Somali community leaders in Minnesota are rejecting the idea that recent gang violence involving Somali youth reflects a problem within their community. Their message instead placed the focus on guns, youth violence, media coverage, and what one leader described as election driven hostility.

The comments followed a shooting outside Eden Prairie High School’s Aerie Stadium earlier in October. The violence occurred during the school’s homecoming football game and ultimately led officials to cancel the homecoming dance.

At an October 7 press conference, Farhio Khalif of Somali Youth Link argued that the violence should not be treated as a Somali community issue. She said, “this is not a Somali community [issue],” but instead, “this is a gun violence issue.”

Khalif pointed to America’s history with gangs while discussing the recent violence involving Somali gangs. “If you guys remember, it used to be an Italian gang, an Irish gang, and black gang, and now what, a Somali gang ?” she said.

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Her remarks framed the latest violence as another version of gang activity that has previously involved other ethnic or racial groups. The emphasis remained on the broader problem of violence rather than responsibility within Minnesota’s Somali community.

Asad Aliweyd, an Eden Prairie resident and father of eight, also acknowledged that Somali American youth were involved. At the same time, he stressed that those involved were born, raised, and educated in the United States.

“We recognize that Somali American youth were involved, and those responsible must be held accountable. But those are also American youth, born and raised all here, educated here, and grew up in our communities,” Aliweyd said.

Aliweyd continued by arguing that responsibility for the actions should remain with the individuals involved rather than the wider community. “This is not simply a Somali problem. It’s a youth violence and gun violence problem and we must address it together. The actions of a few should never define the entire community,” he added.

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The discussion then turned from gang violence to politics and media coverage. Aliweyd claimed Minnesota’s Somali community was facing hostile treatment because of “the election,” and he accused media outlets of applying a different standard when reporting crimes involving Somalis.

“Because of the election, Somali communities are targeted to a lot of hateful messages [and] a lot of biased media,” Aliweyd said. His criticism suggested that election politics had helped fuel negative attention directed toward the community.

Aliweyd offered a comparison involving another shooting in the Twin Cities area, claiming that a white suspect’s ethnic background would not receive the same emphasis. He argued that crimes involving Somali suspects receive significantly more attention.

“For example, there has been a shooting happened somewhere northeast of Twin Cities, and that person, they didn’t call that he’s a white, or German, or Irish, or from Norway or anywhere else. But if a Somali person did something, it’s … the end of the world,” he said.

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Aliweyd serves as executive director of the New American Development Center, a non profit organization. The organization has been ordered to pay back $1.1 million to the Minnesota Department of Education over “fraudulent claims” involving the child nutrition program, according to KARE 11.

The shooting that preceded the press conference occurred outside Aerie Stadium while Eden Prairie High School’s homecoming football game was taking place. Two people were taken to a hospital and treated for injuries that were not considered life threatening.

Police said the shooting was targeted. They also said neither of the two victims was a student at Eden Prairie High School, even though the gunfire erupted outside the stadium during the school event.

The consequences extended beyond the shooting scene. Eden Prairie High School canceled its homecoming dance because of the violence, turning what had been planned as a school celebration into another event disrupted by targeted gunfire.

Against that backdrop, Khalif and Aliweyd insisted the episode should be understood as a broader gun and youth violence problem. Their public response acknowledged Somali youth involvement while resisting efforts to define the violence as a Somali community problem.

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