Cyclist attacks (and others) filmed and put on youtube

*the second youtube video was pulled down

click here to view the video

it depicts several attacks on pedestrians and cyclists (some on the greenway) by a group of Somali teenagers. The Somali aspect of the attacks is relevant only to understanding the all too real racial tensions that incidents like these generate, and how they affect the already strained relations between the Somali community and the bordering neighborhoods, and the attitude of many Minneapolis residents towards that community which is shown in the racist and reactionary comments left on the linked post. (outrage I understand, racism I cannot abide. stop being fucking assholes, everyone knows stupidity is color blind)

From one of the perpetrators FaceBook:
his status- IT's TIME PEOPLE THE LONG AWAITED SHOW IS FINNALLY HERE.............. WATCH THIS T.V. please watch our video on youtube and leave some comments on wat ya think and wat else ya want us to do every weekend will be something new thanks...

There is much info on the thread on MPLS Bike Love and I'm happy to report that the cycling community has helped bring this video to the attention of authorities in both the government and Somali community.

here is a story from MPR on the incidents

St. Paul police investigate YouTube video of apparent assaults

by Tim Nelson, Minnesota Public Radio
November 17, 2009

St. Paul, Minn. — St. Paul police say they're investigating a series of apparent random assaults by a group of young men in the Twin Cities, videotaped and posted to YouTube.

Police spokesman Paul Schnell said St. Paul residents started emailing and calling about the video this morning, after seeing the six-and-a-half minute tape on the video sharing website. Some of the locations appear to be in St. Paul.

The video shows a series of young men repeatedly pushing down bicyclists, children and pedestrians, apparently at random. The video was removed from YouTube shortly after noon on Tuesday.

It isn't clear if anyone is hurt or if the incidents were ever reported to police. Some of the apparent perpetrators are identified by name.

"There is great concern. You can't watch the video and not feel a sense of outrage, that what you're seeing in the video is actually occuring, and there's no reason to believe it's not," Schnell said.

Minneapolis police spokesman Jesse Garcia says his department is also aware of the tape and that investigators are looking at it. The video shows incidents in locations that appear to be in that city, possibly on the bike trail on the Greenway.