Community leaders and youth gather to reimagine public safety

At V3 Sports in North Minneapolis, a room full of young men from across the metro are proving that change starts with conversation. 

Wednesday evening, a group of 15 young men, many of whom have experienced community violence, came together with local and national leaders to help lead the way towards safer, stronger neighborhoods. 

The event is part of a national effort led by Cities United, and it's Leading the Way Tour focuses on building safer, healthier, and more hopeful communities through community-led public safety strategies.

Cities United Executive Director Anthony Smith says the vision is to create safe, healthy communities for young Black men while supporting the elected leaders in their communities to meet their needs. 

"We come in and help people really look at what's working but also identify their gaps and build solutions so they can get to a better place," Smith said.

For participants like Jospeh Hill, Joshua Ross and Kobe Mustapha, the experience was transformative. 

"They listen and take our ideas," Ross said. "We are trying to build something better."

All three are already involved with local organizations say this experience has given them more tools to bring about real change in their communities. 

"It's a lot of young Black woman and Black boys that are suffering going through somethings and they need a little guidance and push in the right place," Hill said. 

The goal: isn't to just respond to violence but prevent it and to build communities where young men can thrive. 

"From what I've learned here I'm going to be able to take it with me and in the future be able to share it with others," Mustapha said. 

All 15 young men who participated received a $500 stipend and a certificate.