2207 4th St. N. Situation, Updated, Full Details

Photo By Stacy Shaffer

In a previous post, click here, I provided a brief overview of the situation at 2207 4th St. N., the "party in a condemned house" situation which caused alarm in the neighborhood.

Here is the update...

My Opinion, And I Do Have One

There may be differences of opinion about whether there is gang activity at this house or whether it's sort of a misunderstanding. I'm going to present neighbor Stacy Schaffer's words, and the words of Lieutenant Rugel. But first I'm going to give my opinion, briefly.

First, if there isn't a law against having a birthday bash in a condemned house, there should be. The whole point of a condemned house is they are dangerous and unsafe. So how can there TECHNICALLY be no law against having a party there, which includes eating, drinking, dancing, sitting around yakking, possibly sleeping, possibly making out, and more than likely urinating and defecating at some point?

I mean, if one person can't live in a condemned house for days on end, how can 30 some people reside there at a party for one evening?

Second, and I'm directing this to the new owner of the house, JOSE HUGO CONTRERAS VAZQUEZ of 3305 5th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55408:

Hell of a way to meet the neighbors, Jose, letting your minor son or one of his buddies paint graffiti on the boards covering the windows, and then throw a party with a bunch of teenagers in a condemned house in the tough part of North Minneapolis.

You see, Jose, we have a problem with gangs having gatherings in vacant houses, a problem we're fighting and cleaning up as we turn our neighborhood around by degrees, every day. So congrats on alarming folks, upsetting neighbors, and landing on the radar of police and city officials with your new real estate acquisition. So far, public opinion says YOU ARE A BAD NEIGHBOR.

But public opinion can change. You have an opportunity to change it, Jose.

You could start with getting the graffiti off the boards before the city does it, and charges you money. The fact you were present at the property, and you have NOT does this, says plenty.

Firsthand Account Of Stacy Shaffer

Greetings and Salutations from the North side of Minneapolis. As you know I have had my fill with the democracy that Minnesota/Minneapolis/Hennepin County and who ever else might be involved with making the rules. Over the weekend, November 28, while on my porch having Mommy time, I noticed that a few more than 5 people were moving things into what was, as far as I ever knew, a condemned house...

(They were moving) things like tables and chairs, pool sticks, lights of a not-renovating-a-house nature. They moved in speakers and radios, so I watched...and watched as they moved more and more things in. I contacted Peter Teachout to see if my suspicions were correct that there were no permits pulled with this property. I knew somebody bought the place (I think end of September, mid-October).

Well, the next time I went out I looked across the street to see if there was still people there and lo' and behold there was, and there was an advertisement for a 13 x 13 party in bright, colorful red and green spray paint.

Yes, I am serious, spray paint. They made the street look ghetto, even though it is the hood. I felt like I was back in the projects of New York, even Chicago. My opinion.

Well, as 8:30 crept up on me, I realized there were a lot of people showing up for this party. By this time there were 15-20 people standing, hanging out nest to Miss Shirley's house. Loud and obnoxious. Can these people really be having a party while this house is condemned? Did they just buy this house so they had a place to party? What the (expletive)!

Excuse me, but dang, you know that when we bought our house the 4th Precinct police made our life hell. If we were there too late working, they would harass us. If we were there too early the police wanted to handcuff us and manhandle us. Some days we could not win for losing.

Well, me being the big baby I am, I called the police. Told them there there was a party going on at a condemned house.

"Yes, I am sure that the house is condemned."

"How do you know?"

"Well, for one it just sold a month and a half ago, and according to the net, there has been only one permit, the VBR permit was pulled, by a realtor, mind you, in April of '08, I live across the street and I have yet to see some sort of contractor's truck, or plumbing or anything for that matter to be done. No other permits have been pulled. But yet 'n' still there is a party going on at this house."

The police came about 30-45 minutes later...love the time, by the way...and went to the back of the property where everyone was comign and going, there has to be like 30-45 people there. And, well, they let them go. Police messed with them for about 15 minutes and LET THEM ALL GO BACK AND ENJOY THEIR PARTY.

Police said the owner was on site, and that they had to vacate the building by 10 pm. OK, long enough to get a little twisted and go to the bar and not have to spend so much money. I know the trick, I don't have BOO BOO THE FOOL written on my forehead.

So they left. And they came back at almost 2 a.m. and, well, I called. My civic duty, right. Police show back up and then the people leave, but mind you...none of them took tables and lights or radios.

By the way, did I tell you they had strobe lights and red lights? Sexy. Ugh.

Well, that is what happened. Here is my point: I was told by my insurance company that I could not have anyone on my property that was not licensed. If we had people come help work on our property they worked on their own behalf, and that we would not be liable. Something to do with CONDEMNED properties and HAZARDS or something. (...)

OK, the next thing that gets my GRIND is that so what if the HOME OWNER OF A CONDEMNED BUILDING is throwing a party and it is only 8:30 or 9 p.m. The house is condemned. And we get harassed any time we stepped foot to renovate our home.

How could the police say "The homeowner is here and that's what he wants to do, it is before the NOISE ORDINANCE goes into effect."

Update: Yesterday, while enjoying my few moments before kids get home, on my porch, the INSPECTOR'S truck rolled up and took pictures of the "beautiful art work." (By this, Stacy apparently means the graffiti on 2207 4th St. N.)

I am not sure if it was the fact that I called and HAD A NICE GROWN UP FIRM CONVERSATION WITH THIS MAN WHOSE NAME I FORGET...or the POLITE tone I used trying to find someone who would be in charge of this matter...or Peter (Teachout)...if he called and complained, too?

(Addendum by Johnny Northside: I also emailed your picture to 311 at their handy dandy email address, which is minneapolis311@ci.minneapolis.mn.us)

It is like trying to figure out how many licks to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop. You may never know, but I think it was Peter. Hope you enjoy the photo. I will by working on setting up my own blog. LOVE THE BLOG, TOO! Please forgive the typos.

(Addendum by JNS: I always try to clean up the text of contributors, unless it contributes to the expressiveness of the content)

Ugh. Politics. I bet (here, Stacy speculates about the honesty of the police) so I wonder is this going to be the party house to continue to bring our values down? (...)

New Update From Stacy

In another email, Stacy said: The police were back over there today. I'm not sure why but I saw the man with the red truck get a ticket after the K9s went through, then he and the police left.

Valuable Info From Lieutenant Rugel

A member of the Hawthorne Housing Committee, Michael Klick, asked me by email if I had any more information about 2207 4th St. N. I forwarded Stacy's email before it hit the blog, because I don't sit on top of useful information just to produce interesting blog posts. Klick forwarded it around, and it got to Lt. Rugel of the 4th Precinct. Rugel's reply got back to me, and here it is.

Rugel writes:

The house has been condemned and boarded for some time. It was purchased at an auction in November. The guy who says he bought it is: JOSE HUGO CONTRERAS VAZQUEZ, 3305 5th Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55408.

He allowed his kid to have a birthday party in the house last weekend. Officcers were out on two calls but said there was no alcohol present and both calls were before 10 PM when the city noise ordinance kicks in, so they advised the owner (who was on site) that he had to break things up by 10. It looks to me like he did so. The condemnation means the house cannot be occupied, but the owner has a right to go in and out and let other people in, so long as no one tries to live there.

I am not sure about throwing parties there, but it was clearly not a "wild gang party."

I was out on the call yesterday and spoke to the new owner. He was in the house to install new doors and new locks so he could keep it secured. He told me he plans to start working on fixing up the place. I advised him on the need for permits and he said he knows about getting permits.

I told him that he could be in the house to do work (assuming he gets his permits for any work needing them) but he could not live there and he said he understood this. I am not sure what his goal is, here. He owns his house in South Minneapolis but no other properties in the city and has no rental licenses.

I also sent a memo to the new inspector for the area, Joy Parizek. The graffiti on the front door is a problem and I am sure Inspections will order him to have it removed or painted over. Otherwise, I don't think this guy is doing anything wrong.

(Johnny Northside responds: I believe there should be a city ordinance against having a party in a vacant house. The same rationale which precludes individuals from LIVING in a condemned house should, logically and sensibly, preclude individuals from having a PARTY in a condemned house. Clearly, the police must enforce the laws as they exist, however, not as we wish or hope the laws to be. This is a matter for city officials who represent North Minneapolis)

(This is yet another instance where having owner information updated QUICKLY on city websites would be helpful)

On another note: Housing Committee Member Michael Klick speculates the number "2207" is clearly "a cursed number" in the Hawthorne neighborhood)