'A Mother's Love': Group strolls streets to keep Minneapolis teens safe

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - The streets of Minneapolis aren't always the safest spot for Minnesota teens, but one group is working to make sure they feel safe and loved.    

Fittingly called "A Mother's Love," the group hits the streets on weekends to reach out to community members in need.

The mom who started it all decided to bring on a few dads as well. And on Friday and Saturday nights, they're everybody's parents.

There are plenty of police in downtown Minneapolis because there’s often plenty of trouble. But now, there are also parents.

KG Wilson is just one of the 12 soldiers in the group founded by Lisa Clemons.

“We’re not approaching them like, 'you’re doing something bad.' We’re approaching them like, ‘come on now, you can do better than that,’” Clemons said.  

It’s about nurturing, listening, loving and maybe a little finger wagging when necessary.

The thought is that the kids on the streets are either running from parents to do things they wouldn’t do in front of their moms or dads, or they don’t really have a mom or dad who cares much. KG knows firsthand what that’s like.

“I’m a child who was raised in a foster home, so I didn’t have any parents in my life so this is… I just get a charge out of saying, ‘man if you on drugs we love you, we have treatment resources available to you. If you're out of school, we can get you back into school,'” Wilson said.

And KG has zero tolerance for drugs, especially if he finds it on the streets.

“You may not be my blood, but I’m gonna feel for your mother like you are my blood. And I just think it’s important that mothers know that somebody cares about them and their children,” Clemons said.

This group has the full support of the Minneapolis police department and hopes to soon expand beyond downtown into the neighborhoods.