tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post4524002887322142941..comments2023-10-09T11:28:14.030-05:00Comments on The Adventures of Johnny Northside: Who Is WHO? A Very Anonymous Contemporary History Of The Willard Homewood Organization...Johnny Northsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03694273579383113753noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-8847153128235340112009-07-31T17:09:16.843-05:002009-07-31T17:09:16.843-05:00"The futile criticizing of the WHO structure ..."The futile criticizing of the WHO structure or players will not result in any growth."<br /><br />at least you'll still have boozing to fall back on, now that you've seen the light and decided to give up your pointless whining!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-71858545301795752092009-07-31T13:53:26.251-05:002009-07-31T13:53:26.251-05:00As I pointed out, there is nothing in WHO - the lo...As I pointed out, there is nothing in WHO - the locations you mentioned are not. Nor is there anything on West Broadway. The neighborhood groups and political leadership have left WHO a wasteland. The futile criticizing of the WHO structure or players will not result in any growth. We lack the entrepreneurial spirit on the Northside.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-21267640816326526182009-07-31T08:56:42.160-05:002009-07-31T08:56:42.160-05:00Anon 9:42, it sounds like this just isn't the ...Anon 9:42, it sounds like this just isn't the right neighborhood for you at this time in your life. I would suggest taking responsibility for your own happiness and moving somewhere that you feel meets your needs. Not everyone cares about either Rudy's or Chino Latinos (when I lived in Uptown, I walked past these places hundreds of times and never once had the thought "gee, that looks like someplace I'd like to go!" People have different tastes. That's life!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-34777539198728233732009-07-31T07:59:50.224-05:002009-07-31T07:59:50.224-05:00Victory 44 or Papa's Pizza.
Both have great fo...Victory 44 or Papa's Pizza.<br />Both have great food, beers and wines and outdoor seating.<br /><br />Rather than whining about local businesses, why don't you support them? Did it ever occur to you that you might be part of the problem?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-82715921234447842932009-07-30T21:42:06.672-05:002009-07-30T21:42:06.672-05:00Oh, what great stuff you got going on? West Broad...Oh, what great stuff you got going on? West Broadway... man I cannot sit outside when it is 100 degrees and have a beer and brat. So, today I spent my evening at Chino Latinos drinking beer eating wings and socializing. Hey lets meet at where in North Minneapolis for a outside beer, good food, and great conversation.... waiting on your invite.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-84111425425381702342009-07-30T17:35:12.403-05:002009-07-30T17:35:12.403-05:00To Anon who calls us losers:
Take your snobby-ass ...To Anon who calls us losers:<br />Take your snobby-ass to Uptown, it's where YOUR people are. NoMi doesn't need anyone like you around cuz we've got plenty of great stuff goin' on and you're just a bummer, man.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-15285427803817101162009-07-30T10:14:57.710-05:002009-07-30T10:14:57.710-05:00wow, i thought that entrepreneurs started business...wow, i thought that entrepreneurs started businesses, not neighborhood organizations? are you waiting around for one of your neighbors to start your business for you? no wonder you're so bitter! lolAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-56604681027371416842009-07-29T20:56:34.687-05:002009-07-29T20:56:34.687-05:00Please for years, after attending a neighborhood m...Please for years, after attending a neighborhood meetings of the dysfunctional WHO group with their self serving interest of George, Bev, Jackie, Northside Marketing Task Force, JACC, West Broadway Assoc, NERC combined, none have yet to put a any type of business together in North Minneapolis. Challenge my statements with one business they have created - oh maybe a blogger JNS is making money.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-37693364224352858842009-07-29T17:02:00.237-05:002009-07-29T17:02:00.237-05:00not to belittle your invaluable contribution of wh...not to belittle your invaluable contribution of whiling away the afternoon at a bar, but what are some of the other things you are currently doing to enact solutions, Anon 12:59?<br /><br />you may not realize this, but the community around uptown actually has greater disposable income than the northside does, and some extra radical business models indicate that this disparity could possibly have some effect on what kinds of businesses a community can support! so, i'm afraid that your magical solution of having jns snap his fingers and turning Broadway into the LynLake business district might not be as realistic as you suppose. it might just possibly be that you need to either (a) move away, as promised in an earlier post, or (b) get down off that barstool and contribute to the neighborhood in a productive way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-40340127205636012232009-07-29T12:59:14.734-05:002009-07-29T12:59:14.734-05:00Do gangs hang at the liquor store? Wonder why? W...Do gangs hang at the liquor store? Wonder why? What is Mickey's secret? Broadway liqour?<br />Maybe the stores have better management, better security? What prevents gangs who drink, do drugs, etc. from getting those stores closed. Fact is, no one is investing in North Minneapolis 5th ward except developers. No New businesses on West Broadway yet. So who will occupy those buildings to pay the mortgage? Money follows solutions. This blog has none. I just left Rudys on Lyndale where I sit outside for lunch. Losers keep responding...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-88038620702950602612009-07-29T09:58:14.926-05:002009-07-29T09:58:14.926-05:00RE the Tatta Bunna coffeeshop in the Urban League ...RE the Tatta Bunna coffeeshop in the Urban League Building: my understanding (based on my own experiences, as hearsay) is that the main reason that the coffee shop wasn't successful was because it wasn't managed very well--it wouldn't always be open during posted hours, and it often didn't have on hand the ingredients to prepare the items on the menu--so that people stopped thinking of it as a reliable "go-to" coffee shop. however, maybe there were other factors as well, i don't know.<br /><br />i believe that the owner of Tatta Bunna started it with a small business grant, possibly as part of an entrepreneurship program--someone else probably knows the specifics of that situation.<br /><br />i totally agree that there should be a coffee shop there! it is on a major intersection, and certainly, if there are going to be people working in the UROC center across the street, they will be a sort of captive coffee audience, and may be enough of an additional market base tip the balance and allow a business to thrive in that location. <br /><br />what can we do as a community to jump start something?veg*nationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06038204128140578947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-75377415978495423562009-07-29T08:56:18.653-05:002009-07-29T08:56:18.653-05:00To Anon 8:12: Believe it or not, there isn't ...To Anon 8:12: Believe it or not, there isn't anyone "out there" whose job it is to make the neighborhood the way YOU want it. What are the specific actions that you are currently involved in that are helping to achieve the vision you have? Just because someone is already volunteering doesn't mean that they then have the responsibility for contributing additional volunteer hours to do whatever assignments you have for them! Yes, if you truly believe that the neighborhood doesn't meet your needs, and you don't believe that it is possible that it ever will, and you aren't interested in the process of working to make your vision a reality, then by all means find a place to live where you can be happy! I think this neighborhood is appealing to people who value the history here, and also enjoy the process of nourishing and restoring it. That involves keeping away the predatory businesses as much as nourishing the vibrant ones, such as the Bean Scene and Victory 44.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-55162300418601256222009-07-29T08:12:09.426-05:002009-07-29T08:12:09.426-05:00Our neighborhood is not attractive to new families...Our neighborhood is not attractive to new families. Just those investors looking for cheap rental property. People communicating in gather places would be wonderful. You meet new people in Uptown in gather spots, walking, etc. After 6pm, i work all day nothing to do in North Minneapolis. Thats a problem. Nothing attracts nothing. I will be selling soon, real soon. No social inteaction on the Northside. Maybe JNS can put his blog to good use - attract some business food investors. They have nothing to go into the new buildings on West Broadway. No home grown business ready to move in who will have a good impact on the community. We have no place for them to locate a business in WHO. Oh, well, maybe if they build and invest millions on the corner of Plymouth and Penn. Not gonna happen in my lifetime. Oh wait, we can get another loser nonprofit with a social program like UROC. Oh the excitement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-74979205468952816452009-07-29T08:09:48.985-05:002009-07-29T08:09:48.985-05:00Well, Anon 5:25 certainly seems typical of someone...Well, Anon 5:25 certainly seems typical of someone who would support Uncle Lennies: someone who admittedly (a) hates the neighborhood, (b) isn't informed about Uncle Lennie's, and (c) is completely unconcerned about the fact that if Uncle Lennie's doesn't prosper as promised, then what we will have is not another vacant lot (which we can live with), but another convenience store for gangs to use as their base of operations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-32699859479852347912009-07-28T23:17:06.684-05:002009-07-28T23:17:06.684-05:00Anon 5:25, it depends on what you want. If you wan...Anon 5:25, it depends on what you want. If you want a lot of nightlife and commercial areas you are better off in Uptown, or maybe even Nordeast, which has a bar on every corner it seems. It would be nice if Broadway and Plymouth were better places to shop and hang out but I wanted to live in a neighborhood. If I wanted to live over a store or next to a restaurant, I'd live in a condo the Warehouse district. I live 3 blocks from Theo Wirth Park. I can drive to Cub.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04504204916698763787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-61661523672534869102009-07-28T22:04:20.547-05:002009-07-28T22:04:20.547-05:00Willard Homewood hasn't done too well supporti...Willard Homewood hasn't done too well supporting eating establishments when they had them. Lucile's limped along for a long time but was not successful enough to continue when its owner retired. The Urban League building had a coffee shop for a while but it too did not survive. The Urban league got a big contribution from NRP and promised a coffee shop for the neighborhood. Why isn't anyone upset that they have not tried to get that coffee shop going again?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-28700423099077019012009-07-28T17:25:53.612-05:002009-07-28T17:25:53.612-05:00Does anyone have any solutions to any of the probl...Does anyone have any solutions to any of the problems - we just have a lot of vacant lots, raggy houses, and no businesses in WHO. I spend all my free time over south eating at outdoor spots, etc. I want to sell and move - just a neighborhood of nothing. We have no direction. If Lennie Chism wants to invest, support him - a fool he might seem but I do appreciate his attempt to move this community from the ice age. I cannot meet any of my friends for dinner in WHO, on West Broadway, oh well at fast food crap. The WHO is a disgusting place to live with not hope of growth. Off to Uptown later Loser WHO residentsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-62813830339167181272009-07-28T16:20:24.264-05:002009-07-28T16:20:24.264-05:00Here is the flyer that Mike spoke of about NNO her...Here is the flyer that Mike spoke of about NNO here in Upper Willard Homewood but ALL of WHOare welcome<br /><br /> 4th Annual National Night Out<br /> Willard Homewood Handi Stop Picnic<br /><br /> August 4th, 2009 @ 5:00-9:00<br /> Flat space on the Pkwy-<br /> 2600 block of Vincent<br /><br />Mashoni from Handi Stop is throwing us another BBQ <br />....Burgers, chicken, salads and sodas/drinks...<br /><br />Bring a blanket/chair and a dessert, side dish or non-meat main dish,<br />and come have some fun with neighbors <br />Contact James Nelson at 612-588-9530 or jamesdoublenelson@yahoo.com with any questions/commentsjames double nelsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-40668269145260574112009-07-28T16:18:46.380-05:002009-07-28T16:18:46.380-05:00I'm not really able to "correct" som...I'm not really able to "correct" somebody's comment post, but Michael T sent me an email and pointed out "upper" Willard Hay is not "East of Broadway," and wishes to make a correction to what he wrote.<br /><br />Duly noted.Johnny Northsidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03694273579383113753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-74513434461699916822009-07-28T16:15:09.678-05:002009-07-28T16:15:09.678-05:00I have been a part of WHO since Upper Willard Hay ...I have been a part of WHO since Upper Willard Hay joined with WHO. I think it was too big to function well for the purposes many of us were looking to see fulfilled as a smaller organization. The WHO group had divided up into 4 smaller groups. There was a lead person for each group. I have still kept that group and have our own Yahoo group for Upper Willard Homewood (Hay). It is a very positive, inclusive group. We have a block leader for every block (almost) in this area. The block leaders then share information with their block club residents. It works REAL WELL. We don't focus on political issues (there are plenty of groups for that), we focus on redidents and activities going on here. We have a calendar that is updated, links including this one and Insight News, WHO and NRRC meetings included with an auto reminder sent out a week prior to meetings, and other features. There is NO CENSURSHIP. You may post as you like. We expect folks to use respectful discretion. We have a polling option to vote on matters pertaining to the site rather than having gate keepers. It seems more welcoming to ALL. Please feel free to join with the positive energy of some great people (ALL OF THEM). <br /><br />God bless,<br />James Nelson<br />2611 Upton Ave<br />588-9530 <br />to join upperwillardhomewood go to:<br /><br />http://groups.yahoo.com/group/upperwillardhomewood/<br /><br />or go to Yahoo, groups, search for Upper Willard Homewood and joinjamesdoublenelsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-79393094867306316982009-07-28T16:07:14.300-05:002009-07-28T16:07:14.300-05:00@Margaret - Willard-Hay has grown over the years. ...@Margaret - Willard-Hay has grown over the years. When I researched the neighborhood at the Minneapolis Central Library, I found really old newspaper articles that showed the northern boundary of the neighborhood as Golden Valley Road. The northern part was Willard, and the southern part was Homewood (even though the portion south of Oak Park Ave. isn't technically Homewood). Later on, it was extended by fiat to 23rd Ave N, and later still all the way to West Broadway. I seem to recall reading that the triangular top of present-day W-H was once even considered part of Jordan. Agreed, though, it's the single largest neighborhood in North (by both area & population) and has two very distinct personalities, each with unique issues and needs.<br /><br />@MikeT - Great point about the ad hoc committee reviewing Lennie Chism's proposal. While we're at it, what business does Kenya McKnight, who isn't even a W-H resident, have being one of just five on that committee?<br /><br />I agree on the Beverly Propes comments. She doesn't seem to deserve to be lumped in with McFarlane and Staten, and seems quite reasonable and well-intentioned.Homewood Confidentialnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-18250957892226920252009-07-28T11:28:40.874-05:002009-07-28T11:28:40.874-05:00As somebody who spent a great deal of time working...As somebody who spent a great deal of time working with W.H.O. in the beginning, I'd like to follow up with just a few thoughts;<br /><br />First of all, from my perspective, this article is essentially accurate. There were details I didn't know, but the events I witnessed were conveyed truthfully. I haven't been active with W.H.O. for about 2 years, so some of the more recent stuff I am getting second-hand. It is difficult to get information these days about what they are doing. <br /><br />The Willard-Homewood Association has gone, sadly, from a very inclusive, neighborhood-type fix-the-potholes group to some sort of secretive political organization of curious, if not nefarious motivations. What started as a great idea has been essentially driven into a ditch, like JACC or NRRC before it, and with the assistance of many of the same characters. What they have accomplished in the past two years is anybody's guess, since meeting agendas, announcements or minutes are essentially non-existent. <br />It is telling, to say the least, that one of the first committees formed in almost two years does not address crime, neighborhood safety, youth opportunities or assisting the elderly with weather-proofing their homes with stimulus dollars, but to aid a friend of the Chairman's who made a questionable real-estate decision. <br /><br />One exception to the article I might take is that it seems to lump all the players together. I do not believe this is true. In my encounters with Beverly Propes, albeit brief, she has lived up to the reputation she has with ALL that speak of her as a wise, forthright, honest and trustworthy individual with only the best interests of her community at heart. That she could rise to sole Chairmanship of W.H.O. might be the only way to redeem it's image with many area residents and people who have left W.H.O..<br /><br />Al McFarlane sent out an e-mail at one juncture years ago asking that, once the organization was up and running, the early players be thanked for their community service, stand aside, and allow new people to step in and help guide W.H.O on to it's next phase. I believe it is well past time that he heed his own advise on this and step aside. <br /><br />Lastly, it was mentioned in one of the above letters that an Upper Hay organization is in the works. <br />This is true. <br />It has become readily apparent that the current boundaries laid out for W.H.O. are unwieldy, and that it is unable to address the needs of such a vast constituency. We simply cannot continue to wait for W.H.O. to get it's act together.<br />To this end, I believe a letter has gone out to block club leaders inviting them to early discussions on this. If you live in Upper Hay (North of Golden Valley Road and East of Broadway) and would like more information, send inquires to; michaeltabor@mac.com and I'll forward it on.MikeTnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-40368386246185605942009-07-28T10:09:39.959-05:002009-07-28T10:09:39.959-05:00JNS, don't you mean
"you muse me!"...JNS, don't you mean <br /><br />"you muse me!"Jordan Neighbornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-15663657120774547802009-07-28T09:09:10.882-05:002009-07-28T09:09:10.882-05:00What's really sad about conspiracy theories li...What's really sad about conspiracy theories like the one that anonymous 5:38 is promoting, is that they prevent the community from making informed choices about the direction of the neighborhood. It's healthy for neighbors to disagree, and to have honest debate about possible directions for the neighborhood, and the best way to get there. What's demoralizing is when community choices are made based on Orwellian-caliber misinformation. Where is this stuff coming from? Focusing too much on this question is likely to lead to competing conspiracy theories, but ignoring it isn't an option either.veg*nationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06038204128140578947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143409168229764050.post-77326637618800724342009-07-28T08:42:20.745-05:002009-07-28T08:42:20.745-05:00To Anonymous at 5:38.
It was "bout?"
...To Anonymous at 5:38.<br /><br />It was "bout?" <br /><br />You amuse me!Johnny Northsidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03694273579383113753noreply@blogger.com