Minneapolis, MN
‘A Mother’s Love’ clearing thousands of drug needs from Minneapolis streets
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A Twin Cities group is doing its best to prevent violence and get drug needles off the streets. The only city contract to pick up needles used for illegal drug injection is with the community group, “A Mother’s Love.”
What is A Mother’s Love?
The backstory:
“A Mother’s Love” is known for their anti-violence work and focus on improving the lives of women and children. But they also do needle pick-up.
Used drug needles are a major problem in Minneapolis, as drug use is a problem.
While there are needle disposal boxes in the city, they’re often not used, and the used needles are tossed on the ground.
Thousands of needles cleaned up
By the numbers:
In 2024, AML picked up about 2,500 needles. That included 311 calls and the street sweeps. It did not include the boxes the city places for needle disposal. The 2025 numbers do include that though, and it’s up to 2,700 collected so far this year.
What do they pick up?
What they’re saying:
The crew encounters all kinds of potentially dangerous situations picking up the used needles.
“Oh yeah, you have needles with blood, full of blood. Why? Because they didn’t do it correctly or they shot it all in. Then they let the blood fill it back up and they took the needle out and just threw it,” said crew leader Cordell Burton. He goes on to say, “I don’t think nobody ever been stuck on our crew yet. Because we take precaution. We don’t go through kicking stuff when you do stuff like that. That’s when the needle can fly up and stick you in your leg.”
Tracking the numbers
Dig deeper:
The Minnesota Department of Human Services keeps numbers on injected drug use by asking questions about use in licensed treatment facilities. In 2021, 13,000 people injected illegal drugs. In 2022, 11,700 and in 2023, there were about 10,500. The 2024 numbers are not in yet.
The Source: Cordell Burton, A Mother’s Love. Lisa Clemons, A Mother’s Love. Monique Flowers, A Mother’s Love and the Minnesota Department of Human Services
–
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis College teams up with Toys for Tots to provide holiday gifts for student parents
For many student parents at Minneapolis College, the holiday season arrives during one of the busiest and most stressful times of the year.
Final exams, work schedules and family responsibilities often collide in December. This week, a Toys for Tots giveaway on campus offered some relief.
The college partnered with the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program to provide gifts exclusively for student parents. School officials say more than 145 student parents signed up for the event, representing nearly 270 children.
Veronica Krawiec is a nursing student at Minneapolis College and the mother of a young son, Christopher. She said balancing school, work and parenting can be overwhelming, especially around the holidays.
Krawiec said she was able to find a Lego set her son specifically asked for this Christmas, something she was not sure she would be able to afford on her own.
She said the support she receives on campus has made a significant difference, pointing to resources like the Student Support Center and food pantry. Krawiec said those services help her focus on school without feeling ashamed for asking for help.
“As a mom most of the time I feel like I’m failing but like this this helps me a lot to not feel as bad,” she said.
Sharita Jackson, a first semester addiction counseling student and single mother of two, also attended the giveaway. She said resources like the Toys for Tots event help ease some of the pressure that comes with being a student parent.
Minneapolis College staff say the need among student parents has grown this year, in some cases doubling. The college estimates nearly 20% of its students are parents, and more than 70% of students identify as Indigenous or people of color, international, low income or first generation.
In addition to holiday giveaways, the college offers a Student Parent Center, a food pantry, basic needs support and access to housing, financial and veterans resources. Staff say those services are designed to help students stay enrolled and succeed while raising families.
College officials say events like the Toys for Tots giveaway help reduce stress during the holidays and allow student parents to focus on finishing the semester strong.
A tense situation developed in South Minneapolis Monday afternoon, where dozens of residents confronted ICE agents operating in the streets near Lake Street and Pillsbury Avenue, not far from the Karmel Mall.
WCCO reporter Esme Murphy was also on the scene and reported that chemical irritant had been deployed. Murphy and a WCCO photographer were among those who were hit with the irritant.
Murphy reported seeing at least three people in handcuffs, but it was not immediately clear for what reason they were being detained. The scene seemed to have cleared by 2:30 p.m.
Hennepin County Sheriff’s deputies were observed at the scene. Local law enforcement have been deployed to control crowds since the Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Metro Surge in recent weeks. One of the recent ICE operations in the metro area was a raid at a construction site in Chanhassen over the weekend.
The Karmel Mall is the nation’s first Somali shopping center. The enhanced ICE actions came just after President Trump said, “I don’t want [Somalis] in our country” and claimed Somalis are “completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota.”
Few other details were immediately available, but WCCO crews on the scene noted that many of those protesting against ICE were using whistles, which in many prior confrontations have been used to try to warn neighbors that ICE agents were in the vicinity.
This story is developing and will be updated.
The World Junior Championships are less than two weeks away, but Team USA starts training camp on Monday in Duluth. FOX 9 Sports Director Jim Rich caught up with Team USA coach Bob Motzko Sunday night in St. Paul as the Americans are looking for a three-peat.
Time for Miami to bench Tua Tagovailoa? ‘Very rash and shortsighted’
Brookline police investigate shooting that wounded man
Keeler: Broncos, Sean Payton reuniting with Justin Simmons would be surprise. Denver becoming AFC West’s next dynasty would not be.
WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire at Westcrest Park
Jack Alioto – San Diego Union-Tribune
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Video: Brown Student Has Survived Two School Shootings
DC police accused of manipulating crime stats as federal probe finds thousands of misclassified cases
All eyes on Italy as Mercosur deal hangs in the balance
Australia announces strict new gun laws. Here’s how it can act so swiftly
Video: Rob Reiner and His Wife Are Found Dead in Their Los Angeles Home
-
Alaska1 week agoHowling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
-
Texas1 week agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
Washington7 days agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa1 week agoMatt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire
-
Iowa3 days agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Iowa1 day agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Miami, FL1 week agoUrban Meyer, Brady Quinn get in heated exchange during Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami CFP discussion
-
Cleveland, OH1 week agoMan shot, killed at downtown Cleveland nightclub: EMS