Why Did The State Just Sue Two Gangs To Keep Them Away From The Minnesota State Fair?

ST. PAUL, MN — Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison have filed two civil lawsuits seeking to block members of the gangs Muddy and The Ville from gathering at this year's Minnesota State Fair.

The lawsuits ask the court to bar members of either gang from associating, standing, sitting, walking, driving, bicycling, gathering or appearing at the fair with other Ville or Muddy gang members, KSTP reported.

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The filings cite a string of violent incidents tied to the two groups over the past two years, notes KARE 11.

Those include a 2024 shooting just outside the fairgrounds on the last night of that year's fair, a large 2025 fight near the Midway that ended in panic among fairgoers, and shootings connected to a Burnsville High School graduation ceremony and a Metro State University graduation earlier this year.

Prosecutors say the timing is driven by a specific threat.

Court filings describe an Instagram post from a Ville-linked account advertising what it called the biggest battle of the summer for Aug. 29 at the fair, and Muddy gang members were reportedly stopped at a community festival last year carrying handguns with extended magazines.

If granted, the injunctions would establish a "safety zone" covering the fairgrounds and nearby parking and transit areas from Aug. 27 through Sept. 8.

Choi and Ellison said in a joint statement that the evidence in the two cases is overwhelming and that they have a responsibility to intervene before violence occurs.

It is not the first time Minnesota prosecutors have used this legal tool. Choi, as St. Paul city attorney, first used the state's 2007 civil gang nuisance law in 2009, and the law was used again in 2015, both times to limit gang activity around the Cinco de Mayo and Rondo Days festivals, the Pioneer Press reported.

Ramsey County Chief Judge Sara Grewing is expected to consider the injunctions this week.