Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher is doubling down on his assertion that Somali gang violence has reached a tipping point in the Twin Cities, and he’s imploring local leaders to pay attention and get involved before it gets worse.
In a “Live on Patrol” video posted Monday, Sheriff Fletcher and deputies from his office said it was time to publicly address the violence following several shootings and a murder over the July 4 weekend, which the sheriff said were connected to ongoing Somali gang violence.
The weekend violence was just the latest in what Fletcher said has added up to 14 murders and over 100 shootings in just the last couple of years connected to Somali gang violence, often at high-profile events like graduations and the State Fair.
Deputy Ben Seidl, who is considered a gang expert and focuses mostly on Somali gang crime, called the epidemic of violence “out of control.”
Fletcher was careful not to castigate the entire Somali community or even all of their youth in his comments. Rather, he said that the violence is stemming from a small number of misguided, mostly male youth, which he later clarified is about 300 young people participating in about 12 gangs across the metro and Minnesota.
Twin Cities media was slow to report on Fletcher’s broadcast, with local outlets finally reporting on Fletcher’s comments nearly 36 hours after the broadcast, and only after Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman issued a written rebuke of Fletcher’s assertions on Tuesday.
Osman, while turning off replies to his X post, tried to frame Fletcher’s comments as targeting and stereotyping all Somalis. Osman said instead of blame, there should be more “investment” in and respect for Somali youth.
Fletcher followed up with a new 45-minute video post on Wednesday where he again reiterated the need for the community and leaders to recognize the pattern of violence and confront it now before 300 kids grows to 900 kids, he said.
Fletcher reminded viewers of how public officials in Minneapolis denied the gang problem in the late ’80s and early ’90s until suddenly Minneapolis became known as “Murderapolis” due to the violence and a record number of homicides in the mid-90s.
Alpha News reached out to Fletcher and requested a list of incidents he referenced in the Monday broadcast.
The nine-page, single-spaced document titled “East African Violence timeline” contains over 100 incidents from across the metro dating back to May 2023 and through last weekend. Each incident has a brief description, case numbers, suspect names and gang affiliations where available.
The list contains all serious incidents, including homicides, numerous shootings, drive-by shootings, shots fired, violent assaults, weapons (including guns equipped with switches and automatic gunfire), armed robberies, and a home invasion. Many of the incidents were recognizable as having been posted on Crime Watch Minneapolis over the years.
In some of the shooting cases, it’s noted that shell casings recovered matched other shootings across the metro.
Cities and locations mentioned in the list of incidents were Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnetonka, Golden Valley, Coon Rapids, Blaine, Burnsville, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Hopkins, Edina, New Hope, Apple Valley, Bloomington, Maplewood, Shakopee, Little Canada, Woodbury, Arden Hills, Rosemount, University of Minnesota, Dinkytown, Valley Fair, Mall of America, and the National Sports Center.
Some of the gangs named were Muddy, Ville, YSL, 1627 Boys, SLP, Juice, and Shako.
Fletcher ended his Wednesday broadcast by again urging elected officials and community leaders to stop ignoring what’s happening and start talking about it so it can be addressed. “We cannot afford to deny that there’s a problem. We can’t be in denial because if we are, we delay getting going and getting a start to help these kids,” he said.
Fletcher is planning to host a community meeting on July 21 to address the Somali gang problem and he hopes to get the Somali community involved in taking action, as well as offering resources that can help families. The event will be held at 6 p.m. at the Sheriff’s Patrol Station at Hamline Avenue and Hwy 96.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
