In the early hours of Jan. 28, a fire started at 8421 Wayzata Blvd, Golden Valley. No one was reported injured, but three businesses sustained damage.
The American Experiment is based in Suite 110, the Upper Midwest Law Center is in Suite 300 and TakeCharge is in Suite 105. These three nonprofits are committed to conservative policy changes and believe the fire was arson.
Bill Walsh, director of communications for the Center of the American Experiment, said he couldn’t think of a specific action that could’ve triggered an attack, however, he believes it was a politically-charged act of violence.
“Well, you know, we’re in the arena. We’re in the public policy arena and you’ve got a highly polarized country right now and this is unfortunately people taking it to the next extreme,” Walsh said.
“The fires obviously were set by someone,” said John Hinderaker, president of the American Experiment. “They targeted conservative organizations, they didn’t firebomb the chiropractors or psychologists or the Manufacturers Alliance.”
All three organizations promised to continue working, despite this setback.
“We will not be intimidated by this apparent act of domestic terrorism. Our resolve to uphold justice and protect the rights of Minnesotans remains unyielding. Despite the setback, the Upper Midwest Law Center will continue to champion the values of fairness, equality, and freedom for all,” Upper Midwest Law Center Senior Counsel James Dickey said. “We are thankful to local fire rescue for their swift action to put out the fire, and to the FBI, ATF, and local authorities for their quick response and dedication to finding the perpetrators. We hope those responsible are brought to justice for this heinous act of violence.”
“We were targeted because we are a conservative black organization disputing the narrative of systemic racism,’ Kendall Qualls, spokesperson for TakeCharge wrote in a note to the press. “If we were a left-leaning organization trumpeting the systemic racism mantra, throngs of media outlets would be at our door affirming that we are victims of racism. They can firebomb our offices, but we will never stop promoting the bold truth.”
Insurance will cover a lot of the damages, but Walsh said his organization expects incidental costs from a shift to working from home and finding new office space. People wanting to make donations can go to takechargemn.com, center-of-the-american-experiment.revv.co/give2024 and umlc.org.
Sri Management & Consulting LLC, the owner of the building, declined to comment.
Investigation underway
The Golden Valley Fire Department initially answered the call, but many other agencies have become involved in this incident, including the State Fire Marshal, The Hennepin County Fire Investigative Team and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms — a federal agency with focus areas on firearms, explosives, tobacco, alcohol and arson — has jurisdiction over arson.
Ashlee Sherrill, Minnesota’s public information officer for the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, said the agency is in the “fact-finding stage.”
Anyone with information about the fire is encouraged to contact the anonymous tipline at atf.gov/atf-tips.
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