Former Mahmood Khan "Murder Property" Demolished, What A Shame Khan Wasn't Inside When It Happened...

Photos, blog post by John Hoff

It happened a couple weeks ago, but the end of such a notorious property can't pass by unremarked. The house and detached garage at 2222 4th St. N. have been demolished.

The hovel in question was owned by notorious North Minneapolis slumlord Mahmood Khan, but now the owner is listed as Hennepin County Forfeited Land. The property became infamous when murder victim Annshalike Hamilton, 15, was found in the garage.

Her murder is still unsolved and there is a reward. 

Backhoe Of Doom Parked In Front Of 2222 4th St. N., The "Murder Property" Owned By Mahmoud Khan...

Photo contributed by Hawthorne Hawkman, blog post
by John Hoff

The endless saga of 2222 4th St. N. looks to be coming to an end. As early as 2009, neighbors thought the house would soon be demolished by slumlord Mahmoud Khan (he of the eight units and one smoke detector) fought a court battle to save the property. He lost.

Click here for previous blog coverage. 

This is the property where the body of Annshalike Hamilton, 15, was found in the garage. The murder remains unsolved though Hamilton's mother has repeatedly voiced her suspicions about who she believes killed her daughter. 

As of today, a backhoe is parked in front of the property.

It is assumed demolition will begin tomorrow.

Not a moment too soon!
And by "moment" I mean, well, YEAR. 

Slumlord Mahmoud Khan Loses Court Battle, 2222 4th St. N. To Be Demolished...No, Really, Even Though That's What Some Of Us Thought Back In 2009...

Contributed photos, blog post by John Hoff

As long ago as 2009, there was talk of the house at 222 4th St. N. being demolished IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. Click here for my blog coverage from 2009. 

Obviously the very near future was a long time away. Slumlord Mahmood Khan kept matters tied up in court but finally lost his battle. Councilman Gary Schiff was the one who "broke the story" by posting info on the North Talk Facebook page even though the house is located in Council Member Hofstede's ward.

The rest of the story about this structure is...

Demolition of 2222 4th St. N. Is On Again, Off Again...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

Mike Klick, a very active and helpful member of the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Committee, (on which I also serve) has been keeping track of the fate of 2222 4th St. N.

The house is owned by notorious slumlord Mahmood Khan, and is well known as the address where murder victim Annshalike Hamilton was found in the garage, her body frozen.

Recently, it looked like 2222 4th St. N. was about to meet its fate from The Backhoe Of Doom, since there were "spray paint marks" designating the utilities. For a house about to be demolished, this is like the moment when the executioner shaves the condemned man's head for the electric chair, and asks what he'd like for his last meal. So Mike sent an email to Cheyenne Erickson, a policy aid for...

...Third Ward City Council Member Diane Hofstede. Cheyenne replied in a timely manner (it's a City Hall miracle) and said as follows:
---------
Hello Mike,

This property is about to go out for bid – a process which will take approximately 3 weeks. From there the contractor will have 30 days to complete the demolition.
------

However, shortly after that, Mike was at a 3rd Ware Care Meeting, and found out that Mahmood Khan "filed a district court claim against the city to stop them from demolishing the property."

And so 2222 4th St. N. is still in limbo.

Oh, and as for the murder of Annshalike Hamilton, it's still unsolved but the mother and friends of the family have made no secret of who they think did it, click here.

JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Photo Of Notorious Slumlord Mahmood Khan!

Photo By Megan Goodmundson

Mahmood Khan hit the public radar in a big way when the body of Annshalike Hamilton turned up at his decrepit, neglected property at 2222 4th Street North. (The crime is still unsolved) That incident led neighborhood activists to scrutinize Khan's property holdings more closely and realize this guy...

...had a bunch of slummy properties. Recently, the city council voted to raze 2222 4th St. N. after giving Khan plenty of slack...slack he only used to hang himself.

Despite all the attention paid to Khan on this blog, no picture of him was available. That is to say, until today.

Megan Goodmundson snapped this photo of Khan at yesterday's swearing-in of the Mayor and city council. At the ceremony, Khan was observed to speak with Robert Lilligren, Ward 6, and Don Samuels, Ward 5. He then proceeded to follow Megan Goodmundson around like a big slummy puppy dog, trying to get information about what she wanted with the photo.

2222 4th Goes out with a Whimper

Guest post and photo by the Hawthorne Hawkman

The fate of 2222 4th St N was ultimately decided at the Friday, December 4 city council meeting. Click here for an agenda of that meeting, and here to watch the webcast.

Don Samuels brought forward a consent motion to adopt all of the items under the Public Safety and Regulatory Services agenda at the 18:30 mark of the video. Diane Hofstede made a remark about how long the property at 2222 4th St N has been before PS & RS until it has finally come to the point of demolition. The owner, Mahmood Khan, had some time even over the past few weeks to demonstrate an ability to comply with the restoration agreement, and apparently did not.

After a side discussion about grocery stores, the council voted on all remaining PS & RS items (including 2222) at the 27:00 mark. If Khan was in attendance, he made no attempt to speak. And this is how a historic problem property ends, not with a fierce debate or threats of lawsuits, but with a roll call voice vote that is even more bland than this blog describes it.

(Do not click "Read More," but do be glad about the demise of yet another problem property.)

2222 4th Ave. N. To Be Demolished...

Photos by Jeff Skrenes

Word came first from Jeff Skrenes, the "Hawthorne Hawkman," and was confirmed by an email from Council Member Hofstede which was forwarded by Hawthorne resident Michael Klick.

The house at 2222 4th Ave. N. will be demolished. The council voted today, unanimously. This property is virtually cursed...

It was the place where the dead, frozen body of Annshalike Hamilton was discovered. This murder is still unsolved and anybody with information should contact the Minneapolis Police Department.

Attempts have been made to rehab and rehabilitate the property, but the attempts were slum-lordy and half-hearted, not meeting the standards of the neighborhood or public officials. Apparently, when Mahmood Khan bought his properties, he was under the impression North Minneapolis operated something like the "Wild West" and he could get away with having crappy rental properties left to sit for months and years.

These photos were taken just hours ago by Jeff Skrenes, to show the current condition of the property. Compare with, for example, this image from some time ago, click here.

Wannabe slumlords can look at the example of Mahmood Khan and 2222 4th Ave. N. and take note: this slumlord stuff no longer flies in North Minneapolis, particularly in the Hawthorne Neighborhood.

2222 4th St N - The Final Countdown

Guest post and photo by the Hawthorne Hawkman

After the Public Safety & Regulatory Services meeting this week, it looks like we're in the last stages of the life of 2222 4th St N. This is a property that has plagued the Hawthorne neighborhood for quite some time. On November 18, PS&RS brought up the notorious property (item #17 on the agenda).

The recommendation was to demolish the structure, and came with photos of the subject property. The city council also offers a video link to the meeting, and this item comes up around the 1:41:00 mark.

Because of the length of the meeting and the software necessary to view it, folks might not be able to watch it in its entirety. So what follows is a summary of what transpired...

Things began rather dryly with a city staffer explaining that the stay of demolition was continued for two meeting cycles and the owner needed a new code compliance. This report was completed on 11/3/09 and made available to Khan on 11/13/09. The city staffer explained that "extensive work is left, which is in direct contrast to Khan's testimony at the 10/21/09 hearing where he stated '90-95% of the work was done.'" The current recommendation was to continue the stay for one more cycle to 12/9/09.

CM Hofstede made notice of the fact that she had a 2-inch file regarding this, dating back to 2005. It was unclear if she meant just 2222 4th St N, or multiple properties owned by Khan. She said that the floor plan for converting the property back to a single-family residence was inadequate, as one would have to go outside to get from one floor to the next. (More on this later)

Much of the existing work was not done to manufacturer's specifications. Khan would have to:
- Replace flooring, as the carpet was installed with no padding or tack strips to adhere to walls. The carpeting has been alleged to be used, but Khan denies this;
- Siding will have to be replaced as it is already falling off;
- Replace used windows with ones considered efficient;
- redo gas piping as it was installed without proper permits;
- complete work on a duct system;
- pay a double-fee permit on the gas range as it was also installed without proper permits.

"Major" incomplete work was also cited. The roof, rafters, chimney, flashing, and landscaping were listed as significantly incomplete, and the garage floor and sheeting indicated structural instability.

CM Samuels asked why we were even continuing to consider a stay of demolition. A city staffer noted that the timeline just came back on 11/13 and there had been no chance to meet with Khan yet. They still recommended demolition, but had a desire to have that meeting first.

CM Hofstede stated that Khan already had a restoration agreement and had been out of compliance with its terms since August 9 of this year. Don Samuels responded to this by asking the attorney if they had any legal obligation to continue giving Khan more time. He was told that even when Khan claimed the work was 90% complete, it was still a failure to comply with the terms of the restoration agreement - whether Khan was 1% or 99% complete with the work set forth. Therefore, a demolition in this case would be legally enforceable.

Samuels then made a motion to demolish the structure. CM Schiff worried that rushing to demolish might be a violation of Khan's due process, but Barb Johnson chimed in at this point and said she was in favor of the motion. "We have someone who operates at the margins" of what is acceptable and she indicated it was time to enforce our city's rules.

Johnson then mentioned the back stairs, which I might add, came to the attention of various city council members because a Hawthorne resident informed me and I posted the information on this blog. Samuels added his disdain regarding this detail, saying we had "an experienced property owner [who] converted a duplex to a single-family residence, and the solution [to get from one floor to the next] is to go outside."

While Hofstede added that the windows and floor coverings (presumably carpet) were used, Schiff remained concerned about due process. This seemed to be the only concern being raised against demolition; not whether it was warranted but whether it could be done without Khan suing the city.

Samuels then made a motion to support the demolition of 2222 4th St N and the motion carried. But like Tom Sawyer attending his own funeral, Mahmood Khan was in the audience. The motion was then moved to reconsideration to give Khan a chance to make his case.

He first claimed he could "swear that no[ne] [of the carpeting] was used," but made no mention of any other items being new vs. used. He astutely took Schiff's cues and reminded the committee that he only received the report two days ago and this wasn't a realistic time frame to complete the work. He began to talk about how rough he had it and said he had to borrow money from family and friends to make repairs to this property and others. Yet somehow he was still just a great landlord, as he said, "Come and see what I do with my properties. I fix them up."

(Hawkman interjects: Right. Come here and see how Khan fixes up his properties.)

Khan proceeded to chide Samuels for bringing up the "house of poop." In another Khan-founded twist of logic, he said that he would fix it up as soon as he had money, but he also tried to sell it. (I wonder why nobody wanted to buy it?) Khan also called foul on unfair criticism over having different types of siding, referring to a "multi-million-dollar project on Highway 55 in north Minneapolis" that had two types or colors of siding. (JNS readers are encouraged to point out which building he may be referring to, but I'm guessing it looks a hell of a lot nicer than the "Neapolitan House.")

He also claimed that there was a stairwell inside the house that could be used to get from one floor to another.

Winding down, he said that "actions are judged by intentions," and he intended to finish the project. (Hawkman interjects: NO!!! ACTIONS ARE JUDGED BY RESULTS, AND WE ALREADY HAVE PROOF OF KHAN'S RESULTS!) Despite his insistence that he might sue the city, he kept saying it was his "humble request" that the property not be demolished.

Hofstede said she understood how busy Khan is, but reminded him that he DID have a restoration agreement, and as of 9/4/09, he was aware of his failure to comply with it. The expectation is that he would follow through, but "we're not seeing activity on your part that your intentions are to complete the work."

Khan said that as a flight attendant, he works and flies ten days a month, so he's home "99% of the time." (Ummm....so there's let's say 30 days in a month, and converting the 20 days into a percentage of that is...wait, let's go with hours instead, and then we take into account that he has to sleep and assume a normal working day, so we add up the number of hours, figuring how many he's around for and...well math is hard. I guess with the 99% of the time Khan is around, he's been able to do 95% of the repairs on 2222 4th.)

Khan also said that "We are on the same team, we support one another." (Was he serious?)

Johnson then asked him how many properties in Minneapolis he owned, and Khan replied, "30 or 40, I don't know exactly." Continuing her heavy hitting, she asked if he was current on ANY of his taxes. Khan said he was working with banks to get loans so he could get caught up on taxes, and asked for a waiver of vacant house fees.

(Hawkman interjects: Let me ask a question here, directed at the mortgage industry as a whole. "Hey Mortgage Industry, remember when you were lending all sorts of money to people who were behind on a lot of bills? How'd that work out for you?" Mortgage Industry: "Not so good." Yeah, I wouldn't hold my breath on that financing.)

Johnson then said we will never recoup the money spent on just this property alone, and "I personally don't see us on the same team." (THIS is why we reelected you, Barb!)

Ostrow brought a substitute motion forward that would have granted more time to Khan, once again out of concern for due process. Hofstede spoke against the substitute motion, saying there were five separate occasions that this property alone has come before the PS&RS committee. Ostrow's motion did not carry.

Hofstede then moved that the committee support the staff recommendation for demolition, but direct staff and Khan to work on an agreement. If that agreement is in place by the next council meeting, then they may reconsider the recommendation. In order to do that, Khan would have to show the ability to come into full compliance within 90 days, pay all delinquent fees on the property, and post a $50,000 performance bond.

The motion carried, and 2222 4th St N moved ever-so-slowly towards its inevitable demise. When that happens, I hope they get the guy in this song to do the demolition.

Fastest City Council Meeting EVER!

Guest post and photo as the Hawthorne Hawkman whizzed by city hall

The fate of 2222 4th St N has been referred back to the Public Safety and Regulatory Services committee for the time being. I'm not sure if this is good or bad; when you want a quick resolution meetings like this sometimes make it seem like nothing is happening.


I arrived just as CM Hofstede brought forth the motion. There was no discussion and a unanimous vote. I think I was in the meeting for all of fifteen seconds--which was fifteen seconds longer than Khan spent there. Presumably he was aware of what would happen otherwise he'd have shown up to defend his crown jewel.

After this meeting, I totally spaced and forgot where in the ramp I parked my car, then had to run to the DMV, so those things made up for any time gained. This blog will keep people posted on the fate of 2222 4th St N.

(Do not click "Read More," but do keep watch over this and other properties owned by Khan.)

Submit Comments About 2222 4th St N Today!

Guest post and photo (taken only moments ago, and showing stucco plus two types of siding) by the Hawthorne Hawkman

This was just passed my way by a concerned resident: The fate of 2222 4th St N will go before the city council on Friday. Neighbors are asked to submit their comments to Diane Hofstede TODAY. Only comments and information about 2222 4th St N may be used to determine the actions taken by the city council.

It is the position of the JNS blog (and the two Hawthorne residents writing on it, John Hoff and Jeff Skrenes) that Mr. Khan has owned a property slated for demolition. The demolition was stayed under the conditions that he abide by an agreement to bring the property up to an acceptable standard within a specific time frame. Regardless of how much money, time, or effort Mr. Khan claims to have put into this structure, he is well past the deadline. He also claims that he will have or has spent $115,000 on the rehab, and that such work is 90% complete. Based on views of the exterior and the public information regarding the interior, those numbers do not appear to be credible. Based on Mr. Khan's failure to live up to his part of the agreement and the current condition of 2222 4th St N, we stand by the rules of the city of Minneapolis and the findings of the Nuisance Condition Process Review Panel and recommend demolition.

Please submit your comments to diane.hofstede@ci.minneapolis.mn.us or to your city council member.

Click "Read More" for the full statement of conclusions of the NCPR Panel.

(NOTE: I don't know how to do the squiggly legal symbol on this blog, so in its place I will use an S in bold type. At some point, John with his law degree may be able to come in and clean this up. For now, let's get the information out there.)

Conclusions

1. The building located at 2222 4th Street N. meets the definition of nuisance condition as set forth in M.C.O. S 249.30(a)(1) as the building is vacant and unoccupied for the purpose for which it was erected and the building has remained in such a condition for a period of at least six months.
2. The building located at 2222 4th Street N. meets the definition of nuisance condition as set forth in M.C.O. S 249.30(a)(2) as the doors, windows and other openings into the building are boarded up or otherwise secured by a means other than the conventional methods used in the original construction and design of the building, and the building has remained substantially in such condition for a period of at least sixty days.
3. The building located at 2222 4th Street N. meets the definition of nuisance condition as set forth in M.C.O. S 249.30(a)(3) as evidence, including but not limited to neighborhood impact statements, clearly demonstrates that the values of neighborhood properties have diminished as a result of the subject building. (emphasis mine)
4. The building located at 2222 4th Street N. meets the definition of nuisance condition as set forth in M.C.O. S 249.30(a)(4) as evidence clearly demonstrates that the cost of rehabilitation is not justified when compared to the after rehabilitation resale value of the building.
5. Pursuant to M.C.O. S 249.40 Abatement of nuisance conditions, the Director of Inspection's recommendation to raze the building located at 2222 4th St N is appropriate. The building meets the definition of a nuisance condition as defined by M.C.O. S 249.30 and a preponderance of the evidence, based upon the criteria listed in M.C.O. S 249.40, demonstrates that razing the building is appropriate. The building has been vacant and boarded for approximately one and a half years. This property has been neglected to the point that it has had a negative impact on the community and will continue to have a negative impact if it is not razed as attested to by the community impact statements submitted by neighbors requesting that the building be torn down. (emphasis mine)
RECOMMENDATION
That the Director of Inspections' Order to Raze the building located at 2222 4th St N. Minneapolis, Minnesota be upheld.

Making 2222 4th St N Public Info Even More Public

Guest post by the Hawthorne Hawkman
Hawkman photo of an adjacent Khan property where he hasn't fixed the DOORS in over a year.

When I was at the hearing regarding the proposed demolition of 2222 4th St N last week, I got my hands on some public documents about Mahmood Khan's property at 2222 4th St N (click here for the Johnny Northside pdf site and these documents). I don't have time to go through and read them line by line just yet.

I do, however, want to point out a thing or two. He has put in USED carpeting and USED cabinets. He has two different kinds of siding and windows, which DO NOT look right. Khan claims the work is 90% complete, but as CM Barb Johnson so eloquently put it to the rest of the committee: "If this property is only going to get 10% better, I guarantee none of you would want it in your ward."

And the restoration agreement states that Khan expects to put at least $115,000 into the repairs. If he's indeed put that much money into this property, I wonder where the $110,000 hidden treasure is.

(Do not click "Read More," but do send your public comments to CM Diane Hofstede.)