Council Member Barb Johnson Writes Johnny Northside In Afghanistan...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

I wrote quite a while back about how I was sending some "Afghan trinkets of nominal value" to Council Members Hofstede, Johnson and Samuels, who represent North Minneapolis. I also sent a handwritten letter (no handy printer, here at my FOB) to each council member lobbying on a certain North Minneapolis issue. Suffice to say my idea involves getting qualified buyers for vacant houses.

To my delight, I returned to my hooch a couple days ago and found a letter shoved over the crudely constructed plywood door. It was from Council President Barb Johnson and she wrote about being quite open to my idea. She was even going to speak to a few experts on the subject.

Johnson's letter--which I received only a couple days ago--was dated September 14.

Yes, a letter or care package sent to Afghanistan can take a long, long time.

But how delightful when it arrives.

(Do Not Click "Read More")

The Arming Of City Council Member Diane Hofstede...

Photos and blog post by John Hoff

In the course of an article criticizing City Council Member Diane Hofstede for staff turnover, Jeff "Hawthorne Hawkman" Skrenes published a photo of Hofstede armed with a sword. The photo originated on this blog and was taken when Hofstede...

...attended a going away party for Peter Teachout, who did many great things in the Hawthorne Neighborhood before making the personal and economic choice to join the United States Army as an officer. Peter has quite the collection of exotic weapons, and at the going away party he showed off a few to Diane Hofstede.

Hofstede may have some weaknesses, but failure to be a good sport isn't among them. She graciously posed with Peter's sword, knowing very well I would put the photo all over the internet.

But since you really can't have too many pictures of Diane Hofstede armed with a sword, I thought I would add these two other photos to the online record.

(Blogging from the Atlanta airport)

Afghan Trinkets of Nominal Value For Northside City Council Officials...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

Being stationed in Afghanistan has give me a whole new appreciation for government officials and, for that matter, citizen participation. Arguably, all the problems of Afghanistan could be solved by good government, and civic-minded citizens.

Moved by that insight, I decided to send a special gift from Afghanistan to three of my North Minneapolis city council officials (Barb Johnson, Don Samuels, and Diane Hofstede) to thank them for being my democratically elected representative and also to lobby on a particular issue...

...which I may write about later (I've already written about it in the past) but, for now, is neither here nor there. The gifts are of nominal value. I'm sure they don't fall under the category of bribery, graft and corruption. For example, a 1000 Afghani note from the Taliban era can be easily obtained for...two dollars. Roughly what you'd spend to buy a city council official a cup of coffee for a chat.

Pictured above are the three big padded envelopes before I mailed them, sitting amid my uniform, googles, and Afghan-produced throw blankets. Note unpainted wall. I am going to cover that with contact paper, as soon as I can score some. In fact, my room and the hallway outside my room has increasingly become an exercise in "urban revitalization."

NOTE: After getting some valuable feedback, this blog post was corrected to change "gifts from Afghanistan" to "Afghan trinkets of nominal value" in the headline, and the text was changed a bit to reflect the headline.

Thank You, Don Samuels And Diane Hofstede, For Cleaning Up "Crackhead Alley" (Summer Visitation, 2010)

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

After the "World's Largest YWCA" project plan fell through--a relatively rare setback in the overwhelming revitalization trend taking place in North Minneapolis--the alley next to the building turned into an eyesore, click here for details. The vacant lot next door also turned into an overgrown, weedy mess.

During the recent five weeks I had summer visitation with my 13-year-old son, Alex, I would often go to the nearby Burger King to pick up his favorite breakfast of hot "Cini Minis," a chocolate shake and a plain egg croissant sandwich. Other days we'd make scrambled eggs on our own, so it's not like Alex had a "Burger King breakfast" every day, you know? But the Burger King trip happened often enough, and every time I was fetching that breakfast for my son, I would see no-accounts loitering in the alley, sometimes stripping copper wire and leaving a big mess. And who knows where they...

...got the copper wire? A dumpster, maybe, and that would be a commendable act of super-proactive recycling but then again...maybe the copper wire came out of somebody's house. And who can tell with folks who look, act and (wrinkling nose) SMELL like crackheads?

So, every day, I would be calling the police on this loitering while fetching my son his breakfast. As I've written before on this blog, a casual trip to fetch some kind of treat for Alex can end up accidentally involving a great deal of effort from the city's regulatory services!

But it wasn't just me calling about "crackhead alley." Jordan Super Citizen Megan Goodmundson did a lot of calling, too. Finally, the ongoing problem reached a point where we called the city council offices of Don Samuels and Diane Hofstede.

After we called our city council members, it didn't take very long before the alley was cleaned up and the no-accounts, well, they stopped hanging around there so much. I'm sure the day will come when I see them hanging around in the alley again, and I'll have to call the police again, but for now everything is fine. As for the project planned for that building...something good will happen, and good things take time. For now, we just have to clear out the (suspected) crackheads.

Diane Hofstede Armed With A Sword! Hydrogen Bombs! Tabasco Shots! It's A Party At The Peter Teachout Residence!

Photos and blog post by John Hoff

A couple days after Peter Teachout was recognized in City Council chambers for all the good he did in the EcoVillage, all the courage shown by Peter and his family, there was a small party at Peter's house to mark Peter's enlistment in the United States Army. Very soon, Peter will be leaving for Fort Benning, Georgia.

Some notable people showed up at Peter's party, including City Council Member Diane Hofstede, who looked over Peter's collection of swords. In the top photo, Diane Hofstede poses with a replica sword based on the weapon known as "Sting" in Lord of the Rings. In the photo below, Peter explains how he managed to decapitate a skulking rat which got into some kind of wooden storage box.

(No, I'm not kidding--Peter killed a rat with a sword by slicing off its head. This is not a squeamish man)

Some of the highlights of the party are documented in the photos which follow...



I brought over a box of MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) or, at least, a whole bunch of the STUFF from inside numerous MREs. I had the stuff in a big ol' box--like a lot of odds and ends fall into my eager, scavenging hands--and I thought it made a nice party theme. I figured I could amuse folks by taking straight shots of tabasco sauce, but it turns out the Teachout kids are actually rather found of spicy food. They were putting drops of tabasco on their food and showing off how they didn't even need to take a drink of water afterward, especially "little Peter" who appears to have quite a taste and tolerance for the hot stuff.

The guys making the Johnny Northside movie showed up to document Peter's party. One day that movie will finally be completed. I can hardly wait.
Jordan resident Megan Goodmundson was at the party, showing almost everybody the check she got off Ben Myers to pay legal fees in his failed and (let's just be frank, here) stupid and ill-advised defamation lawsuit. And, no, I'm not writing in the parody font, here, so when I say "stupid and ill-advised" I actually mean it.
Peter showing off some of the swag he's already received from Uncle Sam.
A couple soldiers once explained to me how to make a hydrogen-based "MRE bomb" with the heating packets inside the Meals Ready To Eat. At the party, we tried four different times to make an MRE bomb, using a giant sparkler to set off the last one. We produced one slightly satisfying result, but didn't get the super Hindenberg-like explosion that we were hoping for.

The Teachout kids try out a hula hoop which "Hawthorne Hawkman" Jeff Skrenes brought to the party. Both the kids were good, but Little Peter really had a knack for it.
I should have gotten a picture of the cake at the BEGINNING of the party, but I was too busy trying to make an MRE heating packet explode. In any case, a good time was had by all. God speed Peter, and come back safe to us.

JSPAN VIDEO COVERAGE! City Council Resolution Honoring Former Hawthorne Neighborhood Board Chair Peter Teachout

Video and blog post by John Hoff

Former Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Board Chair Peter Teachout, who courageously faced down pimps, prostitutes and deeply-dug-in drug dealers in the Hawthorne EcoVillage and helped produce the "18-month EcoVillage miracle" in that crime ridden four-block area, was recognized today for his service to the neighborhood.

The simple, deeply stirring ceremony centered upon a City Council resolution which...

...recogized Peter and his family members (right down to Baby Jack!) for their bravery and selfless service, which included refusing to retreat in the face of a terrifying arson incident, and removing shoes from power lines which are believed to mark drug and gang territory. Peter's recent enlistment in the United States Army was also recognized, and City Council Member Diane Hofstede hoped aloud that Peter would return to Minneapolis at the end of his military service.

Speaking to citizens gathered in the City Council Chambers--including neighborhood Housing Director Jeff Skrenes, who was present on the neighborhood's behalf in regard to a zoning variance--Peter only said that his actions were on behalf of a "higher calling," by which he was clearly referencing Jesus Christ, who Peter recognizes as his personal Lord and Savior, but Peter was probably trying to avoid mixing his church and state in council chambers.

Right after the presentation, a city council aide gave lollipops to each of the three Teachout children old enough for lollipops, with one lollipop given to Mrs. Teachout to save for Baby Jack. Don Samuels added some eloquent remarks about the kind of courage it takes to turn around a troubled neighborhood, which Samuels found comparable to the kind of bravery necessary for military service.

Hawkman on EcoVillage Crime Fighting Strategies

Post and photo by the Hawthorne Hawkman, photo changed from original post, to show 3020 6th St N, former home of "The Devil," being demolished.

After three posts about the Hawthorne Huddle last Thursday, including video before any other media, an extensive account of the meeting, and a detailed account of strategies, I'm finally getting around to answering a question or two. At least one reader wanted to know what from the EcoVillage could be replicated in terms of crime fighting and crime prevention strategies. I'm quite certain that these questions could be answered by reading through JNS posts in the summer and fall of 2008. But I'll summarize here.

I also plan on adding some commentary, but want to focus mainly on the EcoVillage. The strategies we used really got cooking in the spring of 2008 after...

...one resident had her home broken into. Just a week or so prior to that happening, we had a meeting at Farview about the EcoVillage with many of our partners from the city, Northside Home Fund, Inspector Mike Martin, Mike Christenson of CPED, and many others I'm sure I'm forgetting. The message to EcoVillage residents then was, "Hang in there; help is on the way."

Bear in mind this was back when the apartment complex of anarchy and its cousin over on 4th Street were still standing. The Devil still owned BOTH his prostitution house and pill house at 3024 and 3020 6th St N respectively. ("Respectively" in this case refers to grammar, not the Devil/Evannor Haymon. I doubt he's EVER done anything worthy of respect.) Phil Kliendl was buying up properties left, right, and center.

Drug dealing and prostitution were rampant, and vacant properties were routinely found open to trespass. In short, the EcoVillage was not a fun place to spend a few minutes, much less to live in.

So our partners at the city came along and told everyone to hang in there and that things would get better, and then right after that, someone's home was broken into. A few weeks later, that same person had her home broken open a second time. This was the lightning rod moment for the EcoVillage, where people from across city departments (and myself included) realized that we couldn't just make these promises, we had to DELIVER, and SOON.

So we got neighbors together and met at the Hawthorne office, along with our partners at the Northside Home Fund and the following city departments: CM Hofstede, CPED, Problem Properties Unit, Regulatory Services, MPD, MFD (if they're no longer inspecting 4+ unit buildings, they may or may not be necessary), and others as needed.

We went down the list of properties and issues and tackled each one individually. Mike Christenson was especially great at keeping everyone on task and making sure there was a clear understanding of who was going to do what. We held each other accountable, and we met every few weeks to update each other on our progress. The amount of change we made in the span of even one summer was nothing short of amazing.

I'll be realistic here though: We got these meetings with all of these people sitting down together in large part because the EcoVillage was a city-designated cluster project. More resources were dedicated to areas of the greatest need. Other non-cluster areas are probably not going to be able to get that same kind of focus.

That's not to say the city and others won't work with non-cluster areas, nor is it to say we can't duplicate much of what we learned.

First off, the most important thing is to have boots on the ground or eyes on the street. Residents need to be calling 911 and 311 almost incessantly. Is there a vantage point, such as someone's attic, that can be used to discreetly watch how, when, and where crime happens? That was crucial to building up a case in the EcoVillage. We also got video footage of drug deals happening from that vantage point.

In these meetings, our residents (and myself) learned which city departments handled which tasks, and we also were taught how to describe what we were seeing to a 911 or 311 operator. Technically, we shouldn't need to know if a particular problem is addressed to Reg Services or the Fire Department if we're just calling 311. But trust me, this sort of thing was incredibly helpful.

The other ingredient that's essential is patience. Even in the EcoVillage where things moved at a pretty rapid clip, things felt like they were taking forever. And we had another major asset: partners such as Project for Pride in Living were acquiring properties and keeping slumlords and drug dealers and such out of the area that way.

Not everything done in the EcoVillage can be photocopied for other areas, but much of it can be. If there is any resident, block club, or neighborhood that would like to discuss this with me further, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Hmong Children Respond to Community Meeting

Post and photo by the Hawthorne Hawkman

After last Saturday's recent meeting between many NoMi Hmong residents and several public officials, some organizers had a discussion with Hmong youth ages 9 through 13. They told an organizer what they liked and didn't like from the meeting. It should come as no shock that the "didn't like" column was focused largely on the behavior of the police.

I was asked to publish this list, and whether I agree with its content or not, whether I think it is politically savvy or not, the list is substantive. I decided to use the same standards for what these kids wrote as I would for any other comment submitted to the JNS blog. Virtually all substantive comments get approved.

ADDENDUM: I expressed doubt regarding the "over 100 people" comment below and was later informed that organizers did a head count and tallied 91 people in attendance. More came after that count, so the claim of having over 100 people is likely accurate.

So, without further ado, the children in attendance liked and did not like the following things...

...Liked

-Food
-Everybody stood up, talked
-Nothing
-Adults spoke up
-Girls row had attitude
-Yue helped
-More time for volleyball
-Blong, parents, most powerful, said I'm angry
-Over 100 people
-Police say sorry
-I don't care what police say
-Yia say in Hmong
-Kids talk about problems

Did Not Like
-Police talked too much
-Talk about gangs, not what we wanted
-Police changed subject
-Councilmember doesn't talk
-Police talked impolite
-Police talked bad
-Police talked hostile
-Said no to Hmong translator (unclear if this "said no" was in reference to the translator at this event or to whether translators were otherwise available)
-Police only talk of gangs
-Police talk for two hours (also unclear if the time is accurate; but this is what the children said and is being reprinted here)
-Very disrespectful
-Boring
-Condescending
-Police yelled at us, we need video of his behavior
-Police talked to much
-He's scary

I was also sent the following letter, attributed to the kids who participated in the post-meeting discussion. It should be noted that although the list and the letter often say "police" in general terms, there was only one police officer present for the duration of the meeting and the discussions.

"April 11, 2010

To Councilmember Samuels:

We are Hmong students at Saturday’s meeting.
At Saturday’s meeting, we did not like police officer Lembek.
He was mad
He was mean
He said he doesn’t need Hmong translators
He doesn’t listen
He talked too much
He only thought of gangs
He yelled at us
He was impolite.
He talked about gangs, not what we wanted.
We do not want him at our meetings
He was scary
He hates the Hmong
He said we are gangmembers, and we aren’t. Our families are angry at him for saying that.
He read our list of problems, but he minimized what we said."

Once again, I wish to stress that Lindback did apologize and that many of his ideas were solid ones that deserve immediate action. I also personally disagree with the statement that "he hates the Hmong." But the responses above and the specific request to publish them here indicate a serious issue.

One other anecdote is important to note here. At one point when Lindback was suggesting a series of community discussions, he asked whether people would be interested in knowing what happens if their own child were arrested and charged with a serious crime. Wouldn't people want to understand the criminal justice system and how their child might navigate through such processes?

In short, the answer was "no." If their child was arrested, or if he did something wrong, let him suffer the consequences. People who responded essentially said that they weren't overly concerned about what would happen to their child as long as he (or she) were held accountable for breaking the law.

Later, I asked if this response was a reaction borne out of opposition to Lindback or whether it was expressive of Hmong cultural values. I was told that "you could not have an immigrant group more tailor-made to interact with the police," from the standpoint that they place a high value on law and order.

The Hmong youth and the "girls with attitude" have been calling officials to schedule a follow-up meeting so that the dialogue can continue.

Community Dialogue Gets as Spicy as Papaya Salad

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

On Saturday, April 10th, the Minnesota Center for Neighborhood Organizing put together a meeting to discuss getting a Hmong police officer on the day shift in the fourth precinct. This was a follow-up meeting to one that happened in September of last year. In that meeting, we were told that the police contracts made it impossible to get a Hmong police officer on the day shift for a very long time.

But the MNCO folks and a Hmong attorney looked over the police contracts in question. What they found was that...

...this is not necessarily the case. Let's break down what we were told vs. what is actually in the police contracts.

First, there are three Hmong police officers in the 4th Precinct and all are on the night shift. There is one Hmong Park Police officer in NoMi, but he is not part of the Minneapolis Police Department. Both city officials and police representatives have said that putting the MPD officers on the day shift is not permitted because new police officers are required to work their first five years on the overnight shift.

The contract, however, states, "Newly Hired Employees shall be assigned to work on the Night Watch for at least twelve (12) months during their first two (2) years of employment."

Police and city officials have also said that the 4th Precinct Hmong police officers cannot be placed on the day shift because non-Hmong officers have seniority and the police union contracts dictate that senior officers have priority for choosing such shifts.

The contract, however, states, "...the precinct commander should give primary consideration to the most senior volunteer. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the precinct commander is not required to select the most senior person;" According to MNCO's reading of the contract, such assignments can be made based on qualifications and abilities (such as the ability to speak Hmong) and not solely on seniority.

A police spokesman has also said that the police union contract would have to be renegotiated to permit moving a 4th precinct Hmong officer to the day shift. However, the contract states, "Filling Assignments. The Department retains the right to establish and and modify in its sole discretion the selection process and criteria used to select personnel to fill Non-Bid Assignments...Scheduling. The Department retains the right to establish work schedules for Non-Bid Assignments."

Here are several other highlighted texts from the contract that are pertinent to getting a Hmong police officer on the day shift in the 4th Precinct: "Temporary Change in Shifts...The Department shall have the right to temporarily depart from the posted schedule of shift assignments." "Nothing in this article shall be construed as a limitation or restriction upon the Department respecting the scheduling of employees..." "Nothing herein shall be construed as a limitation upon the Employer's managerial prerogatives...except as expressly set forth in this agreement."

A Police official also stated that the Hmong population was no longer concentrated in the 4th Precinct as it was in 2000. Those of us who live here know that is not the case, but having a report from the Minneapolis Public Schools helps. This indicated the primary language spoken at home in the 2009-2010 school year, and showed that the concentration of Hmong residents in north Minneapolis has not significantly decreased since the 2000 Census.

The organizers and the community were armed with this knowledge coming into this meeting. Even though residents expected to hold our elected and appointed officials accountable, there did not seem to be an antagonistic attitude from the Hmong people in attendance. They seemed to want to simply continue the dialogue, knowing that a flat-out "no" was not an acceptable answer anymore. But the meeting got off to a positive start when Lt. Lindbeck and CMs Samuels and Hofstede were thanked for helping to keep some Hmong officers on board as new MPD recruits in spite of budget problems.

Organizers Jay Clark and Yia Yang helped draw out some answers from the group. There was a pattern that happened with every single family. Organizers would ask, "Are you having problems with crime on your block." The answer would be no. But a deeper conversation with kids and families would reveal that Hmong families are dealing with drug dealing, robberies, assaults, arson, prostitution, and other issues.

Then a series of questions were asked where the attendees raised their hands.


Through this exercise, we learned that virtually every Hmong in attendance was not born in the US, virtually every Hmong person did not speak English at home, roughly half of the room said they'd arrived since 2004, and only three people said they would feel comfortable having a conversation in English.

Some stories were told about experiences with criminal activity, and then Blong Yang highlighted the findings in the police contract. "The idea that this is impossible is flat-out wrong," he said.

Then Lt. Bret Lindback spoke. Lindback has extensive experience working with the Hmong community in the 4th Precinct, and in discussions afterward, it was clear he knows much more than I do about Hmong history and culture.



But there's really no way to sugarcoat his actions and demeanor at this meeting. He was standoffish and even aggressively condescending. He said he'd been having these same discussions since 1994 and expects that these same kinds of discussions will continue to happen long after he retires. He also said things like, "This is not my first rodeo," and "You had an opportunity to lecture us, now I'm going to lecture you."

And it happened again! The Johnny Northside blog was scooped by North News. Margo Ashmore put up a story about this event before I did, and detailed much of Lindback's rant. I'm going to give her credit where credit's due and also save the time of typing out a very similar version. Go and read her article.

In fairness to Lindback, many of his proposals were good, solid ideas and I hope we can get to work on them quickly. But the delivery of those proposals was not conducive to building a strong relationship between the Hmong and the 4th Precinct. Also, he later apologized for his remarks and demeanor, saying he initially felt that the meeting was designed to make him and the MPD look foolish, and he realized this was not the case.

A businessman named Her spoke about how he's lived and run a business in north Minneapolis for twenty years. He said that he wants to build trust between the Hmong community and the MPD, but Lindback's responses were not what they had come to discuss. He thanked Samuels and Hofstede for their attendance and visibly choked up when he said he was disappointed with the Lieutenant (although those statements were made before the apology).

Don Samuels spoke next.



Samuels said that he wants to make sure the request to meet with NoMi CM's three times a year is upheld, and that "an ongoing conversation is better than a relationship based on problems." He told the room he knows what it's like to be bullied and he knows what it's like to be an immigrant, although he cannot relate to experiencing a language barrier.

CM Samuels also helped smooth things over by saying that even the strong exchange of ideas that was just held was a good thing. The intensity of a conversation means people are speaking from their hearts, and not that either side should go away or stop talking to each other.

CM Hofstede followed Samuels.



She said she came from an immigrant family and that English was not the language spoken in her household growing up. She appreciated the straightforward conversation we were having, and told the Hmong community, "You belong here. I want you to stay, generation after generation."

At this point, Lindback offered his mea culpa and gave out his cell phone number, saying that people should call him if they have concerns. If they can't speak English, leave a message in Hmong and he'd find a translator.

Don Samuels said he and Council President Barb Johnson had met with 4th Precinct Inspector Mike Martin about this issue shortly after the September meeting. They all agreed that one Hmong officer on the day shift would be helpful but would not solve all our problems. Three, or five might not even do it. So we need to be creative in coming up with solutions. We need more Hmong people calling 911, an intern that could help with translation might be useful, and ongoing community meetings would be necessary.

Samuels told of his first experiences as a city council member, and how he was "tired of seeing white cops arrest black kids." But many African-American policeman in the northside had said the African-American criminals actually treated them worse because of their common race. So Samuels said he understands what the Hmong community is trying to do, but we also need to work to make it desirable for a Hmong officer to be on the day shift in the 4th Precinct.

Blong then said to the group, "If we're still struggling with communicating twenty years later, we've failed." By that time the food was ready and we got down to the best part of the meeting: the spicy papaya salad.

Here's hoping the communal feeling of breaking bread (ok, in this case, noodles) together carries over into our efforts to build a healthy dialogue between our Hmong residents and the MPD.

Chief Dolan Reappointment Sails Through Public Safety Committee 3-1-2

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

After an outpouring of emotional testimony from both pro- and anti-Dolan camps, the Public Safety Committee voted 3-2-1 to support the reappointment of Dolan, with all the pro-Dolan votes coming from North Minneapolis: Don Samuels, Barb Johnson, and Diane Hofestede. Cam Gordon was opposed, Betsy Hodges and Meg Tuthill abstained. 

The appointment now goes to the full City Council, where it is expected to pass.

More details to follow in the near future.

(Do not click "Read More")

More Photos And Details: Good Sports Bar And Grill Hosts Jim Wentzell Day...

Sing along with me!

It's Jim Wentzell Day/
Super Jim Wentzell Day/
Happy Jim Wentzell Day/
A state and federal holiday/
Have a steak on Broadway Day/
Drink up a Manhattan, HEY!/
AND THIS IS THE happy drinking song!

YES! The night of our collective hopes, dreams and vision arrived last night at Good Sports Bar and Grill. It was the simple, elegant, solid-proof-we've-turned-the-corner-in-NoMi vision of longtime Hawthorne neighborhood contributor Jim Wentzell: a good restaurant on West Broadway Avenue, where you can order a steak and Manhattan.

Jim Wentzell gave us that dream, the way tribes in ancient times might receive a prophesy from their oldest, wisest elders and the prophesy takes root in every mind: we can leave this hard and rocky place, pass through difficulty but arrive on the other side of obstacles. And on that other side there is a happy, safe, productive place with meat and drink for all. If we work hard, if we all pull together, we can get to that place.

We believed in it, gravitated toward it, worked at it. And last night...

...the vision became a reality.

In the photo above, former Hawthorne Board Chair Peter Teachout poses with his youngest child and Jim Wentzell.

Here are more pictures and stories from last night...

Social gatherings like Jim Wentzell day inevitably turn into opportunities for NoMi movers and shakers to socialize. Above, Sarita Turner (the Executive Director of West Broadway Coalition) and Council Member Don Samuels have an impromptu confab. What are they chatting about? I sure hope it's the problems at Hawthorn (sic) Crossings strip mall, where there is open drug dealing day after day. I'm just saying. 

Realtor and historic home preservationist Connie Nompelis chats with Pat Carney. Pat took a bunch of great pictures which are probably already online. (Nompelis is prounounced No-bell-is, it's Greek) 

Jim's almost-his-birthday-cake was provided by Cub Foods. A VIP at Cub named Ed Anderson probably had a lot to do with it. 

Council Member Diane Hofstede made an appearance, sharply dressed as always. Above, she poses with "ladies man" Jim Wentzell and his lady friend. I hear they've been together for, like, 17 years or something? Jim has great taste. 

The guy above standing next to Council Member Diane Hofstede is a real estate developer named "Swami." He has been the quiet man behind the scenes responsible for so much progress on this part of West Broadway. As far as I know, this is the first time his picture is being published or his name is being associated with all the wonderful work he's accomplished in the Hawthorne Neighborhood. Swami doesn't appear to seek the limelight at all. But this guy deserves our thanks and praise. 

Mike Christiansen of CPED picked up the tab for Jim Wentzell. In the photo above, Mike continues to prove the ongoing Johnny Northside hypothesis that there's no family friendly way to prose with a Polish sausage. The sausage came from Pam Patrek, but was made by the husband of the person known on this blog as "the Polish woman." This sausage frequently shows up at various celebrations of revitalization progress in the Hawthorne Neighborhood, whether planned or impromptu. 

As is usually the case at "revitalizer" events in NoMi, the smallest members of the neighborhood were passed from hand-to-hand so lots of folks could enjoy "baby face time." One of the owners of Good Sports bar commented that it had probably been a long time since the establishment was so family friendly that a baby was present. To which I replied, "Well, you mean a baby present that wasn't dropped off for Child Protective Services?" 

Two former neighborhood board chairs--Peter Teachout of Hawthorne and Kip Browne of Jordan--introduce their babies to each other.

Sherman Patterson--an aide to Mayor Rybak--poses with a friend. When progress is being made in North Minneapolis, Patterson often has his fingers in it behind the scenes. 

The Teachout family loved the family friendly atmosphere at Good Sports. They had pizza with their kids, and then some virgin pina coladas; proving that "fun" is the first word in "fundamentalist." 

JoyAnne Teachout thought she'd lost her purse and called the bar after leaving. Then she called back to say the purse had turned up. While the purse seemed to be missing, everybody looked for it, even City Council Member Don Samuels. 
Peter Teachout had a conversation with U.S. Bank Branch Manager Mohammed Agoubi about criminal activity at Hawthorn (sic) Crossings strip mall, and what can be done about it. Agoubi also sits on the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Board of Directors. 
One of the great guys who runs Good Sports. 
Another great guy from Good Sports. Here, I was trying to get the secret 12-spice chicken wing recipe out of him. I couldn't get the recipe itself, but I learned it was invented in about 1992 at "All Sports" bar and offers had been made of up to $5,000 for the recipe, but all the offers have been refused. Incredibly, there is no catchy, distinctive name for the chicken wings. 

Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?

JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: PDF Of The Recent Lawsuit Against Dolan

Contributed photo, blog post by John Hoff

Word has been flying around the Minneapolis issues list of a lawsuit against Chief Dolan, who is expected to be reappointed soon by the City Council despite an unrealistic fantasy to the contrary by a small number of activists. The recent lawsuit is filed on behalf of activist Dave Bicking, who was recently asked to resign from his seat on the Civilian Review Authority for participating in an event which could be fairly characterized as an anti-Dolan pep rally thinly disguised as some kind of objective "forum." One issues list source says, however, Bicking was careful in his remarks at that forum. 

The lawsuit--click here to enjoy your very own PDF copy--seeks dramatic court intervention in what could be accurately described as a "political question," the kind of stuff courts usually take great care to avoid. Basically, the lawsuit says Dolan is not doing his job when he doesn't discipline officers the CRA thinks should be disciplined. Where did the lawsuit come from? Well, I'll leave readers to experience their own personal sense of joy and discovery by checking out the PDF.

I will add this: right before the City Council elections I spoke to Council Member Diane Hofstede, and recently I've spoken to Don Samuels, saying something needs to be done about the frivolous and politically-motived lawsuits which the city is forced to fight, at great expense to the tax payer. Where these lawsuits will next come from can be predicted with stunning accuracy. The city officials who are forced to deal with this garbage over and over should have a meeting and plot a unified strategy, which may involve countersuits, Rule 11 motions, complaints to the Board of Professional Responsibility or--and this is probably what will need to happen--all of that stuff at once.

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Friedman's Shoe Store To Be Featured In Sports Illustrated Magazine...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

Word comes via an email from the office of Council Member Diane Hofstede that Hawthorne's own Friedman's Shoe Store--an institution in our neighborhood for decades and generations, located at 400 West Broadway--will be featured in Sports Illustrated two months from now.

Hofstede writes: Thank you to Sue, David and their family for providing a great place to shop, and a life long commitment to North Minneapolis!

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JNS BLOG VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Frozen Groundbreaking At The Hawthorne Eco-Village, BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

This afternoon, dignitaries and ordinary residents of the Hawthorne Neighborhood assisted with the groundbreaking in the Hawthorne Eco-Village, an area of four blocks which used to be one of the roughest spots in North Minneapolis. Since the ground was frozen and beneath several layers of snow, the "groundbreaking" was accomplished by erecting a symbolic green door and shoveling a path in the snow.

After the groundbreaking and the mercifully brief speeches at 400 31st Ave. N., everybody went to Farview Park where there were more speeches--longer, because we were now in a warm building. One consistent theme of the speeches: the Eco-Village area turned around from being a hellhole of crime and decrepit buildings to being a peaceful, virtually crime-free, rapidly revitalizing area IN A MERE 18 MONTHS.

Mike Christensen of CPED called this "the quickest turnaround of a neighborhood in Minneapolis history" and said the residents who stayed to fight for the Eco-Village (including Peter Teachout, former chair of Hawthorne) were "the most gutsy group of people I ever met."

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STORY IN PHOTOS: Mayor And New Council Members Sworn In...

Contributed photos xoxo, blog post by John Hoff

This morning, elected and (mostly) re-elected Minneapolis City Council Members were sworn in at City Hall. The swearing-in itself was surprisingly brief, according to a source (Megan Goodmundson) who was present at the invitation of Council Member Don Samuels.

The program went from 9:30 to 10:30, and included a welcome speech by Addisalem Tesfaye, who is an Ethiopian immigrant and a graduate of the "Step Up Intern" program. There was an invocation by Rev. Mariann Budde of St. John the Episcopal Church, and music by the City-County Choir. Speeches were made by...


...Council Member Barb Johnson, who was unanimously re-elected Council President shortly afterward, and also Mayor Rybak, who went out of his way to highlight the progress made in North Minneapolis during the last four years.


Above, "Step Up Intern" Graduate Addisalem Tesfaye gives welcoming remarks, and talks about how--in Ethiopia--her family wasn't privileged enough for her to be educated beyond 4th Grade. The day her mother told her she was moving to Minnesota, she was so excited because she knew her life would be changing forever.
The City-County Choir played The Star Spangled Banner and Let There Be Peace On Earth. 

Above, MPD Chief Dolan, whose incredible victory over crime made the re-election of so many city council incumbents possible. FOR GOD'S SAKE, RE-APPOINT THIS MAN!
The program for the city council swearing-in. Simulated parchment...ooooooo! Better put that in the scrap book.


An honor guard of police escorted the American and state flags to the swearing-in. How ironic that, only several days before, this city government enabled the senseless destruction of the home of Pauline Fjelde, who embroidered the first Minnesota state flag.

A view, looking up, of the spectacular interior of City Hall.

Barb Johnson gives inaugural remarks after the swearing-in. The oath--pictured in the very top picture--was administered by Minneapolis City Clerk Steve Ristuben.

In the background of the event, being quiet and unobtrusive, Officer Mark Klukow provides security to make sure there are no Al-Flowers-style disruptions of the proceedings. Notably, an actual mental case named Tore Simonsen was present. (Please note, I am NOT writing in the sarcasm font) Simonsen has a blog obsessively dedicated to a television program named "Dollhouse" and showed up to tell public officials about the need to save the program, handing out playing cards upon which he had written his blog address on and the words "SAVE DOLLHOUSE." The show is about people who have their minds erased and get "programmed" as a whole new person. Here is a link to Simonsen's post about the inauguration, and here is a link to a post about his mental health records.

Speaking as a former military psych tech, I just want to say...this guy needs to be monitored. End of editorial.

Fortunately, the day went off on schedule, without a hitch. Our city appears to be on the right track, and hopefully we can keep building on the momentum of change.