Seen these green shirts around? Today I got to shadow the Midway team of Community Ambassadors, a non-profit supported by city in partnership w/ @SaintPaulParks that hires community members w/deep city knowledge/relationships to do youth engagement in neighborhoods citywide

Over two years now I've heard consistently from constituents that our community wants more positive presence that isn't law enforcement within neighborhoods to work with youth who may be in trouble or need something to do. The Community Ambassadors program does exactly that.

We met up in Hamline Park & put on signature (iconic!) neon green T-shirts before heading out into neighborhoods within Midway. Ambassadors wear masks & socially distance while talking w/youth & neighbors, most of whom they know, and are familiar helpful faces in the neighborhood

We walked from Hamline Park up to Univ Ave, walked the corridor talking about biz impacted by civil unrest, what they're hearing in the streets. I met Tiffany from Tiffany's Barber Shop who's been cutting hair 20 years off Asbury St. We discussed stadium development, displacement

We checked in on various biz along the way, including longtime Black-owned biz along Univ Ave slowly getting customers back. The Ambassadors are well known by local biz and it's nothing but smiles and jokes when they come through! There's community at the heart of all their work.

Tiffany at Tiffany's Barber Shop on Asbury has been cutting hair in STP for 20 years. The Community Ambassadors Midway team regularly checks in w/her on their normal route. Her shop is a safe place for neigbh kids & a few were even waiting to get a fresh fade when we stopped in

We swung thru @theurbanlight record shop again to see Mr. Tim Wilson in the only Black-owned record store in the Twin Cities for nearly 30 years. Last time we talked, he shared how his biz was threatened by white supremacists during the unrest but community protected him

Each Ambassador has a life story of growing up in St. Paul:
- Duane (L) showed me bldg where he got his 1st apt in Midway by Lutheran Social Services, his son is famous local rapper!
- Kelly (2nd L) leads Midway team-grew up in Midway after his family moved here from Mississippi

- Mario (center) is born/raised East Sider, beloved @SaintPaulParks leader, used to run Jimmy Lee/now runs Palace Rec Center
- Tim (2nd R) manages Ambassadors citywide, knew everyone we talked to!
- Johnny (R) has family in Midway, knows all kids playing bball at Hamline Park :)

We finished back at Hamline Park, where Midway Ambassadors do a general shift 3-7PM on Thu/Fri/Sat when most kids/ppl out. COVID has meant adjustments but the work continues. Kelly's nephew/friends are regulars on the hoops.

This is what funding community safety can look like.

I got this sweet T-shirt from the Community Ambassadors and I want to wear it in the council chambers whenever we can come back and do meetings there because that place needs some extreme neon green

I hope you enjoyed this thread/learned something about an inspiring initiative w/teams in downtown, North End, Midway, East Side & Frogtown. In 2017, Community Ambassadors contributed to a 37% decrease in juvenile arrests in targeted areas in Central, Western, Eastern districts

When we talk about community safety beyond policing, sometimes ppl want to act like they don't even know what that is. Don't worry - it's not that difficult! Great models exist that are working in St. Paul. I'm glad our city expanded funding for Community Ambassadors last year!