Video by Megan Goodmundson posted to JohnnyHoffa
YouTube account, blog post by John Hoff
This building is located on the same block as the old Wafana's "inconvenience store." Some of us were wondering recently if it was going to be torn down when we saw a large construction dumpster show up. Turned out the apartment building is in good hands and, in fact, volunteer labor was helping the bottom line of the project as part of community-minded efforts coordinated by MCTC on the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend.
Buses took some volunteers there, others arrived in their own vehicles. For several hours we ripped out drywall, unmounted old doors, removed worn out appliances, (I managed to score a bunch of fridge magnets) and at one point we discovered the best way to move a fridge on the icy path near the dumpster was to...
...transform it into a sled. This video captures some of our "fridge sledding." I'm the one pushing and the young man on the fridge is named "Terrell" (spelling unknown) a student at MCTC whose regular job is demolition, the same stuff he was doing at 620 23rd Ave. N. as an unpaid volunteer.
At one point while ripping out wire mesh together, Terrell and I talked about the struggle to stay part of our children's lives, which I've been working at since, like, late 1999 but which Terrell has just started to experience. I told Terrell it was worth the difficulty. Nothing was worth so much in life as being involved with your child. Stick with it, I told him, no matter what obstacles are placed in your path.
And then we went back to ripping out wire mesh.
Scrappers were on hand and got quite a score of aluminum, appliances and even a small section of copper piping which somehow got missed by, well, whoever got the REST of the copper piping.
This was a great way to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., and MCTC apparently has an event like this every year so if you missed this round, there's next year and the year after that.
This Saturday, after a rousing speech and a delicious breakfast at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, (MCTC) myself and Megan Goodmundson volunteered at the interior demolition of 620 23rd Ave. N., an apartment complex getting a new lease on life from Urban Homeworks.
This building is located on the same block as the old Wafana's "inconvenience store." Some of us were wondering recently if it was going to be torn down when we saw a large construction dumpster show up. Turned out the apartment building is in good hands and, in fact, volunteer labor was helping the bottom line of the project as part of community-minded efforts coordinated by MCTC on the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend.
Buses took some volunteers there, others arrived in their own vehicles. For several hours we ripped out drywall, unmounted old doors, removed worn out appliances, (I managed to score a bunch of fridge magnets) and at one point we discovered the best way to move a fridge on the icy path near the dumpster was to...
...transform it into a sled. This video captures some of our "fridge sledding." I'm the one pushing and the young man on the fridge is named "Terrell" (spelling unknown) a student at MCTC whose regular job is demolition, the same stuff he was doing at 620 23rd Ave. N. as an unpaid volunteer.
At one point while ripping out wire mesh together, Terrell and I talked about the struggle to stay part of our children's lives, which I've been working at since, like, late 1999 but which Terrell has just started to experience. I told Terrell it was worth the difficulty. Nothing was worth so much in life as being involved with your child. Stick with it, I told him, no matter what obstacles are placed in your path.
And then we went back to ripping out wire mesh.
Scrappers were on hand and got quite a score of aluminum, appliances and even a small section of copper piping which somehow got missed by, well, whoever got the REST of the copper piping.
This was a great way to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., and MCTC apparently has an event like this every year so if you missed this round, there's next year and the year after that.
12 comments:
Keep up the good work JNS. It's good to have you in the neighborhood helping out like this. If there were more people like you NoMi would be a much better place!
OK whatever guys, but I really think you ought to try the tubing at Wirth, it was a Ripping good time!
An anonymous poster attempted to assert the identity of the individual sitting on the fridge. Unknown if this is factual. Withholding the comment for now.
Why have you not covered the dog park at MLK park? I think it is critical that we keep dogs out of this park.
I have not covered that because it's not in North Minneapolis and I have no plans to cover it.
You covered spray paint on buildings along the light rail and that doesn't exist in NOMI either. The dog park issue is critical to Minneapolis.
OK, then let me put it this way: there is plenty of coverage on the dog park issue in other media. But nobody was covering that graffiti along the light rail line, so I covered it.
If you want to start your own blog dedicated to the dog park issue, feel free.
Do you know where to find coverage of the dog park issue? I'm interested too?
Please keep your nose out of the dog park issue. It's not in NoMi and not your concern. We already have trouble makers like Al Flowers and Spike Moss making threats. We sure as hell don't need you and your attack tactics badmouthing those of us trying to calm the issue. You are just as annoying and as problematic as Flowers and Moss. Go take signs off poles and stay out of southside issues. ok bye.
Why didn't we think of this last winter when you helped me wrestle that giant fridge out the back door. My back yard even had a hill!
In regard to wrestling the fridge out the back door...
Yeah, I remember it well and that was a good time! Love you guys!
A commenter posted a link to coverage about the dog park issue, but I won't link to that particular blog. Nice try, thanks for playing, and find another blog to drive traffic to your blog.
Here's a more reputable source.
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/martin-luther-king-park-dog-park-kingfield-minneapolis-sept-2-2010
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