Judge Porter Amends The Old Majority Costs, Fees and Disbursments Order

Contributed Images, Blog Post by Nomi Passenger (click on images for larger view)

Last week Johnny Northside shared the news of a $15,000 court order in the Old v. New Majority JACC lawsuit.

This week we learn that Judge Porter has amended that monetary order and upped the judgement amount owed by the plaintiffs to $40,887.37

For all you English majors out there, that's a total of $40,887.37 owed by fifteen plaintiffs equals only $2,725.83 each. It's such a small amount for each of the plaintiffs to sponsor two years worth of entertaining blog posts here on Johnny Northside Dot Com cough up quickly and easily. Let's get this baby tucked away in the crib once and for all.

The unsuccessful legal actions were brought against the JACC organization after a handful of Jordan neighbors and their non-Jordan friends or relatives caught a bad case of sour grapes when they lost their majority control of the organization following the annual election meeting in January 2009. The highlights, or low-lights might be more accurate, include then Executive Director Jerry Moore throwing punches and pushes after the election meeting; an unforced entry break-in of the JACC office in which computers, equipment and records went missing; circulation of an announcement that JACC had been forced to relocate due to the current events (assuming this meant a different majority gained control); a dramatic open press conference featuring Mayor of Crazytown and Lunatic-at-Large Al Flowers losing the small amount of self control he was pretending to have have had and shouting, screaming and pushing Councilman Don Samuels (his loss of decorum earned him a personal escort by MPD's finest; and the low-lights continue on with two years of court actions pursued by the unsuccessful Old Majority Plaintiffs and their attorney, the infamous Jill Clark who has become well known as the go-to attorney for criminals and offenders who want to launch an offense as the best course for what really is their course of defense.

Here's a summary, in no particular order, of the 15 plaintiffs that according to Judge Porter, have acted in a manner not in good faith, and who now owe $2,725.83 each(note the following contains some factual writing and some inserted opinion commentary from the author based on direct interaction and insider knowledge):

Jerry Moore: former Executive Director of JACC, mortgage fraud consultant to Keith Reitman in the infamous 1564 Hillside Ave deal, and current employee of The Neighborhood H.U.B. located in the basement of Christ English Lutheran Church at Penn and Lowry.

Ben Myers a.k.a Benjamin Myers: self-employed attorney at Dejvongsa and Myers Law Firm and currently in need of updating his profile page on his website which lists him as the Vice Chair of JACC from 2008 to present, this hasn't been true for over 2 years now; formerly lived on Logan Ave North but now residing in the leafy suburb of Savage, MN. Just for a fun little something for the readers' minds to chew on, here is his own quote from his law firm profile page: “I’m strategic and thoughtful. I look at all the angles—both the obvious legal issues as well as the underlying and subtle issues. If the prosecution’s case is questionable, I’m ready to take your case to trial. However, if negotiating a just resolution is in your best interest I will not hesitate to accomplish your objective(s). I will do whatever it takes to get you the best result possible. You can always trust in me and this office for an aggressive defense in every case.”

Ethylon Brown: a rather sweet and gentle woman who was, in my opinion, misused in some one's, or several people's, quest for power and control. This woman's naivety was probably taken advantage of and if I am wrong than this lady is quite the slick deceptive character. She is last known to work at River of Life Church in some kind of rehab program and she lives just doors down from the JACC house in Jordan.

Robert Scott a.k.a Bob Scott: Bob served as the JACC treasurer for a while and did not have an easy go round on the JACC board, probably thanks to being put in the hot seat by other's who were not completely legitimate with the money and the books, but Bob was completely closed off to hearing from the broader community and sat idly by as the organization's pocketbook spiraled out of his control. At one point he resigned from the board so it was surprising to see him listed as a plaintiff. I believe Bob had been involved with the organization many, many years ago and I believe it is Queen Avenue, near Lowry, where he has lived for many decades.

Shannon Hartfiel: Shannon served some of her board term as Secretary and seemed to have a special place in her heart for Executive Director Jerry Moore. Shannon is a long time employee of Minneapolis Public Housing and lives near the Jordan Pond, in the higher blocks of Logan Avenue. Shannon can be heard on the Jordan Livability video footage of the JACC press conference when she tells off the crowd and then storms out. In my opinion she was never that great at getting her point across, I'm still not sure what she was so upset about that caused her to make a big dramatic exit. She did that several times now that I think of it. If I had to place a wager on the plaintiff that has the most regret and remorse for getting involved in this mess, it might be Shannon that I bet on. I think she falls into the category of having the wool so far over her eyes and then seeing the most light when reality finally struck. Shannon, am I right?

Robert Wilson: Robert held a seat on the JACC board for about two cycles, which equals about four years. He was always a quiet and very modest participant. Presenting himself as a faithful church goer and family man. He didn't take on much actual lifting work of the organization, just seemed to keep a seat warm at board meetings.I believe he lived or still lives on the higher end of Fremont or Girard, not sure. He always felt somewhat mysterious and reminded me sharply of a 70s era silent protester for the black power movement. Perhaps someone with an afro and a black turtle neck who just stood silently in protest or a sit in. To me, that was Robert Wilson.

William Brown: The only thing I know about this plaintiff is that he is the husband of Ethylon Brown, so he jumped in supporting the old majority through the election cycle and subsequent meetings and disputes. Together, him and his wife owe JACC a total of $5,451.65. That's gotta hurt the household budget.

Dokor Dejvongsa: Dokor is the life partner and law firm partner of above listed plaintiff Benjamin Myers. To me, she is the brains AND the beauty behind this dynamic duo and that's not saying much.  I fear she carries a tremendous amount of burden and pressure resulting from her double partnership. But, nonetheless, she is an extremely bright woman who for whatever unknown reason thought her actions, along with others, were the right course of actions and for that mistake she can scribble out a check for $2,725.83 and if Ben is really lucky, maybe she'll cover his share, too. I'm sure a law firm check will work, just make sure your accounting ledger is accurate.

Steve Jackson: Steve is a northsider for life and he'll proudly remind you so with such things as a faux football jersey that says NFL Northside For Life. Steve has worked at the Boys and Girls club for what feels like forever and it's unclear if Steve still lives in Jordan. He was seen at the most recent JACC Annual Meeting in October 2010 in which he seemed to try to make some kind of amends with some of the folks although, from what I could overhear, his apology lacked some integrity and he might need to work on that a little bit to regain some ground with fellow community members that have been put through the ringer by these 15 plaintiffs. But Steve will be around and he'll be soliciting donations for basketball jerseys, that you can count on.

DeEtte Davis: DeEtte is one of several plaintiffs that really had no business being a plaintiff, except of course that it is her Founding Fathers given right to be one. She never was really involved in JACC, didn't have any history with the organization and I would imagine was not presented with a realistic version of events and situations. She lived on Logan Avenue not far from Ben and Dokor and not far from several of the defendants and supporters of the New Majority. This made for awkward run-ins around the Jordan Pond area where neighbors tend to "meet over the fence" so to speak, without the fence. DeEtte is a very outgoing, friendly and gregarious personality, often times taking on the burden of confronting law-breakers such as suspected drug dealers or prostitutes because she claimed to have come from the streets and a life of crime herself so she felt she could connect with them. I don't know where DeEtte is living these days, but hopefully it is somewhere affordable, so she can help cover her share of the $55K court order.

Tamara Hardy: I am not sure that anyone actually knows who Tamara Hardy is. She never participated in JACC although she did attempt to run on the ballot in October 2008 and again in January 2009 in the postponed elections. If I remember correctly she did not prove her eligibility to be on the ballot, or if she did, she didn't show up for the elections and was subsequently not elected. I think she is another one of those buddy-pals of Jerry Moore and I would venture to say she was probably not realistically informed of everything. If that is the case, maybe she can talk her buddy Jerry Moore into covering her portion of the costs. It's worth a try, Tamara, but if not, you've got plenty of good company with whom to wallow in your beer.

Lafayette Butler: I believe this woman is the daughter of Ethylon Brown. So kind of like William Brown, above, she jumped in to support her Mom when the disputes arose. It is unknown, by me anyways, where Ms. Butler lives and if it is even in Jordan. She wasn't a real active participant in JACC and she hasn't been around since the legal action started, which is the case for all the plaintiffs. I gotta admire the loyalty here in this Brown-Butler family. I just wish they'd taken a closer look at the bigger picture. But they didn't. And for that, Judge Porter says they each owe $2,725.

Jernell McLane: This plaintiff is a rather interesting one, in my opinion. It's my opinion that this person never did actually live in Jordan during the October 2008 to March 2009 time frame. Like Tamara Hardy, above, she was someone who was recruited by Jerry Moore to run for election to the board, but who failed to prove that she was eligible to be on the board. And another interesting tidbit, she was also one of the disputed delegates in the infamous credentials battle for the Ward 5 DFL caucus and endorsing convention. I can't remember off the top of my head if she was determined eligible to vote as a delegate or not. I remember seeing her with a super cute baby in a stroller. Maybe her and Tamara can team up together and force Jerry Moore to pay their $2,725 portion of the judgement.

Frank Essien: Owner of Essien Sports Apparel. I met Frank at the January 17, 2009 open press conference held at the JACC house. The press conference was called to allow the new majority leaders that opportunity to publicly claim valid victory in the elections as well as openly dispute the circulations being put out by the Old Majority in which they claimed that JACC had moved locations. I talked with Frank for a bit and tried to fill him in on some of the background and who's who. He listened intently and if I remember correctly we exchanged phone numbers and chatted once or twice to further discuss the JACC problems. I think I tried to connect him with Kip Browne and Don Samuels, but I don't know if he ever made those connections. I was quite surprised when I saw his name as a plaintiff and I gave him a call to ask him about it. I remember him saying that he did not sign on anything as a plaintiff in a lawsuit but he did tell Steve Jackson "he could use my name as a supporter" or something to that effect. I wonder how this all plays out for Frank now. Does Frank write a check for $2,725 or does he tell Jill and the other 14 that he never signed on to begin with. Interesting, interesting.

Kenya Weathers: Last but not least Mr. Kenya Weathers a.k.a puffy jacket guy. Kenya became known as the guy wearing the puffy jacket at the JACC press conference but that is about all that anyone knew of him. He was at the contentious board meeting on January 14, 2009 and he certainly advocated hard for his support of the old majority folks. I don't think anyone really knew where or if he even lived in Jordan. I think I've seen his facebook page with some pretty radical postings there. Describing him as militant would be more than accurate in my opinion. Go, Kenya, go with your militant self. Go all the way to the bank and withdraw $2,725 to cover your share of the attorney's fees and court costs. I bet it will all fit in your puffy jacket pockets.

As always, readers are encouraged to share their commentary and knowledge in the completely anonymous comments section. 


*this blog post was updated and corrected to reflect a total judgment amount of $40,887 which is hardly anything when you remember that JACC's D&O insurance provider, Traveler's, spent over $200,000 to defend these legal actions which Judge Porter opined were brought in bad faith.

Highly Miniaturized Dragon Dance To Celebrate Chinese New Year On The Jordan Pond...

Video by Megan Goodmundson, blog post by John Hoff

It was yet another night of festivity punctuated by plotting and planning neighborhood revitalization, as friends and neighbors gathered for Chinese New Year on the Jordan Pond. Any excuse for a party among the Jordanites.

The party was reported in my previous post, but here is exclusive footage of the "highly miniaturized dragon dance." It's just not Chinese New Year without a dragon dance, even if it's a "nominal dragon."

Chinese New Year On The Jordan Pond!

Sesame balls, mmmmm.
Many small children were at the party in traditional Chinese costumes. Some or all of the costumes were past gifts from the Yin family.
Photos by John Hoff and Megan Goodmundson,

blog post by John Hoff

As has been the custom for a number of years in the Jordan Neighborhood, friends and neighbors enjoyed Chinese New Year with the family of Ann and Yulin Yin. The event was catered by Keefer Court, a Chinese bakery/restaurant on the West Bank near U of M, and included delicious...

...sea bass, sesame balls, green beans, fried rice and noodles. An alcoholic concoction called a "Lucky Rabbit" made the rounds, which included fresh mandarin oranges and ginger which went through a juicer, along with Prairie Vodka, an organic and locally produced liquor. There was also a ginger-infused vodka which was the best vodka I've ever had, ever ever ever.

Ann Yin mentioned how Governor Dayton had dropped by her Local D'Lish store in North Loop, which features organic and local food. His Governorship left Ann a note asking her to "keep an eye on my sons." The two sons of Governor Dayton are opening a restaurant next door in the near future.

The highlight of the party (I think it was the highlight, but the party is still going as of this moment) was an incredibly scaled down version of a Chinese "dragon dance." Johnny Northside Dot Com hopes to have exclusive video posted soon.

City Councilman Don Samuels Responds To Shooting In The Jordan Neighborhood...

Contributed Photos, blog post by NoMi Passenger

Those who know Don Samuels, city councilman for the 5th Ward of north Minneapolis, won't be the least bit surprised after reading this blog post. After a recent house party in the Jordan neighborhood that resulted in a young lady taking a bullet in her buttocks, the 5th Ward council member drafted a letter to the neighbors in that area and hit the streets in action. And no, it was not due to coverage on this blog. He was already in action when this blog featured the brief story about another house party ending in another shooting.

Councilmember Samuels braved the cold weather and ...

... unshoveled sidewalks along with his council aide Steve Hogan (whom I call the "new Jose") and another constituent to reach out to the neighbors around 25th Ave N and Hillside Ave to let them know that his office was aware of the recent violence and he is prepared to stand in the face of it and chase it out of the community. With their anonymous, confidential help he is ready to take back their streets in the hopes of peace and safety.

This is what Don Samuels was doing before he was elected to the city council in 2003. And through his leadership we can all be better equipped to take action in pursuit of a healthy, safe community for everyone who lives, works and plays in north Minneapolis.

Lest We Forget: Buildings On West Broadway Which Met Their Dooooom!

Photos distributed on JACC listserv, blog post by John Hoff

For as long as I've been living in North Minneapolis and doing this blog--which is pretty much the same period of time, though the blog actually happened FIRST, slightly, kinda like how the Minnesota State Historical Society is slightly older than the actual state of Minnesota--I've made an effort to document the incredible transformation of our neighborhood.

Much of this transformation takes place due to the work of backhoes or, as it sometimes seems, one ferocious and utterly single-minded entity named THE BACKHOE OF DOOOOOOM!!!!!

These photos, above, are from August of 2010 but I found them in a (relatively) ancient email, and they belong on the internet. These images show...

...starting at the top, an apartment building on the "Jordan side" of the curve in West Broadway in the final stages of demolition. In the second photo, at the bottom, a building described as "the last house on the Jordan side of the Broadway curve."

One hopes the buildings which replace these structures will be well-managed, a boon to the neighborhood instead of a hindrance. If not, this blog stands ready to publish information and launch an endless series of scathing critiques.

Separated At Birth?! Vacant Lots At Big Stop And Wafana's "Inconvenience Stores"

Former "Big Stop" store, Jordan Neighborhood, above
Former Wafana's Store, Hawthorne Neighborhood, below

Photos and blog post by John Hoff

I wrote recently about how the "inconvenience store" at Wafana's disappeared off the face of the earth while I wasn't looking, but I didn't have an AFTER photo to show the glorious transformation. Click here for that blog post.

Well, here's yer AFTER photo and I can't help but be struck by the "family resemblance" between the vacant lot at the former "Big Stop" store in Jordan, top photo, and the Wafana's store, bottom photo. Except for the fact children have built snowmen on the Big Stop lot, there is VIRTUALLY NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO LOTS.

Amazing. Another North Minneapolis instance of "separated at birth?"

(Do Not Click "Read More")

Proceedings Mostly Concluded Today In Alfred Flowers Vs. City of Minneapolis, et al, The Great "Toe Stepping" Trial...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

The photo above shows how close I was to Al Flowers and Council Member Don Samuels at the JACC press conference in January of 2009, when the events took place which resulted in the great "toe stepping trial of 2010," discussed in the previous two blog posts. Neither side called me as a witness, however. Can't say I'm sorry about that. It's so much more fun to watch the trial in its entirety.

For the convenience of the reader, click here for the blog post with video and a quickie explanation of the issues. Click here for a summary of yesterday's jury selection.

Today, numerous witnesses were presented in a rapid fire manner, the repeated lines of questioning almost like a ritual...



Where were you in the room? What could you see? You couldn't see anybody's FEET at that moment, now could you? No, I thought not.

(The following paragraph is parody)

At one point, the owner of Fetish Shoes was called to the stand. Turns out she was the only one watching nothing but feet and saw the whole incident. Unfortunately, she couldn't remember which feet went with which heads, so that wasn't very helpful. She could, however, testify that nobody stepped on ANYBODY'S feet, so conclude what you will.

(OK, end of parody font)

Both sides managed to put all their witnesses on the stand and now the only remaining business will apparently be as follows. First, Al Flowers may briefly re-take the stand to claim he has never, ever deliberately disrupted community meetings. How notoriously loud and volatile "loon at large" Al Flowers will accomplish this while under oath and subject to the penalties of perjury is an open question.

Secondly, both sides will make their final statements. Then, finally, the jury will deliberate. Though tomorrow is a federal holiday and the courthouse will be closed, the jury has instructions about how to get in the court building and burn up most of their holiday deliberating about loon-at-large Al Flowers and his precious widdle toes. By the way, in his unclear and inarticulate way, it seemed at one point as though Flowers was claiming to be missing toenails upon one or both of his oh-so-sensitive big toes.

Ewwww.

Johnny Northside Dot Com predicts the jury will be out for about an hour, and will return a verdict resoundingly in favor of the defendant.

JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Jury Selection In Alfred Flowers v. City of Minneapolis, et al, US Dist. Ct. File 09-402 PJS/JJG (A.K.A. The "Toe Stepping Trial")

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

It was the best of trials, it was the worst of trials. It was a trial of wisdom. It was a trial of foolishness. It was the epoch of belief and the epoch of incredulity; it was a courtroom of Light, it was a courtroom of Darkness...

And so the comic and tragic "toe stepping trial" began. Let's recap the beginning before this beginning, shall we? Very soon after the JACC press conference where notorious loon-at-large Al Flowers had shoved City Council Member Don Samuels in the back, twice, a lawsuit had been filed.

No, the lawsuit was not by Don Samuels. It was filed by Al Flowers, alleging civil rights violations and assault. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense. There have been two JACC elections since that fateful post-JACC election press conference. And yet proceedings in the "toe stepping lawsuit" had been creeping forward all the while...

And so one day...it turned out to be today...the fateful day arrived. There was Council Member Don Samuels in a dark suit, and Al Flowers in an aqua colored dress shirt, and Flowers' eternal sidekick Zack Metoyer wearing a tan suit with a crazy "safety orange" dress shirt, no tie, and--best of all--there was self-proclaimed JACC "Sergeant-At-Arms" Steve Jackson in a dark black, long-sleeved shirt with some kind of embroidered emblem on the back which looked like a martial arts logo. Unlike the JACC "Old versus New Majority" lawsuit which dragged on FOREVER, this proceeding was like Mardi Gras: it only lasts a short time, and what you remember most are the cool costumes.

First came the voir dire, as plaintiff and defendant attorneys picked through the jury pool. Approximately 24 potential jurists were seated in the gallery, with 15 in the box. All of the jurors were white. There were no blacks, no face that looked Asian, Indian or Hispanic. The court scooped up some demographic ice cream, and all it got was vanilla, much of it from the suburbs. Many mentions were made of being "active in my church," and one juror who stayed on the jury said she gets all her information from Fox news.

These Minnesota jury compositions...they are amazing.

I've editorialized it before, but I'll say it again: GOD HELP YOU if you are a criminal defendant going in front of a jury in Minneapolis. Just plead out. Seriously.

At the point where one of the lawyers asked if this case was outside of their ordinary, everyday experience...every single juror in "the box" raised his/her hand. Nothing about North Minneapolis, rough and tumble Jordan neighborhood politics, or alleged First Amendment violations had any resonance with the day-to-day life of this jury pool.

Only 9 jurors were needed, and so it was a matter of eliminating 6 of the 15. Eliminated from the jury were the following:

* Claude Smith, a "police officer for 30 years at the Minneapolis airport" who most recently retired from a job doing "executive protection" for US Bank, a member of the American Legion. In answering a question about whether he'd ever been assaulted, Mr. Smith mentioned how he'd been "hit by a car and dragged" by suspects who were trying to get away. JNS blog doffs its virtual hat to you, Mr. Smith.

* Alberta Lee Orcutt (spelling unknown) who described herself as a "poet and performance artist." She was once a volunteer census taker. Though she only appears in her late 40s, she is 68 years old with children who are 33, 40, 42, and 43. Clearly, this is somebody who is young at heart: She is a member of Women Against Military Madness and "an advocate for women and for peace." She can't even count how many protest marches she has been a part of and brags that all her children take after their mother in their activism.

Clearly, Smith and Orcutt represented the extremes of a potential sympathies on the jury. Smith would have been fantasizing the whole time about cuffing Al Flowers, and Orcutt...well, it's hard to say. Orcutt did mention she was raised in a "patriarchal family" and that's why she wanted to get involved in social causes. There's just something about Al Flowers shouting at the top of his lungs which isn't exactly, er, feminist friendly. Come to think of it, Orcutt may have found rare common ground with Mr. Smith on this case. But Orcutt was cut along with Smith.

Also cut were...

* Bill Johnson, a resident of Minneapolis, married with two children. He is a "self-employed wildlife photographer." One suspects he would have weighed photographic evidence quite heavily (bad for plaintiff) but judging by his somewhat wild beard and hair, he came off like a bit of an anti-authoritarian. (Bad for defense) Hard to say who would have wanted him gone more.

* Robert Hoover of Owatonna, a clean-cut guy with a bachelors in business administration who described himself as "active in my local chamber of commerce." This probably didn't mean shouting down somebody calling a press conference at the chamber of commerce.

* Mark Johnson, whose body language and words screamed, "I really, really don't want to be here."

* Robert Afterbow (spelling and exact surname unknown) a press operator.

Those who remained behind are as follows, name spellings are approximate:

* Jennifer Woods of Brooklyn Park. She has three stepchildren, a degree in addiction studies, and she's a substance abuse counselor. She is a member of a corrections association and her husband is in the mortgage industry.

* A young woman whose name is either Morgan Matila or Matila Morgan.

* Sandy Zappa of Maple Grove. Her husband's name is Bob and he's a contractor. She knits and reads mysteries.

* A man from Faribault, Minnesota who graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota just like me. He's self-employed at a printing company and very involved in his church.

* Annette Evenson of Harmony, Minnesota. She's an electronic assembler. Her spouse works for the same company. She's active in her church and enjoys scrap booking.

* Theresa Ramos of St. Paul. She has a BA in Criminal Justice.

* Tony Irwin of Rochester, Minnesota. He has a Masters in Computer Science, works at IBM in Rochester.

* Katie Bloom, a woman in her 20s who works at Target.

* Drew Martinson, a senior citizen and "unemployed print salesman." Both plaintiff and defense followed up with Martinson, since his print sales involved contracts with the City of Minneapolis. At the end of the questioning, both sides seemed to conclude Martinson could be fair. Of course, this way waaaaaaay before the look Martinson had on his face after the first showing of the video of Al Flowers falling off the loon wagon at the JACC press conference. The plaintiff thought Smith would dislike their client? Wait until they get a load of Mr. Martinson.

However, both sides seemed to think the jury wasn't very "exciting" or "talkative." At one point the judge even quipped, "We've had more exciting juries." The quip was met with laughter. This was a jury playing the game very close to its chest. Maybe their employers were paying them regular wages for jury duty and this was like a vacation.

Another question poised to the jury involved blogs. Did any of the jurors read online blogs about North Minneapolis? Specifically, had they heard of the "Johnny Northside blog?"

And somewhere Michael "Kip" Browne owes me a shot of whisky. But none of the jurors had ever heard of this blog.

The questions asked by plaintiff attorney Jill Clark managed to hit lots of emotional buttons: If a witness came in dressed in Muslim garb, would you think "That person is a terrorist?" Did they have any presumptions like "black men are liars, violent, or sell drugs...the stuff you see on television?" These hot button questions couldn't get a rise out of the jurors. Nobody was as fair and balanced as they were...that was the story and they were sticking to it. There were small, solemn nods of agreement that they would "follow the law and apply the instructions" as given by the judge.

The show was getting set to begin. During microphone adjustments, Ms. Clark mentioned her "rock and roll career" and how "we were taught to eat the microphone." She said at the end of the night she'd end up with her red lipstick just smeared on the microphone.

JNS blog will leave you with that image for now, with more coverage to follow tomorrow...

Council Member Don Samuels Vs. Al Flowers In Federal Court--Details Coming On The "Toe Stepping Trial" Which Started TODAY!

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

The long-awaited and much anticipated "civil rights toe stepping trial" began today in United States District Court: fringe mayoral candidate Al Flowers versus City Council Member Don Samuels in a bizarre court battle which is about civil rights...well, sort of.

Flowers is alleging Samuels stepped on his toes. This was during a JACC press conference at which Flowers was shouting loudly and, generally, being a verbal bully and a scary loon to the point somebody called the police. Click here to see video of Flowers in action that day. Click here to see a second video from a different angle, no sound.

Oh, wait, it gets better: when Don supposedly stepped on Al Flowers toes, Don HAD HIS BACK FACING AL FLOWERS.

Oh, wait, it gets even better: There are not one, but TWO video tapes depicting what happened, and what the tapes appear to depict is not Don Samuels assaulting Al Flowers, but rather Al Flowers FORCIBLY SHOVING DON SAMUELS FROM BEHIND.

Twice.

I was in court most of today watching the proceedings. After the first viewing of the video tape, the look on one juror's face said it all: I predict Al Flowers will not win this case, will not pass go, will not collect three dollars.

Many details to follow, stay tuned, hoping to get something up TONIGHT.

(Do Not Click "Read More")

Epic Journey Of JACC Broccoli Stir Fry And Other Small, Symbolic Gestures Of The "Revitalizer Class"

Blog post and photos by John Hoff

In my previous post about Banana Blossom Restaurant, click here, I made passing mention of their delicious broccoli stir fry and how Jordan Neighborhood super citizen Megan Goodmundson brought some of the leftover stir fry an epic distance, so I could be at the JACC neighborhood meeting "in spirit."

Pictured above is the stir fry in question, and the Riviera Motel in Joplin, Missouri where it was consumed far, far from the JACC meeting where it was originally served.

The motel was nothing to write home about. As a matter of fact...

...the wireless they promised on the marquee wasn't working, and I went out of my way to write a negative internet review, click here.

I've long said that wherever I happen to be, that's my neighborhood, and naturally I care about improving my neighborhood. So I will use whatever means are available, within my limited time and ability passing through "the momentary neighborhood." This might mean calling 911, calling 311 if the city happens to have a 311 system (like Dallas) or maybe just complaining to a manager at the motel about how, gee, your marquee promises internet but you aren't delivering internet. I will have to write a negative review, tsk tsk.

But back to that stir fry...

These are the kinds of small but deeply symbolic gestures that build morale among members of the "revitalizer class" in North Minneapolis. Gestures of this kind happen constantly but are rarely documented for posterity. The other day, for example, one Northsider was doing yardwork for another Northsider. The owner of the yard brought out some glasses of champagne to celebrate the transformation of the yard. By this gesture, it was like saying: you aren't just somebody I'm paying to perform chores, you are a friend.

In the past couple weeks, I've heard remarks about how home improvement projects seem to be happening all over the Hawthorne and Jordan neighborhoods: new roofs, new fences, all kinds of yard work. I spoke to a neighbor who was putting in a fence, and he told me--with obvious excitement--a rumor regarding a North Minneapolis church: supposedly, the church was hiring private security to patrol West Broadway. Now was the time, he said, to put improvements into homes, since the homes were going to keep rising in value along with the rising livability of the neighborhood.

Yes, it's terrible, some of the things that happen in North Minneapolis: young men who never had a decent chance at life, killing other young men from similar circumstances. But this is a tale of two cities. There is an entirely different class of Northsider enjoying a comfortable life, raising strong and educated families, building equity in their homes or, at least, holding on hard and waiting for mortgages to rise above water with the inevitable turnaround of the economy. These are the folks who drink champagne while doing yard work, and who won't accept low livability around them, and actively fight against it.

It can be a tiring and painful battle, trying to turn around an entire neighborhood in the face of deeply-rooted negative trends. It's even more frustrating when you have to leave the battle for weeks at a time to make a living. But then somebody makes a little gesture like bringing a plate of food hundreds of miles, and suddenly the battle doesn't seem so hard, the road doesn't seem so long, and morale among the "revitalizer class" has never been higher.

Thug Terrorizes A Small Dog With A Snarling Pit Bull, MPD Saves The Day!

Photos and blog post by John Hoff

Yesterday, while taking a jog around the Jordan Pond, I was intercepted by a young black female who walked up and asked me, "That your dog?" I looked in the direction she was pointing, where I saw a young black man holding a terrifying pit bull. In close proximity was another young black female, and another young black male.

At first I was confused. Why would this young woman be asking me about the leashed pit bull? Then I saw...


A small white dog, some kind of stray, standing near the group. I told her, "No, sorry, that's not my dog."

At that moment, the young man with the pit bull proceeded to sic the pit bull on the small white dog. However, the young man didn't let go of the leash and the small white dog fled, terrified, just beyond the grasp of the pit bull's jaws. The guy in possession of the pit bull wasn't kidding around or merely teasing the small dog. Only the quick response of the little dog saved it from becoming the pit bull's chew toy.

At that moment the young female who had initially asked me about the little dog began shouting at the young man and, in fact, claimed a kind of protective ownership of the small dog, saying, "That's MY dog! Leave my dog alone!"

Realizing I was right in the middle of some kind of ridiculous hood drama which seemed about to turn violent at any moment, I ran back to the other end of Jordan Pond where I procured a cell phone and called 911, explaining how the young man with the pit bull had tried to make his "pit" maul a small, defenseless dog. Squad 420 responded in an especially quick manner and, in fact, the dispatcher helped guide the squad car right to the group as I kept the group in sight as far as 27th and James.

The first squad waited for back-up before leaving their vehicle, since the pit bull was, for all intents and purposes, a deadly weapon.

Another squad showed up, and then Animal Control arrived. About 20 minutes later, the police and Animal Control were still dealing with the group as I cruised by and took these pictures on the way to a delightful buffet lunch at Banana Blossom restaurant on Lowry Ave. N. The two males were in the back of the squad car, the two females were on the sidewalk with one of the females holding the pit bull in question.

This is a classic case of a "thug acting thuggy" and ignoring community standards of law-and-order, safety and decency. If these standards ever slipped in NoMi, they are certainly making a powerful comeback in recent years. These values are particularly strong and entrenched around the Jordan Pond, where litter hardly remains for a day until neighbors pick it up, where even stray branches are gathered up for community bonfires. If thugs want to act thuggy, they would be better off doing it somewhere besides the perimeter of the Jordan Pond.

Readers will, of course, want to know the fate of the small dog. I'm sorry, but I don't know. I went by and looked, but didn't see him. I hope he was merely out of his yard and is safe.

Slumlord Interests Ousted From JACC Board, And Much More In A North Minneapolis "Tale Of Two Cities"

Contributed photo, xoxo, blog post by John Hoff

In the last 10 weeks, this blog has been less active than any time in its history due to employment obligations which took me across the country to Columbia, South Carolina for a long period of intense training. While I often had free time, I seldom had convenient internet access, plus other obligations (like being an outstanding designated driver to my hard-partying buddies) kept me pretty tied up.

Now, with my fingers comfortably back at the keyboard, and hot content ready to roll in the usual prolific Johnny Northside style, I thought it would be fun to review some of the amazing changes which have taken place during the last ten weeks. It's incredible how quickly our neighborhood changes, evolves, and revitalizes even in a relatively short span of time. Being out of the loop for ten weeks and then trying to catch up gives me a whole new appreciation for just how quickly our neighborhood is changing.

* First, and most recently, three nights ago the Jordan Neighborhood had its annual meeting and (for the second year in a row) managed to elect a slate of candidates to its board without any of the drama which, once upon a time, was synonymous with Jordan Neighborhood politics. In fact, the only drama was something positive: bylaws were changed so that mere property ownership in the neighborhood isn't enough to qualify individuals for board membership, not anymore. What this means, effectively, is shameless slumlords like Keith Reitman will no longer have such a powerful role in Jordan politics.

Best of all, the bylaw change took place right in front of Keith Reitman, but other than barking briefly and in a paranoid manner over whether somebody was "whispering" to the chair of the meeting--saying something, whining something about open meeting laws, blah blah blah, as though open meeting laws ever regulated whispering--Keith David Reitman was powerless to stop the change in the bylaws. As of that moment...

...Rietman no longer has a vote in JACC business. Though this seems like a relatively minor change, progress in our neighborhood is a moving mosaic made up of such minor changes. In my absence, other bloggers kept the neighborhood informed of important developments, such as these:

* Jimmy Carter's visit to the Eco Village, reported in detail by Jeff Skrenes on the Hawthorne Voices blog.

* 1564 Hillside Ave. N. was demolished, reported in detail by Hillside Chronicles.

* Decent people in the Jordan Neighborhood have grown increasingly upset with Steve Meldahl, who has been dubbed "Slumeldahl" by NoMi Passenger. WARNING: Slumeldahl has NOT been approved by the FDA for neighborhood usage, and has been known to have serious side effects, such as urban blight and low curb appeal. The fiery "Irving Inquisition" blog has been on top of Meldahl.

* Thug-on-thug homicidal violence. Yawn. What else is new? There are two different worlds in North Minneapolis, and one of those worlds is actually very safe, comfortable, and enjoyable. And then there are thuggish idiots who kill each other with whatever weapon is available, including a speeding vehicle. Outside observers should not be misled by colorful mainstream media reports of such criminal violence: the "revitalizer" lifestyle is gaining ground in North Minneapolis, and the "thug lifestyle" is retreating. It's my hypothesis that North Minneapolis thugs are killing each other over increasingly smaller territory, and increasingly more limited areas of influence. North Minneapolis is truly a tale of two cities.

* The "Tripping Cows" mural was painted over at the Kemps Dairy facility.

* NoMi resident Brian Reichow married the girl of his dreams. Brian, sorry I missed your wedding. I did get text updates through the whole wedding and reception and almost felt like I was present.

* The "thug memorial riot" took place. Some folks just can't behave themselves, even while mourning their dead. This is another good argument in favor of not allowing "thug shooting memorials" to remain on trees, fences, etc. Did I mention "a tale of two cities?" Yes, I certainly did.

* I was re-elected to the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Board, even while not there to speak in my own favor at the annual meeting. Thank you, friends and neighbors.

* Jerome Kingrussell, the notorious "Imposter Foster" from the Larry Maxwell mortgage fraud trial, was arrested and held without bail.

* Principals of Dana D III pled guilty to mortgage fraud.

All these amazing events happened in A MERE TEN WEEKS, and I've actually left a lot of important stuff out. So what will the next ten weeks bring? What will the next year, the next five years, the next ten years bring to North Minneapolis?

These ten weeks have hammered home two lessons for me:

1. Though I intend to play a large and highly-active role in the positive changes taking place in our neighborhood, change will take place no matter what. Even if this blog grew silent, even if work forced me to leave the neighborhood or the COUNTRY for months at a time, Urban Utopia is headed toward NoMi.

Urban Utopia in North Minneapolis is unstoppable.

2. During times when this blog is unable to play a very active roll, other committed bloggers take up the slack and use grassroots media to move the revitalizer agenda forward.

Because of this--once again--Urban Utopia is unstoppable.

To all the readers who have been so loyal to this blog: I am sorry that I was gone for so long, but it was necessary so I could pay my child support and the taxes on my house. (My goodness, what will the hateful haters have to hatefully hate about in light of THIS development?) I also wish to give a special thank you to neighborhood "super citizen" Megan Goodmundson, who virtually kept my blog on life support in my absence.

But now I am finally heading back home, and tonight I am...

Blogging From Joplin, Missouri

And The Newest JACC Board Member Is...The Blogosphere!

Photos and blog post by John Hoff

A couple weeks ago, while I was at a meeting of the Jordan Area Community Council where all kinds of exciting stuff got discussed, including an idea for a prostitute drop-in center, I noticed something interesting about the paper agenda floating around. And I don't mean just the fact it was...

...a bright, citrusy shade of yellow.

The official agenda for the meeting was printed directly off the "JACC Flash NoMi" blog. You could see somebody had just hit "print page" and the agenda--which was published on the blog prior to the meeting--was printed out with the URL of the website at the bottom of the page, and the blog header at the top.

In the past couple years, I've noticed how the blogosphere has become more and more of a factor in our neighborhood politics, as we promulgate information and have discussions in the "virtual" community forums of the internet. But this particular moment struck me as a kind of milestone, when even printing out a hard copy of the official meeting agenda on "dead tree media" means pulling the document right off a blog.

2819 Knox Avenue North Raided By SWAT Team

Photos and blog post by John Hoff

This Friday, about mid-day, Jordan Neighborhood "super citizen" Megan Goodmundson called me with a cryptic message:

"COPS! On the Jordan Pond! COME RIGHT NOW!"

I knew from Megan's tone that this wasn't run-of-the-mill North Minneapolis police activity, but something higher up the action scale. I was a couple blocks away and literally ran all the way. I arrived just in time to watch a Minneapolis Police Department SWAT team batter down the door of the garage behind 2819 Knox Ave. N. (Top photo)

After the SWAT team left, three squad cars remained in front of the house, and appeared to be keeping themselves busy inside the home.

This house...

...is on the lovely Jordan Pond, but isn't one of the nicer homes filled with nicer people. The house is owned by absentee landlord Rodney S. Bustrom of St. Francis, Minnesota who lives at 1858 242nd Ave. It is unknown how many other houses Bustrom owns and what worrisome patterns might be found by scrutinizing his pattern of property ownership. As Johnny Northside Dot Com has mentioned to the wind about a hundred times, the Minneapolis property website is searchable by address and property identification number, but NOT by name of owner. So if we want to obtain and publish a list of Bustrom's properties, we need to get that list some other way.

Neighbors on the Jordan Pond report that, at one time, pit bulls were kept in the garage of the property but these neighbors are not definite about when that period of time was. Results of Friday's police raid are unknown.

Johnny Northside Dot Com extends a personal "thank you" to the police officers who put their lives at risk to keep our neighborhood safe by raiding the (alleged) scum bags who live at 2819 Knox Ave. N., and I hope they found what they were looking for.

Motion For Attorney Fees By "New Majority" JACC Defendants Is The First Document On The New Johnny Northside PDF Document Support Site!

Stock photo and blog post by John Hoff

In a recent and previous blog post, I mentioned having my grubby little paws upon a particularly amusing and informative document, the motion for attorney fees by the defendants in the "Old Versus New Majority" lawsuit involving the Jordan Area Community Council. (JACC) Click here to go right to that document and skip all my pontificating.

The unsuccessful lawsuit, which was filed by the democratically ousted "Old Majority" plaintiffs, was successfully defended by the democratically elected "New Majority," led by Chairman Kip Browne. (Who recently re-assumed the position of Chairman, click here)

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to share a PDF of the document before because...

...the "PDF support site" for this blog was full. However, late last night I obtained some much needed volunteer technical support, for which I am profoundly grateful. Though the old PDF support site is still in operation, still supporting the documents we have placed there, we now have a great new site capable of supporting a vast number of new and juicy documents related to North Minneapolis issues.

What better way to celebrate this arcane, technical triumph than by posting a particularly interesting document, which takes pithy, pointed, highly-articulate shots at the "Old Majority" plaintiffs and their attorney, Jill Clark.

I would urge readers to enjoy the entire document, but here are some of my favorite passages...

* It was evident from the very onset of this litigation that Plaintiffs' claims were spurious and made in bad faith.

* Despite ample opportunity to prove their claims, including a nine-day evidentiary hearing, Plaintiffs were unable to present any evidence demonstrating that Joint Defendants were guilty of any wrongdoing.

* There is no plausible explanation for this lawsuit other than a vexatious intent to intimidate Joint Defendants to yield to Plaintiffs demands or else defend against the costly litigation.

(This simple mathematical figure is, I think, the most revealing part of the lawsuit:)

* $191,153. (That's how much the defendants are demanding in attorney fees from the losing side)

* Tellingly, after all the relevant evidence had been presented--none of which supported the Plaintiffs claims--plaintiffs once again amended their complaint in an effort to needlessly prolong the costly lawsuit.

* In this case, the air similarly has the stench of bad faith. Plaintiffs' various Complaints present nothing more than imaginative litigation premised upon disappointment, rather than viable legal claims.

* From the outset of this litigation plaintiffs were on notice that Joint Defendants would seek attorneys' fees; in fact Plaintiffs' themselves requested attorneys' fees under this same provision.

It should be interesting to see how this motion for attorney fees is resolved, but not nearly as interesting as seeing where these "Old Majority" plaintiffs will come up with all that money if the judge rules against them.

Did I say "if?" Honestly, I'm thinking more like "when."

Kip Browne Is Once Again The JACC Chair--Good Luck With That, Kip, You Will Need It

Photos and blog post by John Hoff

Michael "Kip" Browne, a former Chair of the Jordan Area Community Council, has again filled the position of Chair in the wake of Chair Vladamir Monroe vacating the position. Previously, Browne led the organization through what may have been the most tumultuous time in its history, the democratic ouster of the "Old Majority" faction and then a subsequent lawsuit by the sore losers. The lawsuit was found to be without merit.

As one of his first official acts...

Kip Browne went to the JACC headquarters and mowed the lawn, where this blogger located some four-leaf clovers.

Alex Hoff Helps To Fix A "Rat Hole" In Our Northside Neighborhood (Summer Visitation 2010)

It's that time of the year again--the time when the whole POINT of buying a house in North Minneapolis comes to the forefront of the blog. This blog is dedicated to my son, Alex--who just turned 13--and one again Alex has joined me for his extended summer visitation. Alex will be constantly with me for a while, and so Alex can be expected to turn up in the middle of various stories.

This photo, above, was taken during one of the first nights Alex was with me. There was a problem with a certain property in the neighborhood...

A crude fence separates the property from an alley, the fence being constructed of--it would appear--scrap lumber, some of it from shipping crates. For a fence made of scrap lumber, it's not such a bad fence, really, and the problem was not the fence itself but the fact large holes had been knocked in the fence by kicking out the boards. These holes allowed no-accounts to take shortcuts and--we strongly suspect--keep their drug traffic more in the alley and less out in the open where it could be observed.

Merely blocking the hole in the fence with loose boards didn't work. The boards were pulled away and tossed aside within MINUTES, though we didn't see who did it. So a more serious "vigilante carpentry effort" was required, just like in the good old days when the Hawthorne EcoVillage needed a civilizing influence. In the dark and dead of night, the fence was repaired by myself, my son Alex, and a prominent member of the neighborhood...whose identity must remain shrouded in mystery.

My son Alex thought it was a hoot, so much so that Alex (who has a yellow sweatshirt similar to the other person in the photo) kept laughingly pulling up his own sweatshirt, even days after, in imitation. And I kept laughingly telling him, "Pull down the hood of your sweatshirt. You look like an emo when you do that."

But it was too late. The psychological damage was done.

"New Majority" JACC Plaintiffs Seek Attorney Fees From Losing "Old Majority" Plaintiffs...

Stock photo and blog post by John Hoff

Some days ago, a yummy document fell into my hands in PDF form: it's the motion for attorney fees in the "Old Versus New Majority JACC Case" in the Jordan Neighborhood. This blog provided the most extensive media coverage ANYWHERE of that case, from the very beginning to--it would appear--the bitter, bitter end. Democratically ousted in a neighborhood election, the anti-revitalization "Old Majority" in the Jordan Neighborhood tried to sue their way back to power or (if that failed) apparently hoped to destroy or cripple the JACC organization too much for it to be effective. The Old Majority failed, however, both in court and in a subsequent neighborhood election.

But like a hydra, the case keeps growing new and ugly heads. Now the defendants (quite justifiably) are asking for a very big amount of attorney fees for all the resources poured into this loser of a case that should have never been filed.

And, yes, I'd really LIKE to share this document with you. Unfortunately, we've exceeded the storage capacity of our "PDF support site" and we have our "geek squad" trying to solve the problem right now. In the meantime, if anybody wants a copy of the document in question, email me and say "I WANT MOTION FOR ATTORNEY FEES" in the subject heading of the email. (Trolls can, as always, take a hike)

I swear, I will see my neighborhood get better if I have to use CARRIER PIGEONS. But be assured this document will be made available in the near future. The cutting remarks about the plaintiff attorney ALONE are worth all the effort of finding a way to conveniently share this document with the whole wired world.

(Do not click "Read More")

JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: "Partner In Crime" Of "Old Majority" JACC Plaintiffs Attorney Suspended From Practicing Law, Failed To File Or Pay Income Taxes

Flickr.com photo, blog post by John Hoff

Jill M. Waite, who is "the partner-in-crime" of the attorney who represented the democratically ousted "Old Majority" in an utterly unsuccessful case against the democratically elected "New Majority" in the Jordan Area Community Council--a matter extensively and exclusively reported on this blog, click here for a sample post--has been suspended from the practice of law in Minnesota for failing to file income tax returns.

The Minnesota State Supreme Court--which is the final authority in the State of Minnesota when it comes to lawyer discipline--released its ruling today, click here for a link.

The document is a...

...disturbing chronicle of failure to adhere to professional responsibilities and fulfill one's basic duty as an American. The media will (hopefully) have a field day with this, but you read it here first on Johnny Northside Dot Com. (Sound of glasses clinking together in joyful celebration)

One can't help but wonder how this ruling will impact their relationship, and other cases, some of which touch on the Northside. These lawyers are so close they've been dubbed "the two Jills" and frequently work on cases together.

2700 Morgan Ave. N. Whorehouse Is Now As Quiet As A Mouse House...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

Yesterday, I attended a cookout on the Jordan Pond with great friends and neighbors, and I took the time to inquire what was up with 2700 Morgan Ave. N., which used to be the nastiest whorehouse in North Minneapolis. (In fact, the reputation of the building lives on in legend, as the City Pages referenced a headline about the whorehouse at "2700" while naming Johnny Northside Dot Com the No. 1 blog in the Twin Cities, click here)

Well, according to nice neighbors in a position to know, NOTHING is currently happening with 2700 Morgan Ave. N. It is as peaceful as can be, awaiting its fate from the Backhoe of Doom. Sure, there was some graffiti--I snapped a picture so I could make a 311 report by email, which I submitted just a moment ago--but other than that, the furor around 2700 Morgan Ave. N. has died down, and no-accounts have learned to stop breaking inside because they'll be thrown out, over and over.

As somebody commented yesterday at the Jordan Pond barbeque--life around the Jordan Pond is getting better every year. "The Pond" is a little piece of paradise and--wonder of wonders!--there are actually houses for sale in that area.

(Do not click "Read More")