After Being a Target During the Campaign, Cedar-Riverside Voters Get Their Say

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Cedar-Riverside neighborhood in Minneapolis has seen national attention this campaign season, but not the good kind. The area, home to a large Somali refugee population, has been called “ground zero for ISIS” by pundits and politicians after the FBI has charged several Somali men from the Twin Cities for attempting to aid the so-called Islamic State.

So far, 11 men from the Twin Cities have been charged with trying to help ISIS, according to the Justice Department. The Pioneer Press reported that prosecutors say the men were part of a group of friends in the Twin Cities’ Somali community who were inspired to join ISIS.

At his rally in Minnesota Sunday, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump touched on the subject, telling the crowd, “Here in Minnesota you have seen firsthand the problems caused with faulty refugee vetting, with large numbers of Somali refugees coming into your state, without your knowledge, without your support or approval.”

"A Trump administration will not admit any refugees without the support of the local communities where they are being placed," Trump added. "It's the least they could do for you. You've suffered enough in Minnesota."

Trumps' remarks touched the nerve of a community already feeling victimized. Last week, a student at nearby University of Wisconsin-Stout, originally from Saudi Arabia, died after he was assaulted on a street in downtown Menomonie. And just days before the candidate arrived, the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) called for a hate crime investigation of vandalism that appears to target Muslim students at the University of Minnesota. A panel on the campus' Washington Avenue Bridge advertising the university's Muslim Student Association (MSA) was discovered Thursday morning painted over with the word "ISIS."

"University administrators and state religious and political leaders must speak out forcefully against the rising anti-Muslim hate in our society that results in such disturbing incidents," CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said in a statement.

"We urge campus police and other relevant law enforcement agencies to investigate this incident as a hate crime."

Patch spoke with one voter from the Cedar-Riverside area Tuesday. “I’m so pissed off,” the resident told Patch moments after he cast his ballot for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

The man asked to remain anonymous, but said that Trump supporters’ distrust of immigrants is misplaced. He added that he’s hopeful Hillary Clinton will win Tuesday, but expects “more gridlock” in Washington D.C. for years to come.

Historic election

Despite feeling alienated, many Somalians had a reason to feel proud heading to the polls Tuesday. The area's refugees have the opportunity to vote for Ilhan Omar, 33, a Somalian refugee herself. Omar is running for a House seat in the Minnesota State Legislature.

The Star Tribune reported that originally born in Somalia, Omar and her family escaped civil war and lived in a Kenyan refugee camp before moving to Minneapolis. Omar has lived in the Somali-American neighborhood of Cedar-Riverside for nearly 20 years.

Omar is heavily favored to win in on Election Day. Republican candidate Abdimalik Askar dropped out of the race in August.

Photo by William Bornhoft/Patch.com