Almost Instant 311 Gratification On 27th Avenue North, Between Morgan And Newton...

Photo, blog post by John Hoff

I don't know how long this car actually sat where I found it, on 27th Ave. N. between Morgan and Newton, on the south side of the street, but I first saw it Saturday evening, which would have been March 16. By today, March 18, its presence was getting tiresome...

City Of Minneapolis 311 Smart Phone App Reportedly Not Playing Nice With Android Phones...

YouTube Video embed, blog post by John Hoff

A few nights ago, proud new NoMi homeowner Jeff Skrenes was having a house warming party and wanted to show me his Minneapolis 311 smart phone app that he'd recently acquired. Wanting to spread word about the cool smart phone app, I decided to videotape Jeff's enthusiastic demonstration. Things didn't go exactly as planned, however...

Garage Is All Messed Up At 2901 Dupont Avenue North, Neighbors Are All, Like, WTF?!?! Because 311 Calls Aren't Working...

Photos, blog post by John Hoff


Maybe if neighbors used the new, supercool 311 smartphone app, they'd get a better response?

The garage at 2901 Dupont Avenue North has been, to use the technical term, "messed up" like this for something like a year. Neighbors and members of the revitalizer "busy body" class have made a number of 311 complaints. Usually, 311 produces some kind of magic results. Not quickly, of course, but almost always results happen within months.

But that's not happening, lately, according to...

Trash Haven Hook Fish & Chicken Closed Until They Can Comply with Licensing

Blog Post and Photo by Nomi Passenger

In a previous post I shared photos taken from my cell phone of the major trash problem at Hook Fish & Chicken on West Broadway and Fremont.  I also sent the same pictures to Minneapolis 3-1-1 to report the trash problem. 

As you can see in that previous post a commenter asked if I called 3-1-1 and I shared the first response I received from Nicole in the business licensing department which was...

Snapping Back At The Snap Back Kids...

Contributed photo, xoxo, blog post by John Hoff

Nobody wants to JOIN to a gang these days, but plenty of kiddies seem to want to START a gang. The names, faces and tags of these juvenile gangs-of-the-week morph and change so fast that it's not accurate to say they won't be remembered years and years from now.

No, rather it is accurate to say they won't be remembered mere weeks from now. Their petty criminal efforts, their ridiculous tagging, their delinquent comradeships are as fleeting and meaningful as dog feces moments before a thunderstorm. They don't mean squat, they don't mean jack. They should be called Crap Jack Kids.

This latest piece of graffiti is near Logan and 27th Ave. N. and will have to be SANDBLASTED off the sidewalk...

The citizen who took this picture wanted me to have an opportunity to file a 311 report all the way from Afghanistan, just to say that I did.

Very well. I will be making a 311 report on this, momentarily.

All the way from Afghanistan, baby.

The Tallest Out of Control Yard Yet...

Photo and blog post by Nomi Passenger

This one takes the prize in my book for the tallest, most out of control yard ever. Can anyone beat this photo?

Don't worry, I already sent the picture to 3-1-1. A call just wouldn't do the problem justice.

(Do Not Click "Read More")

Not Getting My 311 Buzz At 718 West Broadway!

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

Some days ago, I wrote about my 311 email binge, how I was drinking cold Amarula liquor and firing off numerous emails to report various situations requiring the lovingly bureaucratic attention of 311--such as this garbage filled vacant lot at 718 W. Broadway, the former White Castle location. (I didn't live in North Minneapolis back when this vacant lot had a White Castle, but I hear it was a very rowdy place, especially after bar closing. Good riddance)

But some time after I sent the emails I totally lost my 311 buzz because...


...the emails came bouncing back to me. The files were too large because I had attached--oh, my word!--two or three photos.

In fact, I had made a point of not attaching more than three photos thinking, well, what if their spam filter is sensitive? I don't want it to bounce off the spam filter. And then the emails bounced ANYWAY.

I mean, geez, THREE PHOTOS?

I attach THREE PHOTOS and the email comes bouncing right back?

I have duly reported this "spam filter problem" to 311 via online survey. I've also emailed one of my public officials. But I want this problem fixed, and I want it fixed QUICKLY. So often when I call 311, the operators go through their little script and point out how citizens can send an email to report problems.

To which I always say: Yes, I already use the 311 email system. I take pictures of problems and send off dozens of emails, but then I also walk around and call problems in. The main reason I use the 311 email is because 311 isn't open late at night, and there are times late at night when I need my 311 buzz. Or because some problems are best documented by a photo. I need to show this isn't just a little bit of garbage. This is a minor landfill.

But if I can't attach photos to my emails then...then...

Oh, my word, how will I get my 311 buzz by email?

Please, 311, fix this issue RIGHT AWAY!!!

Ahhhhh! Cold Amarula Liquor And A Late Night 311 Email Binge!

718 West Broadway, photo and blog post by John Hoff

When fellow Northside bloggers ask how this blog puts out so much content, so quickly (and they do ask that, often enough) one trick I share is that I "take notes with my camera" and "write off my notes."

As stories happen in front of me, I start firing off pictures. Anybody who knows me well realizes I take pictures constantly, all the time, of almost everything. For example, as somebody at Holy Land Bakery and Deli prepared lamb testicles for me to grill at home, I took pictures, thinking the images of severed testicles might make a great stock photo for a story about Level Three sex offender concentration in North Minneapolis.

When I download my digital camera into my Mac, I scan the images in the "Last Import" file and recall the stories that go along with the images. And I start cranking those stories out, working from my array of photos as though those images were notes, double checking facts with phone calls, creating live links in the stories, tying the new stories into previous stories on my blog, other blogs, or other media.

Content, content, content. Crank it out, before the story goes stale, because tomorrow more stories will be clamoring for attention. And the more we tell our stories, the more social capital we gain, which translates directly into political power and making our neighborhood better. You're not writing a work of literature, here.

Bang. It. Out.

But sometimes I take pictures for a different purpose...

I am documenting issues that need to be reported to 311. These issues pile up in the memory card of my camera for a couple days or a week. And then one night I sit down and start composing emails, with photos attached, going on a 311 email binge.

Tonight, the 311 binge is made more enjoyable by cold Amarula Liquor, a creamy South African beverage with the unique flavor of elephant berries. It's like Bailey's Irish Creme, only lighter, and a little bit citrusy! Mmmmmm. Plus the company supports elephant conservation efforts.

Late night 311 email bingeing and cold Amarula Liquor.

Ahhh, now that's Northside living.

How The Spanky Have Fallen! Peter Rickmyer Incarcerated At Lino Lakes!

Department of corrections mug shots, therefore in public domain, blog post by John Hoff


After Level Three sex offender Peter Rickmyer's probation was revoked for 90 days, (with credit for time served) North Minneapolis residents following the issue were wondering where ol' "Spanky Pete" would end up. Back at the Moose Lake facility for sex offenders? Some other facility?

Friends and neighbors, wonder no more! Rickmyer is at the Lino Lakes facility and has, well, not exactly a hot new look. Really more of a makeover fail. Looks like Pete was...

...growing a scraggly beard the whole time he was in jail. Ewwwww.

But back to Lino Lakes: this facility is the "primary treatment facility" for sex offenders in the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Click here for more info about Lino Lakes.

I, for one, am very excited (in a completely appropriate and legal way) to hear Peter is at a facility where he might get treatment. I certainly hope Peter will be sitting down and talking all about his dodgy pervert issues and recent history: the front page story on City Pages about his outrageous behavior, the incidents among residents in the neighborhood, some of which (but not all) have been reported to the authorities, and Peter's multiple failed attempts to complete legal service on Johnny Northside Dot Com despite being declared a "frivolous litigant" under Rule 9.

As for accusations from anonymous commenters who write as though they have legal training, (who could THAT be?) saying I am using "fighting words" against Rickmyer:

I think it's fair to say I only write about the man when there's something going on with him. When Peter behaves himself and/or no new "Peter issues" arise, I write stories about other stuff like, well, potholes. It is my perception that articles about Peter are widely read, especially by individuals who work at the county government building, and therefore there is a strong interest among members of my audience, which this blog exists to serve.

Oh, yes...more sensitive and delicate Peter issues for therapy: Let's not forget how his lawyer (Jill Clark) tried to help Peter, sort of, but he ended up going to prison, anyway. Peter must be feeling pretty rough about that. Pretty let down. Let's hope he has an opportunity to talk about those issues in therapy.

I think if Peter is NOT willing to talk about his issues, well, I really don't think he's ready to go back to society. My opinion. And I do have one, but when I have one I try to make sure I don't have my back turned to Peter.

During Peter's sudden incarceration, I know neighbors are keeping eagle eyes on his property, making sure not the slightest thing is going wrong at his house.

If ANYTHING happens, ANYTHING AT ALL, we will be sure to call 311 or, if appropriate, 911.

Last Of The Salmon House Troubles At 2700 Morgan Ave. N.--A Hole In The Street

Photo and blog post by John Hoff


The saga of 2700 Morgan Ave. N. has been extensively documented on this blog--how neighbors fought to get the combination crack house and whorehouse shut down. How it was repeatedly boarded, but denizens would rip off the boards and crawl inside. How the house sat for a long time, but finally it was torn down. How something valuable was saved from the house:

FRIDGE MAGNETS!

I should point out--to be completely fair--I've heard it said crack wasn't SOLD there, merely CONSUMED there. That the "crack house" label isn't, in that sense, fair. (Although the "whorehouse" label has never been seriously disputed)

Johnny Northside Blog stands by its use of "crack house" to describe a house where crack is routinely CONSUMED and, furthermore, whores turn tricks to buy crack.

In any case...

Just when it seems like the "Salmon House Saga" has come to an end, neighbors have a new problem...

The hole where utility connections were dug out has COLLAPSED, leaving a hazard in the street. The hole is about the size of the hood of an economy car. Look closely at the photo above and you will see a can of Dr. Pepper (my kid's favorite drink) that I placed in the hole for scale.

Today I called 311 on the issue, and I was connected to a sub-unit of Inspections. Inspections told me they'd have somebody out there "in the next two minutes." When I asked for a reference number, I was told, "We still use 3 x 5 cards here." They not only didn't have a reference number, they didn't have a COMPUTER.

I felt bad for asking. But I can't help but wonder why this important part of the city is so badly funded?

The following video is my little musical homage to the word "hole." This is Courtney Love--and the love is for "she loves free speech"--who recently settled rather than spend her life tied up in court, sued over some minor stuff Love said on Twitter.

To Courtney Love I say: that's how we're different. I will fight it out in court for years if necessary. Courtney, feel free to kick a little love toward my blog.

Policy Issues Behind The Curtains Of Despair...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

Some days ago, I wrote a blog post about "the curtains of despair" at one of Bashir Moghul's properties, 2131 Lyndale Ave. N., an enormous stucco house which holds so much potential but, well, not as long as it's owned by Moghul or any of his slummy kin. On the bright side, it's for sale. Hint hint.

So after a bit of a discussion in the comment threads about whether there's actually a rule to prohibit make-do "curtains of despair" at Minneapolis rental properties, I called up 311 (from the parking lot of Costco, actually, trying to pack in some 311 action while out and about, multi-tasking) and the operator basically said what I thought he'd say, even though I did my honest level best to lodge the complaint and make it stick.

I was told...

...the "window treatments" referenced by the rule in question is a matter of style and taste and whatever gets used is fine, as long as SOMETHING gets used. So I guess this means towels, sheets, newspaper, Venetian blinds that look as though they've been chewed by a pit bull...oh, geez, what do I mean look as though...or whatever.

I couldn't even get a 311 reference number.

This issue is analogous to the "Keith Reitman rule" which was proposed because of slumlords using stuff like Sharpie marker to write addresses on buildings. I'm sure other cities have a rule about curtains needing to be made from, gee, curtains and not towels stolen from Days Inn.

Not that I'm judging, mind you. Lord knows my surname starts with the same letter as "Hilton" and anything people can do to make sure Paris Hilton has less money to party with is pretty much a public service.

In any case, Minneapolis needs a rule like that. And, unfortunately, according to the 311 operator I talked to, we don't have a rule like that.

Maybe a different operator on a different day might give a different answer. But I doubt it.

(Do Not Click "Read More")

JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: New City of Minneapolis Protocol Announced For "Memorials" On Public Property...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

I received information in the form of an email from a Minneapolis public official to a citizen in North Minneapolis. Since about March of 2010, this citizen had been contacting public officials and pushing for some kind of official policy on "memorials" placed on public property, then allowed to remain for months, years.

This issue of past-their-prime memorials has been articulated many times on this blog. Nobody has a problem with memorials that go up right after a tragic event, and are part of an understandable mourning process. (Though many of us are critical of, for example, booze bottles left at memorials for minors slain in gang violence, writings left at memorials which appear to romanticize gang membership, but not the memorial ITSELF)

The problem is when the memorials remain, and remain, and remain, and become a mess of moldy teddy bears and sodden cardboard. Even if the memorials are "refreshed," still we do not want to feel like we live in a cemetery. There is a sensible period of time for memorials to remain, and that period of time is not "forever" or even "a few years."

Now word comes that a policy has finally been developed. The policy can be summarized as follows...

If constitutes an imminent hazard it will be removed immediately.

Citizens should feel free to report any location of a memorial to 311.

If not an imminent hazard they are allowed to remain for two weeks.

After two weeks items will be picked up and stored at the Street Department for one month allowing for people to retrieve any items that they may want.
-------------------------
In the opinion of this blogger, this is a sensible and humane policy which weighs the various interests involved, including (finally!) the interests of people who want to live in a neighborhood, not a cemetery.

Nature's Brutal Pruning: Images Of The Snowstorm's Impact In North Minneapolis

Photos and blog post by John Hoff

The impact of last weekend's storm is still being felt all over North Minneapolis: downed trees are still being cleaned up, many sidewalks at vacant, foreclosed houses are not shoveled and most likely won't be shoveled all winter unless neighbors begin calling 311.

Here are some images left over from the storm. In the top photo, a sign advertises...


the food shelf at Church of St. Phillip on 26th Ave. N. However, another sign on the church door stated the food shelf was closed due to the storm. I met a man who had appeared to have walked many blocks through thick snow to get to the food shelf that day, only to find it closed.

On 26th Ave. N., a major tree limb blocks the sidewalk.
On James Ave. N., a tree limb is down on a car.
In a backyard on Newton Ave. N., four separate branches have been lopped off a tree by the weight of snow and are piled up at the bottom of the tree. It's like the tree was brutally pruned, but with no regard to aesthetics; all that mattered was weight versus strength.
This tree in the yard of a house in the Hawthorne neighborhood won the prize for most spectacular storm damage. Lucky thing it missed the house when it came down!

And so winter begins with unusually early brutality.

On the bright side, during winter lawless thugs often stay indoors instead of shooting each other on hot summer streets during random encounters over simmering grudges. Drug dealers and prostitutes are easier to spot and report to 911, because their otherwise pointless "hanging out" on streets like Penn Ave. N. becomes more apparent. And, while an unmowed yard at a vacant, foreclosed house might merit a single 311 call a month, snowstorms which bury sidewalks allow 311 reports over and over to report the irresponsible bank-owned properties which need to be moved forward toward the housing market, faster faster faster.

I love winter in North Minneapolis.

311 Protocol Being Developed For "Thug Memorial" Removal...

Stock photo and blog post by John Hoff

The issue of when to remove "thug memorials" from public property has been discussed on this blog, click here, and now word comes the city is slowly moving forward on this issue which primarily effects North Minneapolis. I was forwarded an email from a city official--a rather low level city official, I should point out--who said as follows...




"(W)e are currently working with the Public Works department in an attempt to determine a process regarding the where what how and when to remove these memorials."

Such a policy couldn't come fast enough. These "thug memorials" discourage home buyers and create an atmosphere of intimidation. They are as much a territorial marker as they are a memorial, and every one of them should promptly go away. I've said something to my friends in private, but now I will say it in public: if I am cut down in a hail of bullets on a public boulevard, leave no flowers, candles or wine bottles on my behalf. Just make sure 311 is promptly called any time the grass at that spot grows too high.

A Never Ending Graffiti Battle Along The Light Rail Line...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

When I take the light rail line to pick up my 13-year-old son for visitation, meeting him at Mall of America, I make a point of racking up as many 311 calls as I can along my route. But once I see this building near Fort Snelling, I know I am beyond the jurisdiciton of the Minneapolis 311 system. All the same, the graffiti battle at this building fascinates me and has been the subject of a handful of blog postings, click here to pick up the virtual trail of writings.

Most recently, the building in question...

...has been the subject of repeated graffiti abatement efforts, but now the vandals have tried to hit the building with MUCH BIGGER LETTERS. If you look closely at the photo above, you can see where the paint-over took place at ground level, but the upper half of the building still bears graffiti scars.

Will the owners of the building literally rise to the challenge, and blot out this WHOLE NEW LEVEL of graffiti? I hope so. I will be observing their progress each time I pick up my son for weekend visitation.

Even Late At Night, My 311 Job Is Never Done!

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

When I'm in Minneapolis--as opposed to out on the road trucking or whatever--I call 311 at least once a day, but there are often days where I walk the streets and make up to a dozen calls in a period of a few hours. 311 is like a powerful genie to be unleashed upon the weedy lawns of vacant houses, unsecured buildings haunted by squatters, potholes the size of an automobile tire, you name it.

Sure, sometimes I will collect phone books from vacant properties, even mow grass...but I can't exactly fill in a pothole on my own, can I?

Inevitably, the 311 operators go through their procedure and remind me how a 311 report can be filed online. And I always respond....

"Oh, don't worry, I make reports that way, too. But right now, um, I happen to be walking around, so, um...."

The operators tell me I can write the stuff down and report it later. But that's not the system I use. I either call while I'm right there, looking at the problem, or I snap a picture.

Later, when I download dozens of pictures to my laptop, I go through the photos and remember what problem I was documenting. I always make a point of taking a picture that reveals the address of the problem, even if I have to snap a photo of a street sign.

Notably, AT NO POINT IS PAPER (A.K.A. THE FLESH OF DEAD TREES) EVER INVOLVED.

Once I have my pictures downloaded, I start firing off emails to 311 with the photos attached. This often takes place at, like, midnight. It might even take place several states away, while I'm out of town. Sometimes there's one or two photos which need to be forwarded to 311. Sometimes there's dozens, and I have to work my way through the photos over the course of several days, when I have a free moment.

The problems being documented for 311 are not always in North Minneapolis. Sometimes--as in the photo above--the problem might be at 609 Cedar Ave., in the West Bank neighborhood.

My Little West Bank 311 Mission... (Summer Visitation 2010)

Contributed photo, xoxo, blog post by John Hoff

I never grow tired of calling 311. And when I say I NEVER GROW TIRED, I mean I'm quite willing to call dozens of times over the course of years as graffiti comes back...and comes back...and comes back.

I never grow irritated, at wit's end, or frustrated. I never feel despair at the way the task keeps growing back. It's like mowing grass. Do you despair because a week or so later, you have to mow it all over again?

This wall at 510 Cedar Ave. in the West Bank area is my little 311 project...

Obviously "Johnny Northside" doesn't live in the West Bank Neighborhood, but my philosophy is "wherever I am, that's my neighborhood" so if (for example) I'm out on the road trucking, and there's some issue which can be rectified with a word to a gas station manager, or a quick 911 call to the State Patrol of Whatever State, of course I'm going to make the effort EVEN IF I'M NOT SURE I WILL EVER PASS BY THIS WAY AGAIN.

It's like when I was a teenager, distributing Spanish copies of the New Testament in one of the toughest neighborhoods of Hermosillo, State of Sonora, Mexico, and one of our mission leaders showed us our territory on a map and said, "This is the area you are responsible for covering. YOU WILL ANSWER TO ALMIGHTY GOD FOR THIS AREA, SO DO YOUR JOB."

So we did our job with intensity--in rain, in dust, around mounds of burning garbage piles, holding our hands over our mouths and noses as we passed by the maggot-infested bodies of mongrel dogs that had been, it appeared, stoned to death--and we passed out those New Testaments to every house that wanted one.

I've never been back to that place. I'm not even sure how I would find it if I tried. If I wandered those barrios again, and came upon it by accident, I'm not sure how I'd know it was the same place. And yet in the back of my mind, I still believe, "I will answer to God for that neighborhood and the mission I was given there."

So it is that this wall at 510 Cedar Ave. has become my little project. I pass by it frequently as I move between the University of Minnesota and the light rail station on the West Bank area. In the last several months, it seems like the owners have become "trained" and they've figured out to slap paint over the graffiti BEFORE there is a complaint. I base this on how quickly the paint goes up, seemingly faster than my estimation of the speed of the 311 system.

And yet the graffiti returns, and yet I return to calling 311. There are many walls in this city scarred by graffiti, and I can't be responsible for ALL of them, but this one is different. This one I pass by frequently, and it comes to my attention, and so I feel like I must do something, I must be responsible for this wall. Again and again I get satisfying 311 results, but again and again the results fade in new onslaughts of graffiti.

But I don't give up. This is my territory, this is my mission, and at the end of the day, I feel fine with Almighty God.

3019 4th St. North FINALLY boarded

Photos and blog post by Hans

While investigating a strange noise a few weeks ago I noticed a vacant property that looked like it needed a call to 311. Vinyl records were strewn across the backyard and many windows were broken. I checked the back door and Lo and Behold...



it was unlocked... making this property Open To Trespass and in need of boarding. While standing in the rear entryway I noticed an open/broken window in the kitchen, presumably where entrance was gained. I also noticed a refrigerator that was plugged in and it looked like the criminal had some leftover Wendy's stashed in the fridge. I wanted to check out the rest of the house to see what other damage had been done, but considering that I didn't own the building I figured I didn't have much justification to investigate further (but really I just didn't want to bump into a group of squatters).

I unplugged the fridge and pushed it in front of the window, locked the door on my way out and promptly called 311 to report the situation. I also called Xcel Energy to report electricity use at an abandoned property (one of the meters was still turning even after I unplugged the fridge).

A week went by and nothing seemed to change, except that the fridge was no longer in front of the window and the door wasn't locked anymore. So I made another call to 311 to inquire about the status of this 'open to trespass' property.

A few days later I called 311 again and was told that an order to board the building had been issued and would be completed 'soon'.

I patiently waited for 'soon' to come around, but the house still wasn't boarded a week later. Again I called 311 and this time the operator made an attempt to escalate the case, whatever that means. More time passed and still no boards on the doors or windows. I made a fifth call to 311 and was again told the order to board had been issued, but at least this time the operator was confused as to why the house hadn't been boarded yet.

FINALLY, a few days ago I received a call from a number I didn't recognize. When I answered a friendly 311 operator told me that the house at 3019 4th St. North had been boarded that morning. I wish it hadn't taken as long as it did, but at least Minneapolis has a system in place for normal folks like myself to get problems in their neighborhood addressed.


Thank you 311!

But now I digress...

Sometimes I feel bad calling 311 excessively about one particular property. I wonder if I'm wasting the city's money and employee's time by hounding them about one particular issue that doesn't get fixed right away. I understand there are legal procedures that must be followed and often property owners have several days or weeks to address the problem before the city does the work and bills the owner for it. However, in this case I doubt that 3019 would have been boarded by now if I had not called 311 several times. How did I reach this conclusion?

I give you 2917 4th St. North:



I called in the condition of this house on the same day I called about 3019... but I didn't make any follow up calls. As of today, 2917 4th is still open to trespass (although I doubt anyone would squat in that burned out stink-pile of a structure).

It's Getting Harder To Find My 311 Buzz On The Streets Of North Minneapolis...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

When I have a few spare moments while driving around, I make 311 calls. It's a great stress reliever to dial three digits, speak to a pleasant operator, and realize you just made some absentee owner--most likely a bank--actually keep the grass mowed at a vacant house. Occupied houses usually get a free pass from me on the grass mowing calls, unless I see something "thuggy" happening on the front lawn or--as was the case yesterday--I know for a fact the house is owned by slumlord Bashir Moghul.

But in the last few days, an odd thing started to happen in the course of my 311 hobby...

I'd call in an overgrown, vacant lot and it turned out somebody else had called it in the day before. I'd call in a house unsecured, open to trespass...and it turned out the house had been called in a couple days before. This didn't happen EVERY time I called, but it happened often enough that I started to notice the pattern.

Are other residents of the neighborhood taking up the task of going on "311 and 911 patrols" as this blog has urged, both by example and exhortation? In fact, it's actually getting hard to make "911 hooker calls" on Penn Ave. N., even if you drive around the right time of night. (Of course, the "defecating hooker" is an exception, she's ALWAYS around)

On the one hand, I should be glad these problems are getting reported and our neighborhood is getting better by leaps and bounds, the progress of the "NoMi Revitalization Movement" unstoppable. On the other hand...it's getting really hard to score my "311 buzz."

I went for a walk in the Eco-Village and all I got was this lousy garbage

Photos and blog post by Hans

ALL of this trash came from walking around one square block. Most of it was in the street or jammed into storm drain grates, the rest was hidden in the tall grass and weeds of unkempt boulevards. It took less than an hour to collect all this garbage, call 311 on 3 different properties, call Minneapolis Solid Waste and Recycling on an out of control collection point, and eat a grilled cheese sandwich.

This begs the question... whose responsibility is all of this trash? Obviously the good citizens of Nomi are capable of picking up after those who don't give a flying expletive, and if that's what it takes to live in a decent neighborhood I'm willing to do it, but 2 garbage bags full of litter seems a little excessive for such a small area and makes me wonder at what point the city should start taking responsibility for the actions of it's citizens.

The only good thing I have to report about this round of litter cleanup is...

... I didn't find any diapers.


Click on the pictures for a more detailed view of the filth.