Minnesota DOC mug shot, therefore public domain, blog post by John Hoff
Robert "Big Joe" Gustafson never did me any harm or caused me a moment's worry. I never got into my car late at night and thought, "What if Big Joe tries to carjack me?" I never saw drug dealers on Penn Ave. N. and thought, "Those must be Big Joe's boys."
Indeed, it appears Big Joe was that highly-evolved form of so-called criminal, one who specializes in preying upon other criminals...kind of like "Omar" in the HBO television series "The Wire." Indeed, when some of us Northsiders read about the arrest and trial of Robert "Big Joe" Gustafson, our first reaction was...
Oh no. Now there's nobody to take away dope and money from drug dealers except the police, and the police are hampered by LAWS! WHAT ON EARTH WILL WE DO WITHOUT "BIG JOE?"
(Not that any of us EVEN KNEW WHO THIS GUY WAS until the articles started about his trial)
All the same, the justice system has found that "Big Joe" broke, like, a whole bunch of laws in the course of his personally profitable crusade against crime. And now this controversial, complicated guy sits in prison...where his mug shot recently became available online.
It is the practice of this blog that when North Minneapolis criminals go to prison, and their mug shots come available, those mug shots are published here. This one I publish with far more reluctance than usual.
Nothing personal, Big Joe. Your resemblance to a Middle Ages saint or an Old Testament profit is eerie and I wanted to share that with my readers.
Robert "Big Joe" Gustafson never did me any harm or caused me a moment's worry. I never got into my car late at night and thought, "What if Big Joe tries to carjack me?" I never saw drug dealers on Penn Ave. N. and thought, "Those must be Big Joe's boys."
Indeed, it appears Big Joe was that highly-evolved form of so-called criminal, one who specializes in preying upon other criminals...kind of like "Omar" in the HBO television series "The Wire." Indeed, when some of us Northsiders read about the arrest and trial of Robert "Big Joe" Gustafson, our first reaction was...
Oh no. Now there's nobody to take away dope and money from drug dealers except the police, and the police are hampered by LAWS! WHAT ON EARTH WILL WE DO WITHOUT "BIG JOE?"
(Not that any of us EVEN KNEW WHO THIS GUY WAS until the articles started about his trial)
All the same, the justice system has found that "Big Joe" broke, like, a whole bunch of laws in the course of his personally profitable crusade against crime. And now this controversial, complicated guy sits in prison...where his mug shot recently became available online.
It is the practice of this blog that when North Minneapolis criminals go to prison, and their mug shots come available, those mug shots are published here. This one I publish with far more reluctance than usual.
Nothing personal, Big Joe. Your resemblance to a Middle Ages saint or an Old Testament profit is eerie and I wanted to share that with my readers.
17 comments:
I had no idea who "Big Joe" was. When I found out he was terrorizing the bad guys I thought that was really cool. And now I think with him in prison, "Who will keep the nare-do-alls in line? The police are held in check by the laws". He broke the law and he has to do the time. I understand that. We do not live in a police state. And the laws are there to protect the criminals. Is there any middle road? Can we bust criminal heads and beat 'em up for Christ? Then hope the beatings and head busting does not come our way? If the hard working law abiding citizens unite and get mad enough to eliminate the criminal element by illegal means, the hard working law abiding citizens become the criminals according to the law. That takes us back to high school ethics and the question the teacher asked, "Do the means justify the ends?" I never met the man, however I think I'll miss "Big Joe".
Oh I think this blog has known about Big Joe and the BDP the entire time. I think you choose to ignore crime that you feel favors you and serves to make "elements" of the neighborhood you find undesireable go away. Don't play "we didn't know" when everyone in the hood knows about BDP.
Joe Gustafson, among other things, was a drug dealer.
http://www.citypages.com/content/printVersion/1298855/
A friend of mine used to "borrow" money from me all to often about ten years ago claiming to have to pay Joe back for money borrowed and that he wasn't willing to wait. I'm permanently out about three thousand now because of him.
Read the City Pages long article about him and you'll see for yourself that he isn't some do gooder only praying on criminals. Him and his family are very much the criminal element that have and continue to give North Minneapolis a bad name.
Big ego Joe is going to get the holy shit beat out of him no matter what jail he ends up in. he will have to live in iso where he will rot like the piece of crap that he is.
And what, precisely, is the nature of YOUR beef with the guy?
Unless you know him personally you don't need to be calling anybody a piece of crap. The only shit you know about him is what you read, or maybe you were one of the people who got the shit beat out of you when he was out that's why you can't stand him so much.
I will miss big joe same as lil joe my dad grew up with all of them same as Harold an been thru thick an thin wIth them even got his first tat from Harold all I have too say is I feel proud to b from THE NORTH SIDE an honoered to pass the Gustafson bail bonds on Washington ave it will never b the same agin an my question to the north Minneapolis finest is y don't yu go get the crack dealers they are realy the one hurting family an tearing them apart
My next drink of booze will be a toast to Big Joe.
But my NEXT next drink will be to MPD's finest.
Big Joe was nothing more than a criminal. You support him because he supports your dream of a non-black Minneapolis. Why is it so hard for the people at this pathetic excuse for a blog to actually admit what they really think instead of being a bunch of baffling idiots who thinks they know how to use double speak?
So you're saying "Big Joe" preyed exclusively on black drug dealers? He actually sat down and thought, ok, well I'm going to rip off THIS drug dealer because he's black...but I will let THAT one go, for his skin is so lily white it blinds my eyes.
I don't think Big Joe was focused on skin color. I think he was focused on money. He was an equal opportunity drug dealer ripper offer. If you can show me documentation that Big Joe preyed exclusively on black drug dealers, kindly post a link. As many things as the prosecutors accused him of, and convicted him of, I'm not aware of any evidence that Big Joe was involved in selecting victims on the basis of race.
Here is a link to a document with the criminal complaints against the Beat Down Posse.
vvoice.vo.llnwd.net/e10/5452675.0.pdf
Next blog post I will pull out the street addresses of the accused and post them for the benefit of search engines, to link those addresses with this story.
Address of Big Joe Gustafson, and may God judge his soul mercifully and appropriately for all the hurt and pain he enthusiastically dished out to the no accounts, scumbags, druggies and thugs who terrorize our neighborhood:
3414 James Ave. N.
Oh, gee, what do you know?
I was looking online just now and it turns out Jeff Skrenes already did ALL THAT WORK on his blog of publishing the addresses.
http://north-by-northside.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html
So, once again, there's not even a point in me publishing the addresses. That ground has been trampled by another blog. Not even the mainstream media. Another blogger who got his start right here on THIS blog.
Once again, I fail to understand what is the point of anonymous commenters (on another thread today) demanding this blog write about the Beat Down Posse? There is nothing left to write that has not been written. There is no mug left to publish that has not been published. There is no address left to research that has not been researched.
Writing about the Beat Down Posse is like...
Beating a dead druggie.
Ha ha.
This thread is as old as dirt, I know,but I still feel putting in my 2 cents worth.
I sold drugs for a number of years. I did a lot of dumb shit for a number of years, actually, but only the drugs are currently relavent.
During those years I had a number of encounters with both Big and Little Joe, and I can tell you with 100% accuracy that he was no crusader for the greater good. I've personally paid my bond with drugs - "Look,the cops got all my cash in the bust man,but I can throw you an ounce as soon as I'm out of here..." Done. Those boys bought dope,sold dope, robbed, stole,fenced ad all the good shit that goes with living that life.
I was also in prison when big Joe got there, and let me tell you. The hard ass role he liked to pay died quick. He tried to toss the H.A. name around a little,but it ddnt really get him anywhere. He had a few little suburban wanna-be bikers following him around, but had no real support. after about 2 weeks he got tossed in the hole and stayed there until he got transferred out.
I'm not saying he was a check in, but I'm not saying he wasn't.
Joe was always good to me on the streets. He was respectful, and never pulled any tough guy bullshit. I really do wish him well. But honestly,the last I saw him, all I saw was a sad, lonely man.
Give up the game, John, you are a very transparent individual who is destined to be a looser like big "WHITE" Joe. Joe is a jailhouse bitch along with junior peeling potatoes and sucking black dick.
Johnny, the real question is:
WHO WILL FILL THE VOID?
The Angels?
The Somalis?
Some other white trashy clan?
Or will the many crooks roaming around here not take advantage of Joe's teachings?
There's too much money to be made by "street taxing" dealers and co.
i worked with big and li joe when i was 9 years old and im 13 they were the best and no matter what they should not be in jail cause they were hard workers they even helped get me dad out
I would like to now if any one out there now's if either of the Gistafsons are out yet and how do you find them Carol S.put a post on here if you know
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