DFL apologizes after fight breaks out at Minneapolis endorsement convention

[progree]

Last edited Sun May 14, 2023, 01:46 PM - Edit history (9)

LBN thread (edit: later locked): https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143074081

It might get locked in LBN as not important news of NATIONAL interest, but I think it is a big deal. And very bad news.

edited to add after the thread got locked I still think it is a big deal with a convention taken over through violence, even if its just one ward's. I found the video extremely very appalling. I'm extremely very sorry to those who disagree, and think that this is just the equivalent of a fist fight or whatever the "no big deal" people are thinking. There is just way too much political violence at school board elections, election boards, city councils, candidates and election officials and so on being forced to withdraw or resign for fear of their and their families lives, or just not run in the first place. WAY TOO MUCH INTIMIDATION. WAY TOO MUCH VIOLENCE.

I suspect that if it happened on the other side, we'd be making an enormous hoo hah about it and gleefully running it up Greatest Threads.

I wonder if it had been a local city council race somewhere else where it was between Democrats and Repukes, and had the Repukes taken over, and only a couple of injuries because the Dems had retreated, would we still consider it a nothing burger? We think not.

I'm adding below what was in the locked LBN thread.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The DFL Party is apologizing after a fight broke out at the Ward 10 endorsing convention on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis.

According to the Minneapolis Police Department, officers arrived at the Ella Baker Center shortly after 2 p.m. to a large crowd and heard reports of people fighting, but says it did not observe any physical altercations. (By then it was over and most of the Chughtai people had been forced out of the room. Had they stood their ground, there would have been one hell of a lot of physical altercations -progree)

A video shows the fight breaking out as Councilmember Aisha Chughtai takes the stage. The convention was immediately adjourned due to safety concerns. (That too succinct description leaves out that the entire Chughtai delegation was forced off the stage and most and their supporters forced out of the room. It was NOT "immediately" -progree)

In a statement released late Saturday night, the DFL said that "it is clear that the conflict was instigated by supporters of city council candidate Narsi Warsame." (It's Nasri, not Narsi, BTW -progree)

Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/minnesota/news/minneapolis-ward-10-convention-fight-dfl/

Edited to add The story at the link has changed and been updated, and the video segment of the Warsame crowd forcing offstage and out of the room of virtually the entire Chughtai delegation and supporters has been shortened. But anyway, I'm happy to see these not so blaise' responses (but of course I realize some will call them snowflakes ) :

DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin called the event extremely disheartening.

"Harassment and violence are unacceptable, and we expect candidates and their campaign teams to work hard to curb such behavior when it comes from their supporters, staffers, or volunteers," Martin said. "Warsame and his team took the opposite approach at today's convention by escalating the situation and encouraging conflict."

Martin also said he would call an emergency meeting of the State Executive Committee to address the incident and "take immediate action to remove the folks involved in Ward 10." ("emergency meeting?" Wow, why the drama? some would say -progree)

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also issued a statement on Twitter.

The behavior we saw at yesterday's Ward 10 convention was not okay. Physical intimidation, threats, and harassment have no place in our democracy or our politics — not at conventions, not at city council meetings.

For anyone wanting to read the responses at the tweet, here it is (maybe some insights on what happened and why, but so far I've seen more heat than light) :

Link to tweet

[Ocelot II]

1. It won't be a big deal nationally. A small number of people got into a scuffle

while contesting the party's nomination for a Minneapolis city council seat in one single ward of the city. It's very small potatoes and only got national attention because it was so unusual (and probably because the participants on both sides are Somali). It's a weird one-off that has no national implications that I can imagine.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. Aisha Chugtai is the daughter of Pakistani immigrants.

[Ocelot II]

3. Thanks for the clarification. I had understood from some news reports

that the people in the scuffle were Somali, maybe that's wrong. I still don't think it has national implications, though.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. Sure, some were, and Chugtai certainly has Somali supporters as well.

I still don't think it has national implications, though.

Neither do I, expect for people who already have opinions about Minneapolis and will see what they want to see in the reports and footage.

[Ocelot II]

5. Yes, a very big deal has been made of a very minor incident

in a very small political contest, and people will make unreasonable assumptions about it. Some people got pissed off and overreacted, but the idea that this little local spat has national political implications for the Democratic party is absurd.

[question everything]

6. Time to do away with the nomination conventions and worse, the pledge by candidates

to abide by the endorsements.

"We the people" should choose the candidates, not party activists.

I was taken aback - naively - when the winners of the non-partisan elections for Hennepin county sheriff and attorney were so much ahead until I realized that the party endorsed them.

Someone commented that many thought that Dimick was a Republican because it was Moriarty who was endorsed by the party. Non partisan races should not get endorsement.

[Ocelot II]

7. The conventions are often dominated by people with narrow agendas

who waste time bickering over rules and insisting that their issue gets on the platform. I don't know exactly what led to the Ward 10 situation - I watched a video and I really couldn't tell what was going on - but the result was that the convention had to be adjourned without any endorsement. Maybe that was the intent all along. I've been to a few, found them to be pretty useless because, as usual, the loudest people took over.

[question everything]

10. 'Will you abide by the endorsement?" was the first question for the candidates

in the last convention that I attended, some years back. Of course all replied in the affirmative and then I left, not bothering to stay and vote.

I am grateful to both Dayton and Walz who defied the party endorsement, took their message to the voters and won.

Put it differently, of course the party can endorse, but candidates should not have to promise to abide by them.

[iemanja]

27. The worst is the bickering over stupid rules

I couldn't stand it so quit going.

[progree]

8. Some more (from my #7 and the locked LBN thread)

Some more

https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/mpls-dfl-convention-descends-into-chaos/89-a8b9b335-a02f-4c1d-859d-65af6ff3c90c

Video shot at the event shows current City Councilwoman Aisha Chughtai's supporters were on the stage as a group of people backing challenger Nasri Warsame protested.

A group of Warsame-supporters eventually climbed onto the stage and seemingly forced the supporters of Chughtai to vacate.

The DFL Party is clearly blaming it on "Warsame and his team ... escalating the situation and encouraging conflict":

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minneapolis-ward-10-convention-fight-dfl/

DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin called the event extremely disheartening.

"Harassment and violence are unacceptable, and we expect candidates and their campaign teams to work hard to curb such behavior when it comes from their supporters, staffers, or volunteers," Martin said. "Warsame and his team took the opposite approach at today's convention by escalating the situation and encouraging conflict."

Martin went on to apologize to Chughtai, her supporters and her team for the incident.

Warsame is a refugee from Somalia. I hope this isn't friction between Somali and most of the rest of the DFL in that ward, but that's what it looks like to me. Something like this (but not with this level of violence) has occurred before in Minneapolis DFL politics but I can't find the story. Somalis got representation on the city council and want to maintain that and get more. Ditto the state legislature. (And Congress - Ilhan Omar CD5).

In Minnesota, DFL is and has long been THE Democratic party. It's not some radical offshoot of anything, and its political POSITIONS are quite mainstream Democratic by the standards of the rest of the country. It's a little more fractious internally, perhaps, than most.

Well this is an interesting Google search (but I haven't sorted it out yet):

https://www.google.com/search?q=somalis+on+minneapolis+city+council

And to add to the confusion, there's another Warsame that was recently on the city council - ABDI Warsame.

but not anymore.
https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/city-council/

Here's a Somali-born person currently representing Minneapolis's 6th Ward (which includes Cedar - Riverside)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamal_Osman_(politician)

From the above link -- what happened to ABDI Warsame:

A special municipal election was held on August 11, 2020, for Ward 6's vacant seat. The previous councilmember, Abdi Warsame, resigned from the seat in March 2020 to head the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. The special election occurred after the George Floyd protests and during the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] Osman said he would address the opioid crisis and advocated for access to affordable housing.[2] Osman defeated 10 other candidates in the race and was sworn into office on August 28, 2020.[3]

And unfortunately this, also too common in some segments of DFL politics:

In 2022, Osman apologized for homophobic and anti-Semitic Facebook posts he made between 2011 and 2013 after screenshots were unearthed of him allegedly commenting "Where's Hitler when you need him," in response to foreign policy discussion regarding Israel. [8]

[progree]

9. A similar situation in 2014 --

This is the story I was trying to remember in my post #7.

DFL caucus in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside ends in chaos, Minnpost, 2/5/2014

Police break up the meeting after a pre-caucus argument carries over into disputes among supporters of Rep. Phyllis Kahn and her challenger, Mohamud Noor.

... The caucus at the Brian Coyle Center in Cedar-Riverside produced an overflow crowd of more than 300, a pre-caucus argument handled by the police and a subsequent physical attack on one of the participants.

Eventually, staff from the Coyle center decided to shut down the event, and police quickly dispersed the crowd.

Emotions had been running high more than an hour before the scheduled 7 p.m. start and escalated even more by caucus time in the Cedar-Riverside Somali stronghold.

... Ilhan Omar, a staffer for Minneapolis Council Member Andrew Johnson and vice chair of the Senate district, was attacked by a group of about five people. Then a Noor supporter launched herself into the fray and was eventually shoved into a police officer’s grasp.

Police dragged the woman out of the building and handcuffed her, but eventually let her free. Omar escaped without serious injuries.

(but she was certainly beaten up -- see article. She's now in the U.S. Congress serving her 3rd term -progree)

MORE: https://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2014/02/dfl-caucus-minneapolis-cedar-riverside-ends-chaos/

The defeat of a veteran 44-year state legislator (since 1972!) by a Somali-born person was a big shock to the DFL-iverse. It marked the beginning of a new day for the very white Minnesota political establishment.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

12. .

Warsame is a refugee from Somalia. I hope this isn't friction between Somali and most of the rest of the DFL in that ward, but that's what it looks like to me.

It's not. It's a conservative, business-backed candidate leveraging an already messy process to create chaos and deny the incumbent the endorsement with the least amount of effort.

[progree]

13. Perhaps, it sure looked like a racial divide on the videos. I've watched 3 different ones.

I'd certainly very much rather it be about disagreement on real issues than about where people come from. I think there's a large element of both. I'm eager to learn more as time goes on.

In any case, it is deplorable what happened, no matter what the issue. Like many DFL voters, I do consider positively a DFL endorsement, although I don't slavishly vote that way for every candidate. I consider other things I know about the candidates as well. But it is information that I do consider.

Edited to addReading a comment upstream, I would consider negatively a candidate that agreed to abide by the endorsement and then didn't. I know it's somewhat out of fashion, but I consider a candidate's honesty to be important. Of course I would also look at the other candidates' honesty and positions on issues.

[progree]

14. Do you have any info about Warsame being "conservative, business-backed"?

He doesn't sound that way https://nasriwarsame.com/

and I can't find much else about his background, positions or leanings. Thanks.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

15. Not that I can link to.

I can't find much else about his background, positions or leanings.

Huh.

[progree]

16. Well, maybe you can expand on "conservative, business-backed candidate" even without links

so those of us who don't follow every ward's candidates might know a little more about this.

"business-backed" - which businesses? Should we start a boycott? Is he pro-business as well as "business-backed". Is the Ward 10 race a pro-business vs. pro-worker race? Is he for lower property taxes on businesses? Less regulations?

Similarly on what is "conservative" about him.

"I can't find much else about his background, positions or leanings."

Huh.

Yuh.

If you can't link to anything, then yes, it shouldn't be surprising that I'm having trouble finding much.

Of course I can dig some more and find some more that indicates he's "conservative, business-backed". I've obviously put in a lot of time on this thread and the LBN one, so I thought maybe some of my fellow progressives who claim to have more understanding and have some specifics about him being "conservative, pro-business" might help out a little bit.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

17. Are you in Minneapolis?

[progree]

18. What does it matter?. Are you in ward 10?

If you have some specific knowledge (other than linkless assertions of opinion as fact), why can't you share that with people not in ward 10 and Twin Citieans and Minnesotans not in Minneapolis?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

19. I asked because what happened in Ward 10 is similar to what happened in Ward 5, and is

a pattern in a lot of races across the city that many Mpls DFlers are familiar with, where bad-faith candidates and their backers use the endorsement system to either hamstring a stronger candidate or get the endorsement themselves.

[progree]

20. OK, and so you can't back up that he's "conservative pro-business". Got it.

The problems of the endorsement process and its abuses by some candidates is not unique to Minneapolis, BTW.

Edited To Add I'm just wondering who is backing each of the candidates and why? I haven't seen anything in the reporting or my digging into it that its a pro-business conservative vs. progressive workers or anything like that. Like I say, I think from the video and my readings, there is an element of many Somali-origin seeking more representation in opposition to DFL establishment candidates. That's also an element of Minneapolis and state DFL politics whether we think its good or bad or wish to ignore it or not.

I'm asking WHY are the two sides so strongly opposed? I'm just not buying the implied framing that what is behind it is a dispute between conservative pro-business vs. progressive pro-worker or anything like that. I know that the endorsement process is obviously being abused. This isn't my first rodeo.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

21. .

The problems of the endorsement process and its abuses by some candidates is not unique to Minneapolis, BTW.

Oh, of course it's not. It's just that Minneapolis is such a big small town, the usual suspects tend to turn up again and again.

so you can't back up that he's "conservative pro-business"

More like I just won't. And not because it's a bombshell, but because it's off-record discussions with people closer to the race than me, whose opinions I trust and whomst I'm not going to hang out to dry. It happens.

[progree]

22. Uh huh. Even if true, that's not what's animating the two sides to be so strongly opposed

to each other, I am almost certain of that.

As I added to my #20 a moment before your reply (I'm sorry, but I thought it might help clarify)

I'm asking WHY are the two sides so strongly opposed? I'm just not buying the implied framing that what is behind it is a dispute between conservative pro-business vs. progressive pro-worker or anything like that. I know that the endorsement process is obviously being abused, but that's a separate issue from why

[WhiskeyGrinder]

23. I just saw your addition.

I'm asking WHY are the two sides so strongly opposed?

It's less conservative pro-business vs progressive pro-worker and more centrist status quo vs people who are trying to change things. A lot of energy toward the latter got channeled and then diverted in 2020, and it's still all shaking out as each side pushes back.

[progree]

24. It looks like we're a lot closer,

but, from my #20 -- "there is an element of many Somali-origin seeking more representation in opposition to DFL establishment candidates. That's also an element of Minneapolis and state DFL politics whether we think its good or bad or wish to ignore it or not."

It's nice to wish that's not part of what went on in that room, and that it's merely a generalized centrist status quo vs people who are trying to change things, although that is much much closer to my framing. The ones who most strongly want to change things are the ones who feel, with justification, most under-represented.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

25. .

"there is an element of many Somali-origin seeking more representation in opposition to DFL establishment candidates. That's also an element of Minneapolis and state DFL politics whether we think its good or bad or wish to ignore it or not."

Is this an issue, in your experience?

[progree]

26. No, but to borrow your words --

it's off-record discussions with people closer to the race than me, whose opinions I trust and whomst I'm not going to hang out to dry. It happens.

And from reading about similar situations over the years, particularly when it comports with human nature for people to vote for those more like themselves unless there is a particularly good reason not to. That's why I keep digging for an explanation of what is dividing the two sides. It's particularly odd to me that people on the side of changing things and against the status quo are the ones backing a conservative pro-business type, but I suppose it happens. Doubt it in this case. I can also look at a video and not kid myself by what I'm seeing.

Why is it important whether I experienced it personally?

It's my opinion. You have yours, I have mine. It happens.

[geardaddy]

29. I lived in Ward 10 for nearly 20 years

and it was rare to even get an endorsement in the first Ward conventions I went to.

[progree]

11. Some stuff from Sunday morning

Last edited Sun May 14, 2023, 04:48 PM - Edit history (1)

(just including excerpts of new-to-this-thread material)

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/05/14/dfl-chair-promises-changes-after-minneapolis-convention-fight

DFL chair promises changes after Minneapolis convention fight, MPR, 10am 5/14/23

(DFL chair) Martin said he will propose a bylaw to ban people who engage in violent assaults from the party. and “will then take immediate action to remove the folks involved in Ward 10.” (emhasis added -progree)

(DFL activist and convention volunteer Quentin Wathum-Ocuma: ) “We cannot have a convention if people aren't safe, And people are throwing things or people are punching things. Or if people are trying to physically assault me which they attempted to do multiple times, ...”

... Police were called and noted a large crowd, but the fight seemed to be over. Police report one person was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. No arrests were made. (And another was treated at the scene, according to other news reports. Had the Chughtai people stood their ground, it would have been a very different story. I wonder if it had been a local city race somewhere else where it was Democrats and Repukes, and had the Repukes taken over, and only a couple of injuries because the Dems had retreated, would we still consider it a nothing burger? We think not. -progree)

... In a statement, Chugtai said the experience was horrifying and said more than a dozen of her supporters and DFL volunteers were physically assaulted over the course of the convention.

“This action by the Warsame campaign to harass, bully, and assault my supporters and DFL volunteers was an attempt to scare us,” Chugtai said. “Despite all this, we stayed calm and committed to our vision for Ward 10 and local democracy.”

In response, Warsame said his campaign manager was assaulted, and said “Violence & unfairness have no place in democracy.”

But Martin said after reviewing the video and speaking with people at the convention, it was clear that it was Warsame’s supporters who instigated the tension.

The spelling is Aisha Chughtai with an "h" according to https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/city-council/ and many more links. I see "Chugtai" twice in the excerpts above being incorrectly spelled without the "h".

edited to clarify who was quoted in a couple of cases

[geardaddy]

28. I'm so glad we moved out of Ward 10

The past few endorsing conventions I went to were just ridiculous screaming matches.