"War Trophy" From 3119 4th St. N. Goes To Good Use!

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

I use to write quite a bit about 3119 4th St. N, known as "Mold-O-Topia" and the "other Apartment Complex of Anarchy" in the Hawthorne EcoVillage. But I don't need to write about this hellhole anymore because the city tore it down, which caused the scurrying evacuation of a fair number of thugs who lived there. Some decent folks may have lived there, too, but what could be done? The place was a hellhole, so infested with mold you could plainly smell it outside the building.

In the course of the demolition of that building, I picked up a souvenir brick, adding it to my rather extensive "North Minneapolis rock collection" which includes such gems as...

...a piece of rubble from the "Uncle Lennie's" store (it flew into the street, I picked it up) and a stone which was apparently used to break into the window of my van.

So when the chimney at my house needed to be tuck pointed, and a skilled handyman bid on the job at a really reasonable price, I asked the handyman to remove one of the old bricks from my chimney and deliberately substitute the "war trophy brick" from 3119 4th St. N.

Since the "war trophy brick" is much lighter, it's visible in the chimney if you know exactly where to look. If somebody asks me why there is one light brick amid all the darker bricks, I will explain where that lighter brick came from and how I salvaged that brick as a small, useful, symbolic resource which can contribute to our neighborhood's revitalization effort.

Every time the alienated, malcontent loser enemies of revitalization turn their impotent wrath toward us, we only grow stronger. We gain in tactical experience, in inspiring tales of our collective neighborhood adventures, and sometimes we actually walk away with useful material resources. (Need I remind anybody about the PERFECTLY GOOD SHOES taken off power lines?)

That is the lesson of the war trophy brick: REVITALIZATION IS BUSTING OUT ALL OVER NoMi. We are building a beautiful Urban Utopia literally from the rubble of what used to be--once upon a time--a refuge of crime and anarchy. Now is the time to join the movement, and buy your dream home for pennies on the dollar.