SomaliNet Forums

SDM, udun & Advo

Most of the Somalis down here live in Dekalb county which has the 2nd largest black population after Clayton. I always wondered what draws us to these dilapatated and essentially dead areas, and its not always looking for cheaper housing. The refugee resettlement agencies that operate here almost exclusively settle Somalis and other African immigrants in these neighborhoods under the false pretenses that these areas have cheaper appartments and access to public transportation. I have done some social work with some of these agencies and was appalled at the level of disregard these agencies showed these refugees. I witnessed Bantus being settled in to gang territory and Somalis being coerced in to signing 12 month leases with apartment complexes that should be demolished because of their horrid conditions.

Its a systemic process that highlights the level of professional incompetence of some of these agencies and possible corruption. Even Bosnian refugees are settled in better areas than the Africans, it can't be a coincidence. Once there's a sizable community, it then becomes impossible to relocate to another area, so they get stuck there - get stuck with the mediocre schools, lack of after-school programs, lack of progress, etc. Its something with no end result in sight. And some Somalis just don't see the problem and settle in for good, at the cost of losing their children to violence.

Moving Somalis into better neighborhoods hardly stops the process. Somalis in Minnesota often get settled into small towns and suburbs with high standards but Somalis ultimately end up worse failures in those small towns than the kids in the inner city. So long as they move in large numbers they will draw each other to failure no matter which circumstances.

Monk

What draws Somalis in MN to areas like Cedar park? Are you saying these families had the option of living in better areas and somehow wound up in areas with high density Somali populations? This then ultimately led to their downfall or are you claiming Somalis regardless of where they are settled somehow end up as/with fuck ups?

Somalis, if grouped in large numbers with meager financial circumstances, will fail is what I mean. Its a fact here in MN. At least in the big city they are exposed to Somalis from non-ghetto areas. By non-ghetto areas I don't mean suburbs, I mean places that don't have large numbers of ethnic conglomerations of subsidized housing, especially other Somalis. For example, my neighborhood is not a ghetto by classical definition even though its a ghetto by pop culture American definition. Where I live there is no mass public housing although crime and other strife is high. Compton is not a ghetto for example, which is a comparable example to where I live. Most Black "ghettos" aren't technically even ghettos at all. There are many Somalis like us in the city who grow up with our own unique experiences and a lot of Cedar kids can take cues from people like us and learn to do their own thing, otherwise they just do what every other loser in the block does.

BUT, in these suburbs and small towns where Somalis are settled they only have access to each other and no access to experiences other than their own, and with their circumstances, they will always succumb to the worst. Somalis in these small towns and suburbs in Minnesota are equivalent to the Arab ghettos throughout Europe. Arabs in Europe were originally settled in modest suburbs and their children slowly turned them into shit holes.

As for what draws Somalis to places like Cedar; its a generational thing. The earliest Somalis here were mainly single mothers with kids and the like, so they automatically could not look towards houses because they'd be so far out of their comfort and safety zone. Somalis now accept their position in the Cedar ghettos and don't want to expand further, they don't want to take risks. In general, they are also pussies who don't think they can survive without the 24/7 protection of other Somalis.

I see. Is there a comparatively sizable exodus now from Hennepin county to other counties like oddertale county? In places like Cedar Falls, Fegussen, Mankato and Rochester? Is what I'm hearing now about all these families moving to new counties true? I'm assuming its for housing and possibly to acquire section 8 vouchers?

HalfDzed wrote:I see. Is there a comparatively sizable exodus now from Hennepin county to other counties like oddertale county? In places like Cedar Falls, Fegussen, Mankato and Rochester? Is what I'm hearing now about all these families moving to new counties true? I'm assuming its for housing and possibly to acquire section 8 vouchers?

The exodus to the small towns happened over 10 years ago, it started around '97. Very old news. Somalis in the city rarely travel outside anymore. I think there might've been a new exodus though I'm not sure. I'm far removed from the mainstream Somali community which is centered around a large strip of mixed commercial/residential land deep inside the city, my only insight into the community is through my siblings, otherwise I have no clue what's going on. I haven't been in the "in" crowd since maybe early high school. My stereotypes about Somalis are a mix of past experiences going back more than 8 years, I have no f-king idea what the new kids are up to, in fact I didn't know what Somali kids my age were doing when I was a teen. I'm an outside observer, a good one.

Monk

What's in Rochester that isn't available in Mpls? I know that exodus has been going on for years now, but more recently Pelican Rapids and Cedar Falls became the hot zones, that's what I meant. What's rural MN like anyway? I'm considering doing a program through my school and its affiliates in rural MN, if I sign a contract to practice there for 3 years, my loans will be paid off. Is it a hospitable environment?