Police investigating overnight burglary of Somali day care in south Minneapolis

A burglar broke into a Somali-run day care in south Minneapolis this week, leaving a trail of damage and debris and, workers say, stealing sensitive employee and client documents.

A cleaner discovered the wreckage at Nokomis Daycare Center Inc. around 6 a.m. on Dec. 30 before the facility opened, then quickly alerted management.

The break-in comes several days after a YouTube video by right-wing influencer Nick Shirley went viral; the video alleged that a group of day care centers operated by Somalis in Minneapolis has misappropriated “upwards of $100 million.”

Nokomis Daycare was not among the 10 centers featured in Shirley’s video.

The state Department of Human Services website says the facility is operating in good standing and is licensed to care for up to 71 children.

Nasrulah Mohamed, the business’ 20-year-old manager, said the breach has led to “immense fear” in the community, at a time in which the Somali diaspora is already under threat.

“We’re honest; We don’t do any fraud or nothing,” Mohamed told the Minnesota Star Tribune. “All this happened today — not because of the truth or the facts, but all because of fear and lies."

A tour of the facility also showed a splintered door to the day care’s front office, where workers say file cabinets were rummaged through. Mohamed believes the burglar kicked in the door before absconding with employee payroll documents and client files.

Responding officers advised the center to cancel services for the day until repairs could be made, so employees called each family to alert them.

Although workers alleged an unknown number of documents were taken, Minneapolis police later told the Star Tribune that their written report indicated that “nothing had been stolen from the office or the daycare center.”

The breach came amid a series of harassing phone calls to the center, which dramatically escalated over the weekend following the release of Shirley’s video. Mohamed estimates that their office received approximately 20 such calls since Saturday, including several Tuesday after the break-in.

Two voicemails shared with the Star Tribune contained ethnic slurs and language mocking Islam. The caller seemed to be the same in both calls.

It’s not immediately clear what, if anything, the outdoor security camera at Nokomis Daycare may have captured. A suspect description has not been released.

A secondary hole left a dusty pile of sheared drywall in a storage closet connecting the day care to an adjacent Family Dollar store. David Chester, the assistant manager, said he found the hole in their wall when he opened the store about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

“As far as we can tell, they never left the back room,” he said, noting that their internet cable was also ripped out of the wall. Both businesses filed police reports.

Given heightened anti-Somali rhetoric — including by President Donald Trump, who referred to Somalis as “garbage” in November — local mosques added security during prayer services. Residents now worry day cares will need to follow suit.

“Now it’s worse because kids are not safe,” said Amina Adan, a Somali community organizer. “Schools are closed and parents need to work. What are you gonna do with kids now if child cares are not safe.”