JNS Blog Will Take Solid Steps To Emphasize News About North Minneapolis Crime Families...

MN DOC mug shot, therefore public domain, James 
Leon Ferguson, blog post by John Hoff

This blog has a new emphasis: There are crime families in North Minneapolis. Their existence, actions, and what to do about "crime families" was an issue in the most recent mayoral campaign. 

The election is over, but the issue is not going away. This blog has published a purported list of the crime families, and I am working on digging up more info. Right now, I am assembling a long article about the Ferguson crime family, a leading member of which is pictured above.

The emphasis of this blog will even go beyond digging up information. It will extend to HOW information is dug up and the priority in which it is presented...

Tonight I wrote an article about Wanda Nunn, who has achieved brief and delightful infamy as "The Fleeing Nunn." The reason this article happened is because of Wanda's last name, which is believed to be that of a North Minneapolis crime family.

You see, NORMALLY I go through the jail roster, looking for Northside addresses, then checking to see if there are serious charges. Other factors comes in, as well, like whether the name has been written about before or if I recognize the address as the property of a notorious slumlord.

Also, I start at the top of the jail roster and work my way down from A to Z. Of course, I rarely make it all the way to Z. So if your name is "Adams," and you're a Northsider who commits a serious crime (allegedly) it's very likely I'll write about you. If your name is starts with a "Z," well, you might escape from the net.

Sometimes I start from the bottom of the roster just to even things out but not very often; since starting at the end of the alphabet feels unnatural, like eating with the wrong end of a spoon.

That WAS how it worked. But from this point and into some unknown point in the future, I will be using a different approach, as follows:

FIRST, I will look at the jail roster for names that match known crime families.

THEN, I will see if the name is associated with a North Minneapolis address.

THEN, I will see if the crime is serious.

If all three elements are met, I'll probably write about the case. I can worry about OTHER names, other crimes, after I fulfill my emphasis on crime families. This approach may catch individuals in the net who coincidentally have one of the "suspect surnames."

Oh, well. They're still accused of a crime. It will still be a solid story.

So what do I expect should HAPPEN with these crime families? What do I want public officials and the families themselves to DO?

Easy. Public officials, including our newly-elected mayor, need to DO SOMETHING about this multi-generational criminal dysfunction and its impact on the Northside. As for the families, they need to straighten up and fly right. The UPRIGHT members of the family (there may be a few) should exert influence on the lost sheep. And the lost sheep should stop dragging down the rest of the flock who shares the same bloodlines.

Now, excuse me. I am off to pore over the jail roster looking for half a dozen or so surnames.