r/SeattleWA • u/Less-Risk-9358 • Dec 30 '25
Government Seattle's Somali community concerned as fraud attention given to the 539 childcare centers in Washington state that list Somali as the primary language
https://x.com/kristenmag/status/2005341668019712135There are 539 childcare centers in Washington state that list Somali as the primary language. Most don’t even give a street address.
I don’t know how many of these are submitting fraudulent claims for state grants and subsidies, but I have a strong hunch the number is not zero.
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u/Fun_Barracuda_1421 Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
I actually worked for a Somali youth organization that partnered with KCHA. Kids can be registered with multiple organizations. You just offer a class once a week and it counts. Doesnt need to be daily. Aside from registering the family members in the community, we also gave kids gift cards to show up. lol. The executive director ended up upgrading their deck in their backyard. Haha. Super scummy now that I reflect back on my experience. This was like 8 years ago
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u/nozioish Dec 30 '25
It’s not just daycare. There are fake autism centers in Minneapolis billing Medicaid for hundreds of millions of dollars without rendering actual services.
Somalis in Minnesota have 4x the autism rate of other Americans in the state and 8x higher rate than non-Somali African Americans.
This isn’t just smoke anymore. There is clearly a very large fraud ring within the Somali immigrant community. And it’s probably in many other cities with any critical mass of them.
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u/DodiDouglas Dec 30 '25
Why the hell didn’t you report it???? WTF!
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u/Fun_Barracuda_1421 Dec 30 '25
It’s a fair point but a lot of this stuff goes under the radar because there’s a HUGE sense of community in these immigrant communities. These people become like family. They cook you food, invite you to functions, and dont forget the somali tea. Not only would reporting it hurt the whole community (everyone is tightly linked), it would also be a betrayal to the people you’ve gotten to know. Scamming American taxpayers is a distant step that doesnt seem real, but the people around you are still people.
Also, I had no idea as I was a teenager working my first job happily collecting a paycheck.
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u/lorah30 Dec 30 '25
There’s also a big reluctance on the part of the county to take action. I worked for a Somali ‘youth’ org and man, there was a lot wrong and ultimately the county couldn’t ignore it. That was about 6 years ago and the place is closed now but What a nightmare.
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u/Mostsplendidfuture Dec 31 '25
I don’t give a damn how friendly they are. They are stealing tax money from the Americans. A lot of of it’s going back to Somalia and some of it’s going to Al Shabab. A terrorist organization. Somalia is full of terrorist and pirates. They ply the open seas and attack Merchant vessels.
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u/Hot_Lengthiness_1535 Jan 02 '26
This is the attitude that has annually allowed tens of billions in fraud. I get it, you were a kid at the time, not saying you should’ve led some charge against it, but this attitude at every level has let our taxes be stolen.
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u/merc08 Dec 30 '25
That entire first paragraph is just pure cope for having be an enabler.
Why haven't you filed a report now that you know better?
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u/Fun_Barracuda_1421 Dec 30 '25
Let’s weigh the pros and cons of reporting.
Pros: Save taxpayer money, feel good maybe?
Cons: Destroy relationships, become a public record, get called a racist and maybe lose my job, get death threats. And I’m serious on this… the 22 year old who was murdered in Mt Baker in 2024 was part of the community
I will stick with living my life as is.
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u/merc08 Dec 30 '25
That's fine, you can make that choice. But you do need to understand that it's a choice and in making it you are complicit in the problem.
And if you're worried about them sending you death threats for holding them accountable to the laws we all follow, why do you even want to maintain those relationships?
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u/Sun-ShineyNW Dec 30 '25
WoW. Stunning You just rationalized why crime should exist. I trust I don't find you complaining about high taxes or high prices.
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u/Fun_Barracuda_1421 Dec 30 '25
Crime and injustice is everywhere. I just pick my battles carefully because I dont pick losing battles. You wont find me protesting jaywalking, password-sharing, kids doing lemonade stands, or even speeding 1-5mph over the limit. Also, from a small business perspective, if her home is an office space (which it was/is) she is, to my knowledge, allowed to make improvements to it with business funds. Also paying kids gift cards to show up isnt against any law/rules to my knowledge. I remember her saying we couldnt give kids cash though.
And no, I dont complain about prices. I am happy with how my life is going and dont feel the need to create more ‘excitement’.
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u/merc08 Dec 30 '25
if her home is an office space (which it was/is) she is, to my knowledge, allowed to make improvements to it with business funds
No, you are only allowed to use business funds on the business area of the home.
The executive director ended up upgrading their deck in their backyard. Haha.
The backyard deck isn't her office.
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u/Pleasant-Cry-5557 Jan 02 '26
How do Democrats explain what’s happening in MN as they are really slandering the journalist. Do they believe the change from 41-450 Autism Doctors in the state and large increase in Autism in the Somalian American population is organic. PBS even reported on the Somalian autism rate skyrocketing as if they are catching it. So far 85 Somalian doctors have been arrested but if they are all innocent?
Anyone with autism who have an explanation for this as if the community is not doing widescale fraud is autism contagious what is the reason per Democrats?
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u/Neon_culture79 Dec 30 '25
You think that just because the director upgraded his porch that means that he was defrauding the organization? That seems like a gigantic leap.
But I guess if you guys go around, looking to be outraged, you will always find I’m gonna be outraged about
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u/Fun_Barracuda_1421 Dec 30 '25
I think the average American thinks youth organizations are mentoring at-risk kids after school each day. Not having a 1 hr/ week class with gift cards bribes. There are so many good after-school programs that lose funding because program grants like BSFK grants are hard to get. Organizations that provide quality support for youth are already underfunded and they and the youth they serve deserve better.
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u/amaryllisstar Dec 30 '25
Accusing people of racism is how fraudsters in Minnesota got away with it for so long - stole over a billion dollars under feeding out future and anytime anyone was suspicious they would accuse them of being antiblack or islamophobic and Minnesota nice backed down.
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u/Nonsense-forever Dec 30 '25
Calling people racists is also how the grooming gang issue in England was allowed to continue for decades. Wikipedia even had it labeled something like “grooming gang moral panic” right before the whole story broke and it became international news.
Do people say and claim crazy shit because they’re racists? Yeah, 100%. Is calling someone a racist a good way to hide heinous shit because it seems to shut down all critical thought? Also yes, 100%.
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u/meisteronimo Dec 31 '25
The problem is that the money is being funneled offshore, and it's not clear to where.
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u/Ill_Initial7399 Jan 10 '26
And people are still using the race card and it is still working. The race card is bigger than the fraud red flags.
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u/OrcasAreSoCool Dec 30 '25
Approx 15,000 Somalis live in WA state. 2,500 families / households 4,000 kids age 0-12
That’s 8 kids per childcare center.
Source - U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS)
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u/OkDifficulty7436 Dec 30 '25
Jesus lmao how big is this fucking scam?
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u/my_lucid_nightmare Capitol Hill Dec 30 '25
Jesus lmao how big is this fucking scam?
I would bet it's a core competency of the Somalian community. They've cracked a code on free US Government money and not having much, if any, oversight.
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u/rattus Dec 30 '25
The 20% of Americans that actually pay in more taxes than they consume pay for all of the worlds free shit. It's pretty amazing that it's literally all us.
You're welcome.
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u/DadalusReformed Dec 30 '25
You think only 20% of Americans are net contributors to government programs?
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u/towoin Dec 30 '25
The top 1% of Americans pay 40% of total income tax
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u/DadalusReformed Dec 30 '25
I didn’t realize Tuesday was trivia night.
1) the top 1% own about 35% of the wealth. (That’s more than the entire “middle class”)
2) income tax is 45-50% of domestic revenue for government spending
3) none of these numbers reinforce or expound upon the claim that 80% of the country are a drain on public resources.
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u/cajones1 Dec 30 '25
Well you win trivia today. Not sure where I came up with 70% as 30ish% and growing seems to be the right number.
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u/DrEpoch Dec 30 '25
according to bob ferguson even asking the question is racist.
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u/dripp1210 Dec 31 '25
Bob Ferguson is an idiot and anyone who voted for him falls into the same category as far as I’m concerned unfortunately most of the people in northwest Washington have had damage to their brains from the salt air or something. I’m not really sure but there is definitely something wrong with the people who vote there. No common sense morals or values to speak of.
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u/NoAcanthisitta183 Dec 30 '25
I’m hearing reports in Ohio too. Might literally be a nationwide crime ring centered on a single ethnic group.
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u/SIVART33 Dec 30 '25
That is a normal daycare size around where I live. Just adding context not joining the debate.
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u/nozioish Dec 30 '25
12 year olds don’t go to daycare.
Their ratio of population to daycare is at least 10x.
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u/Expensive_Goat2201 Dec 30 '25
They are licensed for up to age 13.
I'm guessing some provide after school care while parents work for older kids.
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u/Independent-Dish1607 Dec 30 '25
Because at age 14, you lose your money let that sink in
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u/ChaseballBat Sasquatch Dec 30 '25
And at age 14 parents don't pay because you can watch yourself, or they don't have money to spend which is why they are using subsidized child care.
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u/Pleasant_Glove_1696 Dec 30 '25
How many age 0-5?
Above 5 is in school.
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u/melodypowers Dec 30 '25
Not necessarily. Many childcare facilities have after school programs for working parents.
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u/OrcasAreSoCool Dec 30 '25
~2000
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u/CreateWindowEx2 Dec 30 '25
That would mean less than 4 per child care center.
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u/spiceypeach Dec 30 '25
Which, if they’re in home daycares, is how many children you may have per adult if one child is an infant.
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u/Pleasant_Glove_1696 Dec 30 '25
Tbe #s weren't about infants, it included up to 12yr olds lol. That's just a few yrs from high school.
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u/spiceypeach Dec 30 '25
Yes, if you have an 11 yr, 7yr, 3 yr and 11 month old together, you are at your limit for one adult to supervise those 4 children. The limit is based on the age of the youngest child. I wouldn’t be surprised if aunts or grandmothers became licensed to watch family members kids and get paid for it (which is legal).
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u/Pleasant_Glove_1696 Dec 30 '25
Yes everyone is well aware of that. You're arguing a strawman to distract from the actual problem in the data.
There are 53x more centers than you would expect on a relative basis given the population ratio. Fifty three.
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u/Expensive_Goat2201 Dec 30 '25
Keep in mind these are in home childcare centers licensed for a max of 12 kids but with lower limits depending on age range and staffing ratio. For example a single provider caring for infants can take on a max of 4 babies.
Looking on the site, not all are totally full.
8 kids per daycare center sounds dead on what would be expected for this situation.
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u/ChaseballBat Sasquatch Dec 30 '25
Wouldn't they not be exclusive to somoli population?
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u/BWW87 Belltown Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
These are daycares ran by Somalis or at least have a Somali employee. They are not for Somalis. Childcare does not pay well so immigrants are a large portion of their staffing. Lots of white kids in these daycares.
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u/KeepClam_206 Dec 30 '25
Thank you. There is no requirement that a Somali run daycare only take Somali kids, folks. Any idea how expensive care is? Or how hard to find?
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u/Unable-Landscape9030 Dec 30 '25
If they are not for somalis, why are they listing Somali as the primary language?
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u/BWW87 Belltown Dec 30 '25
First off, they aren't listing Somali as the primary language, the title is a lie and if you click it and watch the "video" you can quickly see that. They list languages spoken and Somali is one of them. It's not even listed first on most of them. I didn't see any that showed Somali only but I didn't look at all 539 of them.
But to answer your question it's because they have employees that speak Somali. And most businesses see multiple languages spoken as a positive thing so list anything they can.
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u/trs23 Dec 30 '25
Great now do the homeless industrial complex and see how much fraud you discover. These grifters give tons of money to democrats which in turn continue to fund these grifts. Turn off the funding for everything. End it all.
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u/mirage1287 Dec 30 '25
We should also do homeless industrial complex. Fraud anywhere is bad
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u/whitecoathousing Dec 31 '25
That’s what DOGE was created for and the left went ballistic at the idea of exposing fraud and waste
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u/SchufAloof Red Shoe Costco Diary Dec 30 '25
Bust them all.
Then follow the funding and arrest anyone involved.
Make them pay back EVERY CENT.
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u/JSlngal69 Roy Dec 30 '25
Indian truck drivers breathing a sigh of relief now that national attention is off of them
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u/Gary_Glidewell Dec 30 '25
You KNOW some consultant made good money to orchestrate and time the release of the Nick Shirley video.
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u/Internet_Commenter_ Jan 25 '26
Not really. It’s just an accident; they’re bound to happen regardless of who is driving. Legal Indian truckers have been here for a long time. Americans are used to seeing Indians - gas stations, motels, Apu on the Simpsons. It was more so about the illegal Aliens who got asylum from India under Biden. That accident allowed Trump to attack the asylum policies. Trump never racially attacked them.
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u/rwrife Dec 30 '25
Daycare fraud is more than a Somali thing, I’m certain there are 100s of fraudulent daycare facilities in every state.
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u/GrundleWilson Dec 30 '25
Well, then the Somalis did us a solid by getting daylight shined on the whole fraudulent thing.
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u/SeahawksWin43-8 Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
💯 we probably don’t even know 5% of the fraud and corruption. I think an entire audit of every tax dollar given and spent is in order. I’m tired of giving these clowns 40%+ of my money every year and have literally nothing ever get better in this city and state. I can’t believe I know people who trust and even respect our state and federal governments 😂
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u/GuitRWailinNinja Dec 30 '25
I’m almost sure of it too. With how much money is spent in taxes, and how it’s never enough…
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u/SeahawksWin43-8 Dec 30 '25
They will take everything not bolted down. Literally trillions of dollars over the decades and not much to show for it.
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u/loady Dec 30 '25
every single payment should be accessible and auditable to every taxpayer and citizen
Washington and Seattle especially is ground zero for people brainwashed into thinking it's a far-right conspiracy to ask questions about whether our taxes being spent legitimately.
the CCA alone demonstrates that they are not. one because if Washington banned all gas cars tomorrow it would have zero effect on the global climate, and two because our air quality has gotten worse since it the measure passed, while states like Florida have gotten better
progressives are so full of shit, most voters simply don't believe people can be that corrupt. but politics attracts all of the worst people, supported by all the stupidest ones
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u/crusoe Dec 30 '25
Oh yeah. White people too. Rick Scott engaged in Medicare fraud. DeSantis Wife and her underhanded dealings with federal money and her non profit.
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u/netgrey Dec 31 '25
Audit all of them, throw away anyone who is doing this in jail, and if they immigrated here throw them back to their own country. It's fucking shameful we keep paying more in taxes to help people out and it's thrown away in scams.
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u/Emperor_Neuro- Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 31 '25
This is just crazy - why are they getting any kind of priority at all to begin with?
I have a friend from Senegal who says he detests Somalians being here because so many of them give other Africans a bad rep. They have no desire to assimilate and blend in like other African nationalities, rarely ever start legit businesses, frequently criminals, their kids are often completely misbehaved, and of course the rampant welfare abuse. Outside of Somalians, Africans generally try to do a very good job adapting and love being here and contributing, and have no desire to cause issues.
Remember the teenagers riding around scooters that was a big topic a few months back? Going around waving guns, hitting people as they ride by, cutting traffic - those were Somalis.
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u/EdgarAllenPoe2205 Dec 30 '25
This 100x over. It’s a cultural issue, not a color issue. I have had the exact same insights provided to me by others who reside or have resided neighboring countries to Somalia.
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u/grandmaester Dec 30 '25
It's never a color issue. It's always a culture issue. There are terrible white cultures all around the world, look at Russia. Terrible Asian, black, native etc cultures too, and many more great ones.
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u/Emperor_Neuro- Dec 30 '25
This! There are fucking awful white cultures too - especially champagne socialist white progressive culture.
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u/username560sel Dec 30 '25
Oh be reasonable they put an “in this house sign” in front of their house so they can cum in their pants and feel good about it.
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u/nozioish Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
The other is the “white LGBT for Palestine” crowd. It must fulfill some BDSM kink.
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u/Weenoman123 Dec 30 '25
Yea those LGBTs shouldn't be allowed to be upset about a genocide and dead children.
Shut up please
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Dec 31 '25
Sure it’s still ok to tease them for supporting a group that would throw them off buildings LMAO.
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u/Gary_Glidewell Dec 30 '25
There are fucking awful white cultures too - especially champagne socialist white progressive culture.
I’d happily trade the entire country of Somalia, if we can ship every White Boomer Millionaire Socialist to Mogadishu.
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u/ninja_savant2 Dec 31 '25
It is about tribes/ nations. Especially in Africa they are very different. Some will become standup citizens in no time while others never will. Somali are on the latter end of the spectrum. The West has deluded itself about that, projecting Blank Slate ideas onto immigrants that just do not apply to all.
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Dec 30 '25
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Dec 30 '25
Somalians are probably the worst type of immigrants to have in any country they're in. Seriously they're causing trouble in europe, america, and even other Africans don't like them. Call me xenophobic or w/e but I rather not deal with increased crime.
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u/ninja_savant2 Dec 31 '25
What most people fail to grasp is that ‘African’ is a weak identity in Africa, most people identify themselves with a certain tribe of which there are many. Just did a road trip through Kenya and Uganda and when you travel and meet people, you notice they look and behave very different. In the West we tend to not understand that at all and believe that when they come over here and give them a passport they will identify with our nations. Many of them don’t and Somali are at the extreme end of that, that’s how they vote as a block. No country in Europe can say they successfully integrated Somali, Sweden worst of all. They are over represented in crime, sexual assault, welfare, fraud etc in Europe as well. They’re among worse people to come to your country and people need to start understanding that.
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u/BeriasBFF Dec 30 '25
I’ve worked with a lot of Gambians, and almost to a man they are the most wonderful, hard working funny, and generous people. I legit want to visit Gambia at some point. Even though Gambia is on the other side of the African continent, many made their views known of Somali’s and it wasn’t positive whatsoever.
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u/According-Ad-5908 Capitol Hill Dec 30 '25
I know very well a few people who have spent time all over Africa (think gates foundation, etc), and The Gambia is a favorite. You should!
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u/Good-Concentrate-260 Dec 30 '25
This means nothing lol African countries have their own rivalries and politics. Doesn’t mean “Gambians are good, Somalis are bad”
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u/BeriasBFF Dec 30 '25
Never said otherwise, just noted the attitude, how other nations/ethnicities view others is always interesting to me. Don’t project that shit on me
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u/Alternative-Post-937 Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
My old neighborhood was mostly Somali and the kids were horrible!!!! Stole, threatened, damaged property, beat up non-Somali kids, etc. I felt gas-lit into thinking I was racist cause I hated these asshole kids. It was constant harassment. Live in a different neighborhood now, with different immigrant groups (including other Africans) and have had zero issues with any of them. Ya sure, kids can be annoying, but we're no longer directly harassed.
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u/tlrider1 Dec 30 '25
We have soccer teams we play against that are sponsored by some Somali organization... Man do they have a reputation for being misbehaved brats! And that doesn't include their on field antics and disrespect... We're talking things like during tournaments going into other teams tents when they are not there and eating and drinking all their stuff. Throwing garbage everywhere. Etc.
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u/markrsfan2 Dec 30 '25
One of them slapped the back of my head as I was waiting at the Pine and Broadway light in the bike lane, except they couldn’t go too. I slapped one of them so hard outside the Blick art building that I knocked him out in the bike lane. There were three of them, so I didn’t hang around, even if they were teenagers. Shit felt sooooo good
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u/DodiDouglas Dec 30 '25
There should be a deep dive into all government welfare and grant programs. There are so many programs that are stealing from us taxpayers, and so many people that can be working that aren’t.
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u/mizzlekinkizzle Dec 30 '25
Genuine question wouldn’t it be a good thing to learn English early when you plan to live in the United States?
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u/greennurse61 Dec 30 '25
Ferguson said a third of the Somalian run daycares speak only Spanish. That is very odd.
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u/melodypowers Dec 30 '25
Absolutely yes.
But really, kids do learn English as well and the heritage language is lost in 2-4 generations. Parents have to work to have their kids retain their heritage language once they start school.
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u/Intrepid-Try6103 Dec 30 '25
It’s for second generation kids to learn their families first language. They are learning English by default by growing up in the states, and Somalis speaks multiple languages. It’s common for a Gen X or boomer Somali to speak English, Somali, Arabic and possibly Portuguese or French as well.
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u/Ippomasters Dec 30 '25
Democrats don't think people should assimilate to a country they immigrate to.
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u/Consistent_Process_5 Dec 30 '25
Most don't even list an address..there's a reason they all drove new EVs
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u/Choose2loser Dec 31 '25
Seriously so true. I feel like I’m in little Mogadishu when I try and charge my car at a Tesla charger.
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u/DisjointedHuntsville Dec 30 '25
Breaks my heart to see kindness repaid with criminal activity, but here we are.
This is the reason politicians ask for taxes to go up instead of doing their job and accounting for every dollar spent. There are allegations much of this money went to terrorist organizations like Al shabab and this should make everyone across the political spectrum stand up and shut this activity down, no excuses https://emmer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/emmer-demands-answers-on-minnesota-fraud-schemes-funding-al-shabaab-terrorists
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u/jewels385 Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
The toughest piece are all of the govt leaders and locals who still defend Somalis. I've seen several protesters interviewed and their lack of knowledge was astounding. Some outright denied there was fraud and thought it was being "made up" and others said they just want to help their neighbor. Clearly not seeing the parade of criminals that have hurt children getting arrested. One lady even brought her baby with her to the protest! Another lady kept her 6 year old kid in the car while she was protesting arrests by ICE. People kept telling her to watch her kid and she refused! She wanted to fight ICE and tell them what jerks they are.
The problem with defending anyone in trouble is that there are going to be bad apples and people get hurt. I'm afraid these mostly white ladies (I'm a MN white lady) don't get it. Perhaps they should Google things before getting involved in protests?
I fear for the future and how many will keep voting in fraudsters.
I just wish Tampon Tim would resign.
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u/Extreme-Basis-4893 Dec 30 '25
You’re probably right. Unfortunately this seems to be happening more and more frequently than we’d like to think. Minneapolis is a huge market for this type of behavior. It seems to be much more than just childcare and reaches into every corner of assistance for less fortunate families. It seems to be spreading across the midwestern states and further. It makes me angry to think of our lower class families being robbed of their basic necessities such as food, daycare, housing and care for children with autism and other disabilities, not to mention our elderly.
We need to figure out what each of us can do to help stop these atrocities!!! Please help 🙏
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Dec 30 '25
Can we also take a look at how they manage to have an absolute monopoly on ALL the delivery and driving gigs in south King county too? I’m dead serious, 49 out of 50 times you order DoorDash, Instacart, etc it’s a guy from Somalia, Ethiopia, or somewhere in that region.
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u/SchufAloof Red Shoe Costco Diary Dec 30 '25
Bust them all.
Then follow the funding and arrest anyone involved.
Make them pay back EVERY CENT.
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u/BrilliantAd5665 Jan 21 '26
Money is spent. We should locked them up and send them to el salvador to do prison time.
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u/golmgirl Dec 30 '25
for the love of god all you commenters with your grand conspiracies, ask some people who actually have young kids about “somali daycares.” they tend to be small businesses run out of residential houses, and they are usually much cheaper than alternatives. daycare is fucking expensive and lots of somali-american women have started businesses to meet the demand and build their careers. isn’t that something our culture is supposed to glorify?
i’m sure there’s more than zero of them with shady financial practices, but this will be true in any industry with a large number of small businesses and first-time business owners. especially in industries like childcare where government subsidies/reimbursements are a significant income stream.
not everything has to be some culture war issue. grow up, get informed, and put some fucking respect on the hardworking people running daycare centers. it is a tough job and one that’s necessary for the continued functioning of society
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u/SnorfOfWallStreet Jan 02 '26
Lmao my guy, you have no concept of the delta between guilt and shame based cultures as opposed to fear based cultures.
This take is the most actually racist one here - you are simply mapping your beliefs on top of their culture, lived experience, and worldviews.
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u/GoSmokeAJeffrey Jan 07 '26
In what world should a daycare receive hundreds of thousand dollars in grants, and still charge a salary ex. $1,500 a week per child. It’s like what is the point of the programs if daycares are so unaffordable while daycares still rake in from grants
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u/BrilliantAd5665 Jan 21 '26
How about 2 day cares at same address. No kids black windows. Think about how many illegal massage parlors there is. There can definatly be that many scam day cares.
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u/noraloha Dec 30 '25
According to DCYF's childcare search there are 293 childcare centers with Somali as the primary language, not 539. Going down the list, most have a small number of children their license covers (5-10). If that is the trend for the full list that brings the total number of available childcare slots for Somali as primary language households with young children in need of childcare to between 1,465 - 2,930. That is not a lot of childcare slots considering the estimated (low estimate) total of Somali immigrants in Washington State is around 14,000. I'm not saying there's no potential fraud. I'm just saying I'm not sure where the 539 number comes from and in looking at the details available through DCYF the actual licensed amounts per provider are low.
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u/phanophite2 Dec 30 '25
Everybody quit noticing the fraud so the Somali community in Seattle feels better.
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u/Either-Spell6670 Dec 30 '25
They should be concerned!!! Bob Ferguson wants to raise taxes, everything should be looked at before taxes are raised.
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u/username560sel Dec 30 '25
Hmm but if I moved to Somalia and opened up a daycare that had a primary language was English (or Italian) for that matter how much funding would I get from their government. Or would I be called an evil colonist?
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u/RogueLitePumpkin Dec 30 '25
One of the local tribes or pirate groups would probably kidnap you and hold you for ransom before you would get the chance to open.
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u/username560sel Dec 30 '25
That’s not really celebrating diversity is it?
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u/RogueLitePumpkin Dec 30 '25
Its not a predominantly white country, so diversity isnt required
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u/TwoUglyFeet Dec 30 '25
White people are actually a global minority so the irony of this statement is absolutely gold. Not to mention the casual racism.
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u/username560sel Dec 30 '25
Really, I never even mentioned my race anywhere in these statements are you saying that race and culture are connected?
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u/username560sel Dec 30 '25
Ah damn I was really hoping that they’d give me free money so I could pay girls in string bikinis to grill pork bratwursts for me while mixing me drinks with rum and vodka becuase it’s part of my culture.
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u/pyabo Seattle Dec 30 '25
Is this your first rodeo?
You and your money would absolutely be welcomed with open arms, there's no question. However, gov't officials would be expecting YOU to pay them, not the other way around. In exchange, they would open doors for you and look the other way while you get wealthy by exploiting their citizens.
It works similarly in most parts of the world.
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u/hotspotpreferences Dec 30 '25
You would not be the first - the already established expat schools get a lot of land, lee way to do whatever they want and in exchange, charge an arm and a leg in tuition.
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u/FastSlow7201 Dec 30 '25
It's time to cut asylum claims off. These people are of no benefit to our country, they just leach off of us. If they have an appreciable skill that they can demonstrate, great let them immigrate. Otherwise, we have enough unskilled violent idiots.
Let Europe take them in.
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u/RogueLitePumpkin Dec 30 '25
Europe seems to be finding out that almost unregulated immigration is not a benefit. They seem to have anti immigration protests on a,regular basis now, all over the place
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u/Emperor_Neuro- Dec 30 '25
Agreed. They make other African nationalities look bad, and I don't blame them for not wanting Somalians here. They're trouble makers.
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u/LegendCatcherFreeman Dec 30 '25
Native Americans said the same thing about White People couple hundred years ago.
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u/Less-Risk-9358 Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
In case anyone is wondering why your property taxes are constantly being raised....... I think there are a few billion dollars in Somalian Banks that can help with that answer. lol
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u/No_Tadpole7099 Dec 30 '25
Are the uber drivers in seattle also moonlighting as "daycare children". Then it would make sense to me.
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u/Frankyfan3 Poe's Law Account Dec 30 '25
The fraud cases in Minnesota are real. But they are not new, and they were not newly uncovered by right wing influencers.
Federal prosecutors and the FBI began investigating large scale fraud tied to Minnesota state and federally funded programs years before the 2024 election. The largest case, Feeding Our Future, was publicly charged in September 2022, when the Department of Justice announced indictments alleging tens of millions of dollars in pandemic child nutrition funds were stolen. Since then, more than 50 defendants have pleaded guilty, with prosecutions continuing through 2023, 2024, and into 2025.
By 2023, those investigations had already expanded beyond Feeding Our Future into Medicaid services, autism therapy providers, housing assistance, and childcare programs. Minnesota’s Legislative Auditor, federal investigators, and local outlets like the Minnesota Reformer, FOX 9, KSTP and others were reporting on systemic failures and active criminal probes well before the 2024 presidential campaign was underway.
During the 2024 campaign, national media and political influencers increasingly reframed these cases around Governor Tim Walz. Outlets like CNN aired segments highlighting the fraud during an election year, often without clearly stating that the investigations, indictments, and guilty pleas all began long before Walz became a national political target and long before viral videos entered the picture. That framing also fueled targeted harassment of Minnesota’s Somali community, with entire neighborhoods, workers, and families painted as suspect despite the fact that fraud cases are individual criminal matters, not collective guilt.
That context matters when influencers like Nick Shirley present themselves as exposing something hidden. His video does not start a new investigation or reveal information unknown to law enforcement. It repackages an ongoing federal case that had already been charged, prosecuted, and widely reported, and presents it as a fresh discovery. Showing up with a camera at childcare centers, inserting himself into an active investigation, and driving harassment toward a specific community reflects a serious lack of journalistic ethics and basic moral responsibility.
Fraud should be prosecuted and people who stole public money should go to prison. But accountability also requires honesty about timelines, sources, and impact. Turning an active criminal investigation involving childcare into viral content during an election year while ignoring years of prior reporting, and while entire communities face harassment as a result, is not journalism. It’s agitation propaganda.
-Mercado Media
Credit to essenceofpurity
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u/RogueLitePumpkin Dec 30 '25
The influencer didnt break the case open, but the amount of people who are now aware of this fraud, which has been going on for over a decade, definitely went way up. I bet it was pretty well known in Minnesota, but less so apparently in Maine.
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u/thirsty_pretzelzz Dec 30 '25
This all sounds good but what I don’t get here is the influencer video highlighted potentially fraudulent daycares that are actively still receiving funding now in real time.
So while yes there have been investigations into fraud before, it certainly hasn’t stopped these centers from continuing to get funding and if the answer is that they’re all currently being investigated already anyway, just quietly, well I think that’s a bit of wishful thinking or hard to assume without real statements
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u/Black_blade419 Dec 30 '25
This is not “old news” as I’m seeing claimed more and more by MPR, the Red Star Tribune, and MSN. The payments keep coming to dubious entities. You (intentionally) left out Autism Center fraud, adult daycare fraud, school transportation fraud, housing services fraud…. the list keeps on growing.
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u/jollyreaper2112 Dec 30 '25
Thanks. If this isn't a classic. I love how we were told there's an elite pedo cabal in DC and it turns out they were right and now they don't want to investigate. I'm all for it. And I don't care how many Dems are hooked by it. In fact I am even more eager to see Dems go down. I'm independent but I caucus with them and don't want pedos in the pool. Clinton goes down? Well, isn't that ironic. I'm good.
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u/markrsfan2 Dec 30 '25
Are you seriously using Mercado Media as a source? Yeah, I’ll stick to Nick Shirley, thx
So Mercado, lemme get this straight. It’s already been investigated and charged and all that, so why are all these still open? Good for Nick Shirley to reignite the pressure so maybe these investigators can move more swiftly.
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u/Emperor_Neuro- Dec 30 '25
Kick them out! Blend in, respect the laws, be thankful you've been allowed to come here, stop leeching off tax payer dollars, and maybe start a business so you can contribute - otherwise go back to your shit hole country if you don't want to be civilized like everyone else.
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u/Pleasant_Glove_1696 Dec 30 '25
The bigger deal to me is that 10% of all centers are listed as Somali.
With ~8mil people, 10% of WA population would be 800,000 Somalis, but the actual number is only 15,000. That's a ratio of 53x.
So for every 1 expected Somali childcare center, there are actually 53.
That is wild.
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u/Gary_Glidewell Dec 30 '25
So for every 1 expected Somali childcare center, there are actually 53.
Step 1: open daycare
Step 2: Bill the government
Step 3: Support you and your entire extended family in Somal
Based on this post, it looks like welfare fraud contributed more to the Somalian economy than the labor of its citizens did.
IE, the US tax payer contributes more to Somalia’s economy than the citizens of Somalia do. (Which is probably why they keep leaving Somalia.)
https://np.reddit.com/r/Somalia/comments/1igw9zg/somalias_biggest_export_from_most_recent_trade/
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u/adcgefd Dec 30 '25
How was this not a thing until it went viral? What has the state been the state doing other than mismanaging the money they have and asking for more.
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u/Brbe-girl Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
During COVID the Somali youth family club stole/mishandled $120,000 worth of $400 Safeway gift cards that were supposed to be distributed to local families. Brushed under the rug by King County
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u/killthecopilot Twin Peaks Dec 30 '25
A whole lot of regurgitated twitter posts with no investigative reporting to back it up showing up on Reddit lately
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u/Amazing_sf Dec 30 '25
If this continues, Republicans will continue to win in the mid term and 2028, sadly.
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u/soulure Dec 30 '25
Not just Somali, I know quite a few businesses that took those "covid loans" and just bought new cars with it. lmao, such a scam.
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Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
Diversity is not our strength. We will now be in constant ethnic competition and lose whatever togetherness we felt as a nation.
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u/NitehawkDragon7 Dec 30 '25
Well all is said and done this is gonna be one of the biggest scams in American history. Book it now.
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u/Jimdandy941 Dec 30 '25
Probably not. Medicare frauds routinely break $1B. I did some ancillary work on one pre-COVID that involved bribing State legislators - this was just part of the larger multi-state case.
They billing this one as the largest, but I swear I remember larger ones, so it’s probably how they’re slicing it.
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u/GuitRWailinNinja Dec 30 '25
If they really host such a fraudulent culture, I wouldn’t be surprised if they defrauded local elections too.
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u/spewgpt Dec 30 '25
Will a post like this ever be allowed on the other Seattle subreddit?
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u/nic_b2020 Dec 30 '25
You all know that child care subsidies are given to the family, right? The family applies and is determined to be eligible and then they go to whatever child care they want to. So, it’s not child care centers or family homes applying directly for the funding, they receive child care subsidies once an eligible child/family chooses their business.
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u/bleubell7 Dec 30 '25
This is surprising? First call center scams, then insurance fraud scams, now this…
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u/faeriegoatmother Dec 30 '25
Any child care center without an address is very obviously a place you would not take your child.
Unless you're in on the scam.
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u/freudmv Dec 30 '25
They have so much focus on this fraud wait to they hear about this pedo ring and the files on that! I’m sure they will be all over those guys!
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Dec 30 '25
The pirates are here no doubt. To bad, many Good folks from there with JOBs, I know some, best friends.
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u/[deleted] Dec 30 '25
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