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Former state trooper John Nagel pointed the finger at his opponent, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and the Democratic Party for allowing Somali-American gang-linked violence to escalate in the Twin Cities.
Residents of Eden Prairie and surrounding Twin Cities suburbs have been left fearing for their safety after a string of gang-related incidents this month, including the shooting of two teens shot outside an Eden Prairie high school football game and more than 100 shell casings recovered in a Bloomington neighborhood.
“Where is Ilhan Omar in all of this?” Nagel, a Minnesota native who spent 30 years as a state trooper, asked in an interview with Digital. “I would think that as a congressman that represents this particular area that she’d be at these meetings or she’d have a statement or she’d be sitting down and saying, ‘Hey, how can we help this? How could we stop this?’ And I don’t see her.”
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John Nagel blamed his opponent, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and the Democratic Party for not doing enough to stop violence tied to Somali-American gangs in the Twin Cities. ( Digital ; Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
Nagel accused other Minnesota Democrats, including Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, of having their “heads in the sand” and preventing law enforcement from stopping the violence before it got out of control.
“They’re being restrained by politicians, people that are trying soft on crime, people that’re trying to send somebody other than a police officer to take care of issues, and it’s not working,” Nagel said.
Looking at the responses of statewide leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, Nagel said the majority of Democrats “don’t want enforcement.”
“The people do,” he said. “They’re tired of it.”
Democrats have been too lenient on crime for years, according to Nagel, which he said has “emboldened” gang members to break the law without serious consequences.
“Because of how the Democrats have run Minnesota over the years, these gang members and then just crooks in general, they’re emboldened by this,” he said.
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A portrait of Mary Moriarty at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, December 7, 2022. (Jenn Ackerman /for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher spoke at a press conference this week, highlighting that a “big chunk of the problem” is failing to hold gang members accountable, saying Moriarty’s office needs to be more “aggressive” with prosecuting juveniles.
In a statement to Digital, Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for Moriarty’s office, said that no cases related to the Bloomington incident have been submitted for charging consideration, but “they’ll be thoroughly reviewed” if they are.
Adam Abdihakeem Adam, 18, was charged on Friday in connection with the Eden Prairie homecoming football game shooting with two counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and second-degree riot.
“Mr. Adam will be held accountable,” Moriarty said in a press release Friday. “Violence in our communities is completely unacceptable and it requires a professional, coordinated response, which happened here.”
Fletcher also pushed back on “East African” being used to generalize the gang members’ ethnicity, adding that “98% of these gang members are Somali” and that the broader label isn’t “fair.”
“I think we just have to say what it is and not run away from the term,” he said.
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz proposed a $10 million emergency relief package for small businesses impacted by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Nagel said people are afraid of being called “racist” for referring to the gangs as Somali, arguing that law enforcement is simply going after those committing the crimes rather than blaming an entire community.
“I mean, we have Latino gangs and Asian gangs and Black gangs, and we have Somali gangs. This is not being prejudicial.”
He said it’s a “Somali problem” because that’s “who’s showing up.”
“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “I’m a police officer. I don’t care who you are. I don’t care what color you are.”
Nagel said a “gang task force” could be part of the solution and argued, “We don’t need to pass any more laws. We don’t need any more people asking for money to help their group. We need to take the laws that we have and prosecute people.”
As gang violence spills into Minnesota communities, Nagel said it can’t continue to go on like it has.
“We need enforcement, we need arrests, and we need incarceration,” he said. “Otherwise, this is going to continue to spiral.”
Nagel will face off against Omar and Independent candidate DeVelle Jackson in the upcoming midterm elections for the U.S. House seat representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District.
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Digital reached out to Omar, Walz and Ellison’s offices for comment.
