Bankruptcy And Court Filings Of Slumlord Steve Meldahl Show Neighborhood Social Media Pressure And 311 Carpet Bombing Brought Down A Slumlord Empire...

Photo of "Steve Meldahl World Headquarters," blog
post by John Hoff

Click here for document from the Minnesota Court of Appeals. 

Game Of Slummy Thrones 

Steve Meldahl is an infamous North Minneapolis slumlord whose empire has crumbled to the point all the king's horses and all the king's men won't be putting Steve Meldahl back together again. With information provided by blogger "Camden Canary," back in January JNS blog revealed details of Meldahl's complex bankruptcy, click here. This blog has written quite a lot about Meldahl over the years, click here for an example.

But recently a reader drew my attention to a court of appeals opinion (see document linked at top) which reveals further juicy details about the collapse of Meldahl's slummy empire of eggshells...

Slow, Painful Collapse Of Mohamad Amro's Slumlord Empire, A Stark And Terrible Warning To Bad Actors Thinking About "Investing" In North Minneapolis Property...

Contributed photo, 2519 3rd St. N, blog post by John Hoff

Mohamad Amro, who earned lasting fame on this blog as "Mr. Slummy" and inadvertently helped to launch the independent blogging career of the Hawthorne Hawkman, hasn't been written about for a while. In order to create a decent one-post interval between Part Thirty-Six and Thirty-Seven of the Madness of Jill Clark, it's about time for an update about the slow, painful collapse of what once promised to be a sprawling empire of slum...

Broadway Liquor Outlet (BLO) Is A Pile Of Bricks On West Broadway...

Photo, blog post by John Hoff

Broadway Liquor Outlet, (BLO) extensively damaged in the North Minneapolis tornado, was demolished in the last couple days, see photo above.

I thought this milestone moment should be documented. A new BLO is planned nearby, no thanks to "Level Three Slum Offender" Keith Reitman, who could star in the very first episode of a new reality television show called "Slummy Property Hoarders."

Commenting about his refusal to sell a run down property to become part of a new BLO, Keith Reitman quoted the rock singer Madonna and said, "I'm keeping my baby."

This blogger would like to remind Keith Reitman that "Material Girl" was a much bigger hit for Madonna, and "the boy with the cold hard cash is always Mr. Right."

Criminal Record For Roosevelt Montgomery, Level Three Sex Offender Whose Flight Led To Accidental Police Shooting...

MN DOC mugshot, therefore public domain, blog post by John Hoff

Roosevelt Montgomery is the Level Three Sex Offender whose attempt to flee from Minneapolis police led to an accidental officer shooting in North Minneapolis. A couple of pit bulls ran outside along with Montgomery, and when  police fired at the charging pit bulls, a ricochetting bullet hit one officer in the leg.

Subsequently, the owners of the pits bulls were angry about the police shooting and claimed, ridiculously, that 15 to 20 rounds had been fired at the dogs.

Johnny Northside says, "If an official police report surfaces saying at least 15 rounds were fired--never mind 20, if the report proves at least 15--I will post video on YouTube of myself getting a good, hard kick in the ass. In other words: FIFTEEN ROUNDS MY ASS!!!!"

Also, I'm wondering out loud if those dogs were even LICENSED.

But in regard to Roosevelt Montgomery...


Here's what I can find of his criminal record online. This doesn't even seem to include whatever crime made him a Level Three Sex Offender...

27-CR-05-020305
MONTGOMERY, ROOSEVELT
04/06/1969
04/05/2005
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
INTERFERE WITH EMERGENCY TELEPHONE CALL
DOMESTIC ASSAULT IN THE FIFTH DEGREE-HARM
DOMESTIC ASSAULT IN THE FIFTH DEGREE-FEAR'
DOMESTIC ASSAULT IN THE FIFTH DEGREE-FEAR
DOMESTIC ASSAULT IN THE FIFTH DEGREE-FEAR
DISORDERLY CONDUCT

He pled guilty to the disorderly conduct. Everything else was dismissed. You got yourself a heck of a deal, Mr. Montgomery! Got a small fine and probation. Got credit for 3 days against a 45 day sentenced, stayed. Incredibly, he still owes $64.63 as of today.

27-CR-05-056326
MONTGOMERY, ROOSEVELT
04/06/1969
09/06/2005
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
ASSAULT IN THE THIRD DEGREE
TERRORISTIC THREATS

Pled guilty to assault and the terroristic threats charge was dismissed. Once again, well played, Mr. Montgomery. Got unsupervised probation. Got credit for 26 days against a term of 180 days, to serve as work release. Anger management. No contact with the victim. $50 fine, with $50 stayed.

27-CR-05-068520
MONTGOMERY, ROOSEVELT
04/06/1969
10/25/2005
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
ASSAULT 5TH DEGREE/DOMESTIC-FEAR
ASSAULT 5TH DEGREE (DOMESTIC)-HARM
ASSAULT IN THE 5TH DEGREE-FEAR
ASSAULT IN THE 5TH DEGREE-HARM
DISORDERLY CONDUCT
CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY

Pled guilty to one count of assault in the fifth degree, the rest were dismissed. Oh, my word, this man is the MASTER OF THE PLEA BARGAIN!!! Got a sentence of 45 days with credit for 45 days served.

27-CR-06-010464
MONTGOMERY, ROOSEVELT
04/06/1969
02/13/2006
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
TERRORISTIC THREATS
DOMESTIC ASSAULT

He might be the master of the plea bargain but heaven knows Montgomery NEEDS to be, because he just doesn't LEARN. Pled and convicted of domestic assault, but the terroristic threat charge was dismissed. Got a term of 365 days and CREDIT for 365 days.

02-CR-10-288
Montgomery, Roosevelt
04/06/1969
01/11/2010
Anoka
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
Assault-5th Degree-Gross Misdemeanor
Assault-4th Deg-Motivated By Bias

Wow, you don't see the "motivated by bias" charge very often. He wasn't convicted of it, however. It was dismissed. He was convicted of the OTHER assault charge, however, and was sentenced to 180 days in the Anoka County Jail, which was "credit for time already served."


27-CR-11-2539
MONTGOMERY, ROOSEVELT
04/06/1969
01/31/2011
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown
Magill, Frank J., Jr.
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
Assault-3rd Degree
Domestic Assault

Pled not guilty. Changed his plea for one count. Convicted of the 3rd Degree Assault, the Domestic Assault was dismissed. He went to St. Cloud over this one, not just the Hennepin County Workhouse. He was required to report May 23, 2011 with credit for 112 days served. I am having difficulty determining what happened after that, but Montgomery still owes $50 on this particular conviction.

On the Hennepin County Jail Roster, a public document, Montgomery's address is listed as 236 Clifton Ave. S. This address should probably be 236 Clifton Ave., no "South" is needed. This is the address of a house operated by a program called 180 degrees, click here for their website.

Whatever help 180 Degrees may have given Roosevelt Montgomery, it appears he still remained on a heading of zero degrees. Also, I have to wonder if 180 Degrees has anything to do with the routine and constant dumping of Level Three Sex Offenders in the 55411 zip code, to the point these "L3S0s" have become dangerously concentrated. Here's a little song I wrote about that, click here, you might want to sing it note by note.

I attempted to determine what house Montgomery fled from on the 1600 block of 22nd Ave. N. by scrutinizing ownership records of every house on that block, searching for Bobby and Leah Anderson. Leah is the sister of Montgomery who states she told him not to come around the house. Bobby and Leah were quoted in the press, angry one of their precious pit bulls was shot after reportedly charging police. I was unable to find any house in that area owned by Bobby and/or Leah Anderson. There was a house with an "Anderson" listed but "Anderson" is a common name.

One thing I noticed is the block has a strong slumlord influence. Mahmood Khan owns the house at 1614 22nd Ave. N. and another at 1621 22nd Ave. N. Morris "Cuckoo" Klock owns a rental at 1627 22nd Ave. N. The presence of even ONE house owned by these slumlords is enough to infect an area with the slummy virus, yet this block has THREE such houses. And somewhere on that block lives the sister of the Level Three Sex Offender, a pit bull enthusiast.

So, well, there you have him. Roosevelt Montgomery, who is probably sitting somewhere right now LAUGHING and BRAGGING about how his frantic flight from police caused an officer to get accidentally shot in the leg.

Mr. Slummy Keeps on Earning the Nickname

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

Mohammed Amro of Amro's Properties Inc, has slowly but surely been progressing on his monstrosity at 2515 3rd St N. (Which has delinquent taxes, by the way.) The emphasis on slowly is apt, as I was informed over a month ago that he had been assessed for failing to complete the siding on the structure in a timely fashion. But yet, these recent photos indicate that the job STILL isn't done.

Recently, another organizer had stopped by to talk to the family living directly to the south of this property. From day one of his slumminess, they have had to deal with dirt from 2515 3rd spilling over into their yard, ruining their garden and fence. In response to THAT issue, Amro reportedly said...

...the fence is actually HIS fence, so it doesn't matter if it's bent out of shape. (Even if this is true, it does nothing to alleviate the grading issue.)

The organizer also noted large panes of broken glass strewn throughout the premises, but upon my inspection, I did not see them. As one can see from the laundry list of special assessments, this is one of the few times Amro has cleaned up his own mess.

The photos above also show that he's ripped off the front porch and used three colors of siding that don't quite match.

Once again, this blog wishes to remind readers that the area is zoned for a maximum of two residential units, and the anticipated finished square footage indicates a use of three or more units upon completion.

SOUND THE ALARM! MR. SLUMMY IS BACK TO WORK!

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

As I was leaving town on Friday, I noticed a ladder up against the side of the house at 2515 3rd St N. I made a mental note to call 311 about it, but that slipped my mind until today. Clearly Mohammed Amro of Amro's Properties Inc., or as we call him on JNS, "Mr. Slummy," is back to work.

Back to work? How could THAT be? Last year, at a Heart of the City picnic, NoMi residents noted five bathtubs visible inside the property. After we called that in to 311 and CM Hofstede, we were told that a stop work order had been issued until Amro presents plans that are in compliance with the R2-B (two-unit residential) zoning requirements for the property.

But yet, when I called 311 TODAY...

...I was told that no such orders existed. According to this 311 operator, either the stop work order had never been issued, or the property owner met the criteria for being able to start work again.

If Amro does indeed have permission to do this work, then where are the plans? The first picture above shows roof work being done. The second shows ladders both on the exterior and in the interior of the property. The second-to-last shot shows a window that's been installed, and finally, he's cut open one of the bottom windows and once again left his property open to trespass.

A message was left with CM Hofstede's office today. Hawthorne neighbors expect to see either YET ANOTHER stop work order issued against Amro, or the plans that he presumably presented and the city presumably approved showing that this house will be a 2-unit structure.

Mr. Slummy Owes Some Money

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman (with one exception noted below)

Earlier this week, Hawthorne residents had noticed renewed activity over at "Mr. Slummy's" properties - 2515 and 2519 3rd St N. At this point, there doesn't seem to be much happening at 2515 other than pushing some dirt around. Given some unresolved issues and a stop work order at the address, a 311 call was made nonetheless.

Coincidentally, at a recent social gathering among "NoMi Homies," we were theorizing where "Mr. Slummy" (real name: Mohammed Amro, doing business as Amro's Properties) got his money from. After all, the work he's done, while lacking permits and being out of zoning compliance, can't be free. So I went down to Hennepin County to do a little digging--not as much digging as shown above, but digging nonetheless.

Before we get to that, however, I realize that since winning the City Pages best local blog in 2010, we may have some new readers unfamiliar with this story. So to summarize...

...Hawthorne activists such as Dyna Sluyter were posting about Amro's half-demolition of 2515 3rd St N over Easter weekend in 2009. Connie Nompelis posted about this on her blog and she and other Hawthornites contacted me while I was on vacation in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. As soon as I got back, I confronted a person I believe was Mr. Amro although I didn't get his name. His work was shut down on Easter Monday, and John blogged about it here. The first picture above is from that day, and the second shot would later become a visual metaphor for Amro's precarious financial situation.

In an interesting historic twist, the first comment on that blog post was an anonymous person who coined the name "Hawthorne Hawkman." I liked the nickname so much I changed my Google profile from "The Mortgage Geek" to what you see now. In this way, Mr. Slummy and the Hawthorne Hawkman are forever intertwined.

A very extensive photo gallery of Mr. Slummy's work can be found on my personal Facebook page.

But even with an initial stop work order, Amro applied for permits and resumed his work. This work included adding six egress windows and building an addition so large that nobody really believed he would comply with the residential two-unit (R2-B) zoning for the area. Those suspicions were confirmed when, at a 2009 Heart of the City picnic, five bathtubs were seen inside the property (which was flagrantly open to trespass, making such observations rather convenient).





We got the property boarded up, though. (photo below taken by John Hoff)



Fast forward to the present day. Work has been largely stopped at 2515 3rd St N, although Amro's white pickup truck is often seen in front of 2519 3rd St N. He owns this property as well, and even though he stripped off the siding and put in ugly windows, it appears as if most everything he's done at 2519 has been up to code, with permits, and in compliance with zoning.

What he HASN'T done, however, is actually PAID some of the people who did the work. Siwek Lumber and Millwork filed a mechanic's lien against 2519 3rd St N in October of last year for the amount of $14,841.06 for unpaid work from 4/4/09 through 10/8/09. The lien is filed against the property and against Mohammed Amro as well as Amro's Properties Inc.

There is also a second lien filed by the same entity for the same reasons at 2515 3rd St N in the amount of $12,216.11. Interestingly, there is no mortgage filed against either property. Amro either purchased with cash, or in some under-the-table way in which the holder of the debt has not filed a lien against the properties. Clearly the work done at both places far exceeds $27,000. So the next question is this: did Mr. Slummy pay for that work out of pocket, or does he owe more money in ways that haven't surfaced yet?

And speaking of surfaces, there is still an unresolved issue. Amro did not remove the mounds of dirt he created when excavating. He merely pushed it around and leveled off both of his properties. The problem with that, as evidenced below, is that the house to the south has had their fence damaged. And every time it rains, dirt washes into their garden. Amro needs to remedy this issue before even more fees pile up.

2515 3rd St N Flagrantly Open to Trespass!

Guest post and photo by the Hawthorne Hawkman

While I was on the road, leaving "Snowmageddon" to visit family in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (NOT an improvement in the weather department, by the way) I received a message about Mr. Slummy's house in Hawthorne...

This house - and I use that term loosely at this point - has first floor openings that anyone can just waltz right into. Area residents have seen what they describe as "small children enter[ing] the building through the unsecured openings."

The family living next door to 2515 has had numerous concerns regarding this property from the very beginning. An eight-foot hole covering an entire backyard was left with no silt fence and no protective measures to keep kids from falling in. The city did act quickly in this regard, but shouldn't have had to even lift a finger to get Mohammed Amro to apply at least the simplest regard for the lives and safety of children in the neighborhood.

The mounds of dirt ruined the fence separating the two properties, and reportedly Mr. Slummy even tried to bully the family into tearing down the fence entirely (despite the fact that these kind folks are renters and not owners). The dirt excavated from 2515 was mostly spread around on that site, leading to a 2-6 inch difference in the height of his yard in comparison to the neighbors'. They had a garden along the fence and that sudden change in levels, separated only by a chain-link fence, causes the dirt to seep across into the other yard every time it rains.

Furthermore, the family has children who play soccer together with kids who live at a house next to 3020 6th St N. So of course they rightly wonder not if but when 2515 will fall victim to arson if it is left unsecured. Frankly, I look at the amount of money Amro would have had to sink in to building this extension (got to be at LEAST $20,000, probably upwards of $60,000) and I think that a post-arson insurance payout is the most financially viable thing Mr. Slummy can accomplish with this structure. I wonder if it is being left open in a deliberate attempt to increase the chance of a fire. Even if the house must be demolished at this point, that needs to happen so that Mr. Slummy gets slapped with the demo cost as a special assessment, not so that an insurance company picks up the tab.

This blog would like to thank the city of Minneapolis and its departments and employees who have done a tremendous job in response so far. The fact that this abomination of housing was stopped in its tracks is a testament to the progress we're making in NoMi. But when his property is this wide open to trespass, it reminds us we still have work to do.

Hawthorne Housing Quick Hits

Guest post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

I dedicated my weekend to taking pictures of every single Pamiko property this weekend. But on my way out to do that, I stopped by a few places of note in Hawthorne to check on progress. Here's what I found...

First up, 409 31st Ave N appears headed for demolition any day now. The water's been turned off at the street. This property was owned by Vicki Cox-Maxwell, the wife of convicted mortgage fraud felon Larry "Maximum" Maxwell. In what seems like a whole other era at this point, 409 31st was also a very frequent target of squatters breaking into the place. We'll finally see this structure get the fate it unfortunately deserves.

The next two pictures are of 2515 3rd St N. Those concrete blocks weren't there until recently. As far as neighbors are aware, Mr. Slummy has had a stop work order placed on that particular property (but not the adjacent one he owns at 2519). He's been seen doing plenty of work at 2519, but if anyone sees work being done at 2515, let's keep each other informed (and call 311).

The next picture is of a demolished house just off of 25th Ave N and 3rd St N. I don't have an address offhand. The house that was there used to be a beautiful, historic property. It went into foreclosure, fell into disrepair, and was deemed unsalvageable. I agree with the decision to demolish the house once it got to that point, but I lament the fact that it deteriorated at all in the first place.

Finally, the garage at 619 26th Ave N is now boarded as it was open to trespass. The city, and not the owner or Realtor did this, indicating the likelihood that this property will continue to be neglected. Let's hope it doesn't share a fate similar to the lot of the unknown property.

Coming up next, the Pamiko photo tour.

Stupid Home Repairs, Addition Edition

Guest post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

I was out doing a rather successful round of foreclosure prevention doorknocking when I came across the house shown above. This is 2901-03 James Ave N.

Jordanites, feel free to comment on how or why this design was ever approved. My guess is that somebody just went ahead and added this outrageously ugly section of a house that doesn't look anything like the rest of the structure or anything else on the block. Only AFTER it was complete did they ask permission of any kind. Oh, and take a look at that last shot. House markers in sharpie!

(Do not click "Read More," but do be grateful that folks like "Mr. Slummy" are now being stopped in their tracks.)

Mr. Slummy's Dream House Open To Trespass...

Photo By Jeff Skrenes

The disturbing saga of "Mr. Slummy's Dream House" has taken a new turn. The house at 2515 3rd Street North--which one reliable source says has FIVE BATHTUBS, and yet is SUPPOSEDLY a residence and not a rental in the making--has been unsecured and open to trespass for the past couple days. This according to Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne's ubiquitous and hardworking Housing Director. The owner, Mr. Slummy, is "nowhere to be seen." Concerned neighbors are, however, keeping close watch.

Mr. Slummy's little buddy, Slummy The Squirrel, has reportedly been hanging out all the time at Uncle Lennie's store in Willard Homewood, waiting for a backhoe to show up and do all the difficult nut-hole digging for him.

(Do not click "Read More")

Slummy the Squirrel Slacks Off, City Crew Cleans up Slummy Property

Photos by JNS Field Correspondent

by Jordan Neighbor
JNS Guest Blogger

The JNS International Headquarters is in receipt of images and first hand account of some pretty slummy activity that continues to plague 3rd Street North in the beloved neighborhood of Hawthorne:

*******************************************
I was driving through the neighborhood today when I saw a wonderful sight: Two city employees cleaning up the debris from in front of Mr. Slummy's dumpster. Frankly, this should erase any doubt anyone has about what kind of a property owner he will be. He's had a stop-work order posted since August 3rd for improper permits, and that order also said he needed to clean up overflowing debris around his dumpster.

Well, two and a half weeks later, he STILL hasn't picked it up, even though it's about the volume of one pickup truck bed. So I snapped a photo with my legally obtained Blackberry - I didn't have my camera with me, and anyway, most city workers doing this kind of manual labor prefer not to be identified.

When I got back to the office, I noticed that a neighbor posted concerns about the structure itself and JNS was in need of a good field correspondent to verify such concerns. I donned my Hawkman uniform (shirtless in the rain! Y'all missed it!), strapped my camera to my utility belt, and off I went.
*******************************************
Thanks JNS Field Correspondent!

If you want more pictures and more commentary, check out this great photo album on facebook, posted by a dedicated neighborhood staffer.

Also, click here for the long list of property assessments on city website.

(Do not click "Read More" but do be careful of eroding foundations at slummy properties near you)

Uncle Lennie's Store Offers Organic Weeds and Locally Made Trash to the North Minneapolis Community...

Photos by JNS Field Correspondent

by Jordan Neighbor
JNS Guest Blogger

The JNS International Headquarters received a Hot Tip in the comment section of an earlier post. The commenter mentioned that weeds and trash have begun to spring up from the Spring Board Economic Development Corp's newest property.

A field corespondent was dispatched immediately. The images captured this morning are here for the readers to view, including an exclusive image of Slummy the Squirrel who was interviewed. The story is that Slummy the Squirrel was supposed to be over at Mr. Slummy's Hole to China, cleaning up the debris and getting in compliance with the City's inspection orders. But he was too lazy to do the work and he heard there was a pile of trash in the alley behind Uncle Lennie's so he scampered over to ch-ch-ch-check it out for himself. He was hoping to find free alley nuts instead of having to actually WORK for the cache of nuts that Mr. Slummy was offering.

Unfortunately, while Slummy the Squirrel was gone, a hard working City crew was dispatched to Mr. Slummy's operation to do the clean up work that was left behind by the slacking, slummy squirrel and the slimy, slummy property owner.

(Do not click "Read More" but Do check out the Next Post)

JNS Exclusive: Slummy Communication Intercepted by Hawthorne Hawkman

Photos by Hawthorne Hawkman, as he watches Slummy Squirrel

by Jordan Neighbor
JNS Guest Blogger

(Caution: parody ahead)

The JNS blog is in receipt of an intercepted communique between Mr. Slummy and his new sidekick, Slummy the Squirrel.
The text of the message is here below, for all to see:
***************************

I was going through the neighborhood one day, looking for a place to hide my nuts for the winter, when lo and behold I came across a hole to China. It was clear something slummy was going on, and I wanted in. I started snooping around the place, but it was clear that residents were watching the house--like a HAWK. The neighborhood called city inspectors and stopped Mr. Slummy, but only for a little while.

Anytime somebody goes up against the city of Minneapolis, that shows it's a PERFECT place for nuts, so I kept on going back to the property located at 2515 3rd St N. Mr. Slummy has left this structure open to the elements since April! Can you imagine how many nuts I've got hidden in there now? AND look how BIG he's made it! I can fit ALL MY NUTTY FRIENDS in there, if only the city will let him get it built by the time winter comes.

Here's the latest news from Mr. Slummy's nuthouse: There was a stop work order placed on it from the city because he didn't pull the proper permits. All he wants to do is cram as many nuts into as huge a structure as possible. Who knew you had to get permits for something like that? Also, he apparently didn't pick up a lot of the debris around the place, and the city has told him he needs to pick up debris from around the dumpsters.

Oh, and one of my friends told me that inside the building, there are five bathtubs waiting to be hooked up! FIVE!!!!! You could put a LOT of nuts in a building that has five bathtubs. Only time will tell if Mr. Slummy will be able to fill his place up with nuts.

(End of Parody Alert)

At the Heart of the City picnic last Friday, residents took a tour of the neighborhood and visited Mr. Slummy's mansion. It was there that the stop work order and order to pick up debris was noted. Neighbors also saw five bathtubs inside the structure, presumably visible from the exterior. One person pointed out that they believed five units was the maximum amount allowed for section 8 rentals of this size. However, the area remains zoned only for 1-2 units and no variance has yet been granted. Thank goodness the city of Minneapolis and the Hawthorne Hawkman are on the job!

(Do not click "Read More" but Do be on the lookout for Slummy the Squirrel)