Minneapolis is preparing for a Saturday march led by conservative influencer Jake Lang, with residents and Democratic politicians voicing fears at a public safety meeting that the event could lead to harassment of Somali community members.
The “March Against Minnesota Fraud,” planned for Jan. 17 at Minneapolis City Hall, is being organized by Lang, who has been advertising the march on social media and calling for “crusaders” to “take back” Minnesota from Democrats.
Lang spent four years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, where he was convicted on 11 charges, including assault, for attacking Capitol police officers with a baseball bat. He was pardoned by President Trump in 2025.
Some speakers at Tuesday’s West Bank Business Association meeting emphasized worries that Lang or others could try to provoke confrontation, noting his history of Islamophobic gestures, including a rally in Texas where he raised a severed pig head with a copy of the Quran in its mouth.
According to the event’s Eventbrite page, “Christians and conservatives from across Minnesota and beyond will gather at Minneapolis City Hall” for what organizers describe as a “peaceful public rally” calling for transparency, accountability, and responsible governance regarding alleged fraud in social service programs.
Minnesota Rep. Mohamud Noor said that while the march is expected to start downtown, he’s fearful it will move into neighborhoods with high Somali populations, such as Cedar Riverside, to film and provoke people.
Minneapolis Police Inspector Bill Peterson told the community meeting that there are no plans to reroute or close roads ahead of the protest, but police will assess whether such measures become necessary. He confirmed the department is aware of the planned demonstration and emphasized his hope that marchers and counterprotesters respect First Amendment rights and do not escalate to violence.
Lang appeared at ICE protests last week, blasting music and holding signs reading “We love ICE,” while DHS officers fired pepper balls to create a perimeter around him.
The march comes amid heightened tensions in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent and the deployment of approximately 3,000 federal immigration agents to the area. The Trump administration has cited fraud investigations as justification for the massive ICE presence, though many of the prosecutors leading those fraud cases have now resigned.
Two different start times are listed for the march: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
