Friday, February 7, 2014

JNS Blog Responds To Pastor Harding N. Smith, Who Appears To Be Seizing His Moment In The Media Sunlight After Death Of Good Samaritan Thomas Sonnenberg, And My Response Can Be Summed Up As Follows: STAY IN BROOKLYN CENTER AND QUIT KNOCKING ON DOORS IN NORTH MINNEAPOLIS!

Facebook photo used under First Amendment Fair Comment and Criticism,
and (joke font) "woman with twisty cane" exception to copyright, (end
joke font) blog post by John Hoff

Well, this wasn't hard to foresee. In light of the shocking death of a 69-year-old Good Samaritan who made the fatal mistake of opening his heart and his home to a 20-year-old man pleading for help, and died as a result of this spontaneous act of trust and charity, opportunistic social issues parasites are crawling out of the woodwork to get their faces in front of local and (potentially) national media.

The latest is Pastor Harding N. Smith, who managed to get an article yesterday in the Star Tribune (click here) but somehow the STrib never got around to mentioning Smith's church isn't in North Minneapolis but Brooklyn Center...



You know, Brooklyn Center? The Siamese twin of Brooklyn Park? Those first ring suburbs where all the crime will be driven when North Minneapolis is completely revitalized and we have a Trader Joe's instead of an Aldi, and tulips popping up in yards instead of hair weaves lost during girl fights out in the street? THAT Brooklyn Center.

The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing At The Door

According to Pastor Harding Smith, he's heard people in North Minneapolis now say they're afraid to open their doors to anybody asking for help out of fear that it's a ruse. People SHOULD have been afraid BEFORE Sonnenberg was murdered when just as many ruses and scams and mysterious knocks in the night were happening, but it's true people are definitely afraid NOW.

So Smith is going around knocking on doors, trying to reassure people. Smith is pictured above, holding what appears to be a big metal can into which he probably hopes money will be placed, ching-a-ling-a-ling.

Take This To The Bank And Cash It

Harding Nazaly Smith (DOB 6/18/64, resident of Brooklyn Center) is not a criminal. That much I'll say in his defense. He was twice charged with giving false info to the police (2001 and 2003) over traffic stops, but twice those charges were dropped and he pled to no proof of insurance and no MN license (2001) and driving after suspension (2003).

Yeah. Really shouldn't do that kind of thing when you're a minister. To be fair, I don't know the precise date he was ordained, and NOBODY should do that kind of thing, but especially you shouldn't do that when you are a minister. He was also convicted in 2002 of no license in possession.

But that's all for criminal and/or traffic charges. That's actually pretty good, isn't it? This guy doesn't have a lead foot like I do but, hey, I was TRUCKING.

It's the civil cases which are INTERESTING...

It should be noted there is a discrepancy in birthdays. The Harding Nazaly Smith in the traffic charges has a birthday of 6/8/64 and lives in Brooklyn Center. But on the civil side, the birthday is 6/8/68. Noted, but it sure appears to be the same guy.

Harding Smith faced a civil commitment hearing in 2006 on the basis of being mentally ill or chemically dependent. The same court takes care of both, so it could have been one or both. It looks like there was a bunch of back-and-forth over whether Harding should be committed but eventually there was an "order vacating stay and executing commitment."

Based upon the court records, it appears Harding was committed from December of 2006 to July of 2007, which is fairly serious. But it's possible he had some outpatient time and wasn't locked up during that whole period.

He was also divorced in 2010. No child was involved.

Dots I'd Love To Connect

There is some other Harding N. Smith stuff in the court record but I can't be sure it's the same guy. Which is too bad, because if it's the same guy I'd like to know why he SUED THE SALVATION ARMY IN A PERSONAL INJURY LAWSUIT. But that's a Harding N. Smith whose home in 2006 was Gaithersburg, Maryland and the Salvation Army sued was in Roseville, Minnesota.

Birthday of this Smith unknown. Same guy? My gut says "probably" but my mind says "you can't confirm it."

Verily I Say Unto You...

In the 6 years I've been blogging, I can only recall a single instance where I was even MILDLY critical of a man of the cloth. I am religious and I believe God commanded "touch not God's anointed."

But I find myself in a world where the "Good Samaritan" was slain by the man on the road. How to apply the word of God to THIS?

"Good Samaritan" is a phrase we apply to anybody who stops and helps somebody in distress. But in the actual parable told by Jesus, the Good Samaritan stopped to help a Jewish man who was beaten and bloody by the side of the road. The Samaritan took the Jew to a room and made sure the Jew was sheltered and cared for even though different tribes, different belief systems were involved.

Compare and contrast. The Jew by the side of the road in Christ's parable was BEATEN. Devon Parker claimed he was being chased by somebody with a BAT who was going to BEAT him.

The Good Samaritan took the Jew to a safe room. Thomas Sonnenberg took Devon into his secure HOUSE.

In the parable, the Samaritan and the Jew came from different worlds, but that didn't matter. The Samaritan saw only a man who needed help and reached beyond cultureal differences to assist. Thomas Sonnenberg, a white 69-year-old retiree and army vet, saw a frantic 20-year-old black man begging for assistance. And so Sonnenberg, like the Good Samaritan in the story told by Jesus, reached out to help Devon Parker.

And Devon Parker killed the Good Samaritan.

I guess I'm supposed to throw the word "allegedly" in there. To that I say...

To hell with your "allegedly."

Devon. Parker. Killed. Thomas. Sonnenberg. The widow saw it, the police and prosecutors wrote it down, and I believe it.

In light of this tragedy of Biblical proportions, our neighborhood does not need self-appointed preachers of doubtful mental health banging on our doors with empty metal buckets and emptier words of assurance. I'll be the "bad cop" who says it but you know what? It NEEDS to be said.

Tend To Your Own House

There is no longer any comfort in the sight of the Mad Dads with their green van, yelling in the street about stopping the violence. Go home and keep an eye on your own children before they kill some decent person. There is no longer any comfort in the sight of street minister K.G. Wilson with his funky military hat; having never served a minute in the armed forces. Go keep an eye on your own family before they kill some decent person.

By the way, K.G. Wilson, the 101st Airborne Division called and they want their HAT back.

All the time we hear about how these organizations need money to keep doing their good work. You know what? Go manage a Burger King. How much "good work" is actually getting done? One gets the sense our problems will never get solved because too many "experts," "consultants," "non-profits" "social workers" and "advocates" make too much money if those horrible problems actually continue. (Good grief, look at all those quote marks springing up like opportunistic dandelions between dirty cracks in the sidewalk)

In fact, a good number of the "charities" and "do gooder" organizations in our neighborhood are fronts for scammers at worse and ineffective, misguided "make work" projects at best. And a lot of us wonder how crappy little businesses that never seem to HAVE any business survive if they are NOT fronts for laundering drug money.

Oh, and don't even get me STARTED on the rampant Food stamp fraud happening every day of the week inside "inconvenience stores." Money that is supposed to buy food for children buys CRACK for their parents. Those bottles of Sprite in the shopping cart? Lucky if the kids get a little sip before somebody ads codeine cough syrup and Jolly Ranchers to mix up a batch of "drank."



Pictured above, Corey Davis, self-proclaimed-if-not-actual "brother" of Devon Parker, who told neighbors they could all "shut the fuck up and mind yall motherfucking business" (sic) shortly after the Sonnenberg tragedy, and the mainstream media had not a word to say about this outrage.

This is the kind of stuff mainstream should be investigating and digging into but political correctness turns their knees to jello at the very thought. Some manic preacher from Brooklyn Center inserts himself into the issues and, well, MUST NOT GIVE OFFENSE. He claims to speak for the neighborhood and what does the media know? It's not THEIR neighborhood.

 Every time a self-appointed spokesman for North Minneapolis speaks up the mainstream media quickly give that person a podium, even when they're not FROM North Minneapolis and ten seconds on Google and three minutes on MNCIS would unearth lord-knows-what. Good lord, the other day Channel 5 was calling notorious slumlord Keith Reitman a RESIDENT of North Minneapolis! And a "businessman." It's enough to make the skin crawl with vicarious embarrassment.

So getting to the bottom of all the scammy church and charity fronts in North Minneapolis is a pipe dream when the mainstream media don't even have enough sense to perform MINUTES of background checking before electing somebody a spokesperson for our troubled neighborhood in the wake of yet another tragedy; outrageous tragedy to be sure but also simply "tonight's murder." What, you needed to write SOMETHING so badly you went and picked THIS? A minister knocking on doors?

WE DO NOT NEED A PREACHER FROM BROOKLYN CENTER WITH AN EMPTY POPCORN CAN KNOCKING ON OUR DOORS AND VYING FOR THE MEDIA SPOTLIGHT IN OUR BLOODIED STREETS...

What we need are more cops, more cameras, and help with the issues in North Minneapolis we have been screaming about for years. How is it we're a month into a new political administration and instead of seeing a sudden uptick in new ideas, new energy, new solutions, new hope, instead we see our neighborhood going to hell in a hand basket? Geez, some of us felt SAFE with a gun behind deadbolt doors and now we don't even have THAT.

Somebody...

HELP US.

No, Harding N. Smith, NOT YOU.

45 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Johnny, I have emailed Mayor Rybak on numerous occasions asking for more police,more cameras on our blocks,stricker enforcement of all of our laws & ordinances. I also made these same pleas to our city council representative & our "crime prevention specialist" who CLEARLY is not prevententing any crimes. I never got a response for the mayor. Now we have a mayor who wants to provide more job opportunities to these poor,underpriveledged thugs who don't even want a tax paying job. They don't care about getting decent grades in school because their job aspirations are to be a rapper,drug dealer, booster,welfare mother, etc.,etc. I wish we could get the national guard on every street. If a veteran with a permit to carry who even realizes he needs to carry his weapon in his home can be murdered; what chance do I have of protecting myself & my son in this area? I think the first step we need to take is welfare reform.At least then we won't be adopting the thugs from other states. I don't have much extra income but I'm going to Bremer Bank today to donate to the fund for the Sonnenbergs.Yes, the same bank that was robbed by an armed,face covered gangster last week .

Anonymous said...

Lock and load and watch your back. This shit ain't ending anytime soon . Do not expect anything from this mayor except a repeat of 1995. Protect your loved ones and the first motherfucker that fucks with them, blow 'em away.....or be a victim. Hell's Bell's motherfucker's,...this shit has gone too far. Got no time to lay down and act defenseless...bring it on...hot summer my ass.

Anonymous said...

This is CHICAGO in caps! get my drift? Minneapolis is now in the grips of a certain mentality that has its root's in ..drum roll...Chicago...they tore down the project's and they have dealt with this putrid removealizattion(added to the latest Webster's Dictionary) and the tentacles have gripped us and.....lock and load bitches,... you will have to deal with it the way we have on our Northside...lock and load, you have no choice and trust no none.
Funny fucking times.

Unknown said...

I agree stay out of it, but take a trip over to my place john, b/c is not what you think, I've lived in both and never had cars stolen from my driveway in NoMi but twice in b/c check the crime stats same place in my book.

Anonymous said...

You are HORRIBLE for going after this man. How dare he want to help. I think it's NICE and I LIVE here. You are just beyond awful sometimes. He is a great guy and you don't run this city John Hoff. Shameful. Oh, and please list some black people you DO like.....

Johnny Northside! said...

Well, you are perfectly free to invite him inside for tea and crumpets and put a few dollar bills in his "popcorn can" and I am perfectly free to say what I like about his motivations, his place of residency, and his mental health. But nothing was said about his race. That all comes from you.

On another topic, I was wondering:

Why the popcorn cans? Why such large cans?

Oh, wait. I know. I've seen this before. I've seen this on street corners, come to think of it...

Those big cans are so people can beg out in traffic and harried drivers coughing up money can easily hit the bottom of the can. Geez, isn't that what we want in North Minneapolis? People out in traffic with popcorn cans, begging for money. People who are from BROOKLYN CENTER but see "cash filled popcorn can" opportunity in OUR tragedy.

Anonymous said...

You can twist and turn with your fancy rhetoric all that you desire. He is here ,YOU are not. He isn’t going to try to raise money to feed the homeless when he comes here. Nothing as HORRIBLE is that. You laugh that he wants to comfort all these over dramatic chickens, to talk and pray with people and YOU fabricate that he is going to beg in the streets. You are a shameless HEATHEN. Pray to God about how he feels about feeding the homeless. I am done reading this ungodly garbage. If you knew the kind ,humble man that you are speaking of you would either be disgusted with yourself or simply disgusting.

Johnny Northside! said...

"Over dramatic chickens," you say?

Oh, I guess cold blooded murder is so normal in YOUR ugly, chaotic world that WE who do not routinely swim in that sewer should not get excited about murder when it happens to a DECENT person instead of criminal-on-criminal violence.

"Over dramatic chickens," indeed. As for "feeding the homeless," nice job dragging in some side issue but, hey, you're right. Once this guy gets his foot in our neighborhood door he'll be begging for ALL his causes. The paint will be worn right off those popcorn buckets from the sweaty palms thrusting them into our faces; one MORE thing to deal with in our neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

What does the color of Devon and Thomas have to do with the story?

Anonymous said...

This brother seems to be doing more than our elected officials and corrupt city employees could ever dream. Leave him alone John he is doing good, no matter where he is from. I also agree with the above comments. We need to arm ourselves up if the so called specialist Safe Officers can't or won't do their jobs.

Johnny Northside! said...

I am rejecting a long and rambling comment from Tom Evenstad, a convicted sex offender who continuously asserts his conviction was without merit. Long ago Tom bared his teeth at me, and I haven't forgotten it. When Tom makes a mighty mountain amends I might give him an opportunity to comment on this forum but it sure won't be today. For the record, everybody please note Tom Evenstand has jumped on board the marijuana legalization bandwagon.

Anonymous said...

Where are our city officials, police and this "judge"? What the hell is going on here in North? I'm will all you. I'm cocking back and keeping one in the tube from now on. It is no longer a matter of if but a matter of when apparently. When it does come down to killing another in self defense do not say a word to anyone until your attorney arrives.

Anonymous said...

Here's an idea.. I got an assignment or suggestion for Pastor Harding and many others... how about you do go forward with your door knocking project, and your outreach, and your plans to tell the community about your outreach. But how about you shift your purpose and focus of your door knocking. So instead of going door to door to make sure people know they aren't alone and don't have to be scared etc.. How about you go door to door to reach out to the thuggy people and thuggy families and the thuggy thugs and you tell them in no uncertain terms to STOP TERRORING THE G.D. NEIGHBORHOODS IN MPLS. In B.P or B.C. In every fricking large city in the country. Stop being such dispicable, worthless citizens. Pull their paints up, cut their hair, tuck in their shirt, learn to speak clear english, get your (free) education from the local schools, get a job, strive to do better everyday. Do good deads for neighbors. Pick up the trash, s hovel the snow, carry groceries for the elderly, read a g.d. book, clean up your room, volunteer to help those less fortunate (yes, there are less fortunate than you, you punk)" etc etc etc. THIS is how Pastor Harding and KG and Mad Dads and Jerry McAfee and Don Allen and James Everett and whoever else can help "their" community.

Please, please do go door knocking in north Mpls! Just make sure the needed message is the one being delivered!!! (do you k now how full the g.d. popcorn can would be if THIS was the message this man was preaching!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Not only that, Johnny, but good 'ol Tom apparently now offers tours to Colorado as your sticky icky guide.

http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2014/02/tom_evenstad_medical_marijuana_pot_tour_business.php

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure who swims in the sewer, my world is beautiful and righteous. Whom should I fear? For God gave me a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. No matter what you say, I LOVE you anyway....

Johnny Northside! said...

To Tom Evenstad, whose comments I continue to reject: If you want to talk about the mighty mountain of amends you need to make before you will EVER be allowed to comment on this blog, email me. I continue to note you have jumped on the pot bandwagon.

Johnny Northside! said...

Tom also notes I have sometimes misspelled "Evenstad" as "Evanstad." Fair enough.

Johnny Northside! said...

To the person saying Pastor Harding N. Smith should go around and visit the thugs and tell them to be less thuggy, sure, I could totally get on board with that. You've articulated a great idea.

But that's NOT what is currently happening and as long as this "half mental" pastor from NOT North Minneapolis wants to knock on the doors of people who are already traumatized and fearing the knock on the door from the dangerous stranger-ous, well, my position remains the same.

Johnny Northside! said...

And I seriously think telling thugs not to be thuggy is like telling goats not to leave little piles of turds wherever they go.

Anonymous said...

Ah, John, did you forget you were a "legalize hemp" supporter?

Anonymous said...

God the comments on this blog have gotten lame as hell. You got some dumbass commenting every other story with "lock and load", "hells bells mofo" as if he hasn't watched Roadhouse ten times every day in week; you got another half-scrotum sack asshat complaining intermittently how sucky the new mayor and police chief are, but his arguments are so obviously misogynistic you can see right through them like cling foil; then you also have the Watkins troll or whatever it is bitching several times a day on multiple stories about how much it seethingly hates JNS--what BULLSHIT. My days in this neighborhood are numbered, to return to some real life, real shit. At least JNS knows what its like to face a real foe instead of making one up on the computer cause you have no other life, or making one up cause you've got nothing else going on besides what color tee you bought at Urban Underground or some stupid shit like that. Those I just called out, I actually feel bad for you cause you're just sorry pieces of crap who can't get off the damn computer (especially the Watkins troll--get a fuckin life, man).

Anonymous said...

To Anon, 2/8, 8:21 a.m.:

You are so right on!!!! But as Johnny says, I'm afraid it's hard to teach old dogs/young thugs new tricks. At least we can hope...

Anonymous said...

I can't tell if this guy is a two-bit Grifter or not. I'd have to see him in person to see through him and confirm if he is genuine or false.
But I have no soliciting signs all over my door and when someone comes a knocking, I yell through the door that we don't accept solicitations.
They will yell back to you that they are not soliciting, but they are soliciting. So just walk away and have your phone ready if they keep knocking and bothering you.
The first rule is: Never open your door. You do not even have to answer it. After 30 seconds, they usually go away if no answer.

Johnny Northside! said...

Yeah, I swear, there's like a FORCE that PERMEATES THE SOIL of North Minneapolis and somehow sucks the repelling power out of "No Soliciting" signs.

Jeff Skrenes said...

I'm still kind of confused over what the big deal is. Maybe I missed it, but were there any firsthand reports of him or his parishioners actually asking for money with those tins? Or did you just take one photo of him and assume that's what he does all the time?

Did you even bother to ask if his church has a connection to north Minneapolis? News flash: although we have plenty of congregations in the neighborhood, most people in the metro travel about ten miles to their place of worship. His church is well within a reasonable distance to have at least a few members who are part of the neighborhood.

And even if he's not entirely genuine, what exactly is the harm he's doing? Looks to me like you're trying to sensationalize this.

Anonymous said...

Reading and writing issues. Solicitation is a rather large word for most of those folks.

Anonymous said...

I can't quite make out what the sign says in the photo.



Johnny Northside! said...

The sign, which extends past the right hand margin of the photo, says Spiritual Church of God Help Our Homeless Ministry.

I know what you're thinking. Isn't "spiritual" kind of redundant next to the word "church?"

Keep in mind the church is starting a new ministry called the "Knock Knock" ministry of the Spiritual Church of God.

"Knock knock"

"Who's there?"

"Harding"

"Harding who?"

"Hard dinging on this doorbell since it was broken by the last uninvited solicitor on your doorstep so that's why I'm beating on your door instead, OPEN UP AND PUT MONEY IN MY POPCORN CAN AND I WILL GO AWAY."

Anonymous said...

You're a real Card JNS.
In fact, I'm willing to bet you even shuffle a little when you walk.

Johnny Northside! said...

Hawkman, I missed your comment at first because as a blog author you are able to post your own comments without pre-approval.

To me, Harding represents all the hustlers, charlatans, poverty pimps, former thugs running 501(c)(3)s, loser also-ran political candidates vying to represent "the hood," bipolar street preachers claiming Jesus turned their life around and that's why they have to minister to criminals all the time, and so forth and so on, basically the colorful and self-interested crew of bad actors who infest our neighborhood and leech off the issues of the neighborhood. And hell if I'm going to let them make hay off the death of Thomas Sonnenberg.

In fact, it's about time a lot of fingers start getting pointed at all these poverty pimps who manage to feather their own nests off our misery. Harding just happened to come into my field of vision at a point I was wanting to go after THEM. He is no better and no worse than K.G. Wilson, shouting in the middle of the street while wearing a military uniform he didn't EARN.

And yes, I ASSUME that when the background photo for the church shows them posing with those popcorn cans that the popcorn cans are kind of central to what they do and they are PROBABLY doing the same thing while going door-to-door. My assumption rises to the level of "I think probably." To that degree I assume. Prove me in the shadow of wrong, not that I've come all the way over to the solid line of factual assertion.

And ANOTHER problem I have is that a man died because a stranger showed up at his door and knocked, using a ruse. Now more strangers want to knock on doors and reassure us we can all afford to open our doors and be Good Samaritans. Uh huh. What happens after the pastor leaves and somebody ELSE knocks on the door? Now that the completely rational and justified fear of opening the door to strangers has been alleviated, somewhat, by this out-of-town opportunist minister.

Furthermore, he has a documented history of MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. So it's like, oh, great. Not only open your door to a stranger, but to a stranger with mental health issues. Like THAT would be smart.

He chafes my hide the wrong way. You may not like my criticisms of him, but they are SINCERE. We do not need the "more of the same" he offers, an endless parade of charlatans and poverty pimps finding an angle off our suffering. This was a soldier and a citizen, not one of the fallen thugs who are appropriately enough remembered by a "festival of funk" and wild-eyed ministers with megaphones and boonie hats and/or rattle-y popcorn cans doing their thing out in the street.

Harding says "continue to open your doors and your hearts to those in need." Johnny Northside says, "Do not open your doors to people you don't know trying to get inside or this death will really, truly have been in vain if we fail to heed the tactical lesson."

Jesus Christ gave us the parable of the Good Samaritan. But if we live in a place where a Good Samaritan is slain for BEING a Good Samaritan, then God himself is warning us to take the usual teachings about helping the poor, etcetera, with a caveat to protect your life from these DEMONS and DEVILS and (in this case!) DEVONS upon the road who use ruses to get inside and slay, slay, slay.

STAY. THE HELL. AWAY. FROM THE DOORS. OF THE SCARED AND VICTIMIZED DECENT PEOPLE. PASTOR HARDING. AND HIS ILK.

Johnny Northside! said...

And by THRUSTING himself into this controversy and seeking out press attention...

Who do you think called the Star Tribune about this? Are you going to tell me it was one of the people in the neighborhood who out-of-the-blue called the Star Tribune and said, "I was scared in my home but I just talked to the NICEST man? No, that was almost CERTAINLY somebody connected with that church self-promoting this activity and courting the press...

Well, fair enough. But it's also fair to question the motivation and take the OTHER side of the "open your doors to the needy and desperate" issue and to take the OPPOSITE position of Pastor Harding.

Harding SOUGHT this limelight. Well, now let him deal with the limelight. I feel free to talk about and question the motive and respond. My response won't have nearly the reach of the Star Tribune but I will respond and I will talk about the issues.

Somewhere somebody is saying, "Oh, this is bad. Despite being really scared about crime, so many soft-hearted people in North Minneapolis were perfectly willing to open their doors and their wallets and help us feather our poverty pimp nests. Now there's a real possibility they're going to WAKE UP. So we need to get ahead of the curve and reassure them, quick!"

What's really terrible, though, is this death actually reveals what we've been up against THE WHOLE TIME. Dozens of times a day somebody probably tries a lame ruse but doesn't manage to get inside to rob, rape and murder. But Devon Parker somehow managed to hit a weak spot.

Maybe Sonnenberg wasn't thinking of Devon at all so much as an army buddy who needed help but he wasn't in a position to help once upon a time. Who knows and who will ever know? What we know is that Devon got inside the perimeter and killed the man on watch. But you know what? These criminals, druggies, crazed murderers and drinkers-of-drank are ALWAYS trying to get inside the perimeter.

This is what we're up against. Pastor Harding says "open your doors and your hearts." Johnny Northside says: Cameras, cameras, cameras.

And dead bolts.

And big, barky, bitey dogs.

And arm yourselves.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Jordan Hawkman! One sane voice amongst this hateful and petty attack on one of Gods anointed.


We as a community are not afraid to open our door to a Pastor in the middle of the day. Those who are, leave the community because you are not helping yourself or building community. The fear you are spreading over ONE tragedy is very damaging to MY community. Honoring a Veteran by encouraging people to be cowards and slam the door to those in need? The family said they are PROUD that their Dad always tried to help.


We as a community let the Pastor know that we welcome him and we rebuke your comments.

Anonymous said...

With the location emphasis you are putting on this man, I figured that his church must be north of 694, or west towards Crystal and far from NoMi.

After looking up the address of his church, it is less than four miles from 37th and Aldrich, about the same distance as 12th and Penn, or any other part of North near Olson Memorial Highway. If his church was there, you wouldn't even have mentioned the location.

Don't be so damn provincial all the time.

Anonymous said...

Seriously John,

You've victimized more people than Smith ever will.

Johnny Northside! said...

I don't care if it's SIX FEET inside Brooklyn Center. It's not North Minneapolis and like so many other self appointed do-gooders who hail from places like Columbia Heights or South Minneapolis, he's opportunistically hitching his wagon to our issues. We have plenty of churches in North Minneapolis and they did not feel "random knock knocks" in search of frightened would-be Good Samaritans was the correct way to go about things.

Gee, wonder why?

Anonymous said...

All of you fake assholes hiding behind some make believe god you were told or brainwashed to believe in so you can rip people off or excuse murdering someone because your fairy tale entity will still love you and you won't have to burn for all time....some things never change.

Anonymous said...

These mutt's don't do a very good impression of what was honed in Chicago and has unfortunately reared it's ugly fake head here in Minneapolis.
All I can say is we toughened up on these animals and they mainly stuck to killing each other, but not always. They will always beg and that is a given. So don't give cuz your just paying their party bill and you better believe it.
I don't care what their excuse or front is and if you think a motherfucker is cold-blooded for saying this all I can say is just watch how the next four years play out.

Anonymous said...

Harding N. Smith is featured in an article in MinnPost today.

Johnny Northside! said...

Interesting article.

http://www.minnpost.com/community-sketchbook/2014/02/clergy-members-go-door-door-north-minneapolis-talk-about-halting-violen

Of course this blog was dead-on accurate about the guy's mental health history. I see in that article that he also confesses to alcohol and drug addiction. Now I see his "connection" to North Minneapolis; he used to "hang out" and live a "useless life."

This is not somebody I would invite into my home nor anybody hanging around with him. Relapse is a constant fact of life for users. And it says right in the article that he "ministers" to those caught up in crime and violence. So why would I want anybody associated with this "ministry" coming inside a secure house? My point. My point EXACTLY in the original blog posting, with further evidence in this MinnPost article.

All I see here is a charlatan who is trying to get prominence off this well publicized tragedy. He is, however, no different than many other charlatans who play the "ministry" card.

Twin Cities Gun Owners & Carry Forum said...

There's a good chance Mr. Sonnenberg would still be alive and that Pastor Harding Smith wouldn't need to be going door to door if he hadn't vehemently opposed legislation last year that would have held violent offenders accountable. That legislation had over 80 bi-partisan authors, was supported by the Hennepin County Atty Mike Freeman and Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek and by the state's sheriffs' association.

Ask Harding Smilth why he opposes common sense legislation to hold violent offenders accountable.

Proof: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.488197621276619.1073741829.172653092831075

Twin Cities Gun Owners & Carry Forum

Anonymous said...

Label yourself a pastor and form a ministry that caters to criminals is standard operating procedure for the syndicate city of Chicago and the citizens who make their money off of the blood pouring out of the community.
Welcome , Minneapolis and get used to it because their is not a disinfectant strong enough to stop or contain it.

Jeff Skrenes said...

I just read the Strib articles on his outreach. While I'm not sure why he has suddenly thrust himself into the north Minneapolis scene, at least one person was characterized as reconsidering a decision to leave the community after the pastor's visit. This guy is doing things many of us don't have the time, skills, or inclination to do. He's not harming me or anyone I know. And he's being vilified for his actions. Disgusting.

But hey, now that everyone seems to know what he looks like, you don't have to open your door when you see him come knocking.

Anonymous said...

Won't open it if YOUR naive ass comes knocking either. Go back to your hole, hawk man, you got no credibility anymore so give it up. You're part of the element that makes these fool's tick....dumb white guy.

Anonymous said...


I have known Pastor Harding for six years, He was homelkess and couragously came out into the community of Minneapolis to give of himself.
He is NOT paid for the time he has spent trying to gather a community up to help themselves by getting neighbors in Minneapolis together to fight violence crime and the overwhelming feeling of a nighborhoods apathy.

Johnny Northside! said...

You know what's overwhelming? Having to live with all the crime and violence and decay in the neighborhood and THEN, on top of it, some alleged do-gooder knocks on your door with ideas about how to "help."

You know what that reminds me of? That felon Gordon from Pointergate knocking on people's doors.

The line between "do gooder" and "criminal" or "scammer" or "mentally ill" certainly is a fine, fine line in North Minneapolis and it seems like that line gets crossed every hour.