Some residents of Willmar are using an early morning torching of American flags outside two businesses as an excuse to indulge their biases against Somali-Americans in the West Central Minnesota town.
Security camera footage reveals a different set of suspects, but apparently those reporting their Somali neighbors to the Willmar Police Department aren't ones to let evidence get in the way of a chance to bray accusations of terrorism.
The West Central Tribune reports in Willmar Police chief asks for civility, information related to flag burning incidents:
Willmar Police are investigating two incidents of someone burning a U.S. flag during the early morning hours Saturday.According to Police Chief David Wyffels, there are two confirmed incidents, at Kitchen Fair, along the 300 block of Fifth Street Southwest, and at the Midas Auto station, along the 700 block of Litchfield Avenue Southwest.
The incidents are believed to be connected and happened within a close time proximity, Wyffels said in a news release. Police have video footage of one of the incidents recorded just after 1 a.m. Saturday.
In his news release and in an interview this morning with the Tribune, Wyffels stressed that community response and citizen statements received by police accusing individuals from the Somali community are unfounded and “only cause additional speculation, resentment and animosity within the community at large,” he said.
The video footage evidence, which is being reviewed by police investigators, shows otherwise, Wyffels said. The footage shows that multiple young males are involved.
Wyffels also stressed that while the acts are concerning, there is nothing in either incident that knowingly raises the crime to a level of terrorism, that the incident was a bias offense or that this is connected to some larger subversive effort.
The original version of the story notes that police have identified the suspects. Burning someone else's flag is a property crime, as well as being offensive to many people. As Bluestem reads the story, the multiple young males weren't making a political statements, just being d-bags on the street.
As for those folks who reported indvidual Somalis for the crime, we can't help but recall that old maxim, ""Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
Photo: A damaged flag pole and a burned American flag were discoveredearly Saturday morning outside a Midas store in Willmar, via the West Central Tribune.
I would almost wonder if the perps were trying to cover their tracks by blaming Somalis, except that would presume the perps had the capacity to plan and strategize.
Posted by: Phoenix Woman | Jun 05, 2013 at 08:54 PM