A host of Trump supporters were violently assaulted by antifa mobs on Thursday night but Minnesota's largest newspaper's main concern is whether President Trump's visit made Somali refugees feel "welcome."
"Trump supporters are literally fleeing the event after it ended as protestors are waiting around attacking attendees as they leave the arena," Blaze TV's Elijah Schaffer commented after capturing one of the mob's assaults on film. "It is not safe in Minneapolis any longer for Trump supporters."
Trump supporters are literally fleeing the event after it ended as protestors are waiting around attacking attendees as they leave the arena
It is not safe in Minneapolis any longer for Trump supporters. Please stay away from the vicinity and do not come out with branded gear pic.twitter.com/BLsJbtct0k
Whether Trump supporters were made to feel "welcome" wasn't a question the Star Tribune felt was worth asking, but whether Trump made Somali refugees feel "welcome" is a question they've asked twice now in three days.
Abubakar Abdi skipped his usual after-work stop to visit friends at the local Somali mall on Thursday, heading to his Minneapolis home instead to catch President Donald Trump’s speech.
As he watched, the 22-year-old IT specialist said he was taken aback by the loud boos at the packed campaign rally when Trump mentioned Somalis.
“As you know, for many years, leaders in Washington brought large numbers of refugees to your state from Somalia without considering the impact on schools and communities and taxpayers,” Trump said at the rally. “I promise you that as president, I would give local communities a greater say in refugee policy and put in place enhanced vetting and responsible immigration control, and I’ve done that since coming into office.”
Abdi, born and raised in Minnesota, said the president’s words and the crowd’s reaction left him wondering: “What if my former classmates were among the ones booing? What if it was my former teachers booing?”
“I didn’t know we were hated like that,” he said. “Donald Trump is one man, but what scares me is the amount of support he has.”
Minnesota is home to the nation’s largest Somali population, numbering 57,000 in the latest census, though the current number is believed to be higher. Trump’s remarks about refugee resettlement and about U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, whom he called “a disgrace to our country” during his speech, stung and angered many Somali-Minnesotans, with some using words such as “dangerous,” “disgusting,” and “racist.”
The negative portrayal of people of Somali descent is making it harder for some to go about their lives without fear [...]
[...] Trump's visit also spurred anxiety and fear for many Somalis here.
The nation's largest Muslim civil rights group and local Somali-elected leaders were sounding the alarm about the long-term implications of Trump's visit, suggesting it could spark a fresh surge in hate crimes in Minnesota — home to the nation's largest Somali community.
"We're also definitely concerned about his anti-Muslim and anti-Somali language," said Jaylani Hussein, who leads the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which had urged Muslim-Americans to join protests Thursday.
[...] State Rep. Mohamud Noor, DFL-Minneapolis, said it's one thing dealing with Trump's anti-Somali slurs and his hateful posts on social media about immigrants and refugees. But his visit to Minneapolis struck fear close to home, Noor said.
[...] State Rep. Hodan Hassan, DFL-Minneapolis, said she opposed Trump's visit, asserting that it could have negative blowback on the community.
Hassan and Noor, both Somalis, said they had been going around the community to ease people's fears. The two now plan to hold community conversations.
"Trump, his hate and his bigotry is not welcome in Minnesota," Hassan said. "The Somali community here is strong. We know who we are, we know we are a valuable community here and we just want to make sure everyone is safe and protected."
To address the fear and anxiety in the community, Minnesota Somali leaders said they are working with the FBI, have hired armed security guards to patrol Somali-owned businesses and are urging people to stay vigilant, particularly Muslim women who wear a hijab.
You gotta love how they explicitly say Trump is not welcome.
A host of Trump supporters were violently assaulted by antifa mobs on Thursday night but Minnesota's largest newspaper's main concern is whether President Trump's visit made Somali refugees feel "welcome."