The MN Somali immigrant community (mostly Muslim) has had some difficulty assimilating AFAIK from watching the news reports. Its not surprising its also affecting the schools.

We do have some mosques in the area that draw a number of African-Americans. The Imam from the North Minneapolis mosque Masjid An-Nur is African-American. It is true that Somalis are easily identifiable by their facial characteristics, and easily distinguishable from Kenyans or Ethiopians, so hostilities may be perceived in ethnic/racial terms. Somali girls generally wear hijabs, which clearly identifies them as Muslim.

Really I think the problems at South are part of the travails that beset every new immigrant group in a community, and Somalis are the largest group of recent immigrants to the Twin Cities.

That certainly was quite the food fight. South looks like prison. It doesn't surprise me that students end up acting like inmates.

I just think the article used the wrong term - "racial" - in describing the tensions. "Cultural", "new immigrants" etc may have simply been too nuanced (unfortunately).

We've always been a locus of immigration, from Scandinavia, Ireland, Germany, Mexico, Laos and Vietnam, and now East Africa.

The Somalis vote Democrat and even voted to stop the banning of same sex marriage. I canvassed a fair bit in Somali areas/ apt buildings during the election season. It was fun talking to new citizens about voting in their first election.