Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman
I generally don't like to call 311 on vehicles with tire problems. I figure if someone can't get their car on a jack or towed, they've got enough to deal with. And sooner or later the cars typically DO get fixed. But there are times when I just can't sit idly by. This is especially true when cars are sitting on a jack for days on end.
We've got kids running around and here we have a truck that's been in this condition throughout the weekend. That's a tragedy just waiting to happen. But that's not the only thing happening here...
...There have been a series of auto repairs happening on or around this spot. It's not clear whether those repairs are permitted, so that got reported too. The repairs, whether legal or not, are believed to be associated with 318 27th Ave N, a property currently owned by none other than Bashir Moghul.
And then, on the corner of 26th and 3rd, I saw this:
This vehicle has been without a tire for a while too. Time to call that in as well. Seriously people, someone's going to get hurt.
I wonder if they drained the gas tank there on the ground. But I bet its half full of gas being there seems to be a cover or lid on it.
ReplyDeleteT Jaramillo
I hope you get your car towed and they lose it in the impound lot.
ReplyDeleteIs it really illegal to fix your tire in the street? In times like these we should cut folks some slack who are trying to get their vehicles back on the road. What if this is the guys only way to a job?
ReplyDeleteIt is not illegal to change your tire in the street. It is actually a violation to have your car parked on a city street when it has a flat tire, although I rarely call that in for the very reason you cite, Kick'em.
ReplyDeleteBut there is no shortage of children running and biking around my block. These cars are left completely unattended, apparently for days on end. Call me a jerk or whatever you want, but I am simply not going to wake up one morning to read in the paper about how a kid got hurt or worse right on my block when I could have done something about it.
a block with no SHORTAGE of children running in the street, is a block full of UNFIT lazy wrong-priority having parents. ...sounds like a bunch of Boozing, drug-sniffing, no-life having LOOSERS, that want the world to watch-out for their little moral-less future school-shooting-spree offsprings that they call kids, so the parents dont have to get off their lazy drunken butts and do their JOBS as parents!
DeleteWhy are kids playing in the streets? That's for cars dude. Maybe if parents didn't let their crumbsnatchers play in the busy street hard working people could get their vehicles fixed without the man coming down on them.
ReplyDeletei am soooo PROUD to see the small part of Humane people still existing and standing up for the Litte-Man and down-trotted Citizen. every caring person who voiced disapproval to this Tattle-Tale guy deserves a MEDAL. ..It is hard enough in life than to have some NO LIFE HAVING window peeking JERK waiting for people to have an auto mishap, and call authorities on them. (we need less of his kind in the world) PERIOD
DeleteThis is where Eco village values and the hood clash somewhat. We had an illegal garage in the rental behind us a couple of years ago. They dumped all kinds of nasty fluids in the alley and even dumped filthy motor oil right on the few scraggly hostas behind my garage. Professional mechanics/garages have to get permits for their activities to prove that they get rid of their hazardous materials. We have a neighbor who fixes cars as a sideline and he takes his stuff to a hazardous waste disposal place and pays. These folks who think they can just do whatever they want wherever are worse than people who empty their trash right in the street. At least trash isn't an environmental hazard. If they want to make a few bucks they need to factor in this cost or choose another sideline.
ReplyDeleteThere are bullets being shot all around the area as well as drug dealing just to name a few and you are jerking everyone around with calling in CAR REPAIRS???
ReplyDeleteRather than waste time calling car repairs in and then blogging about it, might I suggest that the PARENTS of said kids keep them from playing in the STREET and around ANY car!
I think I have just come up with a suitable name for the JNS crew (John, Jeff, Megan, etc.) that call in stuff like car repairs.
Behold the Bitch Squad!
I don't care what a persons excuse is for trying to fix their vehicle in the street - it's illegal and that's that. Not only for the safety issues already mentioned, but also for the pollution issues not mentioned.
ReplyDeleteCar repairs involve a lot of oil and grease. All this oil and grease allowed to drain onto the street eventually works its way to the storm drains and into the river. Hell, I've seen people change their oil and then pour the old stuff down the storm drains.
Especially now with what's happening in the Gulf States I would hope people are a bit more conscious of how these activities affect our environment.
Well Anon 11:59, if there were bullets flying around on my block as well as illegal car repairs, I think I could manage to call in both things.
ReplyDeleteReally? Those of you ranting about errant children, do you have children? There is no way that I could keep my middle schooler from playing in the streets. And his natural curiosity for anything mechanical may have him looking under the car, since ours are rarely up on jacks.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, if you let the little things go, where do you draw the line. I did a repair in the street and noone cited me for it. But I did not leave my car on a jack for more than 20 minutes to change the belt. Next it will be, let those kids beat on eachother. They are only hurt eachother right?
@Anon 1159 - come on, use your real name, come out behind the curtain and let's let our names and credibility and positions go toe-to-toe.
ReplyDeleteIf you think we (the bitch squad as you have dubbed us) ONLY call in things like illegal car repairs then I think you should pay closer attention or get to nomi better because we call in EVERYTHING that looks suspicious or illegal. Heck do you know how many hooker calls I make on a daily basis? Hookers = Drugs. At least our Penn Ave hookers do.
So do me a favor, next time you want to call us the bitch squad how about you do it with your real name, k?
The Police are perfectly capable of prioritizing between gunshot calls and illegal car repair calls. In my experience Minneapolis 911/311 is very happy to get any call of dangerous activity.
ReplyDeleteYou wanna fix your car in the street? Fine... fix it in one day. Otherwise get ready to go to the impound lot. As far as I'm concerned any vehicle left in the street unattended on a jack is an immediate threat to public safety... especially with parents who choose not to control their children living in the area.
I just about want to haul a jack over to that SUV and fix this safety hazard myself.
Please... crazy lady... don't let your kids beat on anybody.
I almost smashed into that damn truck on my way to the Princess House once... guy under the car was working on it at night.. Yelled at me ... I think that the fixing of cars in the street is dangerous and DUMB. You might as well lay in the street with your limbs stretched out as far as they can go.
ReplyDeleteThere's another "Fixing cars in the street" going on down 4th off 24th?.... If I was renting a house and the landlord wouldn't let me use the garage or even park in the drive way then I would park on the front lawn and fix it.. Cause you know damn well that the landlord isn't inspecting the property like they should be given that there's trash everywhere most of the time..
Yea but if you fix the car on the lawn you get a 311 call for that too. A man can't do anything to help himself in this neighborhood. Strangely people here seem to think it's ok for kids to play in streets designed for cars yet try fixing your car in the street and they 311 your ass.
ReplyDeleteWhat does this have to do with protecting marriage? You are half full of crazy.
ReplyDeleteI would like to point out this vehicle is on a hill and the two wheels on the ground are blocked by two rocks not even as wide as the tires.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah and it's STILL THERE. Last night I drove through the alley closest to this vehicle and counted at least 10 children running, biking, playing etc. One of them was standing in the middle of the alley... looked about 2 years old.
You should have called 311 on those kids playing in the street and alley.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know it isn't illegal to play in the streets and alleys (although potentially dangerous), but it is illegal to do car work in the street.
ReplyDeleteHans,
ReplyDeleteIt is illegal to let the kids play in the street out of eye shot if they are 11yrs of age or younger in the entire state of Minnesota. Where are the parents or guardians supervising these kids? Surely the supervision would negate the supposed danger being cited.
Maybe you guys could put up a stacked phone book protective barrier around each car to save these kids lives from this horrible danger.
Man you folks are mean.
ReplyDeleteWell then, I stand corrected on children playing in streets and alleys... but it's still dangerous to leave a 2+ ton vehicle on ONE jack stand with two tires in the air on a hill for days on end!
ReplyDeleteOk, first my kids are not allowed to raise their hands to another. But there are many kids on my block and those around me that fight for fun or boredom. Several kids in the neighborhood starting calling me that "crazy white lady". As any child is allowed to play at my house with the understand that you must 1. respect yourself 2. respect others 3. respect this place. Those that couldn't follow that aren't allowed at my home.
ReplyDeleteI don't know who it was that was concerned about unsupervised children. The laws here are a bit fuzzy but here is a pasted list of info.
From the Hennepin County website:
When Children Can Stay Home Alone
These are guidelines under ideal circumstances and if there are questions about when it is okay to leave children alone please contact Child Protection Screening at 612 348-3552.
Many parents choose to let their children stay at home alone at some point. Most of the time this decision is made based on whether the parent feels the child is "old enough" to take care of themselves (e.g. be safe in the house, be safe at a friend's house without adult supervision, etc.). There are laws about how old a child can be when left alone for certain periods of time as well as how old they need to be to take care of younger children.
It is important to be aware of these guidelines when considering leaving your child at home alone. Leaving a child home - or caring for younger children - earlier than the law states may put the family at risk for a child protection issue (child neglect).
Child Neglect - Lack of Supervision
Failure to provide supervision, care, guidance and/or protection, which results in the child being in situations beyond his ability to cope, at risk of physical harm, at risk of sexual and/or other exploitation.
The child is left alone or is held responsible for siblings or other children for extended periods of time and in circumstances beyond the child's chronological age, social maturity or judgment to handle safely. This includes the child's exposure to or expectations to manage environmental hazards. Assessments will be conducted on the following:
Children under age 8 left alone for any period of time.
Children ages 8, 9, and 10 can be left alone for traditional latch-key hours under certain circumstances. (before and after school)
Children alone over 24 hours if parents whereabouts are unknown to children. In all of above CPS will involve police for immediate safety check of children where appropriate.
Children 11 to 14 may baby-sit with the expectation that an adult will return later in day.
Children 15 and older may baby-sit for more than 24 hours.
Minnesota Legal Age
"There is no Minnesota law that states at what exact age a child must be before he or she may be left home alone or left under the care of another child."