Star Tribune
Were up to 200 kids really actively fighting in Roseville?
When I saw reports that a group of kids had been involved in a fight in Roseville earlier this month, I had concerns, but only after my initial questions.
Since the alleged melee unfolded after a Black Student Union event at Roseville High School, I knew what would follow, even though most of the individuals cited for fighting were reportedly not from the school.
Shortly after reports of a “large group of teens” and a “roving rumble” — the phrase used by the Star Tribune — the Minnesota Parent Alliance added its 2 cents on Twitter.
“Imagine being a teacher at Roseville High knowing that a ‘roving rumble’ of 200 kids is supposed to show up in your building again on Monday,” the group tweeted. “Who is responsible for putting policies and protections in place to keep [students] and teachers safe? Then again, only 47% of Roseville High students attend school regularly… Adults of Roseville, what is the future for these kids and your district? Restorative Justice circles aren’t working.”
Let’s be clear: the Minnesota Parent Alliance and other groups around the country that want to “reclaim” these schools are concerned about the future of white kids, not my kids. And the only reason the social media reaction to this incident in Roseville escalated was because of the assumption that BIPOC kids were the culprits.
But I don’t blame the social media reactions or the commenters. I have questions about those charged with conveying the proper narrative of what happened that night: the police, school officials and the media. When police reports and the headlines that accept those accounts as Teflon spread, there is an inflation of the threat. Those narratives incite fear among people who then decide the only way to stop this imagined danger is for a greater police response.
The suggestion that a group of Black kids is running around the suburbs and destroying things was conveyed as fact without contention. It’s a stunning reality in a place that has watched federal and state officials come to the Twin Cities and admonish policing for the last four years. Yet, the idea that “200 people” were scrapping in the ‘burbs was not challenged the way it should have been. That’s dangerous acceptance for the BIPOC kids who can be easily labeled not because of their actions but due to their melanin.
I asked Roseville police for an explanation of the events that unfolded that night and more evidence that 200 kids were actually fighting. I did not get a response. I also asked the Roseville school district for additional information. Its account of the events that night seems to differ from the narrative that went viral.
Per the district, more than 500 people attended the Black Student Union event, a celebration that aimed to “showcase a variety of student talents.” The district’s statement said there were no fights during the event, and even when the crowd spilled outside and refused to disperse when asked, “at no point did high school leaders or the school resource officer witness any fights among those gathered in the parking lot.”
“Upon leaving school property, it’s reported that some of the attendees moved to businesses near Har Mar Mall and Rosedale Center — resulting in ongoing disturbances that required police intervention,” the school district said in a statement. “There is an ongoing investigation around the March 7 incidents. Roseville Area High School will continue to work closely with the RAHS school resource officer and the Roseville Police Department for guidance around school safety and security.”
I’ve watched videos that showed some disturbing interactions between kids in Roseville that night, actions I would never condone, but I also have yet to find any evidence that 200 kids were actively fighting. Per local police, three people were injured.
I do not want to see any young person get hurt in these scenarios.
It was unfair, however, to the Black Student Union at Roseville High School when its celebratory event was tied directly to those involved in the fighting when both police and school officials say they’re still gathering information about that night. I’m all for accountability, but our kids also deserve protection. For their generation, capturing the moment is more important than anything. I’m sure some of the kids who witnessed the fighting — that reportedly moved from a Chick-fil-A to a Raising Cane’s restaurant — did what many kids do and stuck around to put the drama on their social media timelines. That’s not the best use of their time, but it’s also a significant difference from “up to 200 people involved” in a riot-like skirmish.
My daughter is a member of the Black Student Union at her school. I’ve attended multiple events that have displayed a beautiful unity among students across the African diaspora. It’s a touching display to see Black folks with roots across the world come together and tell their story. These kids get it.
The adults who were responsible for ensuring that they’d be judged according to who they are as individuals as details about the Roseville fight emerged, unfortunately, may not get it.
Myron Medcalf is a local columnist for Star Tribune and recipient of the 2022 Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award for general column writing.
Northern State 35, Concordia (St. Paul) 34: Wyatt Block’s 2-yard TD run and the PAT with 10 seconds remaining lifted the Wolves past the host Golden Bears. Block’s touchdown capped an 11-play, 72-yard drive by the Wolves, who trailed 24-7 in the second quarter. Jeff Isotalo-McGuire’s 34-yard field goal with three minutes, 32 seconds remaining gave the Golden Bears a 34-28 lead.
Winona State 31, Bemidji State 28: Cade Stenstrom rushed for two TDs and passed for 150 yards and a TD to help the host Warriors outlast the Beavers. Stenstrom’s 1-yard TD run and the PAT with two minutes, 10 seconds remaining gave the Warriors a 31-21 lead. The Beavers responded with an 11-play, 93-yard drive to pull within 31-28 with 18 seconds remaining but the Warriors recovered the ensuing kickoff.
Div. I-AA
North Dakota State 59, Murray State 6: The top-ranked Bison built a 42-3 lead in the first half and went on to defeat the host Racers in Murray, Ken. CharMar Brown ran for 97 yards and three TDs for the Bison.
South Dakota State 20, South Dakota 17 (OT): Amar Johnson’s 3-yard TD run in overtime lifted the host Jackrabbits to the victory. The Coyotes opened the OT with a 40-yard field goal.
Youngstown State 41, North Dakota 40 (OT): The host Penguins went first in OT and scored and then stopped North Dakota’s two-point conversion to hold on for the victory. The Penguins sent the game into OT on a 35-yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining.
Div. III
Augsburg 35, St. Olaf 34 (OT): The host Auggies stopped a two-point conversion in overtime to outlast the Oles. The Auggies went first in the overtime and scored on a 25-yard pass from Ryan Harvey to Tyrone Wilson. It was Harvey’s fifth TD pass — the fourth to Wilson. After the Auggies’ PAT, the Oles scored on a 25-yard TD pass from Theo Doran to Braden Menz. But the Oles’ pass attempt for the conversion failed.
After splitting their two-game West Coast trip to begin the season, the Wolves improved to 2-1 with a 112-101 win over Toronto in their home opener. It was a wire-to-wire win that featured some strong bursts of play from the Wolves and other times when their decision-making was suspect. But those moments when they were on, specifically the start of the game and most of the third quarter, were enough to carry them against a shorthanded Raptors team that was without RJ Barrett, Bruce Brown and Immanuel Quickley.
Julius Randle had 24 points while Anthony Edwards had 24 on 21 shot attempts. Donte DiVincenzo had 16 off the bench. Nickeil Alexander-Walker left the game in the fourth quarter and did not return, though he was in the bench area for the final minutes after going to the locker room briefly.
The Wolves’ starting lineup had its best stretch of basketball on the season after that unit started off sluggish in the first two games. Mike Conley, who was 3-for-16 to open the year, hit two early threes to set the tone, though Conley would finish 2-for-8.
Donte DiVincenzo replaced him at point guard halfway through the quarter and continued the hot shooting from the point guard slot with three threes of his own. The Wolves forced five Toronto turnovers and had a 32-18 lead after one.
Coach Chris Finch toyed with some different lineup combinations in the first half as he had Conley and DiVincenzo begin the quarter together while having Joe Ingles run the point later in the quarter. It led to an uneven second, and the Wolves led 56-44 at halftime.
But the Wolves played inspired coming out of the break. Jaden McDaniels, who didn’t take a shot in the first half, had nine points in the opening minutes of the third. Edwards hit a pair of threes as they pushed their lead to 22. The Wolves weren’t sharp closing the night, and the Raptors had the game within right inside of two minutes, but the Wolves had built enough of a cushion.
Rudy Gobert. Gobert had 15 points and 13 rebounds and was the beneficiary of some lobs from his teammates like Edwards, Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Joe Ingles. Gobert also finished with four blocks.
Gobert had two blocks on one possession in the fourth quarter that got the crowd off its feet and Gobert pounding his chest. Gobert blocked D.J. Carton and Jamison Battle.
Star Tribune
Trump denigrates Detroit while appealing for votes in a suburb of Michigan’s largest city
NOVI, Mich. — Donald Trump further denigrated Detroit while appealing for votes Saturday in a suburb of the largest city in swing state Michigan.
”I think Detroit and some of our areas makes us a developing nation,” the former president told supporters in Novi. He said people want him to say Detroit is ”great,” but he thinks it ”needs help.”
The Republican nominee for the White House had told an economic group in Detroit earlier this month that the ”whole country will end up being like Detroit” if Democrat Kamala Harris wins the presidency. That comment drew harsh criticism from Democrats who praised the city for its recent drop in crime and growing population.
Trump’s stop in Novi, after an event Friday night in Traverse City, is a sign of Michigan’s importance in the tight race. Harris is scheduled for a rally in Kalamazoo later Saturday with former first lady Michelle Obama on the first day that early in-person voting becomes available across Michigan. More than 1.4 million ballots have already been submitted, representing 20% of registered voters. Trump won the state in 2016, but Democrat Joe Biden carried it four years later.
Michigan is home to major car companies and the nation’s largest concentration of members of the United Auto Workers. It also has a significant Arab American population, and many have been frustrated by the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza after the attack by Hamas against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
During his rally, Trump spotlighted local Muslim and Arab American leaders who joined him on stage. These voters ”could turn the election one way or the other,” Trump said, adding that he was banking on ”overwhelming support” from those voters in Michigan.
“When President Trump was president, it was peace,” said one of those leaders, Mayor Bill Bazzi of Dearborn Heights. ”We didn’t have any issues. There was no wars.”
While Trump is trying to capitalize on the community’s frustration with the Democratic administration, he has a history of policies hostile to this group, including a travel ban targeting Muslim countries while in office and a pledge to expand it to include refugees from Gaza if he wins on Nov. 5.
