Gangs, booze and the murder of Abdullahi Abdi were dominant themes at the quarterly Cedar-Riverside public safety meeting on May 14.

Dozens of stakeholders, including a strong showing of Somali community members, filled the Sateren Auditorium Music Hall on the Augsburg College campus for an update on the murder investigation and an informal Q&A between the community and representatives of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD).

First Precinct Inspector Janeé Harteau outlined police strategies to address crime in the area, including creating high visibility and presence of officers — getting them out of their police cars and patrolling instead on bikes, horses and on foot “so they can communicate more readily with the community,” said Harteau.

“Part of the rationale behind having this meeting is we don’t want to wait until a critical incident or some tragic event happens,” said Harteau. “We want to meet on a routine basis.”

Lt. Amelia Huffman, the commander of MPD’s homicide unit, fielded questions surrounding the shooting death of Abdi. Of the 13 homicides recorded in Minneapolis so far this year, the Somali youth’s slaying is one of four unsolved cases.

Questions about the murder, and what some feel is a chronic crime environment in the area where the Abdi was slain, near the corner of South Sixth Street and Cedar Avenue, ran the gamut from whether or not surveillance cameras in the area captured any video of the murder to the potential for reward money.

“What is taking so long to get an arrest?” asked Jennifer Blevins, director of the Brian Coyle Community Center. “It feels like it doesn’t really matter.”

“It matters very much,” said Huffman. “My investigators work homicide cases because they want to catch killers. … This case is no exception.”

Huffman said that the crime was not caught on the surveillance video and that any monetary reward for information would need to be established via citizen action. And although no one is presently in custody or has been charged at this time, Huffman said investigators are actively seeking “people of interest.” She encouraged anyone with information to come forward.

A primer on gangs in general — and the ongoing issues surrounding Somali gangs in particular — was given by Jeanine Brudenell, the MPD’s Intelligence Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) officer.

“The gang issue is rising in your community,” said Brudenell, adding that the largest problem is gang-related robberies.

Brudenell outlined a 10-point list of gang criteria, stating that anyone who meets three of these criteria is considered a gang member. For Somali youth, she said, being arrested along with a gang member, wearing the colors of a gang, or associating with gang members were three criteria of note.

Underage drinking

Abdillahi Nur, executive director of African Community Services, passionately expressed his concerns about housing (such as the Riverside Plaza) existing in the midst of the popular Cedar-Riverside entertainment section. He asked how the community at large could stop underage drinking, saying there were “too many bars.”

“This is a living quarter,” Nur said. “I think it’s not right.”

Councilmember Cam Gordon explained that the area’s zoning designates it as a commercial corridor and that, historically, the area serves as an entertainment district. Changing the nature of the area would constitute a long-term plan.

“It’s a challenging and difficult balancing act,” said Gordon.

But neither these explanations nor the pie and lemonade offered to attendees served to soften Nur’s position, and after the meeting he remained steadfast in his objections to the culture clash that he sees as the juxtaposition of alcohol and families and its detrimental impact on youth.

“It’s disco,” said Nur. “It’s cabaret. We talk about stopping gangs, but we create gangs.”

The next opportunity to discuss Cedar-Riverside crime and safety will be 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3 at the West Bank Community Coalition’s Crime and Safety meeting at the Brian Coyle Community Center, 420 15th Ave. S.

last revised: June 18, 2008

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