Contributed photo, xoxo, blog post by John HoffWith the Penn Gas Stop ready to reopen after the North Minneapolis tornado, more than one neighbor is asking the question, "Were we better off with the Penn Gas Stop closed than we are with it open?"
One way to answer the question is to examine the 911 "calls for service" in the area right around the gas station before and after the tornado.
However, the answer appears to be YES WE WERE BETTER OFF WITH THE PENN GAS STOP CLOSED.
Here is the data. Let's look at it together...
Calls for service BEFORE the tornado. The date range is February 22 through May 21, 2011.
2500 BLOCK OF PENN AV N
Date/time Address Problem Disposition Case # Apt./Flr.
5/22/2011 1:21:53 AM 2500 PENN AV N Suspicious Vehicle Report 11-143184
3/17/2011 10:30:00 PM 2511 PENN AV N Unwanted Person Sent 11-072445 12
3/19/2011 5:46:10 PM 2511 PENN AV N Assist EMS Personnel Cancel 11-074317 2
4/24/2011 12:21:43 AM 2511 PENN AV N Unknown Trouble All OK 11-111841 12
4/24/2011 12:38:57 AM 2511 PENN AV N Disturbance Advised 11-111864 12
4/24/2011 9:47:01 AM 2511 PENN AV N Unknown Trouble Refused 11-112143 12
TOTAL IS 6
2600 BLOCK OF PENN AV N
Date/time Address Problem Disposition Case # Apt./Flr.
3/3/2011 10:28:48 PM 2600 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Advised 11-058615
4/30/2011 2:37:47 AM 2600 PENN AV N Customer Trouble Sent 11-118379
4/27/2011 2:36:53 PM 2601 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Booking 11-115153
4/28/2011 3:17:23 PM 2601 PENN AV N Disturbance Gone on Arrival 11-116308
5/10/2011 9:18:30 PM 2601 PENN AV N Unwanted Person Sent 11-130657
2/25/2011 2:54:52 PM 2606 PENN AV N Suspicious Vehicle Advised 11-052792
3/2/2011 2:11:49 PM 2606 PENN AV N Customer Trouble Advised 11-057239
3/2/2011 8:14:44 PM 2606 PENN AV N Disturbance Booking 11-057579
3/3/2011 2:09:56 PM 2606 PENN AV N Suspicious Person Advised 11-058156
3/7/2011 9:09:31 AM 2606 PENN AV N Drunk/Intoxicated Person Sent 11-061652
4/11/2011 4:17:30 PM 2606 PENN AV N Suspicious Person Tagged 11-097792
4/19/2011 1:06:29 PM 2606 PENN AV N Walk Through a Building 11-106598
4/20/2011 10:03:14 AM 2606 PENN AV N On Site Inservice 11-107503
4/28/2011 3:22:35 PM 2606 PENN AV N Theft-Hold One Cooperative Gone on Arrival 11-116314
4/28/2011 3:23:52 PM 2606 PENN AV N Trespass in Boarded Dwell Report 11-116316
5/5/2011 6:44:27 PM 2606 PENN AV N Emotionally Disturb Person Transport 11-124521
5/6/2011 5:24:14 PM 2606 PENN AV N Suspicious Person Booking 11-125632
5/9/2011 6:25:11 PM 2606 PENN AV N Suspicious Vehicle Tagged 11-129214
5/11/2011 5:31:24 PM 2606 PENN AV N Kid Trouble Gone on Arrival 11-131524
5/12/2011 8:04:53 PM 2606 PENN AV N Suspicious Vehicle Tagged 11-132874
5/22/2011 3:42:59 PM 2606 PENN AV N Burglary Biz - In Progress All OK 11-143678
5/22/2011 7:01:58 PM 2606 PENN AV N Burglary Biz - In Progress Assist 11-143846
3/6/2011 11:16:41 PM 2618 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Advised 11-061446
4/13/2011 11:46:26 PM 2619 PENN AV N ShotSpotter Activation All Quiet 11-100821
3/2/2011 6:59:55 PM 2624 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Advised 11-057491
5/14/2011 2:20:41 PM 2624 PENN AV N Domestic Assist 11-134780
4/11/2011 1:47:40 PM 2627 PENN AV N Suspicious Person Booking 11-097650
5/10/2011 4:59:43 PM 2627 PENN AV N Suspicious Person 11-130358
4/7/2011 2:40:51 PM 2635 PENN AV N Disturbance Gone on Arrival 11-093409
4/9/2011 10:19:16 AM 2635 PENN AV N Narcotics (Drug) Activity Sent 11-095569
4/28/2011 5:49:32 PM 2635 PENN AV N Disturbance Gone on Arrival 11-116437
5/18/2011 7:01:29 PM 2635 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Tagged 11-139350
4/2/2011 4:49:21 AM 2647 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Assist 11-087647
5/12/2011 9:36:06 AM 2647 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Advised 11-132308
4/10/2011 1:11:08 AM 2649 PENN AV N Check the Welfare All OK 11-096425
4/23/2011 8:07:59 PM 2649 PENN AV N Auto Theft Report 11-111492
4/24/2011 11:59:45 AM 2649 PENN AV N Threats No Service 11-112222
3/15/2011 10:52:32 PM 2652 PENN AV N Disturbance Advised 11-070426
3/19/2011 2:13:16 AM 2652 PENN AV N Recover Property All OK 11-073774
3/19/2011 3:59:46 AM 2652 PENN AV N Fight Gone on Arrival 11-073842
5/5/2011 6:25:43 PM 2659 PENN AV N Tenant Trouble Tagged 11-124484
TOTAL IS 41
2700 BLOCK OF PENN AV N
Date/time Address Problem Disposition Case # Apt./Flr.
3/30/2011 2:10:45 PM 2700 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Advised 11-084608
5/2/2011 1:11:34 AM 2700 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Assist 11-120365
5/14/2011 1:01:06 AM 2700 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Advised 11-134334
5/17/2011 6:26:42 PM 2700 PENN AV N Suspicious Person Booking 11-138142
5/19/2011 7:47:34 PM 2707 PENN AV N Threats Advised 11-140617
5/4/2011 8:55:24 PM 2710 PENN AV N Sound of Shots Fired Assist 11-123564
4/30/2011 9:24:52 AM 2712 PENN AV N Trespass in Boarded Dwell All OK 11-118533
5/2/2011 3:00:30 AM 2712 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Advised 11-120423
3/10/2011 5:24:04 AM 2725 PENN AV N Auto Theft Report 11-064630
4/8/2011 10:30:54 PM 2747 PENN AV N Disturbance Advised 11-095108
5/18/2011 1:41:06 AM 2751 PENN AV N Burglary Dwlng In Progress Transport 11-138598
4/12/2011 6:55:33 PM 2755 PENN AV N Suspected Prostitute Advised 11-099206
4/16/2011 3:49:23 PM 2755 PENN AV N Suspected Prostitute Gone on Arrival 11-103665
4/23/2011 3:04:39 PM 2755 PENN AV N Suspected Prostitute Gone on Arrival 11-111194
4/24/2011 5:36:44 PM 2755 PENN AV N Suspected Prostitute Sent 11-112399
TOTAL IS 15
GRAND TOTAL IS 62
Now let's examine calls for service AFTER the tornado which temporarily closed down Penn Gas Stop.
The date range is May 23 through August 21, 2011.
2700 BLOCK OF PENN AV N
5/30/2011 11:38:05 AM 2700 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Tagged 11-152396
6/2/2011 1:29:39 PM 2700 PENN AV N Narcotics (Drug) Activity All OK 11-156187
6/4/2011 12:47:23 AM 2700 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Advised 11-158206
6/1/2011 12:44:36 PM 2743 PENN AV N Audible Residential Alarm False 11-154835
5/31/2011 4:47:21 PM 2759 PENN AV N Theft - Report Only Report 11-153898
TOTAL IS 5
2600 Block of Penn
6/2/2011 8:59:48 AM 2601 PENN AV N Trespass in Boarded Dwell All OK 11-155915
6/8/2011 11:13:56 AM 2601 PENN AV N Miscellaneous Report 11-163173
5/25/2011 11:22:59 AM 2606 PENN AV N Suspicious Vehicle Towed 11-146830
5/28/2011 10:36:46 AM 2606 PENN AV N Burglary Dwlng - Report Report 11-150229
5/30/2011 8:17:02 AM 2618 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Tagged 11-152300
6/3/2011 4:08:47 PM 2618 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Tagged 11-157540
5/25/2011 8:20:53 AM 2624 PENN AV N Suspicious Person Gone on Arrival 11-146680
5/30/2011 11:31:05 AM 2624 PENN AV N Tenant Trouble Advised 11-152391
6/4/2011 7:40:47 PM 2624 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Towed 11-159052
6/9/2011 5:26:26 PM 2634 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Booking 11-164834
5/31/2011 10:49:34 AM 2635 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Advised 11-153534
6/3/2011 4:20:04 AM 2635 PENN AV N Prowler Gone on Arrival 11-157023
6/3/2011 4:34:31 AM 2635 PENN AV N Prowler All Quiet 11-157028
6/7/2011 9:45:08 PM 2635 PENN AV N Fight Advised 11-162628
6/8/2011 1:36:23 AM 2647 PENN AV N Traffic Law Enforcement Advised 11-162894
5/24/2011 12:24:53 AM 2649 PENN AV N Disturbance Gone on Arrival 11-145193
6/4/2011 5:16:58 PM 2649 PENN AV N Burglary Dwlng In Progress All OK 11-158904
5/25/2011 12:51:00 PM 2659 PENN AV N Burglary Business - Report Report 11-146907
TOTAL IS 18
2500 BLOCK OF PENN AV N
Date/time Address Problem Disposition Case # Apt./Flr.
5/28/2011 12:12:28 PM 2510 PENN AV N Miscellaneous Assist 11-150322
5/26/2011 2:37:52 AM 2511 PENN AV N Domestic Abuse Report Only 11-147732 8
5/26/2011 3:53:52 PM 2511 PENN AV N Damage Property-In Progress Information 11-148252
TOTAL IS 3
GRAND TOTAL OF CALLS AFTER TORNADO IS 26.
The conclusion is inescapable: 62 calls to 911 while the Penn Gas Stop was open. But only 26 calls when the gas station was closed.
The Penn Gas Stop attracts trouble. Despite its new ownership and recent remodel (oh, wow, cool bulletproof glass!) the business is just as much an "inconvenience store" as it ever was.
11 comments:
I wouldn't quite make that assumption that quickly. Conversely, I've seen people tout the new gas station as "code compliant" on various NoMi neighborhood listservs, and then state that as a reason that we should all flock to the new business and support it. Well, we heard the same chorus about the Fremont No-sign (Marathon?) gas station right before they went ahead and hosted adult-themed bikini car washes. Clearly these stores can be code compliant and still a detriment to our community.
Now if they are making an honest effort to turn things around and good people stay away out of spite, that will just create another decency dead zone and the same problems will come right back.
So here's what I'd like to see: No sale of white tees, some healthy food, and I know this will not make John happy, but for Pete's sake, sell some newspapers. If there's a concerted effort to attract a different clientele, then that should be supported. After all, if there were ever a time that it made financial sense to do something other than a gas station on that spot, it would have been right after the tornado.
But if it's more of the same, then shut 'em down.
I'm glad we have new or renewed business opening in NOMI, lets all go support these folks, build a rapport and keep the no good folks away.
Jeff,
I don't have a problem seeing "dead tree media" being sold there if newspapers were sold INSTEAD of long plain white tees.
But when you said "for Pete's sake" I got confused for a moment there and thought you meant Level Three sex offender "Spanky" Pete Rickmyer, a regular of this store.
How much of this is because of because it is 26th and Penn instead of a business.
Clearly one feeds into the other, but the data shows 911 calls when the business was OPEN and when it was CLOSED. One shows the impact of the BUSINESS and the other shows, well, this is the "crime baseline" for 26th and Penn, business or not.
So what it shows...
Criminals and no accounts are hanging around that business and using it as a convenient base of operations. Hardly surprising, since it sells blunts, long plain white T-shirts, the kind of chip-o-centric junk food enjoyed by thugs, etc.
Does it sell 40s? My memory is fuzzy.
Now, I understand this is not purely scientific data with retgression analysis, etc. Well, it's strong enough circumstantial evidence to satisfy me: that business is a detriment to the community. A classic inconvenience store, remodeled to feature a cashier enclosure of bulletproof glass.
That should have been spelled "regression analysis."
My opinion is, it IS "26th/Penn" (read: open air drug market, dirty, busy, gritty, thuggy, etc) BECAUSE of the business being located there.
Every intersection where one of these "hood stores" is located, will have this type of activity. Loitering, littering, hand to hand drug transactions, etc.
Wally's. (18th,Penn)
E&L Market (Lowry, Emerson)
Penn Gas stop(26, Penn)
Big Stop (26/Knox, gone now, interestion different)
Wafana's (23/Lyn, gone now, intersection different)
Note, the intersections where you don't have a "convenient" store, do not suffer the same symptoms.
Lyndale/26 - no loitering, no litter problem, no hand to hands, etc - why? No convenient place to hang out and have an "excuse" to be there and hide the drug business in disguise of store traffic.
Penn/Plymouth. No convenient place, no problems.
Penn/Broadway. No convenient place. No drug loitering.
Keep going in your head, the equation works. Or doesn't work if not all the pieces are there.
Here's another thought to ponder: why doesn't Bangkok market have a thug problem? Answer: they don't cater to the thug crowd and the thug lifestyle. No white tees. No blunts. Yes, they still have the juice, soda, chips, candy etc but they don't tolerate thugginess, however it is they do it, they keep thug free. So that is where I stop for "convenience" - and the bonus is you can get fresh, hot thai deli food and treats. And support a business going green, they are trying to get solar panels on their roof. Yay!
Bangkok Market is proof you can have a successful store in North Minneapolis and not cater to the thug crowd.
Ok, call me naive but what's all the talk about white tee shirts? Should I not wear a white tee shirt in public for fear of being confused with whatever is so wrong about them?
It's not white t-shirts per se, but the LONG plain white tee that goes all the way down to the knees.
It is the uniform of choice of thugs. They all wear it while dealing and doing their thuggy s***.
Try calling in a description of a thug and saying how he is dressed. He is dressed like all the other nearby thugs, who are ALSO wearing long plain white tees. It's like one day all the thugs came up with an idea and managed to all get on the same sheet of gangster rap music:
Hey, look, if we ALL wear long plain white tees, it makes us harder for the police to identify us, and it makes eyewitness testimony easier to refute.
Thus long white tees are BAD and selling them at crappy, thuggy little inconvenience stores like the Penn Gas Stop is BAD.
Ok, I got it now. I also found your blog post http://adventuresofjohnnynorthside.blogspot.com/2010/03/new-fire-and-ice-eatery-sells-long.html while searching google for the story on this, which explains it in detail also. Yeah, the only white tee shirts that I have are geeky math shirts, so I don't think I have to worry about being confused with a gangbanger. My jeans may hang a little low, but you'll never see more than the top band of my boxers. Thanks for the clarification, best wishes.
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