Star Tribune
4 Muslim legislators condemn Star Tribune editorial cartoon; publisher apologizes
Responding to criticism from four DFL Muslim legislators about a recent Star Tribune editorial cartoon they described as racist and Islamophobic, the newspaper’s publisher apologized Wednesday.
“I’m sorry that the Star Tribune published it,” CEO and publisher Steve Grove said in a statement. “We will work harder to do better as an organization to ensure we’re holding ourselves and our community accountable in constructive ways that speak to our values of respect and integrity.”
The four legislators, along with many allies, including Attorney General Keith Ellison and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, held a State Capitol news conference to condemn recent vandalism at mosques. After the news conference, the legislators issued the written statement that focused criticism on the Star Tribune.
“Globally, many Muslims report not being respected by those in the West, and this cartoon adds to that sentiment right here in Minnesota,” the statement said. A news release attributed the comments to Reps. Hodan Hassan, Samakab Hussein and Mohamud Noor and Sen. Omar Fateh. Hussein represents St. Paul. The other three represent Minneapolis.
Grove, who is in his second week as publisher, said that he’s spent a lot of time in recent days speaking with readers and community leaders, including Muslims.
“It’s clear to me that the intent of the cartoon did not match its impact,” Grove said. “While the cartoonist was trying to support the decision of the Minneapolis City Council, the piece drew many — particularly those in the Muslim community — to feel disrespected by its depictions.”
The cartoon at issue was published Sunday in the Star Tribune’s opinion section, which is run separately from the news department. It was the first editorial cartoon published from recently hired cartoonist Mike Thompson. It featured an image of a man grousing to a woman that the recently amended noise ordinance allowing the Muslim call to prayer at any time would make Minneapolis “too noisy.” In the second image, the same couple stood inside a home while four masked assailants fired guns.
As the editorial cartoonist, Thompson works independently of reporters and editors in the newsroom. While his intent with the cartoon is open to interpretation, the legislators said they were disappointed, called the image “blatantly racist” and noted that the two mosque fires came after the cartoon was published.
The lawmakers’ statement said the cartoon insinuated that Islam and the call to prayer are weapons that incite violence and cause “death among innocent victims, similar to what guns do.”
Ellison, who is Muslim, spoke briefly at the news conference, condemning the mosque attacks, but he did not mention the cartoon.
After the news conference, Carter said in a written statement, “An attack on a mosque is an attack on every place of worship and fundamentally undermines our right to freely practice our beliefs. As leaders and neighbors, we must ensure that our rhetoric never inspires the kinds of sentiments that could end up pouring out in hateful ways.”
Staff writer Katie Galioto contributed to this report.
A 65-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed by a pickup truck near Christmas Lake Friday afternoon as she was walking through a crosswalk, the Minnesota State Patrol said.
The woman was crossing Highway 7 around 1 p.m. when she was hit by a 2019 Ford F-150 turning left from Christmas Lake Road onto the highway headed east, the State Patrol said in its report. The intersection is just east of Excelsior, between Saint Albans Bay and Christmas Lake west of Minneapolis.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnetonka police, and other agencies responded to the fatal collision. The State Patrol has not released the identity of the pedestrian.
The driver has not been arrested. Agencies are still investigating the collision, State Patrol Lt. Michael Lee said. Alcohol was not involved in the crash, the State Patrol said.
Former trooper Shane Roper, 32, had his last day Tuesday, State Patrol Lt. Michael Lee said. Roper’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment Friday evening.
In July, Roper was charged with criminal vehicular homicide and manslaughter. He was also charged with criminal vehicle operation related to five other people who were seriously injured in the incident.
The criminal complaint states that Roper had been pursuing someone “suspected of committing a petty traffic offense” as he exited Hwy. 52 onto 12th Street SW. As he neared the intersection with Apache Drive, he reportedly turned his lights off and continued to accelerate with a fully engaged throttle.
Roper was traveling at 83 mph with his lights and siren off as he approached the intersection, a Rochester police investigation found. The trooper’s squad car slammed into the passenger side of a car occupied by Olivia Flores, which was heading west and turning into the mall.
Flores died from the blunt force injuries. She was an Owatonna High School cheerleader and set to graduate June 7. There were two other people in the car with Flores.
Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem said in a statement following the charges that Roper violated his duty in “a gross fashion.”
Roper told investigators he was not paying attention to his speed at the time of the crash, and that he believed his lights were still activated when he exited the highway.
Steven Frane Bailey, 56, of St. Louis Park was arrested in connection with the incident and charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and nine counts of criminal vehicular operation. His blood alcohol content measured at 0.325% after officers administered a preliminary breath test at HCMC, according to charges filed in Hennepin County District Court.
In his first court appearance Wednesday, Bailey told a judge his use of alcohol is not a problem. He has an extensive history of drunken driving convictions, starting in 1985 in Wisconsin. Additional convictions followed in Wabasha County in 1993 and Hennepin County in 1998, according to court records. Two more convictions followed in 2014 and 2015.
A Hennepin County judge set his bail at $500,000 with several conditions, including that Bailey take a substance use disorder assessment, that he abstain from drinking alcohol, avoid Park Tavern and stay away from the victims and his family.
His next court appearance is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 1.
Staff writers Paul Walsh and Jeff Day contributed to this report.
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