With yet another Hollywood tale about Somalis in the works, a young generation of activists in Minnesota asks: Why must it be about terrorism? And this time, they're directing their anger at one of their own.

According to MPR News, a rapper and singer named K'naan (we don't know how to pronounce it either) had just begun performing on a stage at a Cedar Avenue block party in Minneapolis Saturday when he was confronted by dozens of hostile Somali-American protesters, who essentially shut him down.

Their beef with the Somali-Canadian musician K'naan is his latest project, an HBO series described as a drama about jihadi recruitment set in Minnesota. The project, the working title of which is The Recruiters, also reportedly involves director Kathryn Bigelow, the Oscar-winning director of the controversial Zero Dark Thirty.

"Him being a Somali, I would expect more of him," Filsan Ibrahim, 27, one of the protest organizers, said of K'naan. "He has such a big platform. He could use his name and celebrity to change that narrative and say, 'There's more to us.'"

On Saturday, Ibrahim grabbed a bullhorn to describe to the crowd what she anticipated from the HBO program. "It's going to be talking about how the Somali kids in Cedar are terrorists!" she cried.

Someone next to her held up a sign that read, "Stop exploiting the Somali community."

K'naan left the stage and later commented on Twitter, "There's only so much one could talk about, when the work is yet to be made."

Abdi Mohamed, 22, came from St. Paul to document the performance and demonstration. After Mohamed sent K'naan a video link to the chaos that ensued between police and demonstrators, the rapper engaged with him on Twitter.

"K'naan told me he wanted to show the more humane side of Somalis," Mohamed said. "He said these narratives are already out there — people are already trying to push a blanket image of Somalis, a one-dimensional image."

K'naan assured Mohamed he wanted to show the community "as they are — as mothers, fathers, as students."

But Mohamed complained that Somali-Americans are tired of seeing themselves depicted onscreen as terrorists. "Whether it's 'Zero Dark Thirty' or 'Captain Phillips,' there's always this kind of imagery as Somalis and Muslims being the bad guy in a Hollywood blockbuster," he said.

On Saturday, a number of Minneapolis police were working off-duty to secure the event. Ibrahim said some officers began pushing the demonstrators.

Mohamed said he saw some in the crowd throwing things like a football and a glass bottle at the police. Officers sprayed a chemical irritant, sending people to flush their eyes with containers of milk.

Minneapolis police Sgt. Catherine Michal said some in the crowd also hurled rocks and a chair at officers. One officer was hit in the head and was treated and released at a nearby hospital.

The event ended with Minneapolis police arresting a 17-year-old boy and a 27-year-old woman on suspicion of riot.