"A Steak And A Manhattan On West Broadway Before I Die"

Photos By John Hoff

Jim Wentzel, a longtime board member of the Hawthorne Neighborhood, chatted with me a couple weeks ago and shared an interesting personal vision of the future of West Broadway...

Jim is a simple man with simple needs, and a simple vision of the future. He wants "a steak and a Manhattan on West Broadway before I die."

I knew a "Manhattan" was some kind of drink, but I'd never had one before. Like Jim, I am also a simple man when it comes to food and drink. I have one criteria for what I'm willing to try: have I ever tried it before? If the answer is no, I'm pretty much willing to try it. Think I lie? Click here. Then also click here.

Jim's vision of West Broadway development sent me on a whimsical quest for the perfect Manhattan. The one pictured at the top was at Pizza Luce, which is in the part of Minneapolis where the streets say "North" but it's not considered "North Minneapolis," apparently. Go figure.

The friend who was with me that evening informed me the Manhattan was "too fruity" to be a Manhattan and, furthermore, it's not a Manhattan if it's not served on ice. So she said. But she used to mix Manhattans for her grandfather, so her opinions are rather deeply ingrained. The bartender was equally adamant about how there's only one way to make a proper Manhattan, and it's pretty much his way. (Though he'd be glad to make it any way I like)

The second drink is a Manhattan served at Fine Line while NoMi's very own band "Watson" was playing. (Sure, only one of the band members is from NoMi, but they all live in different places and my neighborhood planted the sticker of territorial claim FIRST, so they belong to US)

Where was I? Oh, yes, seeking the perfect Manhattan.

Anyway, the Manhattan at Fine Line was good, too. But what would be the best Manhattan of all? Well, that would be the one I'll drink with Jim Wentzel after we eat steak on West Broadway.

With revitalization busting out all over and crime dramatically down, it could happen in a year or two.

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Last Of The Fourth Of July Fun And Games On The Jordan Pond...

Photo By John Hoff

As this blog previously reported, numerous good citizens gathered near Jordan Pond for a great Fourth of July. An event that wonderful has a long afterglow of delicious leftovers, shared photos, renewed relationships and fond memories. Plus lost objects that need to be returned like, well, somebody's digital camera.

Of course, when you have somebody else's photography gear late at night on the Fourth of July, naturally it seems like a good idea to put a few strange pictures on the memory chip. So it was that...

...the camera of a certain JACC board member ("New Majority") had a few extra images when it was dutifully returned this afternoon.

The photo above isn't from the camera but is actually, um, a reproduction. By which I just mean a DUPLICATE not "reproduction" like, um, REPRODUCTION.

Yes, the photo above actually shows folks at the party "putting their heads together," no doubt to solve vexing neighborhood issues. It doesn't show, like, anything else.

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JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: New Trouble For "Pete The Pedophile?"

This Is What Happens When You're Drunker Than Neighborhood Leaders Who Get Momentary Possession Of Your Camera

A respected community leader in the Jordan Neighborhood passed on a very interesting piece of information about Pete Rickmyer, a.k.a. Pete The Pedophile, a Level II Sex Offender who is the annoying bane of the Jordan Area Community Council. Some days back word reached me Pete had filed some kind of appeal in regard to the denial of his attempt to get a temporary restraining order against some of the JACC leadership, a matter this blog reported on.

Well, today, according to dependable information, Pete's probation officer Will McDonald was seen at Pete's house, displaying a badge upon entry...

When Will McDonald left, he was seen to be carrying what appeared to be a Central Processing Unit (CPU) which is basically the heart and brain of any modern computer. To analyze what has been happening on a computer, you only need the CPU.

As a Level III sex offender, Pete is not allowed to be on computers but (based on stuff Pete recently filed in court) Pete is apparently obsessed with this blog being an "agent" of the Jordan Area Community Council. Uh huh. Well, if I'm an "agent" then my "principal" needs to pay me in something more than grilled burgers and green tea ginger ale.

I'm just saying.

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Johnny Northside Dot Com Domain Registration Changed...(Summer Visitation 2009)

Photo By John Hoff

It came to my attention this week that my domain name was registered to my friend, Karl Noyes, who used to be my editor at the Minnesota Daily.

Frankly, I had forgotten Karl's name was on the registration because, between me and Karl, it was always clear that I owned "Johnny Northside Dot Com" and Karl merely helped me with small, geeky things from time to time.

So, to tidy things up, I got the domain registration changed...

Who "officially" owns the domain name now? Well, since a whole five bucks was paid for "a year of privacy and security," trying to find out that information would pretty much require a skilled hacker and a land mine detection team.

But, as readers can see, nothing has changed here at the site except, every day, it gets a little more evolved. I wait with eager anticipation for more juicy documents in PDF form, more video snippets, more oh-so-anonymous information about developing neighborhood issues.

To repeat and reiterate:

They'll shut down my blog when they pry the password from my cold, dead brain.

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PPL's Rehab Project In The Hawthorne Eco Village...

Stock Photo By John Hoff

Kevin Gulden of PPL (pictured above, in the middle) asked me to spread the word about 3023 4th St. N., a house in the Eco Village which PPL is going to renovate and then turn into an owner-occupied property.

To learn all about the property, just click here and check out PPL's brochure on the Johnny Northside PDF support website.

In addition, PPL is planning some open meetings to solicit input about the design of the Eco Village. Click here for yet another informative brochure about that, supported on the same website.

By the way, the request for publicity was made at a meeting of the Hawthorne Housing Committee (where I am the secretary) and along with the request came a worry, voiced aloud, that my blog would be "shut down."

To this I replied...

"They'll shut down my blog when they pry the password from my cold, dead brain."

OK, actually I said "cold, dead fingers." But then, later, I thought of a better reply and so I'm taking the liberty of publishing the superior motto.

There is a vital debate taking place about whether North Minneapolis could turn into "Non-Profitsville" and whether this is desirable, click here. However, I've only had good experiences with PPL and I say anything is better than another house in the hands of a slumlord.

Oh, and speaking of slumlords...well, just wait for the next post.

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Talk Of Rental License Revocation At Morgan Ave. N. Whorehouse...

Photo By John Hoff

City officials appear to be taking action, yet again, on 2700 Morgan Ave. N., the notorious whorehouse which is almost single-handedly dragging down the quality of life on the Jordan Pond.

Recently, city officials recommended...

...revoking the rental license, which is held by "Dana D III," the name of a property empire which appears to have fallen on very hard times and, lately, it's hard to tell who exactly is in charge. Dana D III made no attempt to appeal the recommendation of rental license revocation. If you want more details, check out this city document.

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/2009-meetings/20090717/Docs/2700-Morgan-Ave-N-RCA.pdf

Lately, when driving by the notorious house, I've been told by a friend in the neighborhood "Turn your face away. Glare in the other direction." It seems there is constantly some no-account individual sitting or standing outside, waiting for...well, this is a family blog, so I'll refrain from further description.

But I notice they seldom have to wait longer than 15 minutes.

I'm just saying.

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Well, It Turns Out There Really WAS A Dead Body Near Jordan Pond On The Fourth Of July...

Photo By John Hoff, Content Censored By Police Action Under Color Of Law


This blog previously reported that "apparently" no dead body was found at 2818 Morgan Ave. N., and thank goodness I used that word "apparently" as per my formal journalistic training.

Though a broken door and an agitated white male was indeed the focus of police as I watched along with the Chair of the neighborhood association, and though we saw no body removed as we observed, well, um, it turns out...

There was indeed a body at the scene. I now have a copy of the police report, and here are the pertinent details about the body at 2818 Morgan Ave. N., as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officers responded to a DOA at the listed location. Officers arrived and observed that the rear door had been forced open. Inside the residence with the assistance of fire and ems, officers observed OT1 deceased in the upper level. 710 and car 21 responded to the scene. Medical examiner responded and retrieved OT1. Board arrived and secured the south side door.

Sgt. Freundschuh was notified of the situation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It turns out the "agitated white male" was David Wayne Niedzielski of 2922 Morgan Ave. N., age 28, and he was arrested for kicking in the door and burglarizing the residence.

Unknown if the burglary charge stems from merely the door-kicking, or whether Niedzielski is accused of THE SICK AND MORALLY REPREHENSIBLE CRIME OF ROBBING THE DEAD, but the report says he "ransacked" the house.

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Merwin's Liquor "Butt Fence" Modifications In Progress...

Butt Fence Stock Photo By John Hoff

As this blog previously reported, exclusively, (click here) Merwin's Liquor is moving forward with modifying the "loitering paradise" created by their "butt fence." This morning, it became apparent the much-discussed modifications are in progress.

The steel railing has been removed. One assumes the original railing or a replacement railing will be moved closer to the sidewalk atop the stone portion of the fence, to eliminate all the "butt fencing" taking place. Temporarily, this removal of the railing creates an even BETTER loitering situation, but one hopes it will be VERY temporary.

For the record, I continue to patronize Merwin's even if my heart is with Broadway Liquor Outlet.

(Do not click "Read More")

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Talk Of NoMi Band "WATSON" Playing The Jordan Pond During National Night Out...

Photos By John Hoff

Recently, the band WATSON "went NoMi" when drummer Brian "Thong Master" Mondl put a NoMi sticker on his drum. Though Mondl is the only member of the band who actually lives in NoMi, the band periodically makes its way to North Minneapolis to practice. Here's a link to their MySpace page with some musical samples, click here.

Word is there is often "drama-o-rama" when the band finds its way here. One time, a band member parked his car and a police vehicle pulled up behind. The band member assumed he must have parked too close to the fire hydrant.

Yeah, that's the kind of innocent assumption you bring with you from the suburbs. Pretty funny stuff. It turned out the police were arresting somebody nearby for a gun crime. As for the fire hydrant...WHAT fire hydrant?

Another time, some mysterious person defecated on the porch of the house where the band was practicing, apparently out of misplaced retaliation for some resident repeatedly calling the police. Of course, as is so often the case with these forms of retaliation, it was the wrong house.

This is probably the point where I should pointedly mention North Minneapolis has seen a sudden, overwhelming drop in crime in the past year. Now is the time to snap up the bargains and get in on the ground floor of a revitalized urban utopia merely five minutes from downtown Minneapolis.

But back to the band...

Word is the band is trying to figure out the permit process and so forth, trying to make the idea of playing on the Jordan Pond a reality. Obviously, the question readers will have is whether the band is any good...

Well, I saw the band a couple nights ago at the Fine Line, and I'll be the first to say they rock. Their lead vocalist has an amazing range and belts out the tunes like he's singing for his life, his supper, and the heart of the most beautiful girl in the world...all at once. Tomorrow he will be needing something to soothe his vocal cords, but tonight he will be The God Of Rock. Like buying a home in NoMi, this band gives you way more than your money's worth.

But on another note...

Watson's original songs tend to be about love, about relationships, about longing. This is the kind of thing the college kids like, I suppose, but considering three of the four band members are married, and the fourth one is engaged, I think Watson should kick their lyrical complexity up a notch, even if this means taking some risks with their art which may not succeed.

One of their cover songs--"Love Light" by the Grateful Dead--was performed so well that I was blown away, but then rather disappointed to learn it was merely a cover. After listening to the Grateful Dead version on YouTube, click here, I've reached the following verdict: Watson's cover is better than the original.

There's nothing wrong with cover songs if you're THAT GOOD (and they really are THAT GOOD) it's just I find myself longing for something a little more edgy in their original material, something more political, possibly something which tells me, "This song came out of their life experiences."

I hope our public officials will be helpful in clearing the underbrush of necessary permits, and the songs of WATSON will soon be heard on the Jordan Pond.

Oh, one final note: see that hand sign the drummer is making?

That is NOT a sign for "devil horns."

No, it turns out that gesture means, "Behold, I am the Thong Master."

Read more!

PART FOUR: Friends, Family And Fireworks--Fourth Of July On The Jordan Pond (Summer Visitation 2009)

Photos By John Hoff

Here are more photos from the Jordan Pond Fourth of July celebration.

The top photo is Noah Dunkenson, who was at the party with his lovely wife, Jamie. Noah was mentioned recently in Lavender Magazine, click here for a link to the story.

In the next two photos, Margie and Chad with their daughter, whose eyes are so blue they look like big, ripe blueberries. In the next image, there's Noah again with...

....his dog, Wally, and new Jordan resident Michael Spivak, who joined the celebration and was welcomed as a new and productive friend in the neighborhood.

The image after that shows my son with some Fourth of July litter. I told him not to pick up expended rockets but I couldn't help but not his "good citizen heart" was in the right place. In the last photo, yet another image of our new Jordan resident, Michael Spivak. Welcome, welcome, welcome Jordan neighbor!

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PART THREE: Friends, Family And Fireworks--Fourth Of July On The Jordan Pond (Summer Visitation 2009)

Photos By John Hoff

There were all kinds of great people at the Jordan Pond Fourth of July celebration. Here are some of their images and a few stories about last night...

From top to bottom, here's my son Alex with Noah Duncanson's dog, Wally.

My son Alex sees every dog as a furry best friend he just hasn't met yet, so Alex loves life in NoMi where so many people have big dogs in large, affordable back yards.

In the next photo, Homewood resident Brian Reichow and his daugher, Ariel, with the Jordan Pond in the background. After Brian...Todd Heintz, JACC Board Director, in a West Broadway Alive t-shirt. West Broadway Alive is the City's comprehensive redevelopment plan for one of NoMi's main avenues, West Broadway.

Jordan's neighborhood association chair, Kip Browne, is featured in the next two photos. First, Kip holding a potato and, second, Kip playing guitar.  Kip does not like to have his picture taken. (Sarcasm font)

Kip kindly offered me a big hunk of the hot potato and, well, what are you going to do? Refuse the chair of the neighborhood? I don't think so.

The last photo shows one of the neighbors on the roof of his garage, where he was setting off rockets. He thought the photo might be "incriminating" but our response was, like, ARE YOU KIDDING? It's obvious there is a police policy of tolerance in effect when it comes to setting off fireworks in Minneapolis.

Well, that is to say...certainly that appears to be the policy in NORTH Minneapolis.

More photos to follow.

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PART TWO: Friends, Family And Fireworks--Fourth Of July On The Jordan Pond (Summer Visitation 2009)

Photos By John Hoff

No doubt the highlight of this year's celebration on the Jordan Pond was a little something you might call "Christmas on the Fourth of July."

One of the "pond people" had an old, dried up Christmas tree in her back yard, and many times there had been talk of burning the tree during frequent backyard social gatherings where good-quality booze is consumed in prudent moderation and discussion inevitably turns to improving the livability of our neighborhood.

However, the tree was...

...not dry enough to burn as well as it should, and not brittle enough to break apart easily. At some point an idea got floated: why don't we burn it on the Fourth of July?

So right after a huge volley of rockets from the neighbors, JACC Chairman Kip Browne decided it was time for the ceremonial lighting of the Christmas tree...in July.

The flames, as you can see, leaped quite high in the air. This photo only captures about half of the pillar of fire. I'm surprised Kip Browne still has eyebrows.

We were all, like, TOP THAT WITH YOUR LITTLE ROCKETS!!!!

FLAMES FIFTEEN FEET HIGH, BABY!!!!

YAHHHHH!!!!!

Read more!

JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Talk Of A Dead Body Near Jordan Pond On Fourth Of July...

Photos By John Hoff, Content Was Censored By Police Officer Acting Under Color Of Law

Yesterday, in the course of wholesome family celebrations near the Jordan Pond, there was a bizarre incident way the heck on the other side of the pond, involving rumors of a dead body in a house.

It went down like this...

Jordan Neighborhood Chairman Kip Browne was walking around the pond with yours truly, discussing issues in the Jordan Neighborhood, when an agitated and shirtless man ran up (see top photo) and announced there was a DEAD BODY IN THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR and he could smell the body. So he had called the police ABOUT THE DEAD BODY.

So Kip and I thought, well, we need to see how THIS turns out. We walked around to the front of the house, only to be greeted by the sight of an agitated, shirtless man being cuffed by the police. (See middle photo) It was, however, a different guy. In fact, you can see the first guy standing in the photo, explaining something to the police officer.

The way things seemed to go down, it appeared the house where the dead body supposedly resided (to the degree a dead body can "reside") had the front door broken open, somehow. Huh. Who would do that?

An ambulance and a paramedic unit were uselessly called to the scene, then were seen to depart. Though there were reports of a "bad smell" at the house next door, apparently no dead body was present. In fact, it appeared an agitated individual at the scene was the main focus of the police, not the original complaint called in to 911.

The entire incident was just bizarre and then, to top it all off, one of the police officers approached and demanded that I delete any photo on my camera which may show a minor. I didn't really feel like arguing about freedom of the press and the fact I was standing on a public street. I was, like, whatever. You want to see the pictures in my camera? Here, I'll show them to you. You want one of the pictures deleted? OK, let's delete that one. Whatever, because it's not that good a photo anyway and I don't have time for this argument.

I had already informed the officer I was a blogger. So it's all good. He was working hard dealing with weird, half-crazy people and I'll get my final say in the blogosphere. Here's my final say:

What is this, COMMUNIST CHINA? Since when do police walk up to journalists and demand they delete pictures on their camera, and on the (EXPLETIVE) FOURTH OF JULY?

I love the Fourth Precinct, and I'll say as I always do: GOD BLESS THE FOURTH PRECINCT but I will make the record, here.

Don't. Do. That.

ADDENDUM: Turns out there really was a dead body at the house, but the arrested guy had kicked in the door and burglarized the house. See follow up story.

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PART ONE: Friends, Family And Fireworks--Fourth Of July On The Jordan Pond (Summer Visitation 2009)

Photo By John Hoff

For years, residents of Jordan have been saying the neighborhood itself puts on the best fireworks show in the region. Acting under what appears to be a de facto policy of police tolerance, residents host a spontaneous, unorganized, but amazing fireworks show. It appears to have no definite beginning, and...

...no clear end. People just start shooting off rockets, and the firworks go on until late at night. It must have been about one o'clock in the morning before the major explosions stopped. A large group of Hmong residents put on a particularly good show, with one guy actually climbing on a garage roof...just like the per-fessionals! 

One misdirected rocket ended up in the Jordan Pond, and went off like a fiery spider. At moments like that you have to think, gee, that could have easily ended up IN MY LAP as I sit in this lawn chair.

But, of course, the anarchy aspect is part of the fun. And, despite being mere minors under semi-intoxicated adult supervision, it seems like even 12-year-olds have enough sense to point the rocket toward the pond, not toward the picnic tables.

I told my son to call his mother on my cell phone and assure her that he still had all his fingers. Sitting in the Jordan Neighborhood, with explosions going off all around, my son called my ex-wife in her affluent suburb and told her all about the grassroots fireworks show in NoMi, and how he was right in the middle of it.

In the photo above, my son poses with "The Rocket Boys."

Some said this year's show was a lot smaller than previous years, and blamed the recession.

However, there was a really cool and bizarre police incident right in the middle of the celebration, so it's hard to top something like THAT. Details to follow.

Read more!

Who Wants To Buy A Condemned Building? CHEAP?!

Photos by John Hoff

On my way to last night's Fourth of July celebration on the Jordan Pond, I went by this house at 2011 26th Ave. N. which appears to be for sale on a contract for deed with easy and affordable terms.

What the sign doesn't tell the casual house shopper is this: the sructure is condemned, and registered as a vacant building.

Anybody looking for homes in North Minneapolis would be well-advised to do their homework. All the same, for somebody who has the money to fix this building--and fix it rather quickly, I might add--this might actually be a good deal. And, hey, I guess a little free blog advertising can't hurt. Though 26th Ave. N. used to be rough, lately there has been a dramatic improvement in livability issues.

(Do not click "Read More")

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"Back Fence" Open Thread. Here's to free speech and Lt. Jeff Rugel...

Contributed Photo

My recent "back fence" free speech forum thread was a great success, with more than 20 posts and two pieces of important bloggy breaking news: a company vehicle at the Morgan Ave. N. whorehouse, and the reassignment of Lt. Jeff Rugel.

Since the thread is now long and falling to the bottom of the stack, I've decided to start a new "back fence" thread right here where readers can talk about what they like.

So happy Fourth of July, and happy FREE SPEECH.

(Do not click "Read More.")

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JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Lt. Jeff Rugel To Take Command Of Gang Enforcement, Crime Intel Unit...

Photo By John Hoff

Information which first surfaced on the "back fence open thread" of this blog has now been confirmed. Lt. Jeff Rugel is leaving the Fourth Precinct.

Rugel is loved and respected by the decent people of the Fourth Precinct, the ones working to make the neighborhood better.

His reputation is squeaky clean, which is apparently one reason he was selected for his challenging, politically-red-hot new assignment.

Here is the information Rugel shared in an email to many neighborhood leaders...




Effective Sunday July 5th I will be transferring out of the 4th Pct and into a new assignment as the lieutenant of the gang enforcement and crime intel unit. This unit is being created to address the gang problems here in Minneapolis in the wake of the controversy surrounding the Gang Strike Force.

Though this was not an assignment I sought out, I am excited for the challenge and looking forward to doing a different type of police work for a while.

My replacement here in sector 2 will be Lt. Jim Heimerl. He is a veteran lieutenant with a ton of experience in crime prevention and I am sure you will all find him great to work with.

Best of luck to all of you as you continue working to improve the north side, making it a safe place to live and work.

(JNS says: That would be "NoMi." Sir.)

Best regards,

Lt. Jeff Rugel

Minneapolis Police 4th Pct

Read more!

Hmong Students Work For Hawthorne, Jordan...

Contributed Photo

Hmong students have started working for the Hawthorne and Jordan neighborhoods. One of their tasks is to identify Hmong-occupied houses for community organizing and outreach. At the Hawthorne Housing Committee meeting a few nights ago, Jay Clark of the U of M CURA program gave a sometimes-humorous talk about how to identify a Hmong house just from looking at the exterior.

Turns out Hmong children are a sign of Hmong. Who knew? Reminds me of an Onion article saying turkey sandwiches are a rich source of turkey sandwiches.

Hawthorne Housing Director Jeff Skrenes reports the Hmong students working for Hawthorne and Jordan are so driven and motivated that he will give them a task and they'll complete it within a few hours, then come to ask for more work. They are intensely-focused on their task, and do not waste effort.

Here, Jeff forces one of the students to relax and take a break with some air hockey at Farview Park. The student pictured is Moua Chang.

(Do not click "Read More")

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More On The Arson At 3020 6th St. N. (God's Eye Is On The Eco Village)

Photo by Jeff Skrenes

In the wake of the apparent arson at 3020 6th St. N., Kevin Gulden of PPL announced at a Hawthorne Housing Committee meeting that any tentative plan to acquire the property was now dead in the water in light of all the fire damage.

There continues to be unconfirmed word of a "gas can" found at the property. This word comes from two highly-creditable sources but is secondhand. One can't help but note how prone this area has become to arson, with Peter Teachout's truck torched one year earlier, just across the street.

In the meantime, Jeff Skrenes took some rather interesting images of 3020 6th St. N. and posted them to a Facebook photo album, too. An amazing amount of NoMi neighborhood organizing takes place on Facebook. But anyway...

Look closely and you may see something VERY odd and hard to explain...

Note the bird's nest, especially the long piece of straw sticking out. Ask yourself WHY ISN'T THE BIRD'S NEST SCORCHED?

Jeff and I have gazed upon this photo almost as long as I spent looking at photos, yesterday, of Megan Fox. This after watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen TWICE now with my kid.

TWICE. And counting. I spend a lot of time thinking about Revenge of the Fallen.

Anyway...this is not the time of year when birds in Minnesota build nests. Correct me if you're into ornithology and think you know better.

So that nest apparently wasn't built right after the fire. One theory I had was water from fire hoses soaked down the nest. But the nest looks bone dry, not like it was soaked with water.

Jeff reminded me of a verse from the Bible about how a sparrow does not fall to earth without God seeing it. Often we've said this house was owned by "the devil" but there are forces more powerful than the devil: God and the inevitable trend of urban revitalization in NoMi.

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JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: More Details On The Mahmood Khan Problem, a.k.a. "The Khan-undrum"

Photo By John Hoff, 2222 4th St. N.

A resident of the Hawthorne Neighborhood has voiced the same concerns about slumlord Mahmood Khan as some residents of the Jordan Neighborhood, and sent me an info-packed email.

Pressed for time as I pursue father-son time today, I am tossing the email upon the blogosphere pretty much as is, so the discussion and internet organizing around the Mahmood Khan problem (the Khan-undrum) can continue...




John. Here is the info about 2222 4th St N. I have included a couple of links.

This one is to the PSRS meeting held on Dec 17th. Scroll down to item 7. This
is the staff report for the demolition, including some of the rehab plan, none
of which has been done. There is a lot of information included in this report,
too much to sumarize, but to say the least not enough has been done to meet
this plan.

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/2009-meetings/20090109/PSRS20081217agenda.asp


The next link is to the city council meeting minutes from January 9th 2009.
This is where the council voted to approve the rehabilitation plan. The plan
was to be submitted to the council within 30 days.

Here is a summary of the minutes

PS&RS – Your Committee, having under consideration the property located at 2222
4th St N; and the Inspections Division having determined that the property meets the
definition of a nuisance under the meaning of Chapter 249 of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances; and a Notice of the Director’s Order to Demolish the property having been issued and a hearing having been held by the Nuisance Condition

Process Review Panel, now recommends the following:

a. that the Order for Demolition be stayed, and that the proper City officers
be authorized to execute a Restoration Agreement with the property owner. Further, that the property owner shall provide a management plan for the exterior of the property to staff within 30 days.

b. adoption of Findings of Fact, Conclusions and Recommendations, which are on
file in the Office of the City Clerk and hereby made a part of this report by reference.

Hofstede moved that paragraph “a” of the report be amended to read as follows:
a. that the Order for Demolition be stayed, and that the proper City officers
be authorized to execute a Restoration Agreement with the property owner. Further, that the property owner shall provide a management plan and a landscaping plan for the exterior of the property to staff within 30 days.

Seconded.

Adopted upon a voice vote.

The report, as amended, was adopted 1/9/2009.


http://www.minneapolisriverfront.org/council/2009-meetings/20090109/Council20090109agenda.asp

Furthermore, I am including all the assessment of the property after the "rehab
plan" was approved.

2009


RS NUM
Levy #
Levy Year
Project
Project Description
Status
Total

Department: HBBLDG - Contact Customer Service Agents at 3-1-1 or 612-673-3000
for assistance.


09-0678477
1099
2009
Dot
Dwelling Open To Trespass Dwelling Open To Trespass -- Front Door Open -- Board
Pending
$145.00

Department: HSNG - Contact Customer Service Agents at 3-1-1 or 612-673-3000
for assistance.


08-0650352
1080
2009
021
Remove Rubbish Paint Cans, Plastic, Bags, Wood, Lattice, Door Parts (Entered
10-29-08)
Pending
$175.00


09-0671840
1080
2009
021
Remove Rubbish Remove Brush, Wood, Paper, Basket Of Debris And All Other Misc.
Debris (Entered 2-25-09)
Pending
$175.00


09-0674619
1080
2009
021
Remove Rubbish Cardboard Boxes, Plastic, Boxes, Paint Cans, Shingles, Carpet,
Wire Creates/Containers, Plastic Bags, Metal Pole & Misc. Debris In Rear Yard
(Entered 3-26-09)
Pending
$175.00

Department: MPDBRD - Contact Customer Service Agents at 3-1-1 or 612-673-3000
for assistance.


08-0670162
1098
2009
Mpd
Mpls Police Dept Authorized Boarding Board Up Requested To Board Up Garage Of A
Vacant/Condemned House. Officers Had To Forced Entry Into Garage. Door And
Window Needed To Be Re-Secured.
Pending
$320.00


09-0670468
1098
2009
Mpd
Mpls Police Dept Authorized Boarding Requested Board Up To Re-Open Above Garage
Persuant To Homicide Investigation - Re- Visit Scene. Boards Resecured Upon
Leaving.
Pending
$215.00


09-0671537
1098
2009
Mpd
Mpls Police Dept Authorized Boarding Board Up Unit Requested To Remove A
Previously Boarded Up Garage Door - The Door Was Already Open And Board Was
Removed By The Time Board-Up Unit Arrived
Cancelled
$125.00

Department: OTHER - Contact Customer Service Agents at 3-1-1 or 612-673-3000
for assistance.


08-0658935
1080
2009
021
Remove Rubbish Plastic, Bags, Paper, Bottles, Cans, Bags Of Trash On Back
Parking.
Cancelled
$10.00


08-0668484
1080
2009
021
Remove Rubbish Sofa By Garage. (Entered 1-8-09)
Pending
$175.00


09-0680056
1080
2009
021
Remove Rubbish Vaccuum Cleaner Parts By Alley
Cancelled
$10.00


09-0680608
1080
2009
002
Refrig/Freezer - By Alley.
Cancelled
$10.00


09-0691133
1080
2009
021
Remove Rubbish - Remove Scrapwood, Scrap Siding And Sheet Metal, Blue Tarp,
Etc. In Backyard.
Cancelled
$10.00

JNS says thanks to my loyal reader/contributor and I leave ya'll with a question:

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT MAHMOOD KHAN AND HIS EMPIRE OF SLUM!?

Read more!

NoMi And NY Working Together On Mortgage Foreclosure Issues...

Photo By John Hoff 

About a month ago, Hawthorne Housing Director Jeff Skrenes (pictured above) shared a story about receiving a call from another neighborhood association wanting some of his increasingly-renowned expertise on the mortgage foreclosure crisis, including the kind of innovative lawsuit which the Hawthorne Neighborhood used against CitiMortgage.

It's fairly common for Jeff to be pressed for his expertise, but this call was different. This call came from NEW YORK CITY. I delayed writing about it for a while because, well, I wanted to give that neighborhood in New York some time to deal with the issue they were dealing with. And I got busy.

Here's the story, as told by Jeff in an email...


John,

This week I got a call from a representative of a neighborhood in New York City. They were having trouble with a problem property on their block that is in foreclosure. The mortgage company that financed the deal is none other than Citimortgage.

(JNS editorial comment: Boo! Hiss! Boo!)

So concerned residents did some research about how small neighborhoods have stood up to mortgage companies, especially
Citimortgage. And guess who turned up? That's right, Hawthorne.

Here's a link to the NY neighborhood's story:

http://www.rockawave.com/news/2009/0515/front_page/002.html

From what I remember in my discussion with this person, the land was worth about $80,000 several years ago, and then someone acquired it for $300,000 and got an additional $180,000 in construction loan dollars. The possibly baseless increase in value is certainly suspicious, but the new owner proved that slumlord tricks aren't limited to just Minneapolis.

(JNS asks: was there EVER a hypothesis which stated as much?)

He built a multi-level monstrosity that didn't conform with anything else in the neighborhood. He didn't pull proper permits, instead opting to play a game of chicken with the city and neighborhood about whether he could put a multi-family house up in a strictly residential neighborhood.

Thankfully, he lost that battle even though the structure got built, and the place has remained vacant. It's now in some late stage of foreclosure, although I couldn't say exactly what because New York's foreclosure laws and procedures are different than Minnesota's. And even if I could describe what specifically is going on, it would probably be so full of mortgage geekitude that nobody would understand anyway.

(JNS says: If by "nobody" you mean non-mortgage geek humans, sure)

Much of our conversation centered around my informing this person of the specific steps we took to achieve success. I won't go into those details because they are already well-documented on your blog and in other areas. (But mainly on your blog, especially since Strib links go dead after a while)

(JNS says: Some STrib links seem to stay alive longer than others, as I've discovered, but any excuse to criticize dead tree media is OK with me)

I am compelled to offer an aside here that it became apparent to me during this conversation that we are actually quite fortunate in Minneapolis. Residents are plugged in to the neighborhood councils, which work closely with the city of Minneapolis and entities such as the Family Housing Fund and the Northside Home Fund, as well as city structures such as
CPED, MPD, Problem Properties, and Inspections. It was due in large part to such connections that Hawthorne was able to partner with the Housing Preservation Project and sue Citimortgage. It became clear to me that such partnerships simply do not exist in this other (New York City) neighborhood.

So yes, Hawthorne blazed a trail with our success vs. Citimortgage, but we were able to do so only because of the collaborative and groundbreaking work happening at many levels here in NoMi.

(If by "success" you mean a settlement in which CitiMortgage never admitted wrongdoing, but Hawthorne got what it wanted, sure, I can go along with that)

And we're more than happy to share what worked with folks throughout the metro and across the country.

John, feel free to add any of your commentary.

(JNS says: Yeah, thanks)

And I wanted to establish a connection between you and Victor as well.

(Is he a chiropractor? His name sounds like a chiropractor, and I could use one of those)

Read more!

JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Fourteen Years Suggested For Mortgage Fraudster Larry Maxwell, His House Reportedly "Ransacked."

Photo By John Hoff

Melony Michaels, the wife of identity theft victim John Foster, called me today and provided Johnny Northside blog exclusive details about a hearing this morning for Larry Maxwell, who faces sentencing for 18 criminal convictions all related to mortgage fraud. The photo above shows Maxwell on the day of his conviction, a few hours before he was taken into custody.

The Maxwell scandal was blown wide open by Michaels' amateur investigation into the fraudulent sale of 1564 Hillside Ave. N., which involved the theft of her husband's identity. According to Micheals...

The hearing took place this morning before Judge Regina Chu. Michaels reported 6 or 7 individuals who looked like family members were present, and two of the family members--women in their late 20s or early 30s--actually GLARED at Michaels, as though she were the criminal instead of Larry Maxwell. Ironically, Michaels had rode the elevator with the women and had been about to tell one of them her rhinestone decorated shoes were cute, but Michaels' husband, John Foster, interrupted her train of thought at that moment.

Let the record reflect one of the individuals in the spectator section, believed to be a family member of Larry Maxwell, had cute shoes.

Maxwell himself had a cute outfit as well: an orange jumpsuit with orange socks. Maxwell's shoes were "sandal like" and beige.

Michaels reports both attorneys provided briefs to Judge Chu. The brief of prosecutor Brad Johnson was "half an inch thick." (It is my belief Liz Johnston may have worked on that brief)

The hearing centered on how racketeering should be "rated" for sentencing purposes. Racketeering is an "unrated" crime in Minnesota, so the judge has discretion. Brad Johnson was asking for 14 years, arguing for a rating of "10" which is the same as third degree murder. Maxwell's co-conspirator, Jerome L. Kingrussell, received a rating of 8 for acting as Maxwell's tool in the fraud. Maxwell was described as the "mastermind" of the fraud.

Johnson argued a rating of 10 made sense because three similar cases in Hennepin County were rated at a 9. These were mortgage fraud and racketeering cases but lacked the "underlying crimes" such as identity theft which was present in the Larry Maxwell case.

Chu inquired about sentencing only on racketeering, and merging all the other crimes. Johnson stated he would prefer to sentence on all 18, to be served concurrently. (At the same time)

Defense attorney Larry Reed argued Maxwell couldn't be compared with a murderer. Reed said a long sentence for Maxwell would produce too much "variation" between the co-conspirators, Kingrussell and Williams, who are both on probation and walking free. At one point, Reed argued for a ranking of 6, which would be less than the ranking of Kingrussell, the crackhead co-conspirator who could do NOTHING without Maxwell's sophistication and "keys" to the mortgage and real estate industry. 

In response to this, Johnson read Judge Cahill's order about 108 months hanging over Kingrussell's head. The only reason Kingrussell is walking free, Brad said (quoting Cahill) is because Kingrussell was cooperative in convicting the "mastermind" of these crimes, which was Larry Maxwell.

Johnson emphasized that Kingrussell got 108 months, yet Kingrussell wasn't anywhere near the level of Maxwell's "sophistication." (Evidence shows Kingrussell has battled with addiction to crack) Johnson said Maxwell was not apologetic or remorseful.

In response to this, Larry Reed argued Maxwell was "honorable" and showed up in court. Reed said Maxwell's house had been "ransacked" and "things had been stolen" because the judge had Maxwell taken away right after trial instead of letting him tidy up his affairs. Reed argued Maxwell should be let go for a brief time, since his grandma is "sick and on her deathbed."

Unknown if the allegedly sick grandma lives in Alabama. Prosecutors have consistently argued Maxwell is a flight risk.

According to Melony Michaels, during this discussion about (among other things) Maxwell's "sick grandma," Chu's face had a look like "I'm not buying this." Chu said Maxwell will remain in custody. Sentencing will take place Thursday, August 13, at 9 a.m. I am told John Foster will speak. Melony is debating whether she should speak, but appears to be strongly leaning that way. She is being urged by "everyone" to speak.

Prior to the sentencing date, prosecution and defense will submit further argument about sentencing and the merging of multiple sentences. Larry Reed said he didn't have enough time to prepare all the info he wanted to give to Judge Chu because of the ongoing Marlon Pratt case, which is expected to end "next Monday."

Read more!

Company Vehicle Seen At Whorehouse, And More On The "Back Fence" Open Thread... (Summer Visitation, 2009)

Photo By John Hoff 

My experimental open blog forum is going gangbusters, with hot and fresh new discussion about a company vehicle seen at the known and notorious whorehouse at 2700 Morgan Ave. N. How I love it when somebody pulls up to a whorehouse in the company vehicle. Click here for another example. It's even more fun when a Level 3 sex offender gets fired a job which requires being licensed and bonded. Click here for an example.

So go enjoy the free speech "back fence" blog discussion, but then take the discussion further by making a call to the company which owns the truck in question.

I will keep linking to that thread in every blog post, until I make a judgment call the thread has gotten too long and then I'll start a new thread...most likely with a picture of my son prominently displayed. As for the photo above...

That's my son holding a check for $120 and some cents. This money comes from Google for ads displayed on this blog. It is my self-imposed standard (one of many) to disclose money which comes my way for blogging efforts from PayPal, cash donations handed over in person and now a check from Google.

However, this is MONTHS worth of ad revenue collected in a slow, steady drip of pennies from folks clicking on the various Google ads.

Yes, I would suggest bloggers put ads on their websites, but are you going to get rich or make a living? Obviously not.

In the meantime, I am trying to figure out a way to make this blog self-supporting. Our neighborhood revitalization efforts are unstoppable if these efforts become one with the power of information technology. So let us continue to speak, to write, to organize.

This blog will be shut down when the password is pried from my cold, dead brain. Patrons of prostitutes driving the company vehicle in North Minneapolis: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Read more!

827 West Broadway For Sale For A Cool Half A Million (Summer Visitation 2009)

Photos By John Hoff 

The toughest-looking building on West Broadway may be a matter of debate, but few would argue 827 West Broadway ISN'T in the running. From its painted-over graffiti to the psychotic clown motif which was somehow supposed to sell "affordable" furniture during another era, the exterior of the building speaks of tough times past and present.

Recently, I noticed small changes to "827" and some attached buildings...

First of all, the barbershop at the end of the block closed in the last week. Truly, no great loss. As is the case with many obscure, run-down West Broadway businesses, residents worry something nefarious is happening and whisper it by word of mouth. The barbershop was no exception to that rule.

But now the "head chop shop" is closed and random crap is piled high, just beyond the windows. In the top photo, my son's reflection is visible, looking inside the former barbershop.

So that's one change to the "800" block, the closing of the barbershop. The prayer center and thrift store are still open, however. If you want to pray for an affordable used toaster, you may find instant success on the "800 block." What I pray for is development, revitalization, and a drop in crime. At 827 Broadway Ave. N., I see some possibility my prayers may be answered.

In the last several days, a wondrous and miraculous sign has appeared in the front window. This sign has the phone number for a real estate agent, Matthew Ward. In a conversation with Ward today, he told me "827" is for sale for a mere $500,000. He told me this like, gee, maybe I had it laying around.

Ward made it clear that, obviously, a respectable offer below half a million would be considered. And he hinted some buyers had looked at the property recently, but no deal had been finalized.

I told him, "Ward, I tell you what. How would you like some FREE ADVERTISING?"

...

Revitalization of this area is inevitable. Just recently, I read an article in North News (click here) about redevelopment taking place right down the block. Half a million seems like a lot right now, but in ten years I believe there will be somebody saying, "Can you believe I could have had 827 Broadway Ave. W. for HALF A MILLION back in 2009? What was I thinking, investing in UPTOWN while NoMi was turning trendy? I could kick myself."

Take a look in the window, my son, while I take a picture. The desperate little barbershop is gone before you ever laid eyes upon it, and tomorrow brings even bigger changes.

Read more!

Important North News Story On UROC Is Only Available On The Flesh Of Dead Trees...

Photo By John Hoff

In the Name of Blogia, The All-Seeing, All-Revealing Goddess Of The Blogosphere...

I love North News, but they're killing me with their archaic "dead tree medium." Though North News is online, they don't appear to put ALL their stories online. This week, there is a particularly important story about U of M's UROC on the front page...

The story begins this way:

University of Minnesota, meet North Minneapolis.

Oops, try again.

And again...

The story is three pages long, full of amazing content, and (as of this moment) only available in the archaic dead tree format. My friend and fellow blogger Don Allen said he'd call North News and push to get the story online, but for now...check to see if it's stuffed in a chain link fence near you!

Read more!

Neighbors Concerned, Hiring Notorious Blogger Mercenary As Slumlord Buys 1607 Hillside Ave. N. (Summer Visitation 2009)

Photo by John Hoff

While visiting friends in the Jordan Neighborhood and enjoying some grilled burgers, a fan of my blog came to the back fence of the yard and waved a $5 bill, saying, "I need you to blog about something."

A side note, here: the live link in the sentence above leads to my most recent back fence "open thread" discussion forum. I plan to make a habit of this, so readers will come to expect it, and the JNS blog will become even MORE of a forum for discussion, planning, neighborhood revitalization plotting, free speech, and maybe a few dinner invites. Because I just love going out for dinner, and life in NoMi is an endless series of dinners with neighbors.

But my point is people should feel free to talk about what they want to talk about on this blog resource, not just what topics I think are important at the moment. Delays in comment approval are mostly to keep this website from being buried in a meaty mountain of spam. I approve almost all comments, even those intensely critical of my point of view. Hey, I don't have the market cornered on righteousness. Who do I look like, Al McFarlane?

ANYWAY!!! It turns out Mahmood K. Khan--considered a slippery slimy slumlord by neighborhood leaders in Hawthorne, though I'm not saying WHICH leaders--has acquired a property at 1607 Hillside Ave. N., specifically a little yellow house with a porch so crooked it appeared to have been built by somebody cross-eyed.

It is expected Khan will...

...want to turn the property into yet another crappy rental in his crappy empire of crap but give the man this: he talks a good line. Somehow he's managed to keep the city of Minneapolis from crushing him like an insect, even while the dead, frozen, murdered body of a 15-year-old turns up at one of his run down properties. 

So where was I? Oh, yeah, earning my five bucks. Viva la blogger mercenaire.

After being told about the situation by the unnamed, oh-so-anonymous concerned resident (who lives on a small income, and was needlessly apologetic for the modest contribution, which is still more than I've been paid by, for example, all city officials combined) I walked over to eyeball the security of the vacant property under the city's broad "adopt houses" mandate.

Severe problems with the foundation of the house were obvious, even from the exterior. The back door was found unsecured, so I called 311. Way to take care of your property, Mahmood Khan, you scum-lord. Another individual in the neighborhood said the inside of the house had "poop everywhere" and further articulated as follows:

"Poop, poop, poop."

How I love writing about slumlords and their slummy ways. Keep the slumlord info and comments coming, folks.

Read more!

This Is An Open Comment Thread... (Summer Visitation 2009)

Photo By John Hoff

From time to time, individuals who frequent this blog have suggested the idea of an "open comment thread." Sometimes there is an urgent need to communicate certain neighborhood issues to the world at large, over the internet, but the particular JNS blog posts up near the top (where discussion tends to take place, not so much on older posts) may not have a relevant topic for the urgent discussion.

Despite that obstacle, sometimes very important "off topic" discussions have indeed taken place when readers just ignore the topic of the particular blog post and communicate something urgently, even using the blog as an organizing tool.

Two examples: Hawthorne's leadership learned 3007 3rd St. N. had fallen into the hands of a particularly evil slumlord and, another time, we made contact with a guy who was interested in buying a particular boarded house and transforming it. We're still working on helping him acquire that house.

My regular readers are well aware I'll try new things. So I'm posting this photo of my son attending "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" but readers can talk about whatever pressing topics they like.

As for myself...

...I'll talk about this movie I saw with my son.

First of all, it's pretty good for a sequel, just based upon one overwhelmingly important criteria: you don't need to see the first movie to understand the second one. Like, yeah yeah, the evil Decipticons are at war with the good-hearted Autobots, and humanity is caught in the middle. Again.

One of the best things about this movie is Megan Fox. Clearly, there must be large swaths of the script which only say things like, "Cut to Megan Fox's expressive face, pouty lips, sparkling eyes." And yet I find my heartstrings being ruthlessly played, because Fox's character does one thing so well: she loves her boyfriend, and they both have a distinctly American love affair with cars. I can sit there watching with my 12-year-old son and think, "If Alex had a girlfriend like that during his first year of college, I could believe his whole life would continue to go well."

Fox's semi-wholesome character doesn't have skimpy, revealing costumes. And she doesn't act all vampy-trampy except, well, maybe just once in the first scene in which she appears...but then you see the more complicated layers of her character being swiftly peeled away and revealed: this incredibly hot girl cares about her troubled father. She's trying to keep the family business running. She cares about FAMILY. That's what makes her a good girlfriend, not merely the fact she's smoking hot.

The most heartbreaking scene of the movie is when she's waiting for a live video chat...and her boyfriend never shows up. Some evil Decepticon taking on human form has...well, I don't want to spoil the movie, but let's just say there are times when the internal alien probe doesn't look all bad.

One of the WORST things about "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is surely the goofy twin autobots who deliver one liners like, "That's because you a pussy." These characters are (pardon my geek speak) the autobot equivalent of Jar Jar Binks and Wesley Crusher. How do the makers of movies and television shows manage--time and time again--to deliver characters which are supposed to amuse and inspire, and yet merely annoy?

But my kid liked it. And he wants to see it again and again and again...

Read more!