Tough Questions Being Asked About Ishmael Israel (Formerly Known As Sean Cory Brunswick) And NRRC...

Image from Ishmael Israel Dot Com, used
under First Amendment Fair Comment and
Criticism, blog post by John Hoff

Tempest, Meet Teapot 

A previous article here on Johnny Northside has, I am told, caused quite a stir in certain neighborhood circles and the ripples have reached as far as Minneapolis City Hall where (I am told) tough questions are being asked about Ishmael Israel (formerly known as "Sean Cory Brunswick") and what is, precisely, his role at NRRC? And is there any conflict of interest? 

Apparently at least a few highly involved citizens were quietly rumbling about what was happening with NRRC but the blog article was sort of a catalyst for conversation. 

Glad to help. 

Layers Of Delicious Oniony Goodness, Um, Wait, Just Make That Delicious And Oniony 

One source told me Israel has so many onion-like layers that getting to the bottom would be a massive project, but my source tipped me off that the key to unlocking "Israeli history" would be to learn Israel's name before he changed it to "Israel Ishmael." 

Well, click here. His former name of "Sean Cory Brunswick" is on a Consent Order of the State of Minnesota Commissioner of Commerce denying Israel a real estate salesperson license because of criminal history.

Other searches using "Sean Cory Brunswick" easily turn up other interesting stuff, enough to have "neighborhood types" concerned about this guy...

Scuttlebutt Bubbling, Gossip Circulating And Dissatisfaction Brewing With Ishmael Israel, Kind-Of, Sort-Of, But-Not-Really "Executive Director" Of NRRC...

Facebook photo used under First Amendment Fair Comment

and Criticism, blog post by John Hoff

Pictured on the right, Ishmael Israel of NRRC. (On the left, of course, Al Flowers) 

I had to swear a blood oath upon Minnesota's shield law to obtain this information from a neighborhood source, who has been very reliable, insightful and detailed in the past. But I'm still trying to make sense of the story, which is a tangle of neighborhood politics. In other words, the kind of thing only a neighborhood blog cares about for a neighborhood audience. 

If Mr. Ishmael Israel of NRRC would like to send me an email with his side of the story, I welcome his response and will publish it, within reason. 

But here's what I'm being told...

Contrasting Information in the NRRC Staff and Property Story

Contributed Photo of Johnny Northside playing the "telephone" game

About a month ago, Johnny Northside Dot Com reported that there was a story circulating within the northside movers and shakers scene that mirrored an "Old Majority JACC" (click here for an explanation of what THAT refers to) style move in which computers and files had been not-so-legally removed from the NRRC (Northside Residents Redevelopment Council) offices. 


Today, an opposing version of the story emerged from a source close to NRRC.  So in true Johnny Northside fashion of publishing all sides of a story here is the alternate version:

NRRC has been forced to lay off all the staff members (my commentary: presumably due to lack of funds although the source did not state this reason).  The board member volunteers have been trying to keep the organization going, but have had some challenges (my commentary: understandably so, going from full and part time staff to no staff and volunteers who likely have their own full time jobs is a major challenge).  The volunteer board members have been going through paperwork that is, in some cases, decades old and no longer needed.  This is where the shredded documents rumor comes from; documents were shredded because they were old and no longer needed, not because someone did something nefarious.

One computer that was rarely used was sent off to be donated, by some misunderstanding by the last staff member on the last day of employment.  This decision was quickly reversed by the board members and the computer was returned the next day.  NRRC had a policy to store electronic documents on a web-based server and not on a hard drive, so the computer should not have had any documents on it anyways. ~NRRC volunteer

As always, anyone with additional details, information or commentary should feel free to use the comment section.  You know, it's completely anonymous.


(Do Not Click "Read More")

JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Somebody At NRRC Reportedly Pulled An "Old Majority" Style Move: Computers Missing, Records Shredded...

Stock photo, missing computer in North Minneapolis, ho hum,blog post by John Hoff

In a development which sounds mysteriously similar to a controversy which happened in the Jordan Neighborhood, click here for one sample story, a reliable source reports secondhand information that computers are missing at the office of NRRC (Northside Residents Redevelopment Council) and office records have been shredded. This incident reportedly happened some time earlier this week. This information is unconfirmed but solid enough by blogosphere standards for publication with the aforementioned caveat included. Johnny Northside Dot Com seeks more information, photos, commentary from anybody in the know and has avoided the publication of any name(s) reportedly associated with this allege incident until and unless more information comes forward, either to this blog or via other media.

NRRC (pronounced like "NERK") is an umbrella-like neighborhood uber-organization which...

...a few years ago, had swallowed up some smaller neighborhood organizations and/or brought those organizations under its influence...specifically, Near North and Willard Hay. However, in recent years the organization had struggled to survive, as documented in this 2007 City Pages article, click here. It sure seems like there was a whole lot of money flowing through NRRC, and not much to show for it.

This recent incident, if true, may be the swan song of an organization which has existed in some form or another since 1968 but, in all likelihood, has been bypassed by more successful, well-managed, and forward-thinking forces of revitalization.