Somali immigrants’ cars vandalized
FORT MORGAN – Leaders in a local Somali immigrant community say they’re fearing for their safety after the windows of about eight of their cars were shot out Saturday night.
Police in Fort Morgan say vandals used a BB gun to attack the cars at an apartment complex which is primarily home to Somali refugees.
Resident Khadar Ducaale said almost all of the immigrants came to the United States looking for a better life.
“The Somali refugees have come here to earn some wages just like everyone else,” Ducaale said.
So far, he says, they have received a cold reception, which culminated in the vandalism Saturday night.
“Somebody destroyed the windows of the cars, the front and the back,” he said.
The vandals caused about $3,000 in damage to an entire row of cars and to several of the windows of the apartment building where most of the immigrants live.
“It’s very upsetting and we just don’t know what to do,” Ducaale said. “There are families that have children here and they are afraid of letting children come out of the building.”
Ducaale said the Somalis have no idea who the vandals might be.
“When you don’t know what you did to agitate people like that it’s very worrisome,” he said.
Police are still trying to identify any suspects. At this point, they say they need to gather more information about the incident before they can call it a hate crime.
“The Somali community have kind of leaders, kind of elders I believe they call them, and the Chief [of Police] will be meeting with one of them tomorrow to discuss this incident,” City of Fort Morgan public information officer John Brennan said.
The Somalis say they would like to have a conversation with the vandals themselves.
“I would say ‘Let’s get along,'” Ducaale said. “It’s not a matter of money. We’re just afraid and we don’t know what to do.”
Fort Morgan police say another car was vandalized in a similar manner Saturday night in a different part of town. They are trying to determine if the two incidents are related.
9news.com