MANITOBA justice officials plan to deport the alleged "godfather" of the Mad Cowz gang in the latest attack against ongoing street violence, the Free Press has learned.
Yassim Ibrahim, 24, has racked up a lengthy criminal record since coming to Canada from Somalia in 1999 along with his mother and four siblings.
His stay in Canada will be extended because he still has one charge pending -- an allegation he took out another man's eyeball during a 2005 brawl inside Headingley Jail. The case is set for trial this fall.
Loretta Nyhus, a spokeswoman with Canada Border Services, told the Free Press "It is our mandate to remove criminals from the country."
Ibrahim vowed Thursday to fight attempts to remove him from Canada, telling the Free Press he is being targeted because of the colour of his skin.
"They don't want any black people in this city," he said in a telephone interview from the Brandon Correctional Institute. He also accused justice officials of using Manitoba jails "like Guantanamo Bay" against his people.
"I'm not a terrorist. I'm not an extremist," he said.
Ibrahim was practically begging to get out of the country just two years ago during a preliminary hearing on a stabbing charge of which he was eventually convicted.
"I want to leave Canada. I'm disgusted with Canada. I don't respect the law because the law doesn't respect me," he told a judge during a lengthy rant. His lawyer tried several times to muzzle him but was unsuccessful.
"The law here is racist. Canada is racist."
A fellow Mad Cowz member, Hussein Jilaow, was sent packing to Somalia earlier this summer despite his claims he could be killed upon his return.
Many within the justice community applauded the move because it sent a strong message to street gang members, particularly those largely comprised of immigrants.
Ibrahim would have already joined Jilaow back in Somalia if not for the pending criminal charge. If convicted, he will first have to serve his sentence before being kicked out of the country.
His criminal record includes the attempted murder of a rival gang member who was repeatedly stabbed in the stomach, two counts of assault with a weapon and a simple assault.
"I'm not proud of my past and I'm, sorry that I've broken the law. But I don't consider myself a criminal," Ibrahim said Thursday.
"I'm someone who got myself off the right path."
Ibrahim said he witnessed his father shot and killed, grew up in a refugee camp and came to Canada with nothing but hope for a brighter future.
"I was a beautiful kid who had a dream at one time to be a doctor. But I became a street hustler, selling crack," he said.
Ibrahim said police have accused him of being a "godfather" to younger African immigrants and recruiting them into the gang lifestyle upon their arrival in Winnipeg. He denied encouraging others to follow his criminal path.
"I admit I'm not perfect, I'm not Jesus," he said.
"But if you treat me with respect, I'll treat you with respect."
Ibrahim said Thursday he won't be a "coward" and fight deportation on the same grounds that Jilaow did -- that his life would be in danger if sent back to Somalia.
In that case, "if I have to go, I'll go," he added.
He said justice officials have deemed him too dangerous to stay in Canada based partly on charges that have been dropped, including a sexual assault allegation. He said that is unfair.
Jilaow was deported after 13 convictions for violent offences dating back to 1999 while he was a high-ranking member of the Mad Cowz.
The same gang was involved in a series of high-profile October 2005 attacks with members of the African Mafia that culminated in the shooting death of innocent bystander Phil Haiart, who got caught in the crossfire.
A youth was convicted of his role in the killing, while 19-year-old Jeff Cansanay was acquitted when rival gang members refused to testify and their videotaped statements weren't allowed into evidence. The Crown has filed an appeal.
www.mikeoncrime.com
PREVIOUS
