Episode 67 - The Real Target pt 2

Host Dr. Vanessa Tyler talks with investigative reporter Marjaan Sirdar about his examination into Target's DEI rollback. Marjaan uncovered an even deeper plol that involves Target and it's unfortunate connection to Minneapolis law enforcement. Part 2 of 2

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'll open up with this. Allies are coming forward and
asking us to cut up their Target car. Yeah, protester
is cutting up their Target cards. Ever shop at Target,
The store already knows. Investigative reporter Merjan Serdar says Target

(00:25):
knows their customers. In Part one, he talks about the
store's extensive data gathering. He started out to do a
story on the stores disappointing DEI rollback, but stumbled upon
the story of Mahdi Ali.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
And what I found out was the kid was framed
by the Minneapolis Police, who was funded by Target. He
was framed by the hen and Pen County Attorney's Office,
who was also funded by Target.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
The Target connection to law enforcement connects the dots in
black Land, and now as a brown person, he just
feels so invisible where we're from. Brothers and sisters are
welcome you to this joyful exaiy, we celebrate freedom where
we are. I know someone's heard something and where we're going.

(01:13):
We the people means all the people. The Black Information
Network presents Blackland with your host Vanessa Tyler. I'm not
the one.

Speaker 2 (01:23):
I hope they find justice, man, and I hope they
find as that they're looking for I'm not the one.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
I'm not the worm. Madi Ali says he is not
the one who killed three people in a triple homicide
on the night of January sixth, twenty ten, during a
stick up at a market in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He may
not be the one who pulled the trigger, but he
is the one serving our time, sentenced to thirty years

(01:51):
for the triple murder. The judge in his case, ironically, Hannat,
been County Judge Peter Cahill. This was long before the
same judge presided over the trial of the Kapho killed
George Floyd. Target is headquartered in Minneapolis, one of the
city's major employers, and one of the first big stores
to make a strong DEI commitment, which is dismantled now.

(02:15):
Madi Ali, speaking with Minneapolis's Fox nine, continues to profess
his innocence. In a twenty twenty one prison interview, he
is still locked up. Investigative reporter Marjean Sudar says Madi
Ali is an innocent man.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
He was framed by the hen and Pen County Attorney's Office,
who was also funded by Target, and they used Target
to testify against him at court. At his trial to
connect him to the crimes, and there were no hard connections, right. So,
Madi Ali, he just turned thirty, He's been imprisoned for
half his life now, since twenty ten, for crimes he

(02:55):
did not commit. And it's just one of the most
egregious examples of how Target you Know has really implemented
race based surveillance. Racialized surveillance is how I refer to
it in my reporting here in Minneapolis and across the country,
to target some of the most vulnerable populations, you know,

(03:17):
black children. Madi in his case, he was actually a
refugee from Africa and he was brought to America and
his story, it's a tragic story.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
The loved ones of the three victims wholeheartedly disagree. Some
are convinced the man whose rough childhood spanned continents is
a cold blooded murderer. But the Target connection is not
quite what you might think.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Madi Ali was not chopping at Target. In fact, so
more than twenty five percent of the cases that Target
handles with its crime lab have nothing to do with shoplifting,
have nothing to do with Target at all. They just
they open it up to law enforcement. And so this case,
law enforcement tapped our local law enforcement and prosecutors tap

(04:05):
Target for its expertise.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
The crime was horrendous. Surveillance video captured the murders. The
suspects wore masks. Merjan says in the video the killers
were tall, Madi Ali is short and clearly not there.
Here's the nine to one one call. As the frantic
caller happened to come upon the scene, which was a
small convenience store in a Somali neighborhood in Minneapolis and Franklin.

(04:32):
Two guys shot at the Steward Market.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
Hello, people are actually Sharon.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
Yeah, yeah, they're in the doorway. Man.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
That got all over straight on. It was like the
triple homicide. It was captured on surveillance video. It happened
in a in a corner store here in the Somali community,
and the killer and the accomplice were wearing masks, so
you couldn't you didn't know who they were. So they
tapped Target their video forensic specialists to analyze the video

(05:04):
and make connections that were really bunk and so what
one one Target specialists. He testified that the genes that
the killer was wearing in the video appeared to be
similar to the genes that police found at Madi's apartment
when they rate at his home, and then another Target

(05:25):
forensic specialists testified in court that the height of the
killer matched Madi Ali's height. Well, again, my deep dive
investigation into into these killings proved the opposite. It contradicts
what Target testified about in court. In fact, the Madi

(05:46):
Ali was almost a half a foot tall shorter. Madi
Ali was five to eight. The accomplice UH who who
was identified, who was positively identified UH and and admitted
guilt and did twelve years in prison, was almost he
was six', one, so so we're talking about a five
inch height, difference almost a half a.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
Foot reports are one of the accomplices who, Said Madi,
ali what's the trigger? Man took it, back. Recanted still
it did not fling open the prison, doors and it
did not stop the warning About.

Speaker 2 (06:19):
Target there's a quote THAT i keep coming back to
by one of you, Know target's top executives who, said you,
know we are really a high tech company masquerading as a,
retailer and you know when they tell you who they,
are believe them the first.

Speaker 1 (06:38):
Time Jan siddar keep digging at a time when people
need to.

Speaker 2 (06:43):
Know thank you so much for having me on your.

Speaker 1 (06:45):
Show no response from The Hennepin County prosecutor's office by
the time of the production of this. Podcast follow investigative
Journalists Marjan sadar on The People Power podcast and read
his three part series on how target targets At, Unicorn
riot Dot. Ninja I'm Vanessa. Tyler listen and subscribe To.

(07:07):
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