A Somali community leader in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, said recent youth shootings are “not simply a Somali problem,” noting the young people involved were born, raised, and educated in the state. The comments followed police reports tying shootings outside an Eden Prairie High School football game and in a Bloomington neighborhood to East African and Somali American gangs. A clip of the remarks, shared by the account End Wokeness, drew a heavy response online, with many users rejecting the framing and calling for people to be sent back to Somalia.
In the footage, He says, “We strongly condemn gun violence and youth violence,” then adds, “We recognize that Somali American youth were involved and those responsible must be held accountable.” He continues, “But those are also American youth, born and raised all here,” “educated here, and grew up in our communities,” before closing the posted clip with, “This is not simply a Somali problem.” The video does not show what was said before or after that passage.
The post’s caption says the speaker “blames American culture and education for the Somali violence problem consuming Minnesota,” and adds, “It takes real talent to be this shameless.” The clip itself does not use the words “American culture.”
Local coverage of the same Wednesday meeting in Eden Prairie quotes a longer version of the line, including, “it’s a youth violence and gun violence problem.” KSTP did not name the speaker, describing him as another community leader at a gathering that also included an imam from the Al-Hikmah Islamic Center.
Eden Prairie Mayor Ron Case has called for a regional task force on gang activity among East African youth. Police leaders have said the problem must be named to be addressed, and that it involves a small number of people and should not be used to label the wider community.
Responses to the Eden Prairie Remarks
On the End Wokeness post, many replies rejected the framing. One user wrote, “He’s right, it’s not safe here, they should all go back to Somalia.” Another said, “It’s time to send them all back home.” A third wrote, “Okay, fine. America is the problem; solution? Go back to Somalia.”
Others focused on the wording itself. “It IS a Somali problem,” one commenter wrote. Another said, “He spent half the statement saying they must be held accountable, then spent the other half saying it isn’t a Somali problem because they were born and schooled here. Birthplace is not an alibi.”
Local reporting on the same meetings showed different responses. At the Eden Prairie gathering, one community leader said, “As a community, we’re all traumatized,” and said the community needs to “really do something about these things that are happening.”
Imam Hassan Jama, speaking to CBS Minnesota, said, “A crime is a crime, regardless of who did it,” and “Stop calling the whole Somali youth Somali gangs.” He also addressed young people directly: “What you’re doing is wrong… Stop today. Stop right now.”
Eden Prairie Police Chief Matt Sackett told the Star Tribune, “Right now it is the Somali American gang activity that we’re trying to deal with,” while Edina Mayor Jim Hovland said the city “will not tolerate innocent people being judged by their race, ethnicity, or national origin.”
The Eden Prairie remarks are now part of a wider argument over how the recent Twin Cities shootings should be described. Police, community leaders, and online commenters are still split on whether the violence is a Somali gang problem, a youth gun problem, or both.
