Candidate Brett Buckner, Who Will Win Fifth Ward City Council Election When Swine Take Flight, Made Vaguely Threatening Statement About Settling Scores "Northside Style"

Facebook photo, used under First Amendment Fair Comment
and Criticsm, blog post by John Hoff

Two Serious Candidates, Brett Buckner, And A Green Kale Garnish

Skip to the next boldface header if you don't want to read an arcane analysis of the downside of Individually Ranked Voting, and you just want to know about Brett Buckner's vaguely threatening statement at Shiloh Baptist Church.

WELL HERE WE ARE, ONCE AGAIN, in the bizarre world of "ala carte" Minneapolis elections, where you get a first, second and third choice. And here is the mutant Godzilla creature which comes from experimenting with a time honored principal of one person, one vote...

Blong Yang Is Winning The Fifth Ward Yard Sign War, While This Blogger Has No Idea What A Brett Buckner Yard Sign LOOKS Like...

Photo, blog post by John Hoff

To those who live in the Fifth Ward, it's obvious that city council candidate Blong Yang has been winning the yard sign war quite handily. Yang's signs are EVERYWHERE. Even Level Three Sex Offender Peter "Spanky Pete" Rickmyer has a sign in his yard.

Do not mistake that last remark as a criticism of Blong Yang. To my way of thinking, anybody who can make Peter Rickmyer do something useful, like rake leaves, pick up litter, or post a yard sign near a busy intersection, is something of a miracle worker. Though I am mystified why the most notorious sex offender in North Minneapolis supports Blong Yang who, from what I have seen and heard, may be in a dead heat with Ian Alexander as the most anti-sex offender of all the candidates.

As for other candidates in the race, I think I've seen a few Ian Alexander signs, but I don't even know what a Brett Buckner sign looks like. Green Party candidate Kale Severson has been living up to his first name in this race: He's Green, and he's really more of a garnish than an entree. But I have a vague memory of maybe, possibly, seeing one of his signs so that puts Kale slightly ahead of Buckner in the all-important race for next-to-last and the avoidance of total humiliation at the polls ala Lennie Chism. 

If this race were decided upon nothing but yard sign placement, then it's Blong Yang by a landslide. If it were decided upon which candidate is most likely to support turning the proposed Bottineau Transit Line into a groovy vegan co-op, then it's Kale Severson. 

Sad, Ridiculous Little "Springboard Economic Development Corporation" Event October 22...

Chism stock photo and blog post by John Hoff

All the way from Afghanistan I can take a moment to be amused at the spam-oidal email I received from Springboard Economic Development Corporation. God only knows why I'm still on their email list, but I am.

Springboard is, of course, a sort of Lennie "Heckler" Chism entity with a heavy touch of Don "Ponzi Scheme" Allen.

Lennie is the notorious woman-abuser who came in fifth place in a five-man race for the Fifth Ward last political cycle, actually getting less votes than a garden gnome. And Don Allen is, well, here's a link that says all you need to know about Don Allen, click here.

So here's the laugh-aloud-funny "invitation" I received by email here on the other side of the planet, when I have time to clear out my inbox spam in between watching for vehicle-borne IEDs to come across the wire...




-------------------------------------------------------------
Hello John!

You are invited to the following event:

You're Invited - Sat, Oct 22nd 9am, Minorities ASKING - Where are our JOBS/CONTRACTS on Federal Funded Projects, Light Rail, MnDOT? Let's Talk Solution - Invited Gov. Dayton, Sen. Klobuchar, Rep. Ellison, Rep. McCollum, LETTER for JOB SUMMIT, CONGRESS

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:
Attend Event

Oct 22, 2011
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

4801 4th Ave South
Minneapolis, MN 55419

Dirty JOBS??? Where are OURS? JOBs/Contracts Enforcement? “It’s my responsibility and the responsibility of the MnDOT director to make sure that happens,” Dayton said to Chism. “Every six months, if you don’t see progress … give me a call.” ...

We hope you can make it!

Cheers,
Springboard Economic Develoment Corporation
---------------------------------------------------------------

Please note that last word "Develoment" is spelled just the way it was on the email. 

Yes, this entity literally can't SPELL "development." I don't know who authored the email but, of course, atrocious spelling, bad grammar, excessive capitalization and lack of proof reading are pretty much Don Allen hallmarks.

Note how the author of the email name drops a whole bunch of important folks who are "invited" to the event.

Oh, yeah, like the governor will be there. The state senator.

The only way THAT would happen would be if it were NOT a Springboard event, but Springboard were merely publicizing another entity's event as though it were their own. Then it might happen.

In typical con man fashion, Springboard tries to make itself seem like much more of a successful player than it is.

When these important folks don't show up at this event, then there will be a hue and cry: Why are they ignoring us? Why won't they come and talk about these issues? THEY WERE INVITED.

From the other side of the world, I am calling bulls*** on the email publicity surrounding this October 22 event or, shall I say, non-event.

Lennie "The Heckler" Chism Beats Domestic Violence Rap, Gets "Reckless Driving" Conviction, Three Days In Slammer, Year Probation...

Contributed photo, above, and photo from Hillside Chronicles.

Blog post by John Hoff

Lennie Chism, who came in dead last in the race for the Ward 5 city council seat still held by Don Samuels, last month pleaded to a charge of reckless driving. Other charges--including domestic assault--were dropped.

Click here for a blog post which appeared shortly after an "order for protection" was issued in this case.

Click here for a blog post about how Lennie should be in jail.

Finally, click here for a blog post about Lennie's heckling tirade against Don Samuels.

It appears Lennie served three days in the slammer and got a year's probation. Well, on behalf of Johnny Northside Dot Com, let me say congratulations, Lennie, for beating the rap and maybe you'd make a better city council member than I once thought. There are many issues to be addressed in North Minneapolis, but taking a "hands on" approach to litter is indeed admirable.

Anyway, here is the info, unedited, from the online records of the Minnesota state courts...

Defendant
CHISM, LENNIE C
Minneapolis, MN 55411
Male
07/09/1965 Pro Se

Retained

Jurisdiction
State of Minnesota
SPONHEIM, ROLF ALLAN
Charge Information
Charges: CHISM, LENNIE C
Statute
Level
Date
1. Domestic Assault-Misdemeanor-Commits Act With Intent to Cause Fear of Immediate Bodily Harm or Death 609.2242.1(1) Misdemeanor 08/30/2009

2. Domestic Assault-Misdemeanor-Intentionally Inflicts/Attempts to Inflict Bodily Harm 609.2242.1(2) Misdemeanor 08/30/2009

3. Disorderly Conduct-Offensive/Abusive/Noisy/Obscene 609.72.1(3) Misdemeanor 08/30/2009

4. Reckless driving; Drives with willful or wanton disregard for safety 169.13.1(a) Misdemeanor 08/30/2009

5. Careless Driving 169.13.2 Misdemeanor 08/30/2009

Events & Orders of the Court

DISPOSITIONS

02/16/2010
Plea (Judicial Officer: Hedlund, Deborah)

4. Reckless driving; Drives with willful or wanton disregard for safety
Guilty
02/16/2010
Disposition (Judicial Officer: Hedlund, Deborah)

1. Domestic Assault-Misdemeanor-Commits Act With Intent to Cause Fear of Immediate Bodily Harm or Death
Dismissed

2. Domestic Assault-Misdemeanor-Intentionally Inflicts/Attempts to Inflict Bodily Harm
Dismissed

3. Disorderly Conduct-Offensive/Abusive/Noisy/Obscene
Dismissed

4. Reckless driving; Drives with willful or wanton disregard for safety
Convicted

5. Careless Driving
Dismissed
02/16/2010

Sentenced (Judicial Officer: Hedlund, Deborah)

4. Reckless driving; Drives with willful or wanton disregard for safety
08/30/2009 (MSD) 169.13.1(a) (169131a)
Local Confinement:
Agency: Hennepin County Workhouse - Adult Corrections
Term: 60 Days
Time To Serve: 3 Days
Stay 57 Days For 1 Yr
Serve As: Sentence To Serve
Status: Active 02/16/2010
Service - Adult:
Type: Sentence to service
3 Days For 90 Days
In Lieu of
Confinement ( 3 Days)
Start: 02/16/2010 Due: 05/17/2010
Status: Active 02/16/2010
Probation - Adult:
Type: Supervised probation
Agency: Hennepin County Community Corrections - Adult Field Services
Term of 1 Yr
02/16/2010 - 02/16/2011
Status: Active 02/16/2010

How I wish the Minnesota court system website had links that work for SPECIFIC offender records. Each time one tries to create a link, you just get the "enter" page. This certainly inhibits the free sharing of valuable offender information via the internet.

JNS BLOG SUPER EXCLUSIVE: The Apprehension Of Remaro C. Smith, Bail Bondsman Calls Smith "Little Punk And A Coward" Who Wouldn't "Come In Like A Man."

As regular readers of this blog know, the mother of murder victim Annshalike Hamilton has named Remaro C. Smith as the guy she thinks murdered her daughter, click here for that story. This blog has obsessively followed up on the Annshalike Hamilton murder story in numerous posts, click here for a good example, with a stated goal of keeping the story fresh in the minds of the public until there is justice for this young murdered girl, who was pregnant with a baby she'd intended to name "Kyra Hamilton."

It is a relief to know Remaro C. Smith is in custody on his warrants--including a felony gun warrant--but important to remember Smith is innocent until proven guilty.

A couple days ago, after the State Senate District 58 DFL convention, word came that Remaro Smith had been taken into custody after a standoff with a SWAT team and bail bondsmen. The first Pioneer Press coverage of the story said the standoff was six hours, but a subsequent story on WCCO said four hours. Click here for the WCCO story.

The video above was shot...

...at Good Sports Bar and Grill, as I called June Leikas--the mother of Annshalike Hamilton-- to get her reaction to the apprehension of Remaro Smith. I was rather surprised to learn she didn't know, and was learning of it from my phone call. She was relieved and as happy as one can reasonably be about this awful kind of thing. I should point out it was the "Pioneer Press" and not the "Post Intelligencer" which published the info on its newswire. I had the name of a Seattle newspaper stuck in my head.

Other exclusive information came to JNS blog, as well. The day before Smith was taken into custody, I learned there had been a car chase and somebody who had been listening on an open frequency told me the details. The chase was at about 12:15 PM, and the name "Remaro Cordell Smith" or something like it was mentioned, possibly "Rodell" The chase was along Southbound I-94 from Dowling Avenue North to Highway 55/7th Street. Police lost Smith before he got to Plymouth Avenue and called off the chase.

However, while police had to break off the chase, Remaro's bail bondsmen were still looking and taking things all personal-like. The following email came from bondsman Jeremy Jacobson, and I'm reproducing it exactly as it came to capture the original flavor of the communication:
----------------
Hello, well Mr Smith was nothing but a little punk and a coward. What all stared this was smith threatened a fellow recovery guy in the buisness. I was at Absolute bonding a few years then Lennie came on board at the company, I stepped away to work at couple different bail bond companies. Hes a great guy with a big heart and a hell of a recovery guy, I have no question when him and I are in a house searching it for someone, I do have complete faith in him for our safety. We have done numourous pickups together with a flawless record of getting people all over the Us

Lennie worked real hard on this file, what all came about was Lennie was trying to get smith to come in like a man, Smith decided against that and decided to run on his bail. Well he ended up getting in to a chase, after that Lennie spoke to him, smith decided to make a threat that he was going to shot him well we decided to get a 4 man team together and start hitting places. Lennie later found smith "our defendent" in a hotel room. we went out there and he was yelling at us and the police that the first one threw the door was going to get blasted. he also made a bunch of other dumb threats too. we started that at about 12:30 to 1 am.. Lennie took that threat personal not like a being scared type way, but a giant F U if you think your going to talk to him that way.

If you can please send the info on this murder case I would really like to know more. Thanx
-------

JNS says: Readers, trust me when I say Jacobson has been directed to the appropriate informative JNS blog posts about Remaro Smith. Given what happened in Roseville, I doubt Smith will get bail ever again for the rest of his life.

Currently, the Ramsey County jail roster shows Smith in custody. One additional piece of info can be gleaned from the roster: Smith was born in Chicago.

On a final note, hearing the name "Lennie" can't help but invoke PTSD-like memories of another Lennie who is well known in North Minneapolis. Let me make it clear how THIS Lennie sounds like a great guy in contrast to this OTHER Lennie, who readers know too well, click here.

DFL Credentials Committee Reportedly Scrutinizes Lennie Chism's Latest Claim Of Residence...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

Lennie "The Heckler" Chism managed to get himself a DFL delegate seat in Precinct 5-4 during last Tuesday's caucus. Lennie, who previously claimed to live in a house at Emerson Ave. N. where the circumstances of his residency were beyond highly dubious and doubtful, click here, now claims to live at 1349 Washburn Ave. N. The house is owned by a man named Larry Tucker. Since there is no rental license at the property in question according to the city's website, it would appear Lennie must live there because he is such excellent company.

I went by the house today and knocked on the door to see if...

...Lennie was indeed living there, since I am told by a confidential source there is a State Senate District 58 Credentials Committee investigation under way within the DFL. An older black gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a friendly, dignified demeanor spoke to me through a window near the door.

I asked if Lennie Chism lived there. I was given a one-word answer: Yes.

Hmmm, almost as though it was expected somebody would come by and make inquiries.

I guess we'll see how this plays out, but in the meantime I have to wonder why a candidate like Lennie--who came in dead last in Ward 5, unable to even beat ROGER SMITHRUD, for god's sake--even bothers. If I were Lennie, I'd invest more time into ordering seed catalogs and planting something pretty on my vacant lot come springtime.

Hints Of New Happenings At The "Uncle Lennie's" Demolition Site...

Photo By John Hoff

There was a noteworthy item in the WHO agenda sent out by Al McFarlane recently, click here for a brief explanation of "Who is WHO?" The agenda item was as follows...

January 28, 2010

Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) presentation on the Homewood Design Competition for the NE corner of Plymouth and Sheridan.

As regular readers know, this location is where the former "Uncle Bill's" store stood, dubbed "Uncle Lennie's" after it was purchased for a relatively small sum by self-styled "businessman" Lennie Chism. Now, as one resident of Jordan phrased it so well....


"Is this something Lennie Chism is involved with, or is it legitimate?"

Anybody who knows something about it is invited to use the reader comments function.

(Blog post by John Hoff, from Corinth, Mississippi)

Insight News Keeps A Low Profile When It Comes To Post-Election Editorials...

Photo By John Hoff, on the Northstar Line

After the November election, in which Council Members Don Samuels and Barb Johnson wiped the floor with their opposition, some of us were eagerly waiting to see what kind of editorial would appear in the pages of Insight News. After all, Insight News had vigorously supported Kenya McKnight and, for good measure, Natalie Johnson-Lee and "woman abuser" Lennie Chism. (Plus Troy Parker, who lost to Barb Johnson) Insight News had printed some of the most vile and disgusting anti-Don Samuels rhetoric, taking race-baiting to a whole new level.

But Kenya's vote totals were abysmal--just over fifteen percent--and Don Samuels won the election handily, actually becoming the first public official in Minneapolis to win through second round IRV voting, quite a historical footnote.

So those of us who are informed and follow neighborhood issues closely just had to wonder what kind of egg-on-face editorial would follow the election? Would Insight News say something along the lines of, "Oh, well, good job, Don...here's some issues we hope you will pay heed to in the next four years?" Or would Insight News cry foul and write some kind of bitter, whiney, pro-loser editorial? (Kind of like the Mpls Mirror?)

Whatever Insight News was going to write, I could hardly wait to read it! After all, it's not easy to say something articulate and graceful after embarrassing oneself so completely. Would Insight News be up to the challenge? Well, as it turns out...

No, Insight News was not up to the challenge. Once the election results were finalized and one might expect some kind of editorial, all Insight News had to offer was valuable advice on completely thawing and cooking your Thanksgiving turkey. Meanwhile, Don Samuels was actually out in the trenches helping to pass out turkeys at Cub Foods.

The strategy of Insight News appeared to be this: say as little as possible, so people will forget more quickly how wrong Insight News was in its hype about Kenya McKnight or, for that matter, in the decision to ignore all the troubling facts around Lennie Chism and just treat him as though he had creditability. In fact, Insight News talked about Lennie bringing "firepower" to the debates. (In fact, Lennie is not allowed to possess a firearm due to his legal problems with abusing a woman) So you have to wonder whether the "firepower" remark was some kind of Freudian slip.

One of my friends who closely follows Northside politics offered this observation. Four years ago, Insight News actually endorsed Don Samuels late, late in the election after mostly beating a drum of racial contention. After the endorsement, Don won the election. So perhaps Insight News got an ego-stroking notion that their endorsement MATTERED. So this election cycle, Insight News not only endorsed Kenya McKnight very early in the race, but sometimes actually seemed to be more involved in her campaign than Kenya herself.

(Word is McKnight expense reports are still being sought to see how those large ads were paid for week after week in the pages of Insight News)

How can any of us forget that excruciating moment at the Fifth Ward DFL Convention when Insight News publisher Al McFarlane spoke so long at the podium about Kenya McKnight, that McKnight herself had 37 seconds to make a speech?

In any case, just because Insight News endorsed Don Samuels four years ago, and Samuels won four years ago, doesn't mean there's a cause-and-effect relationship between the two events. After all, this blog made endorsements and most of our endorsements won, with the sole exception of Park Board candidate Michael Guest; who still made quite a strong showing. But a successful endorsement doesn't cause victory so much as it merely shows a media entity is in tune with the pulse of the majority of voters.

The conclusion, therefore, is inevitable: Insight News is severely out of touch with the pulse of North Minneapolis. Insight News vigorously endorsed what turned out to be a fringe candidate. And as for Lennie Chism, well, the man is a criminal and yet Insight News served him up like he was the greatest thing since...since...smokeless gunpowder.

When readers eagerly expected a post-election editorial, Insight News said nothing. (But did give valuable turkey preparation tips, let's not forget that) Their awkward, guilty silence speaks volumes. And that awkward, guilty silence should not go unremarked. Insight News tore open gaping wounds in the social fabric of North Minneapolis, printing ugly things about a decent man who has helped to turn our neighborhood around. Insight News has much to answer for.

One wonders when the answer will hit the pages of this "dead tree media" or will the awkward, guilty silence go on forever?

Johnny Northside "Gloves Are Off" Post-Election Analysis

Contributed photo


Walking to Cub Foods today, to buy some cage-free organic eggs, walking around unafraid of street crime, practically skipping and jumping with love for my rapidly-improving NoMi neighborhood, I picked up a copy of a not-very-widely-read North Minneapolis publication printed on overly-slick, too-glossy paper kind of like a porno magazine. Careful not to drop my eggs, I flipped through some old articles about candidates in the Fifth Ward city council election.

"Geez," I thought. "What a crude axe job on Don Samuels. Good thing I didn't read this BEFORE the election, because it would really irk me."

While scrambling my eggs, sizzle sizzle, I found myself basking (yes, BASKING) in the post-election world of FOUR MORE YEARS OF DON SAMUELS, WOO HOO!!!!!!!

How Many Years, Don? FOUR MORE YEARS, DON!

Well, I don't want to be a "sore winner" and go on about the crushed, defeated hopes and dreams of the losers--losers who said terrible, ugly, untrue things about Don Samuels--but those articles in The Sentinel really got me going. And even though I was holding back, even being a little bit lazy and procrastinating, I decided over that plate of scrambled eggs that it was time to do the JOHNNY NORTHSIDE "GLOVES ARE OFF" POST-ELECTION ANALYSIS.

So here we go...

Let's start with Lennie Chism, so Lennie can actually be first at something, for once. Lennie appeared to be playing the role of "bad cop" in this election, saying the kind of mean stuff Natalie Johnson-Lee couldn't say, because lord knows it didn't work for her in the last election. Yeah, let's just leave Lennie by the roadside for a moment, and talk about Natalie for a second (or, as the Sentinel called her, "Natvalie.")

Isn't it about time "Natvalie" found something better to do with her life than run against Don Samuels? I just thank god for heavy rain on election day, so people driving along Broadway didn't have to endure the sight of "Natvalie" holding a campaign sign and doing the bah-donk-a-donk for passing cars. I wasn't here four years ago to see it myself, but I've heard the stories.

In any case, what's the most amazing about "Natvalie's" campaign is that she basically used the same tactics, the same arguments that failed four years before. You know that old saying about fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me? Well, what about when you manage to fool yourself twice into thinking you can win? HELLO, she couldn't beat Don in HER OWN WARD after she'd been in office for FOUR YEARS and he was the NEWBIE TO THE FIFTH WARD. So what made her think she could beat Don after she'd been gone four years and CRIME WAS DOWN FORTY PERCENT? That's the kind of delusion which requires more than just a mental reassessment, but may call for actual psychotropic meds. I'm just saying.

Now let's say a word or two about Roger Smithrud. I tell you...

Roger Smithrud has class. And, I might add, good sense. On election night, he came to Don's victory party and reportedly scored more than one slice of pizza after congratulating Don. I picture that scene like something out of The Godfather. First, lay down the Italian opera soundtrack. Then in comes Roger, hat in hand, a terrified look on his face. He approaches Don, trying not to grovel but he's quaking inside. He says, "Don...Don...I don't know what I was thinking, trying to oppose you. I must have been crazy. My no-good slumlord brother, he put me up to it. Please, don't make me meet you at the Butter Roll Bakery. I'll be loyal from now on. I promise. I SWEAR IT--!"

And Don pats Roger on the cheek and says, "Roger...you think I thought for a minute you could hurt me? Roger, you amuse me. It's good, you coming around like this to show respect. Roger, have yourself some pizza. And, oh, hey...I like your hat. Can I have your hat? Thanks, Roger. This is kind of a trophy. I'll put it right next to the brick I got from Uncle Lennie's."

What's really funny about Roger Smithrud is that here's a guy who complained in the pages of The Sentinel about how he couldn't even swing enough time off from work to run a real campaign. And yet his vote totals--minor as they were--still blew Lennie Chism out of the water. And this with Insight News saying nice stuff about Lennie, virtually ignoring Roger.

Oh, yeah, let's talk about Insight News for a moment. This publication did everything in its power to promote Kenya McKnight, including having its publisher--Al McFarlane--speak so long and glowingly of Kenya at the Fifth Ward DFL Convention that there was hardly time for Kenya HERSELF to speak. At times, Kenya seemed almost like the CREATION of Insight News. Gee, I'd sure love to see the campaign expense reports showing who actually paid for all those large "dead tree" ads for Kenya in the pages of Insight News.

But when the rubber met the road, and those who actually SHOWED UP at the polls cast their votes, Kenya had a paltry 15.6 percent of the vote. In fact, she had less votes than 500, the magic number of residents on her so-called "petition" allegedly supporting her run for office.

First of all, this embarrassing public episode shows you what an endorsement from Insight News is worth. Second, Kenya needs to rethink who she lets into her life to advise her and put her up to stuff. Here's free advice to Kenya: go finish up your college degree before you try to run a major metropolitan area. The cringe-worthy misspellings on your Facebook page alone are a good reason to go back to school. And, really, why was Kenya running anyway when she knew the whole thing was rigged by the Queen of England? (Click here if you don't follow what I'm alluding to)

But back to Insight News and Lennie Chism. Insight News praised Lennie as somebody who brought new "firepower" to the contest in the Fifth Ward. OK, so let's talk about Lennie and "firepower." Lennie is a documented abuser of women whose ownership and possession of firearms anywhere in the United States--and Native American nations--is prohibited by law. So the idea of Lennie and "firepower" isn't even legal to have in the same sentence. Is this the kind of "insight" which this publication delivers to the community? Praise for a woman-abuser because their blind hatred of Don Samuels is so strong? I weep for the trees sacrificed to publish their evil gibberish about city council elections. (I will draw the distinction between their abysmal election coverage and their coverage of other stuff, some of which is actually useful and informative though still hardly worth the trees)

Last of the last, let's talk about the mayoral race. Mayor Rybak's tactic of not wasting time on a campaign against fringe opponents paid off handsomely for all of us. The mayor kept this great city running and didn't needlessly waste energy on an election that was already sewed up tighter than a professionally-rolled blunt. (Al Flowers...cough cough) The mayor's opponents were left to stew in the gut-wrenching bile of their own irrelevancy and whine about how the mayor wasn't running a real campaign against a motley grab bag of pity-inducing also-rans.

Mayoral candidate Al "I Am The Community" Flowers predicted he was running second in the mayoral race. In fact, he was third. Way third. When his votes were counted, Al Flowers had four percent. I say again, AL FLOWERS HAS GOT FOUR PERCENT. For those who aren't already familiar with the many North Minneapolis in-jokes about notorious loon Al Flowers, here is one of them: Al Flowers showing up at the JACC press conference, and yelling, "I got FOUR PEOPLE says you was illegal..." Over and over he shouts "I got FOUR people." So when people want to imitate or parody Al Flowers (and people often do) what do they say?

I GOT FOUR PEOPLE--!

Well, what does Al actually have? FOUR PERCENT OF THE VOTE.

Four percent of the vote and a couple bucks will get you a ride on the bus, but that still won't take you to the imaginary intersection of West Broadway and Colfax.

But enough about losers. Let's talk about winning. North Minneapolis (NoMi) just won another four years of unstoppable revitalization. Ironically, the folks who will benefit the most are the ones who were the most vulnerable to the hateful snake oil being sold by shysters like Lennie Chism. Thanks to Don Samuels, jobs and development are coming here, as well as higher-quality housing as slumlords are forced to provide the rental housing equivalent of good customer service. Children who were born into a tough neighborhood might yet live long enough to find themselves in a cool neighborhood, a fun neighborhood, a safe and prosperous place where everybody wants to be. They might take on a new sense of identity and make something of their lives instead of dying on a corner in hail of bullets.

Rumor has it a collective cheer went up inside the election office when the Samuels votes were totaled on the second round. It was like DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD because so many people at city hall couldn't bear the thought of working with Natalie Johnson-Lee. That collective cheer has rippled across our neighborhood, and our city, and as we remake our neighborhood the day is coming when the cheers for Don Samuels will spread across the country and the world. This is NoMi, and the future of NoMi is no longer in doubt.

We've passed the tipping point. We've tipped toward urban utopia.

JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: City Council Candidate Lennie Chism Is A Fraud, Did Not Live In Fifth Ward Address During Election...

Contributed Photo

Lennie Chism, who was defeated soundly and overwhelmingly in his bid for a city council seat in the Fifth Ward, and who is also dealing with charges involving an altercation with his mistress, listed 2519 Emerson Ave. N. as his place of residence during the campaign. Information now in my hands reveals Lennie did not live at that address for a substantial part of the campaign--if ANY of it--and, in fact, the house was being offered for rent without a rental license.

For the record, JNS blog was in possession of this information--or most of it--prior to Election Day. However, I could not get verification or permission from my source to use the info on my blog until the election was over. Lennie ran his race and came in dead last.

Anyway, here's the deal.

Very little activity was noted at the house...

...and, for a long time, a phone book sat moldering on the porch. Yes, I know I've said a lot of harsh things about phone book dumping by Dex and other companies, but sometimes--though rarely--you can glean useful information based on the presence of a rotting phone book. In this case, there just didn't seem to be much activity at the house. But one day, a FOR RENT sign appeared out front.

As is often the case when FOR RENT signs appear in North Minneapolis, eagle-eyed neighborhood activists called 311 immediately to check if there was a rental license. Would-be Northside slum lords may want to take note of that fact. I'm just saying. In this case, Lennie Chism had no rental license at that time.

After this, the same concerned citizen was driving by one day--actually, it was September 15--and the citizen saw somebody doing a showing of the property. So this citizen managed to get a tour as well. There were two people giving the tour. One was a guy named Rick, mid-30s, black. The other was a black female, mid-to-late 30s, believed to be Lennie Chism's estranged wife, Virginia. The woman identified herself as "Virginia."

So the concerned citizen looked all around the property and even managed to take some photos with a cell phone of, for example, black plastic garbage bags over windows where the screen was present but the glass was missing. There were at least two windows like that. The date stamp on the photos allow the citizen to recall, easily, that the tour of the property took place on September 15 during a period of time when Lennie was supposedly living at the property, and using it as his place of residence for campaign purposes.

The terms of a proposed lease were discussed during the tour and included an October 1 move in date, a one year lease at $1,300 a month, and a deposit equivalent to first month's rent. The property owner didn't seem overly concerned about doing a background check. Notably, no mention was made of anything like, "By the way, a guy named Lennie Chism lives here and will be sharing the property with you. Um....by the way, would you mind sharing your car?" 

There was no sign Lennie was living there, and the property was completely empty; no belongings, no furnishings, no NOTHING.

The conclusion is unavoidable: Lennie is a fake and a fraud, and gave a false address for purposes of running for city council. He is, in fact, believed to live in Plymouth, Minnesota. 

It seems possible Lennie didn't cook up this little fraud all by himself. In fact, during the campaign it seemed like it was Lennie's role to be the "bad cop" and say the kind of outrageous things which a candidate like Natalie Johnson Lee couldn't say herself; the divisive and disgusting "Samuels bashing" racial politics which--four years ago--was the dirty job of Booker Hodges and Al Flowers. Whether by design or accident, it went down like that. Lennie played the role of the "bad cop."

But, once again, these ugly tactics didn't succeed. You have to wonder, can't Don's opponents at least find real Northsiders to do the Don-bashing? Al Flowers doesn't live here and now, it would appear, neither did Lennie!

If Lennie Chism wishes to make a response to this blog post, I will be happy to print his response...within reason.

42nd Ave. Station Features Live Bands And (OMG!) Biodegradable Plastic Cups!

Photos By John Hoff, Jeff Skrenes

Here are some photos and videos taken at 42nd Avenue Station shortly after it opened. This coffee shop has clear, fast wireless internet, a great selection comparable to major coffee shop chains and--oh, be still my green, green heart--BIODEGRADABLE PLASTIC CUPS!

Unfortunately, 42nd Avenue Station has pretty much ruined me as a customer for any OTHER food service establishments. See, ever since I used their biodegradable plastic cups, now whenever some other business hands me a regular plastic cup I think...

..."Geez, why are you using regular plastic? Why don't you use GREEN plastic?"

I'd sure like too see this "green plastic" trend take hold in American society. Imagine roads free of plastic litter because, gee, the litter breaks down into compost when exposed for several months to rain and sunlight?

Since 42nd Street Station is really green, I'm going out of my way to promote and patronize this business. Our emerging NoMi lifestyle is green, and getting greener every day. To paraphrase Lennie "The Heckler" Chism, there is a kind of green I'd like to bring to North Minneapolis:

EVERY kind.

BREAKING INSIGHT NEWS: Candidates for Public Office Think Highly of Themselves

Guest post by the Hawthorne Hawkman; image from minnesotaindependent.com.

I don't expect Insight News to be favorable to DFL-endorsed incumbent Don Samuels. After all, the paper endorsed Kenya McKnight early on. And that's their right; just like it's the right of Don Samuels supporters on this blog to stake out our positions.

And I'm not saying that an accurate portrayal of this or any other political debate has to present each candidate in an equal light. Could you imagine what would happen if we had to pretend that Roger Smithrud belonged on that stage as a legitimate candidate? What would happen if...I'm sorry, I wasn't as prepared for this question as I thought I would be.

There were two things that REALLY irked me about this Insight article, however...

First off, there were no quotes from Don Samuels whatsoever. Not what he said at the debate, and not his post-debate thoughts or evaluations. As the incumbent, Don's statements rise to the level of being newsworthy simply because he will be the one representing us until he either steps aside or is not re-elected. The statements of an incumbent at a debate give us context regarding what things are like in an area, how we got to a certain point, and what someone's vision is for moving forward.

I try to put myself in the shoes of someone who does not support CM Samuels, and I think of the 2004 Presidential elections and debates. I was virulently opposed to Dubya (although not really enamored by John Kerry). There was nothing that Bush could have said that would have swayed my vote to him. But yet I found his statements during the campaign and debates to be incredibly pertinent and newsworthy. Why doesn't Insight News at least bring its journalistic standards up to the point where even if they won't be balanced in their coverage, they can at least be substantive in their reporting?

Even more annoying though, were the closing statements from each candidate. McKnight, Johnson Lee, and Chism were all asked which candidate they thought did best at the debates. Oddly enough, Insight News didn't ask Samuels who he thought was most effective. It could be that they didn't feel the need to do that after re-posting an editorial full of racial vitriol reminiscent of the ugliness of the last 5th ward campaign. (And no, I'm not posting a link to that piece of garbage.)

So how did the other candidates answer the question of who they thought did best at the debates? This may come as a shocker, but they all pretty much said, "Believe it or not, it's me."

McKnight, Smithrud, And Chism Fail To File Campaign Expenditures Paperwork...

Photo By John Hoff

According to a reliable source, three candidates in the Fifth Ward City Council race have not filed full and complete campaign finance reports by September 8, as required. The three candidates are Kenya McKnight, Roger Smithrud, and Lennie Chism.

Reportedly, Kenya filed an incomplete and late report on or about September 23, and was notified by the campaign finance authorities that...

Her paperwork was not adequate. McKnight reportedly promised to file a more complete report the next day, but didn't show up and--as of Monday--still has not showed up.

Smithrud and Chism, on the other hand, have filed nothing as of Monday when my source last checked for a filing.

JNS BLOG EDITORIAL: Lennie Chism Needs To Go To Jail...

Stock photo by John Hoff, Lennie talking b.s.

First, check out the Star Tribune and its recent article about Lennie Chism. Chism, a candidate for the 5th Ward, has charges pending against him in a domestic assault case stemming from an incident with his girlfriend. Click here for that article. Chism is married, although involved in what appears to be a very long separation from his wife which has gone on for, like, years. (One report says 15 years, this is unconfirmed)

Several months ago, Lennie took a plea deal to a theft case involving the woman's bed, so apparently the new charges will make that old charge come back to haunt him, like the Ghost of Furniture Past. (Addendum: it appears the "haunting" will be in the public eye by having the old charge brought up and mentioned again, if the charge is indeed beyond the threshold of however many months as one commenter to this post asserts)

Lennie has truly made his bed and now will have to lie in it. The Star Tribune article is informative, but unfortunately had only police and Lennie Chism as sources. Thus, Lennie is simply allowed to blast his victim as a "woman scorned" without any response from the victim, if she feels like speaking to the media at all. In fact, Lennie has gone even further and characterized the assault case as a...

..."set up," as though political opponents or personal enemies somehow contacted his girlfriend and arranged an elaborate espionage-like scenario to use Lennie's mooching of her vehicle to create a domestic violence incident. This complete lack of remorse, along with blasting his victim through quotes to a reporter--a fine reporter, just doing his job with the sources available--is something the prosecutors should take into consideration when dealing with the charges against Lennie Chism.

Lennie's actions would be bad enough if he were just an ordinary, standard-issue version of the big-talking two-bit player, all flash and no cash, involved in various business schemes and dreams that don't pan out, mooching a car off his long-suffering girlfriend and then blowing up when she wants the car back. That's bad enough. But Lennie is running for public office. Lennie (who can't take responsibility for his own messy, failed relationship) now asserts he is good enough to take responsibility for an entire city council ward.

Frankly, I'm not terribly concerned Lennie could win this election. Roger "Garden Gnome" Smithrud has a better chance. Lennie has put relatively little energy into campaigning. I see that he did erect a campaign sign at 1901 Glenwood Ave. N., the location of his Springboard Economic Development Headquarters.

(Gee, since that's the headquarters of a non-profit, why is there a political yard sign erected on the property? Am I unclear about that rule? Somebody feel free to explain the application of that "non-profits not being involved in political campaigns thing" to me)

No, I'm more concerned that a ruthless character like Lennie Chism might produce fake voters, and that the second choices on those votes could tip the election now that Instant Runoff Voting is being used for the first time.

I sincerely hope the prosecutors involved in this domestic violence case take note of Lennie's lack of remorse and his harsh words against his victim, blasted into the world via "dead tree" media and the supporting Star Tribune website. No disrespect to the reporter, Steve Brandt, but I felt a response was warranted in defense of the victim.

And now here's a little song, click here. Let us think hard about the reality of domestic violence and what it does to our society.

To Lennie Chism: you are off the rails. You need to get some professional help. Be contrite in public, drop out of the Fifth Ward race and cast yourself on the mercy of the court before it's too late to salvage your messed-up life and you go to jail for a good long stretch.

JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Lennie Chism Arrest Document In PDF Form Contains Horrible Details Of Lennie's Controlling Rages, Threats, Violence...

Contributed Photo

First, let's get right to the most informative part. Here is a link to the Lennie Chism arrest report, click here.

The long document, which describes the incident in bits and pieces, contains interesting and shocking details, including the following:

Lennie Chism, a married man, reportedly threatened to post nude pictures of his girlfriend on the internet. During an argument, Lennie allegedly pulled her hair. A vicious dispute took place over ownership of a bed, with Lennie finally showing up and just taking the bed, according to a witness.

According to police, Lennie and his girlfriend, Monika Shannon, were pulled over AT GUNPOINT after leaving in the vehicle during the domestic violence incident which became the basis of the restraining order against Lennie. This blog is trying to determine whether criminal charges are pending against Chism.

(Do not click "Read More")

Fifth Ward Candidate Lennie Chism Pushed Woman From Moving Car, Can't Have Guns For Two Years...

Stock photo, debri from "Uncle Lennie's" demolition site, by John Hoff

Fifth Ward Candidate Lennie Chism is many things: a not terribly successful building developer. A notorious disruptive heckler. A man who lost his business property to foreclosure. And now, according to the Fourth District Judicial Court, Lennie is a woman-abuser and a potentially dangerous man.

According to Judge Jay M. Quam, Lennie shoved a woman from a moving car and can't have guns for a year.

Lennie Chism is known to be married. Despite this, the woman (Monika Caren Shannon) appears to be...

...a former mistress or ex-girlfriend, based on rather blatant and obvious information and inference from the court's detailed Amended Order For Protection, dated September 17, 2009, at 3:39 PM. (Court file no. 27 FA 09-6177) Information developed while this post was in progress shows Lennie and Monika were involved in a business venture together, click here for the website. The business is known as "American Computer Support" but doesn't appear to have any recent activity on its bare-bones website. 

Chism himself--speaking in his own defense--tried to describe Shannon as "a woman scorned." Why Lennie was with this woman in the first place--borrowing her car, en route to a wedding--is not fully explained in the document, though access to a full transcript of the court proceedings would hopefully answer some of those questions. For now, I have the court's order.

Due to the fact putting this document in PDF form would take me another day--since I don't have access to the equipment right this moment--I'm going to type out the order verbatim. Let the reader judge the truth of the matter.

* * * *

The above-entitled matter came for hearing before the Honorable Jay M. Quam on September 17, 2009. Petitioner appeared pro se and was accompanied by an advocate. Petitioner's address for service is (address withheld at the discretion of JNS blog, but it is not in Minneapolis). Respondent appeared pro se. Respondent's address for service is 1901 Glenwood Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55405.

(Note by JNS: this is not the address Lennie uses at 2519 Emerson Ave. N. while running for public office)

Based upon all the evidence, and all of the files, recordings, and proceedings,

THE COURT FINDS:

1.) This matter is before the Court for an evidentiary hearing on Petitioner's Petition and Affidavit for an Ex Parte Permanent Order for Protection, filed on September 1, 2009.

2.) During the September 17, 2009, hearing, Petitioner and Respondent testified under oath. Petitioner and Respondent also both submitted exhibits in support and opposition to the Order for Protection.

3.) Petitioner alleges that on August 30, 2009, Respondent physically assaulted Petitioner. Petitioner's affidavit describes the assault as occurring in the following way:

Last week I wanted to end my relationship with the Respondent. I had been letting him use my car, but I wanted to get it back. When I told him I wanted him to return my car, he refused to cooperate in giving it back to me. We were supposed to go to a weeding (sic, presumably "wedding") together on August 30, 2009 so when he came to pick me up, I planned to take my car back then...

(Paragraph break not in original document)

When he got there I asked him to give me the keys to the car and I told him I would drop him off wherever he wanted to. He refused to do that. He became angry and was swearing at me, saying, "Screw you! Fuck you! You do it my way!" He wanted me to get in the car with him, but I did not want to. I was standing in front of the car so he would not leave. He got out of the car, yelling at me and swinging his arms, saying, "You're really pissing me off! Get out of the way!"

(Paragraph break not in original document)

When I tried to reach in twice to get my keys, I he (sic) grabbed my head and pushed me out of the car. Then he started driving, dragging me until I fell and rolled. That caused a scratch on my ankle and my shoulder, knee, and butt hurt as a result of the fall. Once I fell, he stopped the car and got out to help me.

...

Petitioner's testimony in Court was consistent with her affidavit, and it was creditable. The Court accepts Petitioner's testimony as accurately describing the events of August 30, 2009.

4. Respondent denies Petitioner's allegations. Respondent states that Petioner was overreacting and that he had agreed on multiple times to return Petitioner's car to her. As to the events of August 30, 2009, Respondent states that although both parties yelled at one another, Petitioner's injuries were purely accidental and not the result of Respondent's intent to harm Petitioner.

5. Respondent further states that Petitioner is a "scorned woman" and that Petitioner obtained her Ex Parte Order for protection simply to react and tarnish the Respondent's good name.

(JNS says: LMFAO)

The Court rejects this assertion.

6. The Court finds Petitioner carried her burden of proving that Respondent inflicted fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury, or assault under Minnesota Statutes 518B (2009). Accordingly, the Court should issue an Order for Protection against Respondent and on behalf of Petitioner at this time.

7.) Petitioner was born on 08/28/1976.

8.) Respondent was born on 07/9/1965.

IT IS ORDERED:

1.) Respondent SHALL NOT COMMIT ANY ACTS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE against Petitioner.

This specifically includes:

A. Causing imminent physical harm, bodily injury, or assault.

B. Causing fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury, or assault.

C. Making terroristic threats.

D. Engaging in criminal sexual conduct.

E. Interfering with an emergency phone call.

2. Respondent SHALL NOT GO TO OR ENTER the residence of Petitioner at (address withheld by JNS blog) or any future residences.

RESPONDENT SHALL NOT ENTER OR STAY AT PETITIONER'S HOME, EVEN IF INVITED BY PETITIONER OR ANY OTHER PERSON.

3. Respondent SHALL NOT CONTACT Petitioner in person, by telephone, by letter, by third party, or by any electronic means, such as pager, cell phone, e-mail, etc. EXCEPTIONS TO NO CONTACT: NONE.

Respondent shall have no contact with Petitioner at Petitioner's current job site, or any future job site.

4. This Order for Protection expires on September 17, 2011.

5. NOTICE ABOUT ARREST AND JAIL:

A violation of this Order may be a misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, or felony. A misdemeanor violation may result in up to 90 days in jail, or a $1,000 fine, or both. A repeat violation may be a gross misdemeanor, and may result in up to one year in jail, or a $3,000 fine, or both. A police officer must arrest and take into custody a person whom the officer believes has violated this Order.

6. NOTICE ABOUT DEPORTATION AND ENFORCEMENT.

A violation of this Order for Protection is a deportable offense. If you are not a United States citizen, a violation of this Order could result in your deportation.

This Order for Protection is enforceable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, tribal lands, and the United States territories. Violation of this Order for Protection may subject the Respondent to federal charges and punishment.


7. NOTICE ABOUT FIREARMS:

Respondent must not possess, ship, transport, or receive any firearm or ammunition while this Order is in effect.

8. Petitioner shall give notice of any new address to the Domestic Abuse Service Center and to the local law enforcement office.

A. A copy of this order must be forwarded to the new law enforcement agency within 24 hours of notification of a change in residence, whether notification is given to the Domestic Abuse Service Center or to the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the applicant's new residence.

B. An Order for Protection is enforceable even if the applicant does not notify the Domestic Abuse Service Center or the appropriate law enforcement agency of a change in residence.

BY THE COURT:

Dated: September 17, 2009

Jay M. Quam
Judge of District Court

Restraining Order On Lennie Chism, 5th Ward City Council Candidate...

Stock Photo, Me And Lennie

Readers who follow this blog know my "NorthsideJohnny" Twitter updates are often a harbinger of blog content to come. So those who follow me on Twitter already know this:

Lennie Chism had some kind of heated dispute with a woman named...

Monika Caren Shannon. (Note unusual spellings)

The dispute involved a vehicle and happened back in August. A request for a restraining order--made by Ms. Shannon--happened on September 17. Shannon upheld her burden of proof in court. The court file is 27-FA09-6177. This is assumed to be the same Monika Shannon who lists Lennie Chism on her Facebook pages as of today, click here for her profile. I have sent a message to Shannon and asked for any details she cares to provide.

This is all the info I have at this point, relayed by cell phone from a trusted source. I hope to have actual documents in my hands today or tomorrow and get more details posted.

Lennie "The Heckler" Chism has my email address and has access to the comments function if he wants to elaborate on his side of this little drama. Of particular interest: what is Lennie's relationship to this woman, Monika Caren Shannon?

Uncle Lennie Demo Gets Romantic Soundtrack On YouTube...

A resident of NoMi, relatively new to YouTube but obviously learning rapidly, took some footage of the "Uncle Lennie" demolition and set it the very lovely "Canon In D" classic music piece.

For the record, the original soundtrack was...



..."Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye, but YouTube doesn't allow free use of that copyright music. Which is too bad, because the backhoe butt waggles were so perfectly choreographed with the hose work.

Sigh. Life ain't perfect, but when history gets written there are often a lot of typos and compromises. Enjoy the video. I know I do.

Uncle Bill's Building Was "Dry Rotted" And Came Apart Like Gingerbread...

Here is yet more video of the old Uncle Bill's store falling apart like a house made of gingerbread, as insubstantial as the dream of a so-called entrepreneur who really doesn't have the jack to back up his long-winded b.s.

Note the way the bricks turn to dust at the slightest touch of the backhoe and the conversation with one of the workmen at the scene, who says the building is dry rotted.

(Do not click "Read More")

Not Even the Backhoe Wants to Touch the Mattress!

Guest post and photo by the Hawthorne Hawkman


While watching the demolition of "Uncle Lennie's" today, I happened to notice a few mattresses sitting off to the side. Knowing the kind of characters that would reside in this building, the mattresses were NOT a pretty sight. When the backhoe found YET ANOTHER one...

it picked up the mattress by the very edge, almost like a parent holding a dirty diaper. Yet another reason to be glad this place is gone.