Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges told FOX 9 All Day on Thursday that officers are confronting Somali American gangs. He recalled earlier periods of Hmong American, African American, and Italian gang activity as well as other groups across U.S. history.

Hodges stressed that the large majority of Somali Americans hold jobs and pursue ordinary lives, so the community as a whole should not be judged by a small number of members. He argued that a problem cannot be solved unless it is first named, and he called it absurd that fear of a racism charge now outweighs the need to resolve the issue.