Ismail A.,
Minneapolis, MN.

My name is Ismail and I live in Minneapolis. I am Somali and I live with my family in an apartment building. A lot of different people live in my building, Latinos, Asians, Africans, African Americans and white people. The manager of the building is mean to the Somali people. She always watches on the security camera who comes in to visit my family and the other Somali families. She does not do this to the other people who live there, only the Somali people. She also has a resident watch for her at night and report which Somali people she sees come in and out. The manager doesn’t let us have any visitors spend the night but the other residents who aren’t Somali can. Many of our Somali friends moved out of the building because the manager bothered them and controlled them too much. We finally called the police because it was too much and we realized she was only watching the Somali people. The police helped and explained to the manager that she can’t discriminate against Somali people and it’s against the law. The manager doesn’t talk to us anymore and I finally feel comfortable in my home. I felt scared having someone watch me all of the time and my family didn’t feel free in our own house.