Moorhead Council of Elders formed to help local Somalis' integration
Omar Mohamed, a Somali community leader in Minneapolis, told the story to illustrate the gap of understanding between Somali immigrants here and local officials. He was in town to observe the introduction of a new group that could help close the gap.
Hukun Abdullahi, who leads the Afro American Students Association here, said elders helped keep the peace among clans in Somalia and they can keep the peace here as well.
It came out of a meeting he had with Moorhead Police Chief David Ebinger, who asked him how Somalis resolved conflicts, he said. The chief asked the Somali community to elect elders who can work with police officers, Abdullahi said. "I'm very proud of the police and what they did for me."
Leann Wallin, the police department's community policing coordinator, said she feels officers can be more successful when they get help from the community. She added that Chief Ebinger was traveling for business and regretted not being able to be there.
Hukun said the Somali community continues to face many problems integrating. "Our main problem is employment — and the schools and the housing," he said. Local businesses are reluctant to hire immigrants who don't speak English very well, landlords sometimes take advantage of them and young Somalis are struggling in schools, he said.
Moorhead Council of Elders formed to help local Somalis' integration
Hukun Abdullahi, executive director of the Afro American Students Association speaks during a meeting where the Somali Council of Elders was introduced to local Moorhead leaders and the Somali community on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. Rick Abbott / The F