Minnesota State Fair (KFGO file)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KFGO/WCCO) – There’s a hearing Wednesday on an injunction to try to stop an alleged gang fight from taking place at the Minnesota State Fair.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Ramsey County Attorney John Choi filed the lawsuits in an effort to prevent members of two rival gangs from taking part in a fight.
“We’re going to prove to a judge that these guys were threatening each other,” Ellison said. “We’ll show the court the threats that they were making online, and we’ll show that the individuals involved have a history of violent behavior, including assaults and gun crimes.”
Ellison says if the judge approves the injunction, members of the gangs would not be able to interact with one another on the fairgrounds.
“Or if they throw a sign, some of them have little hand signs designed to insult each other, you know, like think about somebody giving someone the finger,” he explains. “And if they do that to a rival, that that would subject them to arrest as well.”
The Minnesota State Fair begins in just over a week. Ellison says there are people behind the scenes still working on preventing violence from breaking out at the state’s largest gathering.
“There’s a group of clergy people, who are engaging these young people now,” Ellison adds. “There are folks who are community leaders talking to them now saying that this is intolerable and not OK, based on community values and standards.”
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