Monday April 23, 2018
Minneapolis
Police walk towards Northrop following an incident during Somali Night
2018 Friday, April 20. Around 25 UMPD and MPD squad cars surrounded
Northrop limiting access to Pleasant and Church Street Friday night.
PHOTO Carter Blochwitz
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Two groups are telling conflicting stories about what happened at the University of Minnesota last week at an event meant to honor the Somali culture.
On Friday night, Northrop Auditorium hosted the Somali Student Association’s annual celebration of culture and heritage. The event featured fashion, music and dancing.
However, there’s controversy over how police responded to a report of a fight.
According to the university, large groups of 30 to 40 youths began fighting during the event.
Multiple people were assaulted, and at least one robbery occurred, police say.
The fights continued for about an hour and spilled onto other areas of campus.
The university says police used minimal force and some chemical irritant to maintain safety.
The student association has a different story.
In a written statement, they claim police swarmed the auditorium as people were leaving, physically assaulted attendees and pulled a woman by her hijab.
One student, Halima Elmi, said she left before any of the commotion and saw some police officers there.
“I saw some that were over by the door at Northrup, but nothing happened as I was leaving,” she said.
It is standard for the university to have a police presence at large events on campus.
Organizers estimate the crowd was about 2,500 people.
The Somali Student Association is hosting an event Monday at the student union for people who need to get their belongings that were left inside the auditorium.
It’s also a chance for them to have an open conversation about what happened after the event.
The event is slated for 6:30 p.m.