Securing "My Block," Progress Report

(This house, 423 30th Ave. N., actually looks fine from the front. But a small garage in rear burned and the vinyl siding got, um, gooey. Small, incredibly cute birds are now building their nests in the convenient gaps and crevices)

So I've been going around and attempting to "secure my block," plus calling the appropriate parties in regard to any situations I happen upon in neighboring blocks when I am passing through there, in preparation for securing those blocks, as well. (No, I won't be able to do it alone, but I'm already not alone, as long as I'm willing to pay by the job for tasks to be done)

My idea is to first secure my entire block, plus all the streets which face my block. In addition, I must create a "zone of safety" to the bus stop and the Bangkok Market, home of fine groceries and videos from Thailand. This means all unsecured houses must be boarded up, at every level but ESPECIALLY the ground floor and basement levels, inaccessible to weather and trespass.

All graffiti must be eliminated. The vast majority of garbage must be picked up. Drug dealers and prostitutes must decide the block is a good place to avoid, not a good place to do business, which is unfortunately the present situation.

This mission is tough, because rumor has it my block can compete for roughest block on the North Side, though I'm sure many blocks are contenders for that title and I refuse to give in to such drama....

So here is what I've managed to do, besides getting the house with the electricity thieves evacuated and an investigation reportedly launched by Revenue Protection at XCel Energy.

1.) Got an abandoned van with a flat tire towed from an area near the 2700 block of Lyndale Ave. N., after leaving a note which stayed on the windshield for a week.

2.) Obtained contact information for the (father of the) owner of four buildings inside "my block" and the facing streets. That would be 3010 N. 6th Street (next door), 420 30th Ave. N., 3033 4th Street N. (5th Street doesn't exist here) and 400 31st Ave. N. (He works for his son, the owner, and is the best point of contact)

If an security situations happen at these houses, now currently vacant, I can get word to the owner. I've learned he plans to put "Section 8" renters into the house next door, and therefore I assume into the other three houses. However, according to a reliable source, this landlord is a very careful screener of his "Section 8" tenants, or at least this was the case five years ago.

3.) Way down the block, I made a report to "311" about 2400 Lyndale Ave. N., which is wide open to trespass via a board missing over a large first floor window. Also missing glass and lacking boards on the second story. (This is a whole sub-issue, and I'll get to it) 311 Reference No. 167509.

I also reported 2414 Lyndale Ave. N., back door wide open. I contacted both the real estate agent and 311, speaking to a live person with "Minnesota REO." 311 Reference No. 167513.

4.) I spoke to a high-ranking member of the Hawthorne Neighborhood Association, who lives nearby, and I learned of prostitution activity on the block. I called 911 on a prostitute who walked up to my car and solicited me at the intersection of 6th Street N. and 31st Ave. N. (Black woman, late 30s to early 40s, wearing a gray fur or faux-fur coat)

Late at night, a prostitute reportedly known as "Lisa" (according to a reliable source in the neighborhood) was hanging out in front of 420 31st Ave. N., a vacant building wide open to trespass. I told her 420 was private property and she was trespassing, and if she was soliciting then she should leave the neighborhood. 311 Reference No. 167513, Suspicious Incident Report. Lisa is Latina and in her 20s, reportedly addicted to various things. She simply moved to the steps next door and sat there.

Police drove by but didn't interact with Lisa. The 311 operator said there wasn't much point to taking a report and it was better to call 911. I said nothing was apparently happening from calling 911, so I wanted to make the report. I've also seen Johns dropping off prostitutes, and I've noted two or possibly three other prostitutes. I also saw a prostitute near Fairview Park, sitting on a bus bench during the period of time when buses cease running.

5.) I called in a 311 report about 417 31st Ave. N. having its door unsecured. 417 was scheduled for demolition and demolished the next day. That's what I call service! (Like my call had anything to do with THAT)

6.) 420 31st Ave. N. has squatter activity and is a real problem, (including Lisa the prostitute hanging out there) with a front door unsecured, busted in, and hard to nail over because the house has metal siding. I kept trying to deal with it through the real estate agent. (More on this elsewhere) I finally made a 311 report. What appear to be makeshift crack pipes are visible just inside the doorway. 311 Reference No. 167316.

The owner of the house might be named "Manuel Carchi." Looking up all the owners of the different houses and applying public pressure, if needed, will take time and effort.

7.) I met the caretaker of 3101 31st Ave. N., which is an apartment building being operated under a court order. We exchanged phone numbers. If I see something happening with his building, I will call him and (so he says) he will call me about any problems with 3016 6th Street N.

8.) I called, over and over, about 3018 4th St. N., which is a fine building in great shape, with building materials such as floor tile inside, but the front door is missing a padlock and is unsecured. After going round and round about this with the company whose number is on the lock box, I was finally told the house is not in their system and the lock box must belong to "a vender."

I made a report to 311. However, my plan is to buy a lock, secure the damn house myself, put a note on the door about the lock, and let 311 know what I did before they send anybody out--not that I have any indication they'll be sending somebody out soon.

9.) Arranged contact--and possibly an arrest--between MPD and some scrap metal thieves, just this morning. (More on this later)

10.) Helped a guy who was locked out of his truck and spend the night sleeping in front of my house in a sleeping bag he conveniently had in the back. I gave him a coat hanger. And I told him, "Oh, gee, if I'd been here last night and seen you in front of my property, I would have thought you were a JOHN and called the police."

Heavy hint.

11.) There wasn't a lot of graffiti on my block. I've painted over most of what I've found.

12.) Got hammer and nails, found some boards laying around, and re-boarded 415 31st Ave. N. to prevent trespass. Called 311 to update them on the situation. I called the owner of the house--CitMortgage, being sued by the Hawthorne Neighborhood Association, not that they really seem to notice--and told them how their property was open to trespass, birds and the weather.

13.) Left a message for the owner of 423 30th Ave. about how the building is wide open to weather and birds on the second story. Small, incredibly cute birds, I said. THAT should send them running, the incredible cuteness of the birds and the fact their nest work will go to waste if they aren't mercifully discouraged, and quite soon! (Will the North Side become a haven to endless swarms of barn swallows and--good lord--pigeons?)

13.) Dealt with an offer to virtually double my money on 3016 6th Street N. If I sell my house, I will buy another house as near as possible. At this point, I know my block and I'm trying to take care of my block.