I wrote in a previous blog posting about how 516 Cedar Ave. S., a building involved in a fatal New Years Day explosion and fire, was such a graffiti hotspot that I made it my personal mission from God to make repeated reports to 311 for years at a time; whenever I happened to walk by. Sometimes I actually took pictures and forwarded those to 311, or at least I took pictures with the INTENTION of forwarding those to 311.
Today, while looking for a good stock photo to illustrate a story, I turned up some of those old photos of 510 Cedar Ave. S. so I am sharing those right now. (Keep in mind 510 is an ancillary address, the "master address" of the building is 516 Cedar Ave. S. and I believe 514 Cedar Ave. S. was included, too, and I believe I made a few 311 reports using THAT address, too)
These photos have an incorrect date stamp of 2006 but were probably from 2008 or 2009. My son, Alex, is included in the photos; not just for scale but because documenting the graffiti was also a photo opportunity with my son during weekend visitations...
Ah!!!
Sarz. I remember that tag.
For a while, that tag was everywhere. And what, I ask you, did "Sarz" ever contribute to society? Here I am reporting the neglected and decrepit condition of a building to the authorities, a building later involved in a triple fatal fire, and what is spoiled brat Sarz doing?
Smearing his colorful boogers on it like a baby.
Here are the other photos, below.
The two photos below are NOT from the building involved in the fire, but from the building right next door sharing an adjecent wall. I took these photos at the same time documenting graffiti in the same small area.
The precise cause of the fatal fire has not yet been determined. But I'll go out on a limb right now and make a prediction...
It was because some kind of neglected crap wasn't properly taken care of, and the fault lies with the OWNER, not with the GAS COMPANY.
(ADDENDUM, fifteen minutes after hitting the publish button: Or it was connected with terrorism. In either case, it was NOT THE GAS COMPANY)
Graffiti reports mentioned in the Star Tribune story about the building, as follows:
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Records show that in August 2010, city inspectors found numerous problems throughout the building, including two “illegal” units, inadequate fire escapes and smoke detectors that needed to be replaced in every unit. The inspection also ordered the extermination of mice, insects infesting the second and third floors and pigeons nesting in a room on the third floor.
City inspectors gave the building owner, Garad Nor, about two weeks to fix the problems. Inspectors went back in October 2010 and found more problems, but those were more minor.
By August 2011 another inspection was conducted and the problems inside the building appeared to be fixed. Nor was ordered to remove graffiti from the building, but fire inspectors found no other problems. The most recent inspection of the building, done in October 2012, ordered Nor to remove etched graffiti in the front of the building. Inspectors cited no other problems.