DFL chair says those involved in Mpls. endorsement convention fight could be banned from party

Minnesota's DFL chairman says people involved in a violent convention disruption could now be banned from the party. This was the scene at the Minneapolis Ward 10 convention on Saturday. Supporters of incumbent council member Aisha Chugtai and challenger Nasri Warsame had to be separated. It happened when Warsame supporters stormed the stage ahead of a Chugtai speech. Multiple people had to go to the hospital. Tonight, a party volunteer trying to keep order tells WCCO's Adam Duxter something needs to change. If you look close through the skirmish at Saturday's Ward 10 convention.

Yeah, there I am in that corner there. You'll see Quentin Watum O'Chama trying his best to stop it. It's a disruption. It was chaos. It was. I've never seen anything like this. And I've been doing this over a decade.

At that point, we had chaos. Absolute chaos. A DFL volunteer in charge of keeping order, he says right before candidate speeches, Nasri Warsame and his supporters disrupted and then took the stage. He says not only did they throw items, they threw fists. Next, UC Watum O'Chama helped current council member Aisha Chugtai and her supporters out of side door. I think some folks came in and intentionally disrupted our process. I was very fearful for her at that moment that folks were going to come and put hands on her.

Multiple people, including another party volunteer, went to the hospital. Police came and the convention was postponed before a party endorsement. In a tweet, the party chair says they'll call an emergency meeting to ban anyone engaged in violence. Today, Watum O'Chama says he's frustrated with Warsame and his supporters. He had a duty to help de-escalate the situation. He failed to do that. He failed to do it.

He actively participated in physical intimidation to me and other members. He had to be restrained. He failed as a leader. And that is not somebody we should have on city council. We cannot let this be a play in somebody's playbook in the future that they think they can come and use these kind of tactics to disrupt our process to get a result they want. Adam Dock, Sturdovy, CCO News. In a statement, Nasir Warsame posted a photo with a delegate of his own that he says was hospitalized during the disruption, writing, Violence and unfairness have no place in our democracy.

Minneapolis police say no criminal charges have been filed at this time.

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