Hi everyone,
I've been following the emails on the Cedar Riverside forum for a couple
months now, and I actually did a story on the Cedar-Riverside forum last
year when I was reporting for the Minnesota Daily. I initially was not going
to respond but I couldn't help myself because there's a lot of interesting
discussion going on here :)
For those of you who don't know me, my name is Lolla Mohammed Nur and I just
started working for Cam Gordon's office a few weeks ago as his intern. I've
been primarily building contacts from within Cedar-Riverside, attending
Brian Coyle meetings (safety committee etc), and meeting with community
leaders from the area, in the hopes that I can work together with Cam's
office to learn more about what the needs of the Somali, larger East
African, and Cedar-Riverside/West Bank communities are. So far, I've
discovered there really are a lot of needs, and I'm hoping to do what I can
within my capabilities (I'm a full time undergraduate student at the U :) to
help address some issues.
Clearly, the UMPD's usage of the terms "East African" and/or "Somali" is a
hot button issue, and has been for a while. The UMPD doesn't tend to use
this sort of language when it comes to other ethnic/racial groups, and I've
been receving their safety alerts for three years now, so I understand where
everybody's coming from. I mean, if the alleged thief had been Chinese, the
description would've probably been "Asian male", not "East Asian male" or
"Chinese male". So clearly, there is a problem.
Having said that, I also think this is a really complex issue to address,
because it reflects the underlying problem of the society's tendency to
associate crime with certain racial and ethnic groups. This kind of thing
has become institutionalized, and not just in MN, but across the country and
throughout this nation's history. The result is that ethnic/racial profiling
or labeling has become an accepted norm.
Now, it's easy to rant and rave about society's injustices -- of which there
are many! -- and it's also easy to blame others & point fingers on an email
forum. The hard part is working together to address these things in a
constructive manner. Clearly, there is much anger and debate about this, and
rightfully so. Now the question is, what can we do about it? What can you,
as community members, do to start working together with me and your elected
officials to address this issue?
As Amina pointed out, back when I was a freshman (spring of 2008), there was
a hullabaloo at the University when the University's Somali Students
Association president was namecalled and pushed around by a UMPD officer
while she was studying at Wilson Library. That actually hadn't been the
first time UMPD officers had exhibited what seemed to be prejudiced behavior
towards Somali and East African students. On top of this, that year they
would specifically say 'Somali man" etc on their safety/crime alerts when
talking about a crime in Cedar.
At first, there was a huge ruckus about the police's mistreatment of Somali
& E African students (I was part of a protest outside the UMPD the day the
SSA president was abused). But within a few weeks, the SSA members got
together and decided to do something constructive about it. They worked with
a Somali professor at the University to organize a public
gathering/discussion, to which members of the UMPD, the UMPD chief, and the
student body were invited. I was an attendee at that discussion.
In a previous email, Amina brought up that at that meeting, an Eritrean
woman stood up and asked the UMPD chief where she looked like she was from,
and he said she looked Somali, after which she revealed she was Eritrean.
That Eritrean woman was me. And yes, everyone did laugh.
I also asked the chief what is meant by having a "Somali" or "East African"
accent, because it's a pretty subjective and weak way to identify someone (I
mean, what IS an East African accent?).
I have to say, the chief was quite embarrassed because he assumed that
because I was brown, wear hijab and an abaya, I must be Somali. He couldn't
have been more wrong!
But he proved my point - that, a) most people can't make any distinctions
whatsoever between different African ethnicities, but b) if robbed/attacked
by an African/black person somewhere in Cedar-Riverside the automatic
assumption is "s/he must be Somali/East African" thus c) these ethnic labels
are completely useless because it's more than likely that witnesses are
basing their accounts on preconceived, & usually erroneous notions of where
a criminal must typically come from, and d) these labels only further
reinforce these false assumptions/stereotypes.
In the end, the SSA organized a diversity training session with the UMPD,
and I'd say it is a step forward -- albeit a small one -- that the UMPD has
now switched from saying "Somali" to "East African." You have all demanded
that Cam address this issue, which I'm sure he will. But remember, he is one
person and you are the community members who are being directly affected by
this. This can only be addressed if the community stands strong and does
something proactively to work with Cam's office.
As a representative of Cam's office, I'd be MORE than willing to work with
anyone who wants to address this, because I think something should be done
here. Some ideas I have are doing a diversity training session with the UMPD
and maybe we could talk to the SSA about that again, having a meeting with
the UMPD chief to discuss the community's issues with ethnic labels in the
safety alerts, and maybe even hosting an event (like a lecture/panel
discussion) about the sociology of race/institutional racism toward
immigrant groups, specifically toward Somalis. I don't know if anyone is
familiar with her, but I've heard that Cawo Ali is a sociology professor at
the U who has studied the Somali diaspora, immigration and racism. She could
be a potential speaker for an event.
Remember, the way we address this is by trying to get at the underlying root
of it, which is that there really is a lack of awareness about the beautiful
diversity of East Africa, and there is an unfortunate tendency to associate
crime with certain ethnic groups. *How do we get at the root?*
These are just ideas I'm throwing out, but feel free to add more and
continue to discuss the issue. I look forward to hear back from others on
the forum inshaAllah.
Best,
Lolla
Rest of post
On Thu, Feb 25, 2010 at 6:23 PM, <<email obscured>> wrote:
>
> I am glad finally others are seeing the discrimination tone of UMPD. UMPD
> did not just started to send this racist e-mails; back in 2008 they used to
> say suspects were Somalis because the victims told the police they sounded
> like Somali , until one day a women from Eritrea asked the chief of UMPD
> where she was from and the chief said she looks Somali. There were about
> 30+ people sitting in that hall when the chief said that and they all
> laughed and since that they day UMPD started to switch gears from Somali to
> East African. This is a tactic to assoiled East African students and
> residents. They must be a better way of describing a suspect then pointing
> specific region. I am from East African and I can not tell the difference
> between some East, West and North Africans. So those people must be expert
> to tell the police the region of the suspect.
>
> I addition most of the young boys from East Africa do not have accent, so
> how would they know?
>
> FYI: Saying the suspect is white is different from saying the suspect is
> from East Europe. This is example but when I say the suspect if from East
> Europe; the question will be how do I know the suspect was not from other
> parts of Europe or white American. Playing the race game is never good and
> it is complicated.
>
>
>
>
> > Sorry if this was inappropriate for the list or if it offended anyone. My
> > intention was to help provide information that came from one institution
> > in the area to more people also in the area in teh hopes that it might
> > prevent some hardship and misery.I also noted the inclusion of the accent
> > was especially worrisome, but I still thought forwarding it would provide
> > a valuabel service that would be appreocaited by people who live in Cedar
> > Riverside.
> >
> >
> >
> > Rather than edit the message I chose to simply forward it as the U of M
> > police chief drafted it. Certainly when we/they identify the age, gender
> > and possible country of origins of suspects like this we too often do a
> > great deal to fuel racism, agism and other prejudices. The reason offered
> > by law enforcement is so that others have information that will help keep
> > them be safe.
> >
> >
> >
> > One of the services I try to provide as Council member is sharing
> > information that might be helpful. Safety and crime alerts cross my
> > compueter regularly and regularly I forward them on to the neighborhoods
> > involved. I am certainly willing to rethink that practice, expecially if
> > people on this list think that the negatives of that outweigh any
> > possible benefits.
> >
> >
> >
> > Perhaps it would help to hear what others think, and it also might be
> > helpful for the U of M police to hear this message. I will communicate
> > with them about this concern and try to use this in the larger work I am
> > doing to foster better realtions and support efforts the U is involved in
> > like CHANCE, the Cedar Riverside Partnershp and the Univeristy District
> > Alliance Partnership.
> >
> >
> >
> >Cam
> >
> >
> >
> >> Subject: Re: [CedarRiv] U of M Safety Alert
> >> To: <email obscured>; mpls-cr@forums.e-democracy.org
> >> From: <email obscured>
> >> Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:32:19 +0000
> >>
> >> Can I ask why you forwarded this email? Yes a crime was committed, and
> >> I am deeply sorry that it was. This email and police report only adds
> >> more fear into individuals and enforces discrimination. How does a east
> >> African accent sound like if I may ask? I'm east African and if asked I
> >> don't think I would have a clue. Doesn't anyone else see what's wrong
> >> with the idea? Just a while back another victim stated they heard so
> >> mali accent. this type of reporting creates backlash and a whole number
> >> of unwanted attention to the very students who are attending the
> >> university to pursue higher education. The larger question is for me to
> >> ask you as the elected official for the neighborhood of cedar riverside,
> >> what it is that you are doing to get the university as a institution to
> >> reach out to their neighboring neighbors? Shouldn't the resources and
> >> the vast knowledge that this great institution of ours has reflect on
> >> the neighborhood? Seriously it looks like we are all too comfortable i
> > n our own situations that we aren't willing to ask the real questions.
> > It would have been much better if you would have said something beyond
> > FYI in the beginning. So much for creating bridges of understanding.
> >>
> >> Salma
> >> Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Cam Gordon <<email obscured>>
> >> Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:35:10
> >> To: Cedar Riverside Forum<mpls-cr@forums.e-democracy.org>
> >> Subject: [CedarRiv] U of M Safety Alert
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> FYI
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On Tuesday, February 23 at approximately 2:00 p.m., a University of
> >> Minnesota employee was the victim of a robbery in the Carlson School of
> >> Management building on the West Bank.
> >>
> >> The victim was in her office when two suspects entered, threatened her,
> >> and demanded money. The victim complied and the suspects fled out of the
> >> building on the 19th Avenue side of the building. The victim was not
> >> injured, and the suspects did not show or imply a weapon of any kind.
> >>
> >> The first suspect is described as a black male between the ages of 18
> >> and 20 years old, approximately five feet, seven inches tall with a
> >> light build and a small patch of facial hair below the lip and above the
> >> chin. The suspect was wearing a black baseball cap with white emblems
> >> and a black winter jacket with white on the sleeves.
> >>
> >> The second suspect is described as a black male between the ages of 18
> >> and 20 years old, approximately five feet, nine inches tall with a
> >> medium build and short black hair. The suspect was wearing a black puffy
> >> jacket.
> >>
> >> Both suspects spoke with an east African accent and were carrying
> >> newspapers.
> >>
> >> A possible third suspect was seen running down the stairs with the
> >> suspects. He is described as a black male wearing a grey jacket with
> >> dark sleeves.
> >>
> >> Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the
> >> University of Minnesota Police Department at 612-624-COPS.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> The University of Minnesota Police Department asks that you remember
> >> the following:
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> When threatened with a weapon, it's best not to resist. Your personal
> >> safety is more important than a lost wallet or cell phone.
> >> Always be aware of your surroundings.
> >> Walk in well lit areas and don't walk alone. If you can't find someone
> >> to walk with, call the Campus Escort service at 612-624-WALK for a free
> >> security escort.
> >> Carry minimal amounts of valuables.
> >> Keep written records of valuables, including model and serial numbers,
> >> in a safe place.
> >> Call 911 immediately if you are the victim or witness to a crime.
> >> Document information about the suspect for police (i.e. clothing
> >> descriptions, facial features, piercings or tattoos, speech, etc.).
> >> This Crime Alert is sent in compliance with the federal Clery Act which
> >> requires universities to alert the campus community of crimes that may
> >> pose an ongoing threat to students and employees. For updates on any
> >> developments in this case, please visit the Crime Alerts page on the
> >> UMPD website.
> >>
> >> For more on campus safety and security, and for a list of campus safety
> >> resources available to you, visit the University's Emergency
> >> Preparedness Web site.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> This message was sent by the University Police Chief Greg Hestness to
> >> all Twin Cities students, faculty, and staff.
> >>
> >>
> >> _________________________________________________________________
> >> Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsofts powerful SPAM protection.
> >> http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469226/direct/01/
> >> Cam Gordon
> >>
> >> Info about Cam Gordon: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/camgordon
> >>
> >> View all messages on this topic at:
> >> http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/61FQoaAiWdUU7DA1hrIsmH
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> >>
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> >>
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> >_________________________________________________________________
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> >Cam Gordon
> >
> >Info about Cam Gordon: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/camgordon
> >
> > View all messages on this topic at:
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>
> Amina Harun
> Minneapolis
> Info about Amina Harun:
> http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/3RrUBL1Eq1xlgFi4zZ5wr3
>
> View all messages on this topic at:
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--
Lolla Mohammed Nur
Journalism & Political Science
Undergraduate, College of Liberal Arts
University of Minnesota - TC
"There are some situations one simply cannot be neutral about, because when
you are neutral you are an accomplice. Objectivity doesn't mean treating all
sides equally. It means giving each side a hearing." -- Christiane
Amanpour, CNN Chief Int'l Correspondent