2 Somalis killed in Edmonton

[Baluug]

Grieving Somali community asked to trust, work with police

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edmonton Journal

Elise Stolte

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

 

Brother of one of the victims, A/ziz Ahmed Isse

"How Conviced do you think we will be that there will be Justice"

EDMONTON - Edmonton's mayor and chief of police met with members of the Somali community Tuesday to ask them to trust police and work with the city.

 

But many in a community still recovering from the shooting deaths of two young men just wanted answers.

 

"How convinced do you think we will be that there will be justice?" asked Abdiaziz Hassan, pointing to other unsolved murders.

 

Hassan's brother, Farhan, 27, and Kasim Mohamed, 28, were both shot to death outside the Fulton Place community hall Sept. 2.

 

Police have said neither man is believed to have gang or drug ties.

 

On police chief Mike Boyd's initiative, he and Mayor Stephen Mandel met with about 150 Somali men and women at a hall in the northside Athlone community Tuesday evening.

 

Boyd said he organized the meeting to listen to community concerns and encourage people to work with police. "Contact between people leads to communication," he said, as the meeting broke for prayer. "That's when the police and the community can really work together."

 

Boyd's efforts mirror his work with the Somali community as chief of police in Toronto, he said. Those efforts had practical results. "Often when crimes would occur, I'd get a phone call."

 

Later he said: "If there is anyone from the community who has any kind of information, especially in relation to violent crimes, please come forward."

 

About 7,000 people from Somalia now live in Edmonton, said Hassan Ali, president of the Somali Canadian Cultural Society. Most of them came to eastern Canada in the late '90s following the civil war. They've come west in the last three or four years.

 

Members of the Somali community asked for funding for youth programs and to hire staff for the cultural society. They also mentioned housing problems for their large families and struggles children face in their new schools.

 

Farhan Farah, a friend of one of the victims, said many came to show support "and to know what the community is going through."

 

Abdi Osman Mire, another friend, added: "Those guys that got killed, everybody is wondering, 'How did this happen?' "

 

Farah said most of the people in the hall wouldn't be there if the victims had any gang or drug ties.

 

Haanim Nur spoke of fear growing in the community. "I'm too scared to be alone, now," said the 16-year-old.

 

"The people here came for safety," added her mother Sahria Hashi. "It was really a shock."

 

estolte@thejournal.canwest.com

 

Source: Edmonton Journal, Sept 12, 2007

[me]

Eebe ha u naxariisto.

[Jacaylbaro]

I heard a somali killed in the Bristol, UK

 

There are those who are killed in South Africa

 

There was another one killed in Norway recently

 

Now in Canada ?

 

 

WHAT IS GOING ON PEOPLE ??

 

 

ALLAH ha u naxariisto .............

[me]

Thats what you get when your an easy target. This disunity made out people easy targets everywhere and there is no one that cares for the Somalis. Somalis should care about themselves and count on no one else.

[Som@li]

Inaanilaah wa inaa Ilaahi Raajicuun, Rabi ha u naxariisto,

 

Jac, saxb waa la dhiman, No where is save!

[Jacaylbaro]

I know sxb ... but this is crazy meel walba soomaali baa lagu dilayaa aduunka ,, intii dalka wada joogtayna iyadaa is dilaysa.

[Ibtisam]

^^^I fail to see the link yaa "me", it could have happened to anyone by the sound of it. Random violence knows no bounds, community nor does it care for anyone. It may not be targeted at a specific group (i.e. Somalis) if it is, normally it is not because of the weakness of the said community but because of grudge one holds or revenge etc. I doubt gangster walk around thinking, Let me kill Somalis no one cares for them and I could probably get away with it. The reason we hear of the death of Somalis more often now is because we are a young (very young in some places) growing community. We are exposed to the same problems and risks many older (as in who have settle here before us) communities already struggled with. There are now many families in the diaspora (whole generations in some places) where as previously it was a small older (age wise group) who formed small communities amongst other ethnic minorities, as all those minorities grow, it will cause conflict and violence etc. SO it is not that there is more violence targeted at Somalis per se but just that there are more younger Somalis who are involved and integrated into the communities which they live in hence facing the same problems and risks.

 

Inevitably (& unfortunately) people will die from out community, but like other communities we need to learn to respond and follow up cases, so that some justice is done for the families of the victims, obviously we order for us to do this we need to build (or influence existing) institutions (law firms, judicial, law makers, citizen advise centers etc) and that is what is lacking in our communities, hence why we always feel defenseless and under attack.

May allah grant them peace, mercy, forgiveness and sabar for their family inshallah.

[me]

Ghanima, the link is for everyone to see. Somali victims have no one that fights for their rights, no one that presses the police to find the killers. I am not saying that Somalis are more likely to be a target of violence in Canada then other people living there, but in South Africa, Yemen, Greece, etc they are more likely to be teh victim of a crime.

 

Somalis don't have functioning embassies or organized communities that protect their rights and the lack of organizations that look of after their rights and functioning embassies is because of disunity.

[Ibtisam]

^^Or because we are still young and growing, in time they will have those establishments you speak of.

 

P.s. Stop repeating the old tale of their murders will not be investigated because no one is pressuring the police. It is their job, they get paid to do, and they have no reason not to do it regardless of whether there is pressure or not. It is the same as the old rumour that the doctors will kill you and take your body parts because you don't have those same institutions.

 

P.s.s I'm not including the odd racist officer here and there, what I am saying is that as an establishment they have no reason not find people who kill Somalis.

[N.O.R.F]

Allah yarxamhum.

[me]

^ Young and growing into what? thats a racist comment Ghinima. Are you saying we are not a fully developed community.

 

Look at communities that look after their own interests like the Turks, The Kurds, The Sikhs etc.

Why can't the Somalis do that if its not disunity?

 

For example if your a Somalis in a Saudi jail in practice you have less rights then a Brit in teh same jail. Why? because his embassy is looking out for him that he is treated in accordance with the law, that he is not abused, tortured etc.

 

The police get paid to solve cases, but some cases are more importnat then others and in reality a dead Somali kid will not get as much attention as a dead white kid from police investigators.

 

So having a united and strong community does help in cases like this.

[N.O.R.F]

Lets try to seperate

 

a) why there have been so many Somali killings

 

and

 

b) Community unity/representation

[Baluug]

Edmonton's becoming a bad place for Somalis. There are these 2 young men, another was stabbed to death earlier this year, and of course the taxi driver who got killed by natives last year. Allahu naxariisto.

[Ibtisam]

Thank you North, that is all I was trying to tell "Me" before he started freaking out.

 

Young and growing into what? thats a

racist comment Ghinima.

Are you saying we are not a fully developed community.

Huh?? come again my dear? how is that racist?

And yes I am saying we are less rooted in the countries we live in, we have not yet developed the institutions and facilities that available to other ethnic minorities like the Pakistanis, Indians etc who firstly came from a different background (i.e. they had money, business, not necessarily fleeing war, broke etc) but also because they have been here a lot longer, and have come to realise that they are hear to stay, and for some that the countries they live in is their home more than their native countries.

 

Somalis are only on 1st generation (maybe 2nd is some places) and most of them still believe they are going back etc. any projects that have been under taken is normally short term, show me an existent Somali organizations that is planning for the future of Somalis in 50years (where they are living) go on, I would love to see it.

 

As usual I find your "united" rhetoric boring, and unhelpful, you must find ways to work around this problem dear, it is deeply rooted issue that won’t magically disappear no matter how much you wish for it.

[Malika]

Inaanilaah wa inaa Ilaahi Raajicuun.