WILLMAR – The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations wants a western Minnesota man charged with a hate crime after an incident at a farmers market last weekend.
Willmar police were called to the farmers market about 11 a.m. Saturday on a report that a man had allegedly been cursing at a young Somali-American man selling vegetables at a stand.
According to law enforcement reports, the suspect then threw a pig’s foot at the man.
The Willmar Police Department identified the suspect as Joseph Fernkes, 61, of Willmar.
CAIR-MN now wants Fernkes charged with a hate crime.
“If you curse a person’s faith and then throw an object clearly designed to offend and intimidate, you should be charged with a hate crime,” said CAIR-MN Civil Rights Director Amir Malik, in a news release.
According to a Willmar police press release, several people witnessed the incident and some provided photos of Fernkes, who left the area on a wheelchair scooter.
Officers then found Fernkes and issued a citation for disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor charge requiring a court appearance. If the crime was not witnessed by a licensed officer, it is not an arrestable offense, the police release said.
The CAIR-MN release said Fernkes cursed Islam’s Prophet Mohammad and used anti-Muslim slurs. Further, people often use pig or pork products to offend Muslims, who do not eat pork.
Source: twincities
