-St. Cloud, MN

Hundreds of residents witnessed The St. Cloud City Council vote 6-1 to reaffirm the city
as a just and welcoming community that guarantees all people equal protection under
the law.

More than 200 people filled St. Cloud City chambers Jan. 12 to hear council member Hudda Ibrahim propose a resolution to reaffirm the city as a “just and welcoming community.” Ibrahim’s resolution, first introduced during a previous city council meeting, was a heavily anticipated agenda item for community members.

According to Wilder Research, nearly 80,000 Somali people currently live in Minnesota,
with approximately 22% living in Greater Minnesota. In early December, President
Donald Trump called Somalis “garbage” and said, “they contribute nothing. I don’t want
them in our country.” His anti-Somali tirade is part of the administration’s Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surge in the state.

St. Cloud residents have felt the impact of Trump’s words firsthand as ICE has
increased their presence in the area. Most recently, ICE officers and protestors collided
at Star Market Inc Halal, a Somali-owned grocery store on 33rd Avenue, where ICE
conducted a raid.

Council member Ibrahim, a member of the Somali community, stressed that she wanted
to affirm the city’s existing community policing agreement. “This resolution is clear, it’s simple, it’s easy to read. It builds upon the previous council’s action and community policing principles to enhance trust, belonging, and respect throughout our city,” Ibrahim said. “That’s the rationale behind this resolution.”

Council member Karen Larson seconded the motion, while council member Mike
Johnson said that he supported the resolution in principle but felt it was incomplete. “This resolution suggests a blanket statement; that we welcome hardened criminals, murderers, rapists, and child molesters,” Johnson said. He suggested adding an amendment to the resolution, adding that the city should “reaffirm its existing commitment to all law-abiding residents who are here legally.”

His proposal was met with boos and jeering from the audience, prompting Council
President Mike Conway to warn attendees that a recess would be called if they could
not remain in order.

Larson challenged Johnson’s amendment, stating that defining “law-abiding” is difficult.
“I sometimes jay-walk,” she said, adding, “I have been known to drive over the speed
limit. How do we determine who is and who is not law-abiding? That is a job for law
enforcement.”

Council member Scott Brodeen supported Johnson’s amendment, stressing that “we’re
not welcoming to anybody and everybody, [as] that goes against law.”

After Johnson’s amendment failed, Brodeen proposed a similar amendment, suggesting
that the resolution’s language should be changed to “support a just and welcoming
community to all residents who are here legally.” Brodeen’s amendment also failed.
Following the failure of his amendment, Brodeen asked to have the vote on his previous
resolution affirming support for law enforcement and the rule of law postponed for eight
weeks.

“I wrote the resolution before stuff started getting really crazy,” Brodeen stated. “I don’t
think anything positive is going to come out of it at this moment. When things calm
down, I hope we can have a better discussion.”

The council agreed to postpone the vote, but audience members chanted, “we’ll be
back.”

Editor’s note: Amended article to add further information.