Gang injunctions worked at Minnesota State Fair, officials say

Mara H. Gottfried, Pioneer Press on Sep 8, 2026

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — There were no violations of civil gang injunctions at or around the Minnesota State Fair, officials said Tuesday, the day after the 12-day event ended.

This year’s was the safest Fair in the last three years, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said Tuesday.

“There was very little conflict,” he said. “We did have a handful of arrests, but most of the gang members did not show up.” Fights that occurred were not gang-related, according to Fletcher.

Before the Fair, seven of 10 alleged gang members agreed to stay away from the Fair, and a judge ordered three more people to not associate with gang members if they went to the Fair.

The move came after law enforcement and prosecutors documented clashes between two gangs over the last several years, including two brawls at the Fair in 2024 and 2025, and two shootings one night near the Fairgrounds in 2024.

The Minnesota State Fair Police Department documented 676 assists on medical calls and nine citations/arrests from Aug. 27 to Monday. That compared to 355 assists on medical calls and 16 citations/arrests during the Fair last year.

The statistics do no include reports taken by outside agencies, such as the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, St. Paul Police and other departments.

Combination of factors for safety

The two gangs that the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office brought the temporary civil gang injunctions against are primarily Somali. Fletcher, describing what he called “the growth of Somali gang crime,” said in July there had been 100-plus shootings and 14 homicides in the Somali community in the Twin Cities in the last two years.

A gang investigator for the sheriff’s office who testified in court about the civil gang injunctions said there were recent social media threats of violence that mentioned this year’s Fair.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said Tuesday he thinks the injunctions “worked remarkably well.”

“I have not heard of any instance in which any of the individuals that were named in the injunctions were present at the Fair and I know the team of gang investigators was there largely from the beginning until the end,” he said.

A combination of factors led to the safe Fair, according to Fletcher.

The nonprofit Youth Legacy had “mentors on the grounds to talk to young people on a regular basis and they were very helpful in neutralizing some of the tension,” the sheriff said.

There were additional deputies working, so their staffing “in the Midway increased significantly, too,” Fletcher added.

“Our No. 1 priority is to create a safe and secure environment for everyone who attends the Minnesota State Fair, and we did just that this year,” State Fair Police Chief Ron Knafla said in a Tuesday statement. “I am grateful for partnerships with more than 20 local, state and federal agencies whose expertise and support provided us with a multitude of resources that strengthened every aspect of our public safety operation.”

Before the Fair, separate from the injunctions, Fletcher sent letters to 233 young people, saying if they attended with people known to be gang members, their “association with them will be documented for potential future prosecution.”

Seeking gang injunctions are situation dependent and, since there were not problems at this year’s Fair, there wouldn’t be evidence for a gang injunction for next summer — unless there is evidence from other situations that point to a potential problem at next year’s Fair, Choi said.

“I do think this kind of proactive, focused deterrence effort — which I would characterize the injunctions as — are a tool in the toolbox that people should be thinking about, not only for the State Fair, but for other community events that are critically important to the community,” Choi said.

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