Saturday, February 13, 2010
JNS Blog Attempts To Contact Remaro Smith, A Wanted Man (One Ringy Dingy...Two Ringy Dingy...)
Yesterday, I attempted to call Remaro Smith, at a number used by Smith the previous day when he called around to a few people, reportedly upset about things written about him on this blog. Smith is wanted on three warrants (according to a high-ranking police official) and has been fingered by June Leikas, the mother of Annshalike Hamilton, as the person June suspects murdered her daughter. None of the three warrants are for murder, however...
The guy who picked up the phone identified himself as Jonathon, Remaro's brother. I identified myself to Jonathon and said I was a journalist.
"A journalist?" Jonathon said, and then added. "Why would a JOURNALIST want to talk to Remaro?"
It was a good question. I told Jonathon that June Leikas was saying Remaro murdered her daughter, Annshalike Hamilton, and another friend of the family thought the same thing. Both of these people had been talking to me, telling me all about Remaro and why they think he did it.
Jonathon said his brother would never do something like that. He would never murder somebody.
"They tell me he beats Anne Marie Leikas," I added. "Beats her bloody. Word is she's had two black eyes for, like, going on two years, now? And she's missing parts of her eyebrows?"
Silence in response to this.
"But these are just things I'm being told," I added. "I believe it's only fair to talk to Remaro about it."
Jonathon wanted to know why I would say something like that? Why I would PRINT something like that?
"It's a murder case," I explained. "And what the mother of the murder victim tells me is very relevant. And he is wanted on warrants, after all."
Who told me Remaro had warrants, Jonathon wanted to know.
"A high-ranking police official," I answered.
But, Jonathon asked, none of those warrants are for murder, right?
Right, I agreed. Those three warrants were not for murder. If there was a new warrant in the last few days, well, I wouldn't know about that. I'm just calling to get Remaro's side, I said. And I emphasized that if somebody told me something about Remaro, then it's only fair to get Remaro's side, right? And Jonathon agreed that was fair but, still, even then it wasn't a good idea to PRINT it.
"It's already printed," I answered. "Get on the internet, do a search for Annshalike Hamilton or Remaro Smith. See what turns up. It's all over the internet already. But I'm very willing to put Remaro's side out there, too. He just needs to tell me his side."
Jonathon said Remaro wouldn't know anything about what was being said because he's in Chicago.
"I assure you, they have internet in Chicago," I answered.
"There's no proof of anything," Jonathon said. "This is all hearsay."
I told Jonathon it didn't matter because I'm not a court, and I'm not the police. The fact the mother of the murder victim thinks Remaro Smith killed her daughter is very relevant. Relevant enough to publish. But, again, basic fairness would mean contacting Remaro, right?
Jonathon insisted Remaro doesn't know anything about what was being said. I answered this was not true because, in fact, only the day before Remaro called June Leikas and said how upset he was about stuff being printed on the internet. So clearly Remaro DOES know what is being said.
Jonathon said he didn't have a phone number for Remaro, but could call somebody and get it and pass on the message to have Remaro call. At that point, it seemed like Jonathon was wrapping up the conversation so I needed to find a way to keep him interested and on the line.
"Your name came up, too," I said. "The way I hear it, Remaro is too scrawny to move a body by himself. Folks are saying if Remaro needed help, he'd probably call his brother Jonathon."
No, Jonathon said. No.
"Where were you the night Annshalike Hamilton disappeared?" I asked.
"I was with my family," Jonathon answered.
"But where, exactly?" I asked.
"WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO ME LIKE YOU'RE A COP?" Jonathon said, and the line went dead.
JNS Blog will be trying to call Remaro again today.
One ringy dingy...
Two ringy dingy...
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19 comments:
Looks like you have them a little nervous Johnny. Good job and I hope they get Remaro even if he did not kill Annashalike. I cannot stand a women beater and I hope he gets his in jail.
MCullen NE
Be safe...
Dear Johnny North Side Blog,
I have gotten a few calls from angry and concerned community members that tell me you are on a Klu Klux Klan like mission to lynch a Black man before he is found guilty by lady justice. This also includes posts about other Black men, which you have tried, convicted and sentenced by your (well written) blog posts.
Some of the cowards that read and write for your blog seem to overlook the killings of Quincy Smith and Fong Lee at the hands of Minneapolis’ finest and the current and ongoing lack of opportunities in North Minneapolis perpetuated by the current DFL political infrastructure to include Diane Hoffstade, Don Samuels, Linda Higgins, Congressman Keith Ellison, the Peace Foundation and the West Broadway Business Area Coalition (What Coalition?).
I would suggest you look a White folks from over north too. There have been bad dealings at Emerge; the Peace Foundation has not been as effective as presented to the community.
Ask CM Don Samuels what has happen to the Empowerment Zone Dollars? Why is the Ackerberg group remodeling a building at the corner of Penn and Broadway for over $150 per sq ft., and the City of Edina was able to complete a state of the art fire station for $80 per sq ft. – the hard questions never seem to be asked in your blog.
The group NoMi, a self promotion group for real estate agents to further their financial “adventures” has presented profits for this blog, but still lacks in providing successful measurable outcomes for anyone but a group of people who don’t look like the average north Minneapolis resident.
If these Black men have done something, according to your blog – don’t taunt them.
If you publish this post, there will be cowards that will leave comments without using their names. My message to them: “It’s a matter of time.”
Don,
I'm printing what the mother and the close friend of the family told me. Do these "concerned citizens" want the murderer of a young black pregnant woman brought to justice or not? If the story just goes cold and nobody cares, nobody writes about her, nobody publishes any new scrap of information that emerges...that's exactly what will happen.
If you, Don, have information which would tend to exonerate Remaro, or cast him in a sympathetic light, I would urge you to print that information if he's willing to talk to you, not me. But do you really want to be in Remaro's corner?
Remaro is free to tell me his side...if he can manage to make a phone call or an email from wherever it is he's hiding on his three outstanding warrants. The mother of Annshalike Hamilton was grateful for the effort I put forward on behalf of the story concerning her daughter and, really, that's good enough for me.
Don Allen says:
"you are on a Klu Klux Klan-like mission to lynch a Black man before he is found quilty by lady Justice".
Dennis Plante Says:
Where to start? Let me just dig right in.....
The real reason for the anger by these "community members" (or yourself for that matter) has nothing to do with seeking justice for a young woman that tragically lost her life at the hands of a merderous scoundrel. Or for that matter, to protect someone that may, or may not be innocent in connection to her tragic death.
It has much more to do with your very own bigotry and that of those you profess to be speaking for.
JNS doesn't know the individual in question. Nor, as far as I can tell, has he ever personally expressed the beief that he's guilty. Those that were family members, or knew the child have.
Yet, specifcally BECAUSE the individual in question is black, you choose to insinuate that there's a Klu Klux Klan-like conspiracy afoot. Where was the same indignation for individuals like Pete the Pedophile, or the Koenigs? Why the different approach to the same issue, if in fact your interest is obtaining "equality".
If the individual in question were a young white man, do you really believe that JNS would take a different approach? Because I sure don't.
You profess to "know" the purpose and "real" intent of the individuals that regularly post on this blog. Nothing could be further from the truth and it does nothing but cost you credibility.
I now live in S Florida Don. About a year ago Don, I was at a gas station filling-up my vehicle with gas. Minding my own business going about my day. I watched in disbelief as an un-makred squad car pulled over a car at a stop light. As it turns-out, the plain-clothes police officer was making a felony stop on a woman that had stolen about $2k worth of merchandise from a local retail store.
The plain-clothes office stood in front of the woman's car, gun pointed at her through the windshield and ordered her out of the car. She inched ahead slowly, posing no-threat in my opinion, to the office and as she continued to move forward, the officer moved around to the drivers' side of the car. All the while ordering her to stop.
As she continued to drive-off, the officer fired once into the drivers' side of the car.
I found-out th next day, the woman had been apprehended a short time later (after driving off) and had been shot by the officer. She had additionally been charged with attempted murder of the officer (or some such charge). I took it upon myslef to become involved, as I did not believe the woman had tried to run-over the officer. In Florida, there's a state agency that investigates ALL police-related shootings.
The officer was white and she was black. I am white Don. I post regurlarly on this blog. Do you still consider ME a racist?
Personally, I think you and your "community member" buddies are much more apt to jump to conclusions and become involved with "issues" for bigoted reasons, than I, or most of the other posters on this blog ever will be.
You see, in my opinion, your "views" aren't based on what's in the best interests of anybody, but yourselves.
Don Says:
Why is the Ackerberg group remodeling a building at the corner of Penn and Broadway for over $150 per sq ft., and the City of Edina was able to complete a state of the art fire station for $80 per sq ft. – the hard questions never seem to be asked in your blog.
Dennis Plante Responds:
Don, at best your statement above is misleading. A good part of the reason no one asks "hard questions" on issues like this is because the question isn't based in reality in the first place.
If you truly believe you can pull a fire station out of the ground to a completely finished state for $80 sq/ft., then you're in the wrong business. You MIGHT be able to lay a foundation and build a shell for $80 sq/ft., but I can assure you that the completed cost for that fire station was $200 sq/ft., w/o even seeing the plans, or the work performed.
The fire station in Edina is a 29,000 sf facility Don, please offer-up some sort of link that definitively proves that Edina built it for $2,320,000. The project was originally awarded to Rochon Construction, with an approved CIP expenditure of in excess of $4,500,000. Typically cost-overuns and change orders drive the price up another 10-15% minimum. That would put the cost at about $170 sq/ft., without even checking the facts.... Care to respond to this?
I will offer-up this Don, if you're able to take the Edina #1 fire station out to bid, start to finish, including the earth-work and pre-construction abatement that occured, at your $80 sq/ft., I will kiss your bared butt - in public.
If you're wrong, then you need to promise to check your facts before you ever post your conspiracy theories again..... That's how sure I am....
Are we on? I thought not... So please, just stop with the incitefull stupidity...
dennis plante
Don Allen Says:
I would suggest you look a White folks from over north too. There have been bad dealings at Emerge; the Peace Foundation has not been as effective as presented to the community.
Dennis Plante Responds:
Again Don, you speak of accusations you cannot substantiate. What "bad dealings" are you referring to at EMERGE? How has the PEACE FOUNDATION not been as effective as its' presented itself to the community?
And I guess more specifically (and importantly), whereas the PEACE FOUNDATION is a PNP, what business is it of yours unless you're willing to roll-up your sleeves and get involved?
I am beginning to think that your efforts (and posts) are more a product of your predispostion to call B.S. to any idea you do not completely have some sort of control over, than anything else.
And I suspect that the next tact will be to generally point-out that posters on this blog should let "black folk" rule themselves. Isn't that somewhat of a bigoted approach on your part?
Tell me what EXACTLY it is you don't like about the PEACE FOUNDATION? What EXACTLY don't you like about a private blogger (JNS) attempting to stir the pot regarding a murder of a child? What EXACTLY are the "bad dealings" at EMERGE?
Dennis Plante wrote: ‘Personally, I think you and your "community member" buddies are much more apt to jump to conclusions and become involved with "issues" for bigoted reasons, than I, or most of the other posters on this blog ever will be.’
You know, I should take a tip from E-Democracy and not “feed the trolls,” but in this case, you are not even close to what bigoted reasons mean in any way, shape or form.
I never said anyone was a racist. But I do understand it is very easy to hate a group or a race of people based on selfish values.
If carrying water for Don Samuels, the Peace Foundation and attacking any Black man you don’t like isn’t “bigoted” then I suggest you start with the posting with Al Flowers with a joint hanging out of his mouth. While I’m currently not a big fan of Al, was it right to attack him simply because he was running for mayor against R.T. Rybak? Is it okay to attack Keith Rietman - a long time business owners and property owner in north Minneapolis because you where tipped off by the Samuels camp to try to destroy someone that wanted answers? Is crime down in North Minneapolis?
First of all a comment on a blog, does not make that blog the bible, by any sense of the word. Secondly, the questions this blog might want to ask, always seem to disappear in the celebrity-celebration of a real estate group call NoMi. Thirdly, it’s really sad that you folks are so little that it would be a waste of my time to put you on the radar.
Answer some of my questions: Is NoMi a non-profit? If it is, who’s on the Board? How much money has the City of Minneapolis granted to NoMi; Last: Does “art” get people jobs in north Minneapolis? Or is this just a “pretty” way to ignore the real issues?
Bigots and Bigotry travel in a tight circle.
I haven’t heard one thing about Diane Hoffstede and her buddies at General Mills who come in and fund “select” projects within and around the Minneapolis Public Schools, who by the way have the WORSE graduation rate for children of color – some of those children of color are White!.
Dennis Plante – why can we never address the true issues?
Again, Bigots and Bigotry travel in a tight circle.
I'm done feeding the trolls - if you want to hash this out call me, JNS has my number.
My biggest personal problem with you Don, is that you NEVER say anything positive about NOMI, or its' residents, REGARDLESS of their skin color.
Does JNS "go over the top" with his blogs? Soemtimes yes. But, he also intermingles "feel good" stories about the things that ARE postive about NOMI and its' residents.
Every word out of your mouth is either about how something, or someone is failing, or cheating, or stealing of/from NOMI.
Which I guess in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, if you're willing to offer something that resembles a solution. Therein lies my problem. You NEVER do.
At some point, if you're going to be successful at whatever it is you are doing, you need to realize that consensus-building is required.
You may not LIKE the "consensus" opinion expressed by JNS, or its' regular contributors, but at least he's been successful at attracting a following of voices that read AND contribute to the blog.
What IS your message and how will you build a semblence of a consensus?
dennis plante
Name please...bu the way, it's "North Minneapolis."
Amazing how this works:
Just let things happen, don't get involved, don't do a thing about them, take the attitude, hey none of my business, ignore the issues and let it be what it is,you are branded a racist, Try to do something about it and bring people justice and you are a racist. (Lose-Lose)
For Reference
NoMi is a Marketing re-branding campaign:
It is funded by the North side Realtors themselves (read private enterprise funding). Are there others that are jumping on that band wagon? Yes there are, are some of them non-profits? yes there are. Their mission is to make NoMi land a better place to live, for everyone. (Is that a bad thing?)
NoMi was first introduced at the North Side Marketing Task Force ~ 3 years ago, the task force (DUMPED) the idea, some other folks liked it and ran with it. So what is the big hullabaloo for people taking an idea out of the garbage bin and making it into something? They have invested their time and their money in the North side effort. (Is that also a bad thing?) Have they worked with Non-profits to make a better NoMi land? Yes they have, (Is that also a Bad thing?) (Sarcasm coming) I guess we really don't want our local citizens working together and especially with non-profits, and our local government officials to make a better community. That is UN-American in these times.
Don Allen Says:
I'm done feeding the trolls - if you want to hash this out call me, JNS has my number.
Dennis Responds:
Don in all honesty, in light of your recent post(s), I take it as a compliment that you consider me a troll.
A great example is your "thoughts" regarding the JNS attacks on Al Flowers. You qualify your statements by saying you don't necessarily agree with Al, but then loosely tie JNS blogs about him to some sort of racist issue.
Should we celebrate that someone like Al was running for mayor just because he's a black man? How are the JNS blogs against individuals any different from what's on your blog? They aren't any different.
And as long as I'm on this rant - you've expended a fair amount of energy and effort "exposing" how jobs aren't being created quickly enough on the northside during a time when the country overall is experiencing the largest job losses its' experienced in decades. What exactly are YOU doing to change this if you feel it's such an important issue. Except of course, complaining about it.
You have mentioned in the past how government-funded projects such as the Gopher Stadium, the Twins Stadium, or MNDOT, aren't meeting their minority hiring objectives.
Are you even aware of what the responsibility of the controlling entities IS in these matters?
How many qualified minority businesses actually bid on work and didn't win a contract? Now THAT would be a real story, if only you could unearth it. The simple fact of the matter Don, is that ALL of these entities ACTIVELY seek-out minority businesses for the work set-aside for them. The qualified minority-owned businesses don't take advantage of it.
Now there's a thought. This seems to be a very important issue to you. Just like the PEACE FOUNDATION was to its' founders. Why don't you start a PNP that identifies, trains and qualifies minority-owned businesses so that the set-aside can be reached on these projects.
Pond-dragon says: "NoMi was first introduced at the North Side Marketing Task Force ~ 3 years ago, the task force (DUMPED) the idea, some other folks liked it and ran with it. So what is the big hullabaloo for people taking an idea out of the garbage bin and making it into something?"
OMG!!!! Get to NoMi is freegan dumpster dived!!!!!
My mind is totally blown right now!
Don Allen is an anachronism.
It is nice to see this blog preserving his sentiments for future contemplation. Years from now, we will all look back at Mr. Allen's inability to adapt, and recognize it as the reason he failed to communicate effectively regarding some of the more worthwhile points within his message.
Don:
I think people would have an easier time following your arguments if you would explain the relationship between your rather hard-line ideological Republican politics with your self-identification as a Black "radical."
For instance, Republicans are opposed to affirmative action, and yet you spend a lot of time arguing that there isn't enough affirmative action, and/or that programs aren't meeting their goals. Do you feel that Michele Bahmann, Trent Lott, and Sarah Palin share your outrage about the possible non-enforcement of affirmative action goals? Really?
On one hand, you argue that all solutions must be entirely market-driven, and yet you spend a lot of time trying to get a piece of the public-sector pie. Either position has merit, but if you want people to take your various mutually-exclusive positions seriously, you need to take the time to clearly and concisely explain your reasoning.
Until you present the logical framework for your seemingly contradictory arguments, much of what you write will continue to come across as random and incoherent.
I'm not saying that there isn't any perspective from which these various positions can't appear to be harmonious--I'm saying that you have never explained how it is that they appear harmonious to YOU, and until you do, you can't just lash out at people because it isn't immediately obvious what your reasoning is.
Michelle Lewis
Michelle @12:51pm say it much more eloquently and much less confrontationally than I ever could. Thank you Michelle.
dennis plante
remaro cordell smith murdered annshalike ,the nite she went missing ,remaro sent his girl and her mom on a two hour goose chase ,When they returned remaro sweating profusley blocked the basment door and would not let them go in the basment. For hours he acted nervous ,ran water,up and down he went insisting no one can go in the basment untel he carried annshalikes body out to go dump her like trash in that garage.so that he and her sister could steal her settlement money.it worked they got the money and they got away with it.anne was jealous of annshalike n wanted her dead too .they stole her brother boogies money too.And armed standoff/kidnapping/murder ect with the police thats nothing when your a fed informer .remaro can do anything he likes as long as he keeps feed dope dealers to the feds.no one g do shi* he can d your family too.
Ha!! Journalist?? Blog hack is more like it. Your time will come, Mr. Hoff, if you ever stop running scared and return to your NOMI house.
I do give you a gold star for the creative way you tried to drag his brother into the mess though. You made that up just as easily as you make up most of your blog posts.
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