Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin responded to recent racist and xenophobic comments made by President Donald Trump on Tuesday about the Somali community in Minnesota, which has the largest Somali population in the country.
Columbus is home to the second-largest Somali community in the United States, with an estimated 70,000 people.
Hardin posted on Facebook Thursday morning that he was disguised by the president’s comments. The post details the importance of the Somali community, and other immigrant communities, to Ohio’s workforce. Hardin’s post ends decisively, “Columbus rejects this racist bulls---.”
Hardin also shared that a Somali-American friend revealed he carries his passport with him in fear of being detained by ICE.
“That was on Monday night, the day before these comments from the president,” Hardin told WOSU. “I just want our residents and our community to know really what fear looks like and feels like and that they're talking about people you know. This is not abstract. We are talking about people that you know who are living day to day in real fear.”
State Representative Ismail Mohamed, a Columbus Democrat and Somali-American, had a similar reaction. Mohamed represents a large Somali population and called the president’s remarks hateful and bigoted.
“I mean, referring to an entire community as garbage is just as low as you can get honestly,” Mohamed said. “These are hardworking Americans, most of them being naturalized Americans as well, that want to contribute to the fabric of this country and they have.”
Both Mohamed and Hardin have called on central Ohioans to speak up in support of their Somali neighbors.
