As a Somali-Minnesotan, I see how we can interrupt violence without allowing it to define a whole community

The air in the Somali community is thick with uncertainty about how to address violence among young people and layered with fear of vigilantes emboldened by the disproportionate and relentless news coverage telling suburban families their way of life is under threat. Negative stories about Somalis immediately become salacious because they tap into fear of Muslims, Black people and immigrants. They gain national momentum that feels disproportionate to the scale of a particular issue. Violence happens across the country. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there were five mass shootings in the U.S. in the first five days of October alone, none of which occurred in Minnesota. But there’s something different about the energy and vitriol when Somalis are involved. Our media organizations must reckon with how to responsibly report on these topics without pumping out narratives that incite violence. Related: Twenty years later, ‘The New Minnesotans’ are still navigating a chang