By Matt Russell
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
Fear, anger, and suspicion filled a room at the Local 21 union headquarters Thursday afternoon as about 50 members of the Rochester Somali community discussed the recent beating death of a Somali man in a downtown alley.
Responding to anxieties voiced at the meeting, Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem said Somalis are still safe in the community.
"I don't think it (the beating) was because of race," he said at the meeting. "I think it was because they got into an argument and they were drunk."
Ostrem was referring to the incident that led to second-degree unintentional murder charges against 25-year-olds Adam Ross Brandrup and Joshua Dean Lee, both of Rochester. The men are accused of killing 42-year-old Muhidin Mumin in the early morning hours of Oct. 1 after a confrontation between two groups of people in Club Amsterdam.
Thursday's meeting revealed deep suspicions among at least some Somalis that authorities are going easy on Brandrup and Lee.
Facing tough questions, Ostrem explained why the accused weren't charged with first-degree murder.
"I realize you don't like the word 'unintentional,'" Ostrem said. "We cannot prove that they intended to kill him."
Sheiknor Qassim of Rochester, Mumin's former brother-in-law asserted that race was a factor in the beating.
"They kicked him -- the man was in a fetal position," he said. "In that manner, people can understand that this was racist, that this was hatred."
Bias wasn't included in the charges, Ostrem replied, because "it's easier to prove if you leave race out of it."
Bias is usually applied to lesser crimes such as gross misdemeanors, which carry a maximum penalty of one year in jail, he added, noting the charges against Brandrup and Lee carry a maximum of 40 years incarceration.
Ostrem was also asked whether the trial should be moved to assure impartiality. Olmsted County may be largely white, he responded, but it has a tradition of selecting impartial jurors.
Answers like that one assured Qassim, who called the meeting "educational."
"Even for people born in this country, it's hard to understand how the system of justice works," he said after the meeting. "We want to make sure that the legal system is working."
Mumin's death occurred in the early-morning hours of Oct. 1 after Brandrup and Lee, Mumin and others were told to leave Club Amsterdam after a confrontation between two groups of people. They met up again in the alley.
The criminal complaint says Brandrup admitted punching Mumin, who staggered back but came back at him, and that Brandrup grabbed the man's shirt and threw him to the ground. Brandrup said he took a couple of steps away and turned around to see Lee kicking the victim in the upper chest. He said he grabbed Lee and, along with two friends, left by car.
Source: Post-Bulletin, Oct 24, 2008