Disturbing Reason Why North Minneapolis Doesn't Have A Military Recruiting Center...

Blog post and stock photo by John Hoff, bar dedicated to the "Red Bull" infantry division in Little Falls, Minnesota. 

North Minneapolis doesn't have a military recruiting center. If you live in North Minneapolis and you want to join the army, navy, air force, Marines, Coast Guard, or various kinds of reserve and national guard units such as the "Red Bull" infantry division of the Minnesota National Guard...either you'll need to get on a recruitment website and ask to have a recruiter come visit you, or you'll need to travel to a recruitment center someplace like Stadium Village near the U or the suburb of Bloomington.

Recently, I had an opportunity to speak to somebody involved the military recruitment biz and I asked why there's no military recruiting center in North Minneapolis. Here's what I was told...

Supposedly, only one Northside high school student in ten is capable of getting a minimum score on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, (ASVAB) which is a standardized test used by the military to figure out how intelligent a potential recruit is, and what jobs they'd be suited for. A great score on the ASVAB means you can get any job in the military you want, as long as there's an opening.

(When I say "job" I mean the Military Occupational Specialty--MOS--not the rank. Obviously)

Secondly, gaining a criminal record at a young age is a serious or fatal obstacle to enlistment. And, according to my friend in the recruitment biz, a high number of young people on the North Side have criminal records at a young age.

So what this means is even though many individuals in North Minneapolis could benefit from joining the armed forces, the armed forces isn't looking very actively for recruits on the Northside. These facts appear to be contrary to the Northside urban legends about tricky military recruiters waiting outside the doors of North High, trying to persuade naive young people to join the military and get shipped off to fierce fighting in a foreign land.

Actually, I think the facts may show being a soldier in Iraq is statistically less dangerous than being a young person in North Minneapolis who likes to hang out with friends on street corners. Also, despite REPEATEDLY volunteering to go to various hotspots around the globe during my time in military service--Iraq, South Korea, the former Yugoslavia--and even being issued orders to South Korea, TWICE, during periods of international tension in that region--I spent my whole 3 and a half year enlistment in El Paso, Texas. The only dangerous foreign land I visited was Mexico.

For myself, military service was a way to pay off student loans and gain valuable career training. It's not an easy or risk-free way to pull oneself up economically, but it's likely to be the biggest break a young person from a poor family will get, a way to pay for college after 3 or 4 years of training and adventure. And so--having experienced those benefits intimately and personally--it's very discouraging to realize there's no military recruiting center in North Minneapolis because, well, North Minneapolis youth aren't considered good enough.

I would LIKE to think the crime and ASVAB data is actually false and anecdotal, some kind of widespread misconception not rooted in factual data. I would LIKE to think most Northside youth can pass an ASVAB test and not THAT many have criminal records, and there is a hidden pool of highly-qualified potential candidates for military service within the 55411 zip code.

I would LIKE to think these things. But in the meantime, there's no military recruitment center in North Minneapolis and the reason appears to be Northside youth are considered--by and large, on average--not good enough for the armed forces.

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DFL Credentials Committee Reportedly Scrutinizes Lennie Chism's Latest Claim Of Residence...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

Lennie "The Heckler" Chism managed to get himself a DFL delegate seat in Precinct 5-4 during last Tuesday's caucus. Lennie, who previously claimed to live in a house at Emerson Ave. N. where the circumstances of his residency were beyond highly dubious and doubtful, click here, now claims to live at 1349 Washburn Ave. N. The house is owned by a man named Larry Tucker. Since there is no rental license at the property in question according to the city's website, it would appear Lennie must live there because he is such excellent company.

I went by the house today and knocked on the door to see if...

...Lennie was indeed living there, since I am told by a confidential source there is a State Senate District 58 Credentials Committee investigation under way within the DFL. An older black gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a friendly, dignified demeanor spoke to me through a window near the door.

I asked if Lennie Chism lived there. I was given a one-word answer: Yes.

Hmmm, almost as though it was expected somebody would come by and make inquiries.

I guess we'll see how this plays out, but in the meantime I have to wonder why a candidate like Lennie--who came in dead last in Ward 5, unable to even beat ROGER SMITHRUD, for god's sake--even bothers. If I were Lennie, I'd invest more time into ordering seed catalogs and planting something pretty on my vacant lot come springtime.

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J.C.'s Barbeque At Former Harold's Chicken Shack Location...

Photo And Blog Post By John Hoff

A barbeque joint called J.C's is set to open at 2117 West Broadway, the former location of Harold's Chicken Shack. The previous business was part of a chain out of Chicago, click here for more info. That business was shut down some years ago as a front for money laundering, according to my sources. This whole episode was pre-Johnny-Northside-arriving-on-the-scene, so anybody who knows the story in detail, feel free to send me a long email at hoffjohnw@gmail.com

Hopefully, J.C's will be something better. But nobody is holding their breath. What I wouldn't give for a high class, sit down kinda restaurant on West Broadway.

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Commentary On Keith Reitman's "Ugly Ass Chocolate Brown Building"

Photo and blog post by John Hoff, ugly ass chocolate brown color creation by Keith Reitman

A defender of low-end landlord Keith Reitman sent me an email defending Reitman and, in a spirit of fairness, I am publishing it as follows, with some minor JNS commentary interjected...

Yes, I live in that "horrible brown (although it's more or less maroon) building" that your son is poised out in front of during July 2009. Keith said he was looking for tenants, and indeed, he found my family. I realize you were expecting junkies, drug dealers, or other such filth, but all you get is a family from Indiana who moved here in search of better healthcare for their severely disabled son.

This place may not be a palace (I've only lived in one other old building with just a bath during my lifetime, but hell, people used to get by in this country without showers in their bathrooms), but it's home to us. Sure, I'd love to own a house (who doesn't dream of that?), but who's going to give us a chance? All low income individuals get lumped into one great big melting pot along with the riffraff that causes problems. People tend to forget that some of us are just trying make a better life for ourselves and our kids, and we rely on the people you call "slumlords" to give us some sort of shelter so we're not living on the streets.

(JNS says: I've put in years of my life working for two entities I would characterize as somewhat benevolent slumlords, and I've joked I not only have slumlord blood in my veins, but actual slumlord organs in my body. But all that just makes it easier to call 'em when I see 'em, and I prefer to be on the side of the non-slummy angels than the devil who rents space on the low, low end)

I understand that Keith may be involved in some scandal (from what I've been reading on your site, anyway),

(JNS says: There's no "may be" about it. Keith Reiman was the seller of 1564 Hillside Ave. N., a dubious sale where mortgage fraud was a FACT, not a mere allegation. Larry Maxwell sits in prison over the sale of that house, which was bought off Keith Reitman. The "HUD" on that sale of Keith's building showed a $5,000 payment for "windows" when no window work was, in fact, done. These are not mere rumors, but matters of public record, but I would tend to believe Keith was the "least bad" of the bad actors involved, contrary to his usual pattern of "not the best, not the worst." But The Truth will come out and how I hope the power of The Truth manifests in the form of cold steel bracelets for the bad actors involved)

...and I can offer no comments on that as it was before I moved here, but I can honestly say that Keith has been kind to my family and has even gone out of his way to help us (such as when we were robbed at our door).

(JNS says: yes, outside buildings that look like CRAP robbers tend to get really comfortable, as opposed to buildings with lovely and well-lighted exteriors)

Just thought you'd be interested in what one of Keith's tenants has to say.

(Thanks for that, I was interested and I think readers are interested. But I dispute the building is "maroon" and assert it is a unique Reitman-created color known as "ugly ass chocolate," but the current color may be the result of long-term weathering and perhaps it was more maroon at one time. Keith should make the exterior look better but he's apparently happy to just have a building with whatever crappy paint slapped on it, and SHARPIE MARKER instead of real numbers for an address. However, I sincerely hope your heartfelt, expressive email to me results in a few precious bucks knocked off your rent.)

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A Healy House Gets a Slummy Makeover and the Hawkman is Madder than Hell!

Guest post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

Earlier today I saw a Facebook status of my good friend, Realtor, and housing preservationist Connie Nompelis that said a Healy House was having its siding removed and a front porch was being converted to more bedroom space. It was suspected that the proper permits were NOT in place for this to happen. I was already swamped, but the bastardization of a historic treasure like this was too important to let go undocumented.

So I got over to 3321 2nd Ave S as soon as I could and had a very heated exchange with one of the contractors. I'm going to be quite critical of them so before that happens, let's get some disclaimers out of the way. First off, I haven't confirmed whether these contractors were the ones who had closed off the front porch or if it was like that already. However, when I accused him of doing exactly that, he didn't deny it in any way. Second, I've posted a photo of the work permit that was at the property. I'm not clear from that or the city's website if any of the work currently being done or already done was beyond the scope of the permit pulled.

So I walked up to the house and took a few pictures before one of the workers came up to me...

...and asked what was going on. I told him I work on neighborhood housing issues and a friend of mine called me about shoddy work being done without a permit. The contractor pointed to the permit posted and said everything they were doing was permitted. There may have been some accusations and adult words going back and forth at that point, but I did ask for permission to go and take a photograph of the permit, and permission was granted. The permit is pictured above, but click here for an enlarged version. Here's some of the work they were doing:








I asked why they were closing off the front porch and the contractor openly and immediately stated it was to create more rentable bedrooms in the house. Note that he said bedroomS. Plural. This may be important because the permit granted by the city specifically states "THIS PERMIT DOES NOT APPROVE A BASMENT (sic) BEDROOM, EXISTING FINISHES BUILT WITHOUT A PERMIT, ADDITIONAL DWELLING UNIT OR WORK OTHER THAN DESCRIBED." (note: the original permit has this section in all caps; it was not edited that way for emphasis by me)

Seeing as how we've had plenty of experiences in NoMi with slumlords closing off porches for more bedroom space, this made me instantly furious with righteous anger. "You're doing piece of (bad word) work that's going to attract piece of (same bad word) tenants and you're not doing a (bad word) bit of good for the community!" He shouted back, "What (bad word) business of it is yours?! We're (VERY bad word) making this house BETTER and you come along and (bad word) complain about it?!"

From this point on, I'll just summarize, since the language that we used was similar to that of a drunken sailor who stubbed his toe right after realizing that his wife was cheating on him with the same guy who stole his winning lottery ticket and set his house on fire. In other words, not appropriate for children.

The contractor insisted that the work they were doing was making the property and the neighborhood BETTER. When I explained the frequent relationship to closed-in/converted porches and problem properties/tenants, he said that I should be grateful since the porch was rotting and falling apart before they fixed it. Then why didn't you actually FIX the porch instead of GETTING RID OF IT ENTIRELY? Well, the neighborhood was such that nobody sits out on their front porches anyway.

Wait, wait, wait. Look at the picture with the open porch visible next to the newly converted bedroom space. Which property would YOU rather own? Live in? Have as a neighbor? And the houses in the area that have actual front porches all looked like people were using them just fine. But yet according to this guy's circular logic, the neighborhood was bad, so we should be thankful he's doing ANYTHING in the area. It doesn't matter if his work is directly contributing to the problem or not. And even if it is, well, we all know that crappy neighborhoods don't deserve good things, right?

I also asked why they were stripping off the wood siding instead of preserving it by just putting the vinyl on over it. He claimed that the siding was rotting, and who knows? Maybe he was right about that. When I explained, though, that vinyl siding makes the property look like (bad word), he (bad word) told me that every (bad word) property on the (bad word) block had (bad word) siding and I responded that they all looked worse than they did before as a result.

Around that time, he pointed to the "No Trespassing" signs and told me to leave. I said that I wouldn't trespass, but I was free to walk around the public sidewalks, streets, and alleys and photograph anything visible from those vantage points. And that was the end of our rather frank exchange of ideas.

Before I get into naming names, here are some shots of the vehicles used by the contractors working today.





The city's website lists Herman Capital Corporation as the owner. This company openly admits to being a sister corporation to the "We Buy Ugly Houses" crew. However, on the Minneapolis Issues Forum, someone states that the owner is an "out of state outfit." The permit posted at the property and visible online lists Safehaven Development LLC as the entity that pulled the permit. It's unclear if they are the new owners or if they just pulled the permit. And the contractors doing the work appear to be associated with Roen Exteriors.

Any information that JNS readers can share (good or bad) about these entities is requested and greatly appreciated.

It's possible that everything being done right now complies with the permit(s) that have been pulled, although I frankly have my doubts. If the work is being done outside of the scope of the permit, then we have an all-too-common issue at play here. Much of the work being done improperly is done on the weekends, in the evenings, or on holidays, when city inspectors aren't working. Or if there are inspectors out in the field, their numbers aren't proportionate to the time when so much unpermitted work actually happens.

At a previous problem property meeting, residents were advised to call 911 on anything that was "happening now." But housing code violations seem to fall below that level of urgency, even though we don't really know who to call in such a scenario. And this is a big gap in going after such activity; resources aren't allocated to respond quickly and appropriately during the times when those resources are most needed. I don't know how we get at that issue, since our housing inspectors are already overworked, but there needs to be some middle ground between 911 and 311 that citizens can call on to crack down on unpermitted work as it is happening.

Let's assume that everything they are doing falls under permitted work, or that the front porch was closed off by person or party not mentioned above. Can we get some kind of citywide ordinance that bans this kind of work? It's one thing to make a porch more enjoyable during the colder seasons. But virtually every single time a porch is completely closed off to convert more bedroom space, that property is then destined to be slummy.

Watching a problem property being created right before our eyes is not fun in the least. We need a quick response at 3321 2nd Ave S and then there has to be a bigger discussion about the tools that neighborhoods have available to combat this kind of activity.

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JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Image Of Remaro Cordell Smith...

Image contributed by anonymous source

Some days ago, I wrote a very special blog post about Remaro Cordell Smith, who may just be some run-of-the-mill North Minneapolis thug or--who knows?--he could be very special and unique in his own way. Some anonymous behind-the-scenes commenter who has been feeding me all kinds of information forwarded this image of Remaro. At this time, I have no official indication that Remaro is wanted by the police for questioning or anything else. I'm just publishing his picture because, well, I strongly feel it needs to be published.

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Here's Lamont "Litterbug" Nelson, Alleged Accomplice Of Tynessia Snoddy...

Images From The Public Facebook Profile Of Lamont Nelson, used under First Amendment Fair Comment and Criticism


Individuals accused or convicted of being involved with North Minneapolis mortgage fraud can count on having their pictures hit the virtual pages of Johnny Northside. Here are the oh-so-public pictorial treasures I looted today from the Facebook profile of Lamont Nelson, allegedly involved with Tynessia Snoddy in identity theft for the purpose of mortgage fraud.

Nice watch, Lamont. Was that purchased with HONEST money obtained from HARD WORK? Please put more photos of your bling on the public portion of your Facebook profile. But, like I said in that Facebook message, I will be happy to print your side of the story.

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It Starts With Crack Cocaine And Littering, It Ends With Identity Theft And Mortgage Fraud...The Story Of Tynessia Snoddy And Her Crew Of Scammers

Photo of Lamont Nelson From His Public Facebook Profile,

used under First Amendment Fair Comment And Criticism


Prior to being charged with two counts of identity theft in association with an alleged mortgage fraud scheme, Tynessia Snoddy didn't have much of a criminal record--at least judging by what turns up in Hennepin County court records. There is a failure to stop and some kind of broke-ass-broke-but-still-trying-to-maintain-car-ownership thing. Here is the electronic trail of the court records in question:

19AV-VB-08-12458
BV08005915
Snoddy, Tynessia
04/30/1974
08/02/2008
- Dakota-Apple Valley
Crim/Traf Non-Mand
Under Court Jurisdiction
Traffic Regulations-Fail to stop for traffic control signal
27-CR-94-083718


THOMPSON, TYNESSIA NICOLE
04/30/1974
09/27/1994
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Ridgedale
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
NO MINNESOTA DRIVERS LICENSE
NO INSURANCE ON MOTOR VEH
UNSAFE EQUIPMENT

The criminal indictment shows Tynessia Snoddy also goes by Tynessia Thompson, but the records turn up together and the birthdays are the same. Tynessia Snoddy is Tynessia Thompson.

Also charged in the case is...

...a guy described as Tynessia Snoddy's boyfriend, Lamont Nelson. Making matters more confusing and interesting is the fact another defendant, Angela Hall-Preston, has a child by Lamont Nelson. And then, thrown into the defendant mix, is Christopher Charles Johnson, the cousin of Lamont Nelson.

Lamont Nelson is quite a piece of work, judging by his criminal record, which includes charges for assault and possession of crack cocaine. The charges span 4 different Minnesota Counties, though most of the charges are relatively minor vehicular stuff. Lamont Nelson is the only person I've heard of in the entire state of Minnesota to get charged with littering. Here is Lamont "Litterbug" Nelson's messy trail of legal paper:

02-CR-07-10977
808497
Nelson, Lamont
05/07/1972
10/11/2007
Anoka
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Under Court Jurisdiction
5V - Traffic-Drivers License-Driving After Suspension

02-T7-06-036877
X 930474
NELSON, LAMONT
05/07/1972
12/14/2006
Anoka
Domestic Assault - TRF
Closed
Disorderly Conduct-Offensive/Abusive/Noisy/Obscene

27-CR-07-105793
NELSON, LAMONT
05/07/1972
08/13/2007
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Brookdale
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
Obstruct Legal Process-Interfere w/Peace Officer
Traffic-Drivers License-Driving After Suspension

27-CR-07-123306
6070236069
NELSON, LAMONT
05/07/1972
11/14/2007
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Brookdale
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Under Court Jurisdiction
Speed faster than reasonable and prudent

27-CR-08-13974
NELSON, LAMONT
05/07/1972
03/20/2008
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Under Court Jurisdiction
Identity Theft

27-CR-93-026428
NELSON, LAMONT
05/07/1972
04/13/1993
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
5TH DEG POSSESS CRACK COCAINE

27-CR-93-040101
NELSON, LAMONT
05/07/1972
05/28/1993
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Brookdale
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
FALSE INFORMATION TO POLICE
SPEEDING
DRIVING W/O A VALID DRIVERS LICENSE
FAIL TO DISPLAY CURRENT LIC PLATES

27-CR-93-062313
NELSON, LAMONT
05/07/1972
07/14/1993
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
2ND DEG ASSAULT

62-T5-07-610886
907107115
NELSON, LAMONT J
05/07/1972
09/20/2007
Ramsey Criminal/Traffic/Petty Suburban
Moving - Misdemeanor
Under Court Jurisdiction
Drivers' Licenses - No Drivers License in Possession or Fail to Display Upon Request

86-T0-94-003182
WCS 021648
WCS 021648
WCS 021648
NELSON, LAMONT
05/07/1972
06/15/1994
Wright
Moving - Misdemeanor
Closed
DAS
NO INSURANCE
LITTERING FROM VEHICLE

The identity theft charge noted above leaves a very interesting trail in the court records. I will reproduce the entire legalistic mish-mash below, but the end result appears to be this: Lamont Nelson is NOT IN PRISON RIGHT NOW, as a search of the Minnesota Department of Corrections Offender Locator reveals. It is not 100 percent confirmed whether this identity theft charge relates to the Tynessia Snoddy matter, HOWEVER, the date of the Tynessia Snoddy indictment is March 19, 2008, the first day noted on the documentation trail of these identity theft charges against Nelson so it seems highly likely.

Here is the twisty, windy trail of what happened in the court system with that charge against Lamont Nelson.

03/19/2008 E-filed Comp-Order for Detention (Judicial Officer: Belois, Patricia L. )
03/19/2008 Other Document
03/19/2008 Interim Condition for NELSON, LAMONT
- Post bond
$35,000.00
03/21/2008 First Appearance (8:30 AM) (Judicial Officer Bush, Philip D.)
Result: Held
03/21/2008 Application for Public Defender (Judicial Officer: Bush, Philip D. )
03/21/2008 Order Granting Public Defender (Judicial Officer: Bush, Philip D. )
03/21/2008 Notice of Evidence and Identification Procedures (Judicial Officer: Bush, Philip D. )
03/21/2008 Request for Disclosure (Judicial Officer: Bush, Philip D. )
03/21/2008 Interim Condition for NELSON, LAMONT
- Post bond
$35,000.00
04/17/2008 Omnibus Hearing (10:30 AM) (Judicial Officer Oleisky, Allen)
Result: Held
04/17/2008 Interim Condition for NELSON, LAMONT
- Post bond
$35,000.00
09/24/2008 Hearing (9:00 AM) (Judicial Officer Cahill, Peter A.)
Result: Held
09/24/2008 Petition to Enter Guilty Plea (Judicial Officer: Cahill, Peter A. )
09/24/2008 Order-Other (Judicial Officer: Cahill, Peter A. )
09/24/2008 Notice of Appearance (Judicial Officer: Cahill, Peter A. )
09/24/2008 Order-Other (Judicial Officer: Cahill, Peter A. )
09/24/2008 Correspondence (Judicial Officer: Cahill, Peter A. )
09/24/2008 Interim Condition for NELSON, LAMONT
- Post bond
$0.00
- Aftercare
- Conditions, other
- Contact with probation
- Remain law-abiding
- Make all future court appearances
10/01/2008 CANCELED Omnibus Hearing (9:00 AM) (Judicial Officer Karasov, Fred)
Settled
09/09/2008 Reset by Court to 10/01/2008
01/13/2009 CANCELED Sentencing (1:30 PM) (Judicial Officer Cahill, Peter A.)
Assigned in error
02/19/2009 Sentencing (1:30 PM) (Judicial Officer Cahill, Peter A.)
Result: Held
02/19/2009 Publicly Viewable Note to File (Judicial Officer: Cahill, Peter A. )
04/16/2009 CANCELED Sentencing (10:00 AM) (Judicial Officer Cahill, Peter A.)
Assigned in error
03/30/2009 Reset by Court to 04/16/2009
04/22/2009 CANCELED Sentencing (1:45 PM) (Judicial Officer Cahill, Peter A.)
Assigned in error
07/02/2009 CANCELED Sentencing (2:15 PM) (Judicial Officer Cahill, Peter A.)
Assigned in error
11/06/2009 Sentencing (9:45 AM) (Judicial Officer Cahill, Peter A.)
Result: Held
11/06/2009 Publicly Viewable Note to File (Judicial Officer: Cahill, Peter A. )
11/06/2009 Interim Condition for NELSON, LAMONT
- Post bond
$0.00
11/10/2009 Sentencing (9:00 AM) (Judicial Officer Cahill, Peter A.)
11/10/2009, 12/01/2009
Result: Held
11/10/2009 CANCELED Hearing (8:30 AM) (Judicial Officer Reding, Jeannice M.)
Other
11/10/2009 Sentencing Order (Judicial Officer: Cahill, Peter A. )
11/10/2009 Departure Report (Judicial Officer: Cahill, Peter A. )
11/10/2009 Publicly Viewable Note to File (Judicial Officer: Cahill, Peter A. )
11/10/2009 Release Ordered (Judicial Officer: Cahill, Peter A. )

Based on the very last entry--release ordered November 10, 2009--it appears Nelson managed to avoid prison time on this charge. My gut instinct would tell me Lamont cut some kind of deal with prosecutors. However, somebody in my social circle actually met Lamont and had the impression Lamont takes pride in his "law of the streets" code of conduct and would NOT act as a snitch. This source also wishes me to note that, upon being in the same room with Lamont Nelson at a social gathering, she/he became so disgusted that it was necessary to leave the party. Lamont was engaged in an extended and laughing discussion about pulling various scams.

A Google search for "Lamont Nelson" and "Minneapolis" turns up a rather interesting court case which makes mention, in passing, of a crack dealer named Lamont Nelson. Click here for that court case. The case is amusing to read because it seems like the judge was taking the opportunity to have fun with a sort of caustic patrician humor. The darkly comic line about how a grocery store clerk doesn't need to bite the broccoli to know what she's ringing up? Priceless. I want this judge to submit a guest piece for Johnny Northside Dot Com.

Lamont Nelson has a Facebook profile, and a portion of it is public, including an image where he shows off an (apparent) diamond watch, and a kind of classic thug pose (see photo at top of blog post) where he appears to be showing off his tattoos.

Anyway, getting back to Tynessia Snoddy's OTHER alleged accomplices, the name "Christopher Charles Johnson" turns up a thug with a relatively minor record of drugs and bad driving, but it is unknown if this is the same "Christopher Charles Johnson." Here is the minor police record of some thug who may or may not be the same individual:

2-T6-03-028481
X 737975
JOHNSON, CHRISTOPHER CHARLES
11/06/1984
09/04/2003
Anoka
Non- Traffic Misdemeanor
Converted Closed
THEFT M

02-T7-03-025377
X 736026
X 736026
JOHNSON, CHRISTOPHER CHARLES
11/06/1984
08/07/2003
Anoka
Non- Traffic Misdemeanor
Converted Closed
1ST U/AGE CONSUMPTION M
TAMPERING WITH A MV M

02-T7-05-008616
X 755167
X 755167
X 755167
JOHNSON, CHRISTOPHER CHARLES
11/06/1984
03/21/2005
Anoka
Non Mvng Misdemeanor
Converted Closed
CARELESS DRIVING M
UNREASONABLE ACCEL P
(TCIS Amended Charge) MINOR CONSUMPTION M

27-CR-05-081155
JOHNSON, CHRISTOPHER CHARLES
11/06/1984
12/20/2005
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Brookdale
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Under Court Jurisdiction
3RD DEG DWI -REFUSAL TO SUBMIT TO TEST
4TH DEGREE DWI - ALCOHOL

62-K6-07-601257
JOHNSON, CHRISTOPHER CHARLES
11/06/1984
10/11/2007
Ramsey Criminal/Traffic/Petty Suburban
Gross Misd - DWI
Under Court Jurisdiction
Traffic - DWI - Third-Degree Driving While Impaired; 1 Aggravating Factor
Traffic - DWI - Operate Motor Vehicle - Alcohol Concentration 0.08 Within 2 Hours
Drugs - Possess Over 1.4 Grams Marijuana In Motor Vehicle

Angela Hall-Preston is the biggest mystery of the four scammy crew members. No criminal record turns up in the state court system and, indeed, a Google search of Angela Hall-Preston reveals exactly one hit: my mention of her in the previous blog post. I'm happy to be of service to future researchers trying to turn up the facts about Angela Hall-Preston. The criminal complaint says she was a resident of Stewartville, Minnesota. She got involved in the scam because Lamont Nelson owed her arrears on child support and "approached her and asked if she was interested in making some money." Lamont "assured her that she would not get in trouble." As with the time Angela had a baby by Lamont, Angela Hall-Preston did, in fact, get in trouble and was left holding the bag. Let the record reflect Lamont Nelson is just no good and any woman who is taken in by him is, in fact, a fool. I'm just saying.

Some other names get mentioned in the course of the criminal complaint, including Brenda Nelson, date of birth 4/22/1959. Brenda Nelson's identity was stolen as part of this scam. Brenda Nelson is, in fact, Brenda Kaufman Nelson "a resident of Alameda, California" who stated in an affidavit she did not authorize the numerous transactions committed by "The Not Really Nelson," who was actually Angela Hall-Preston. Brenda K. Nelson is simply a straight-up victim of identity fraud.

Another name mentioned in the course of the criminal complaint is Christopher Brett Johnson, a student who lives in Washington, DC, and another straight up victim of identity theft. Let us refer to him as the "Genuine Johnson" as opposed to the "Devil's Johnson."

In its understated way, the criminal complaint says Christopher ("Genuine") B. Johnson "is not employed by Ace Trucking, does not live in Minneapolis, and was not aware of and did not authorize the transaction."

The complaint mentions Kirk Green, the owner of mortgage brokerage "America's Lending Group," talked about arranging financing for three properties on behalf of "Chris Johnson." The three properties were in MY NEIGHBORHOOD, in North Minneapolis, and are as follows:

3607 Colfax Ave. N.

4239 Girard Ave. N.

3415 James Ave. N.

A little digging into these properties on the city website reveals very little but, of course, because the city's website is notoriously out of date. None of the properties shows the recent fraudulent sales. And experience tells me sales data will show up on the city's website, even if the sale is fraudulent, such as the sale of houses to Irene Thomas, the stripper-turned-real-estate-tycoon caught up in the Universal Mortgage scam perpetrated by Marlon Pratt and Donald Walthall.

I am certainly looking forward to seeing how the prosecution progresses, and what other names and properties--what other Tynessia Snoddy boyfriends--might be mentioned as the web of fraud unravels.

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I'm Hot 'N' Cold about Fire 'N' Ice

Guest post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

Fresh off of last night's long-anticipated opening of Good Sports Bar & Grill on 2nd and Broadway, I heard that the other end of West Broadway had a new business up and running as well. I was thrilled to hear of another restaurant opening at Penn and Broadway.

That excitement in my throat quickly turned to a pit in my stomach, or more specifically, a breaded, deep-fried pit. On the one hand, we've had the old Bean Scene building sitting vacant for a while now, and I want to see new businesses spring up. Even so...

...this place really seems like just more of the same. Granted, I had heard rumors that the proposed name was "Wings and Things," or maybe the somehow more horrid-sounding "Wangs and Thangs." And there was talk at one point that they'd be applying for a license to stay open until 3 a.m. I shuddered at the thought; at 3 a.m. just about the only people out and about are those who left the bar at 2 and still haven't found their way home.

Still, I'd rather be celebrating a new sit-down restaurant than thinking, "Whew! Crisis averted!" Just because something isn't as bad as it could have been doesn't mean it's good enough.

On the other hand, I watched the guys behind the counter and they were busting their tails. I worked in food prep when I was in college, including a fair amount of time sweating over a fryer and stove. So I appreciate what it takes to do that kind of work all day, every day. It's not easy. And the food was decent, at least. So there's a part of me that watches these guys and thinks, "Any time somebody works that hard and puts out a decent product, I want to see them succeed."

But my biggest issue here is that even if I WANTED them to put my food on an ACTUAL PLATE instead of a styrofoam container, I COULDN'T. There are tables and chairs still in the place, but it almost seems like that's an afterthought. If all this restaurant had were the kitchen, counter top, and about 30 square feet for people to wait, I don't think that would affect their business model in the least. I was aghast at the idea of how much more junk will wind up as litter and then in our landfills because of the way this business is set up.

In fairness, I heaped praises on food from the Bangkok Market, and that came in plastic containers as well. But at least that food had far more nutritional value.

I hope the business owner finds success in NoMi, but I can't help but think that we deserve better on West Broadway.

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JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Tynessia Snoddy Criminal Complaint Document...

Image from Tynessia Snoddy's Facebook profile, 

used under First Amendment fair commentary and criticism

Tynessia Snoddy--who was involved with the Larry Maxwell mortgage fraud mess--is facing her own criminal charges in Hennepin County District Court. Today, I obtained a copy of the Tynessia Snoddy criminal complaint.

More commentary will follow on this story but, for now, here's a copy of that document on the Johnny Northside Dot Com PDF support site, click here.

(Do not click "Read More")

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Block Leader Training At The Fourth Precinct...

Stock photo and blog post by John Hoff

Jordan Neighborhood "super citizen" Megan Goodmundson passed on this information to me about "block leader training" at the Fourth Precinct.

Minneapolis Police Department’s Block Leader Training

Tuesday, February 23
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Join other leaders throughout the city to...


...develop skills for effectively working with your neighbors.

LOCATION: Minneapolis Police Department 4th Precinct, 1925 Plymouth Ave. N.

(Parking is available across the street from the precinct.)

TOPICS TO BE COVERED

Introduction to Community Crime Prevention

How to organize a block/apartment club

Services of Community Crime Prevention

Responsibilities of a crime prevention block leader

How and when to use 911

How to solve problems effectively

Meet your crime prevention specialist

You MUST RSVP to attend this training! Call 612-673-3364.

An Organized Block is the Best Defense Against Crime!

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Trusted Source Says Sammy Burch Did Not Kill Annshalike Hamilton (So Who Did?)

Mugshot, therefore in the public domain, blog post by John Hoff

As regular readers know, this blog has done more than any other media entity to keep a certain story alive and on the front burner. And that story is the story of Annshalike Hamilton's murder.

Recently, there have been...


...conversations behind the scenes with at least two different sources who are putting forth unproven theories and information about Annshalike's social contacts. Using this information I have approached OTHER sources (one might call these official sources who won't talk on the record) and asked very specific questions. As a result of one of these conversations, I can say the following:

Sammie Burch did not kill Annshalike Hamilton. Whether this no-account criminal thug fathered a child by a minor unable to give consent to somebody of his age, THAT question has not been answered and, personally, I believe anybody over the age of majority who admitted to having sexual contact with Annshalike Hamilton should be charged with statutory rape, even upon the mere verbal admission in the course of a police interrogation, and should be treated as a sex offender.

However, a trusted source can confirm Sammie Burch was incarcerated at the time Annshalike Hamilton disappeared. Burch was indeed running around loose when her body was found, but he COULD NOT have been the person who murdered her. So who did?

Also, I keep hearing things about some kind of LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT MONEY which was intended for Annshalike Hamilton's brother, known as "Boogie," and what actually happened to that money other than being used for the benefit of Boogie. I'd sure like to get more details on that issue. Can anybody provide the name of the parties as it appears on the caption of the case, possibly the case number?

A trusted source can confirm the smoke in my ear does indeed come from a fire of fact: there WAS a controversy involving lawsuit settlement money for Annshalike Hamilton's brother known as "Boogie" and what happened to that money, OTHER THAN going for the benefit of "Boogie."

Let the chips fall where they may. I will turn over rocks in this matter, I will publish any fragmentary facts I can get about the life and death of Annshalike Hamilton, until her murderer is found. The Bible says innocent blood cries out from the ground to God's ears.

Sometimes, it appears, the cry of innocent blood is amplified through the modern wonder of the blogosphere.

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Another Spontaneous Memorial To Another Senseless Shooting...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

Marvin Ray Maynard III, age 16, didn't live much of his life before getting shot dead in some nothing argument with a group of teenagers. The shooting happened on the 2600 block of James Ave. N. According to the Star Tribune, Maynard had just gotten back from a stint at the Redwing juvenile corrections facility and was thinking about finishing high school and getting his life back on track.

Mainstream media coverage made mention of the street memorial, but no pictures of it have been published. I thought it would be socially useful to publish these images for the sake of completeness of the historical record.

Am I just being a stick-in-the-snow, or is it really inappropriate to leave a Seagram's gin bottle at a memorial for a minor?

(Do not click "Read More")

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There's A Sidewalk Under There Somewhere...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

With so many empty houses in North Minneapolis, that leaves plenty of sidewalks NOT getting shoveled. Calling 311 on every sidewalk would be more than one human being can accomplish, unless you were getting PAID, somehow. I wouldn't mind getting paid for a job like that. Just saying.

So, yeah, the job is too big for one person but there are some sidewalks I make my special project. The one at 2610 Newton Ave. N. is particularly deserving, in my both-humble-and-subjective opinion. As far as I can tell, the sidewalks there haven't been scraped all winter.

So today I called it in (again) and got a really cool 311 reference number: 322322.

This was not as cool as the time I got 311311 as a reference number but, still, cool enough. And a day without 311 is like a day without sunshine.

(Do not click "Read More")

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Half A Year After House Burns, Eviction Paperwork...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

In July of last year, the house at 2610 Newton Ave. N. went up in flames. At the time the house burned, it was a neglected ruin periodically occupied by individuals who seemed to be squatters.

Soon after the fire, 2610 was boarded up and ever since it has sat, an empty scorched shell.

So when I saw paperwork hit the side of the house a couple days ago, I figured it was a raze order. Finally.

No such luck. The paperwork is an EVICTION ORDER.

Holy water would have had more effect, and not been so hard on the trees. But, oh well, i's must be dotted, and t's must be crossed. Hopefully, the eviction order moves the fate of this property closer to some kind of resolution, which I strongly suspect will involve a backhoe and then a long period of time where green grass grows, and seldom gets mowed, and neighbors think, "Gee, wouldn't it be nice if we could find a way to put a community garden on that vacant lot?"

And they will ask themselves, "I wonder who owns the lot?"

And they will answer themselves, "Probably some bank which really doesn't give a rip about our neighborhood and this piece of property. Sigh."

And so it goes.

But, generally, it goes in the direction of revitalization progress.

(Do not click "Read More")

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