In the last few months, the Fargo/Moorhead area has seen a series of hate crime and bias speech directed at New Americans. These incidents have occurred as these New Americans, mostly of Somalian descent, have gone about their daily lives. One woman shopping at the grocery store was followed and harassed and told to remove her hijab. One young man was moving into a new apartment with the help of two friends, was name-called, viciously attacked and beaten to the extent that he required an ambulance ride to the emergency room. A taxi cab driver was attacked by passengers and beaten so severely that he had to have plastic surgery. And recently, a woman angered by a car parked to close to her vehicle threatened to “kill all you all” (referring to the young women in the other vehicle who were of Somalian descent and wearing hijabs). This latest incident was captured on video and has received some viral attention.
North Dakota United Against Hate, the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition and High Plains Fair Housing invites you to attend this important community event to show support for recent victims and to insure that no one is singled out because of their religion.
North Dakota United Against Hate calls upon:
- State and federal officials investigate recent incidents as hate crimes.
- Fargo to pass its own hate crime ordinance to stem this increasingly alarming rate of hate crimes and bias speech
- Governor Burgurm to come out in favor of Hate Crime legislation for North Dakota.