Minneapolis 'MAD DADS' Patrol The Streets With Positivity

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — For more than 20 years, V.J. Smith and the nonprofit he began have been patrolling the streets of Minneapolis. But they don’t bring guns and they don't have badges. Instead, they provide a positive message, resources, and a chance for troubled young men to make a change in their lives.

"When we’re on the streets, we’re doing a number of things. Not only are we being present, we’re men that are present when most of the time all other men that are present are negative," Smith told Patch.

He started the Minneapolis Chapter of MAD DADS, or "Men Against Destruction – Defending Against Drugs and Social Disorder," in 1998. The group "seeks to bring about positive change, and encourages, motivates and guides committed men and women in the struggle to save children, communities and themselves from the social ills that presently plague neighborhoods."

Smith says the mere presence of good role models patrolling the streets can be enough to prevent crime.

MAD DADS was started in 1989 by a group of Black men in Omaha, Nebraska who wanted to end to gang violence.

Smith founded the Minneapolis chapter in 1998, and he is now the president of the organization, overseeing all the other chapters in a total of 17 states.

When out on the streets, MAD DADS connects people with social services such as housing for people with lower incomes or criminal backgrounds — common barriers to access Minneapolis rental units.

Smith has a particular passion for encouraging young men to be better fathers.

Relationship with police

MAD DADS is one of several outreach organizations in Minneapolis, but it's unique for its long active history. The group has seen a handful of police chiefs come and go during its existence in Minneapolis, along with the ebbs and flows of the public perception on law enforcement.

The group values its relationship with city officials and the Minneapolis police. But Smith blames the "blue code [of silence]" for allowing police misconduct in communities of color, such as the death of George Floyd.

To improve the trust between racial minorities and the police, MAD DADS helped people of color become cops themselves. "We've recruited people of color to become police officers because we knew that was part of the solution."

When asked about the movement to "abolish" the Minneapolis Police Department, Smith tells Patch he simply wants the community to have a say. "What does the community want?"

On Friday, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously supported advancing a measure that would remove "police" from the city charter. Ultimately, voters would have to approve the changes on Election Day in order for the charter to be amended.

That means people will have a say on policing their communities. But regardless of the outcomes, MAD DADS will continue to patrol and preach nonviolence in Minneapolis.

Learn more about MAD DADS here.