A positive Minnesota thread. This is Nehra. She is from St. Paul and wakes early on Saturdays. That's all I know about her. 1/9 @dbrauer @DeRushaJ

When I drove past the Lake Street Shell, she and a man were cleaning the lot--I assumed they were the owners. I had brooms in the car, so I stopped.

Nope, they came over from St. Paul to help clean anything. Here, they are also being helped by Anthony, who just showed up and started working. We swept the lot--all that could really be done.

Shell was clean. Nehra moved across to a phone store in a strip of several burned-out stores. Her cousin left after noting that the rest of us didn't see threatening. The phone store was Wilson's, and he was Zen, almost upbeat, and so nice. Mission: clear the sidewalk. 4/9

In minutes, there were 25 Nehras, and minutes later, 25 more. Everyone quickly figured out they knew what to do as well as anyone else.

Then a thousand in a broom brigade moving up and down the street. To help the street, to help the neighborhood, to help themselves mentally. 6/9

Some brought kids and kept them safe. 7/9

I say 1000 Mehras were there, but most didn't look anything like her or even like each other. But they all had the same goal for Minneapolis. 8/9

When a prominent Minnesotan was asked yesterday where we should look for leadership, he pointed as an example to individuals who do good for the community. On that, then, our leadership is strong and promising. 9/9