A couple from Minneapolis, accused of racial discrimination against two Somali women searching for a home, claim they were the ones subjected to racial slurs.
Brian and Jen Wagner became the center of attention when a video of their confrontation with two Somali sisters in Shakopee went viral last month. Shakopee is located just southwest of Minneapolis.
Identified by their first names as Hamdi and Sumaya, the sisters reported being approached by the Wagners while they were viewing properties in the neighborhood.
The video, which the sisters posted online, captures Brian stating, “Nobody wants you here. Not a single person here wants you. I can smell you from here.”
Brian told Alpha News that the portion of the altercation shared on social media didn’t capture the entire incident, suggesting there is more context not shown in the video.
‘The public saw a shortened, selective clip showing my reaction, but not the events that led up to it. Before that video began, racial slurs were directed at me,’ he said.
According to Brian, the sisters called him a ‘f***ing white cracker’, as well as a ‘redneck’ before they started recording him. A ‘cracker’ is an offensive term for a white person.
The couple also released footage captured by a passenger, in which the two women can be seen shouting angrily at the Wagners.
Brian and Jen Wagner were caught in a now viral video arguing with two Somali sisters in Shakopee, last month
For Wagner and his wife, they have been left dealing with the consequences, saying he had lost his job and his wife’s daycare business had been targeted
Brian added: ‘Their vehicle doors remained open and the cars were left running in the street while I remained on the sidewalk.’
The sisters have since spoken with Kare11, claiming they had just left a home tour when they were approached by the couple.
Hamdi told the outlet that Wagner said ‘we don’t want you guys here’, adding: ‘That was our first interaction. It wasn’t even a “hi, what are you guys doing here?”‘
In the footage, Brian also appeared to reference ongoing fraud investigations in Minnesota that have been connected to the Somali community.
He questioned the two, saying: ‘Where’d you get your money for the house? All you do is steal.’
Sumaya told the outlet: ‘To take an entire group and say the whole Somali population commits fraud is heartbreaking.
‘We’ve been in this country, we were born and raised here, our parents have been here for a very long time. We don’t own any businesses; we are very hardworking individuals.’
The sisters said they planned to file a police report against the Wagners.
The two women wore face coverings during their sit-down with the outlet, with Wagner telling Alpha News he wanted them to show their faces.
In the footage, Brian said: ‘Nobody wants you here. Not a single person here wants you’
Seidlich Law, who represent the couple, said the video was being ‘weaponized’ to ‘create a false narrative to negatively characterize the Wagner family as ‘racist’
He said: ‘Show the world who you are. You showed the world who we are.’
Wagner and his wife have been left dealing with the consequences, saying he had lost his job and his wife’s daycare business had been targeted.
Besides that, he claimed their phones had been bombarded with threatening texts and voicemails, causing them to change their numbers.
He added: ‘We have asked our legal team to pursue and seek prosecution for any criminal acts committed against us.
‘We are lifelong Minnesotans and proud Americans. We intend to put these events behind us and move forward with the next chapter of our lives.
‘We are deeply grateful for the support we have received from our neighbors, family, friends, and members of our community.’
Seidlich Law, who represent the couple, said the video was being ‘weaponized’ to ‘create a false narrative to negatively characterize the Wagner family as ‘racist.’
‘This incomplete video is being used to coordinate a cyberbullying campaign against an honest, patriotic, kind, and hard-working family,’ the law firm said.
The firm said they ‘categorically deny’ any implications that they were racially targeting the Somali family, and accused the person filming of ‘playing the victim.’