Grand Forks Mayor says he was misrepresented in Washington Post article
After being quoted in a recent Washington Post article on the arson at Juba Coffee House, Grand Forks Mayor Mike Brown said the way his words were presented doesn't reflect how he feels about the local immigrant community.
In the Tuesday article, which was written by Post reporter Robert Samuels, the arson of the Somali restaurant at 2017 S. Washington St. is framed within the context of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's call to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. The article also describes the immigrant and refugee population in Grand Forks.
Police have not released a motive behind the arson attack, though speculation has portrayed the fire as a hate crime against Muslims. The blaze was started days after the words "go home" and Nazi symbols were spray-painted on the restaurant's front windows.
Police have not said if the two incidents are related. The FBI is investigating the fire to determine if any federal laws were broken.
Brown's quotes come midway through the article.
"People here are a little scared of them," Brown is quoted as saying of the refugees.
His quote continues: "If you don't fully integrate, what do you do? I don't know. Maybe you deport them."
Asked what he meant, Brown said he didn't recall speaking the words. He said if the Post had printed them, he must have done so and suggested he likely said the quote during a phone interview with Samuels.
"I said, as a community, we have expectations," Brown told the Herald. "We expect people to come here, we expect people to go to school, we expect them to graduate, we expect them to feed and clothe their families and we expect them to obey the law, ... and then he kept pushing: What if this doesn't work out? What if that doesn't work out? What if this doesn't work out? Should we deport them?
"It had been push, push, push ... what if this doesn't work, and then it was like, well, maybe deport. But it wouldn't be my first choice because I have no power for that."
Brown described his attendance at local events like cultural festivals and the Global Friends Coalition picnic, part of efforts to make the community seem welcoming. He also said he was the co-founder of the Immigrant Integration Initiative in the mid-2000s, a committee that "keeps the door open" between the immigrant community and the rest of Grand Forks.
"Deport's not in my lexicon, and it's not in my power," he said. "As mayor, my job is to facilitate communication, build safety nets and facilitate the discussion."
Matthew William Gust, 25, East Grand Forks, has been charged with a Class B felony in Grand Forks District Court after allegedly throwing a 40-ounce beer bottle filled with gasoline through the windows of Juba, starting a fire that caused an estimated $90,000 in damage, police said.
He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. His preliminary hearing has been set for Jan. 19.