answer is simple, ban guns,” she added.
Muhammad’s policy proposals are exactly what she hopes others will start doing. “It is easy to target a community that has been exposed to anti-Somali rhetoric,” she said. “Let’s talk about policy.”
Eden Prairie High School Principal Jason Anderson said the school canceled its homecoming dance due to the “trauma” caused by the shooting, which occurred the night before it was scheduled to take place.
“Due to the tragic and unfortunate events that occurred last night, we will not be having our homecoming dance tonight,” Anderson said. “While we believe we have the plans, resources and support to ensure tonight’s event is safe and enjoyable, holding a prom less than 24 hours after the trauma experienced in our community feels inappropriate. Too many students, staff and families have been directly impacted, and we need to be prepared to fully support all students and staff when they return to the building on Monday.”
Authorities evacuated the stadium and postponed the football match after two men, an 18-year-old and a 17-year-old, suffered gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening. None of the injured teens attended Eden Prairie or Minnetonka, the two high schools competing in the tournament.
Police broke up an argument on the west side of the stadium and then opened fire in the high school parking lot. A law enforcement source told Fox 9 the shooting was related to gang violence in Somalia.
Eden Prairie Mayor Ron Case also defended the Somali community after the shooting.
“Gang violence must be faced, but the actions of those involved should not define the broader Somali community,” Case said. “I stand with the Somali Americans who call Eden Prairie home — our neighbors, business owners, parents, students, colleagues and friends — and I know many are deeply concerned about this violence and determined to be part of the solution.”
Jama Shine, an investigator with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, disagrees and says it’s time to acknowledge “the Somali gang problem.”
“We have to be honest, right?” ask shine. “We do have a gang problem. We do have a Somali gang problem and we know who these kids are. We know their parents. We know where they live. They’re very mobile and they cause a lot of problems in the community.”
In July, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) argued it was time to address the issue and urge U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen cracks down on gang violence in Somalia.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you won’t assimilate, get out of here. First, it was a fraud worth an estimated $9 billion, and now it’s out-of-control violence,” Emmer said. “These Somali gangs are attacking high school seniors and attacking players on the opposing basketball team with tire irons. This is absolutely insane behavior and something must be done.”
Somalis make up about 2% of the population of Minneapolis-St. Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher estimates that the St. Paul metropolitan area accounts for at least 13 percent of the city’s gang population.