Committee eases tension between urban Indians, Somalis

Tuesday, May 17, 2011  

Urban Indians in Minneapolis, Minnesota, are reaching out to Somali immigrants in hopes of easing tension between their communities.

Urban Indians and Somalis are neighbors in the East Phillips neighborhood. Youth from each side have been involved in clashes, with some incidents escalating to assault and rape.

"We have the same dynamics, but instead of finding common ground, we were just oil and water all the time," Mike Forcia, the vice president of the Minneapolis American Indian Center, told The Minneapolis Star Tribune.

But about a year ago, the Native American Somali Friendship Committee began holding monthly meetings. "People come and tell their real stories," Amina Saleh, who is Somali, told the paper.

Get the Story:
Widening the circle (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 5/17)