Tee Shirts for Community Patrol
Donation protected
This past week has been full of uncertainty in Minneapolis. Uncertainty about when our Black neighbors will no longer fear police brutality; uncertainty about the future of public safety in the city; and uncertainty about unwelcome visitors terrorizing our neighbors and businesses.
On May 27th, 2020, those unwelcome visitors set their sights on North Minneapolis.
As the terror resulting from the uprising in the wake of Mr. George Floyd's death spread across Minneapolis, police officers from the Northside were preoccupied protecting the department's Fourth Precinct headquarters. During this frightening time, there were no official resources dedicated to protecting the Northside from these outside terrorists.
North Minneapolis residents knew that in order to keep our precious community safe, we had to take matters into our own hands.
In true Northside fashion, we found our greatest strength would come from within our community. For several days, groups of volunteers have organized to keep watch over our precious businesses from dusk til dawn. Armed with only fire extinguishers and flashlights, neighbors patrolled our streets to ward off dangerous individuals and evil acts. Our greatest strength was our visible presence and our demonstration of unity. Sadly, a commercial building was lost to a molotov cocktail and resulting fire, but destruction could have been much worse if our Northside Safety Crew hadn’t been there to call 911.
The things we saw and experienced have changed our hearts and minds forever. Patrol members got involved because they love our community. The reward has been the work itself: building community through the united mission of keeping our neighborhoods safe. Many people have said they haven’t felt this safe or connected to their neighbors in a long time.
We are raising money to purchase tee shirts for our volunteers. This will be a small token of the community's appreciation for the countless hours they spent keeping our neighborhoods safe.
Please consider making a donation - large or small - to show some love to our Northside Safety Crew.
Design credit: Angela Crow, Northsider and Northside Safety Crew member
On May 27th, 2020, those unwelcome visitors set their sights on North Minneapolis.
As the terror resulting from the uprising in the wake of Mr. George Floyd's death spread across Minneapolis, police officers from the Northside were preoccupied protecting the department's Fourth Precinct headquarters. During this frightening time, there were no official resources dedicated to protecting the Northside from these outside terrorists.
North Minneapolis residents knew that in order to keep our precious community safe, we had to take matters into our own hands.
In true Northside fashion, we found our greatest strength would come from within our community. For several days, groups of volunteers have organized to keep watch over our precious businesses from dusk til dawn. Armed with only fire extinguishers and flashlights, neighbors patrolled our streets to ward off dangerous individuals and evil acts. Our greatest strength was our visible presence and our demonstration of unity. Sadly, a commercial building was lost to a molotov cocktail and resulting fire, but destruction could have been much worse if our Northside Safety Crew hadn’t been there to call 911.
The things we saw and experienced have changed our hearts and minds forever. Patrol members got involved because they love our community. The reward has been the work itself: building community through the united mission of keeping our neighborhoods safe. Many people have said they haven’t felt this safe or connected to their neighbors in a long time.
We are raising money to purchase tee shirts for our volunteers. This will be a small token of the community's appreciation for the countless hours they spent keeping our neighborhoods safe.
Please consider making a donation - large or small - to show some love to our Northside Safety Crew.
Design credit: Angela Crow, Northsider and Northside Safety Crew member
Organizer
Northside Business And Community Patrol
Organizer
Minneapolis, MN