Expensive T.J. Waconia Fraud Fun Never Ends!

Flickr.com Photo

Jeanie Hoholik provided some interesting information tonight which touches upon one of my favorite subjects: the T.J. Waconia mortgage fraudsters. A document which quite properly came into Jeanie's hands provides some interesting insight about how much the T.J. Waconia scandal continues to cost the City of Minneapolis...

Regular Johnny Northside readers are familiar with Jennifer The Flipper, who managed to jump through some relatively minor bureacratic hoops and buy a T.J. Waconia house, which is now renovated and back on the market, click here.

Recently, Jenny received two letters from the City of Minneapolis Inspections Division, with some relatively minor assessments...mere pocket change. The minor assessments weren't alarming at all, but there was some kind of invoice attached to the document. Jennifer didn't know she was merely being cc'd and wasn't expected to pay thousands of dollars in lawyer invoices from Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly, LLP.

What were some of the services and expenses? Here are some samples:

* 9/22/08 Two telephone conferences with Gruver, draft email to Hedberg regarding 3710 Morgan, exchange multiple emails with Gruver, review proposed sales. 1.9 (hours?) for a total of $864.50.

* 9/30/08 Telephone conference with Gruver regarding proposed sale, draft approval letter. 0.40 (hours?) $182.00.

* 08/04/08 Review Suntrust response to contempt motion. (...) (And much more) 7.10 (hours?) $3,230.50.

* There are references to multiple calls and emails to "buyers" of the houses, but it's not clear whether any of the "buyers" actually purchased the houses in question. Clearly, the invoices reference multiple properties, and are not at all particular to 3306 James Ave. N. The lawyer working on this matter is one Gary Hansen, with everything cc'd to "Family Housing Fund c/o Mary Cullen Yeager" of the law firm "Faegre & Benson."

The documents appear to allude to an ongoing legal situation which is not yet concluded. After looking over the documents--clearly an incomplete, tantalizing piece of something larger--I'm left wondering how much the T.J. Waconia saga is costing the taxpayers on a monthly basis and how that money will be recovered.

Yet another good argument for putting the T.J. Waconia fraudsters under "house arrest" and letting them work off their sentence doing good for the community.

Drug Dealing In Front of 2939 Lyndale Ave. N.

Photo By John Hoff

While I was dealing with the two hookers on Lyndale Ave. N., I was forced to engage in some citizen activist multi-tasking. You see, the third time I went around the block, a drug dealer was standing in front of 2939 Lyndale Ave. N., boring his eyes into mine and jerking his head hard to tell me to come over...

I was too busy dealing with the hooker, so I decided to let him go for a bit. When I came back he was still there, still jerking his head. I didn't want to overload 911, and I noticed he was standing right in front of an orange "utility shut off notice" on the door, so I decided to deal with him kind of like a hooker.

"Is that your house?" I said, stopping at the intersection and yelling across the street. I kept my vehicle door open and was ready to get back inside, hastily. He actually answered me, defiantly saying "NO!"

I wasn't sure if he could hear me, but I began yelling something about calling the police, and how there was a utility shut off notice on the door, and he had no business being there, and how there was a "neighborhood watch" on this part of Lyndale Avenue North. He walked rapidly down the steps, turned to his right, and left.

Later, down the street, I saw him with two other companions, having an animated conversation. Something about being disrespected, I am sure.

Later, I got on the Minneapolis City Website, looked up the property, and called the holder of the current rental license. I left a message about possible drug dealing at 2939 Lyndale Avenue North. She called me back and left a message saying the lower unit was empty, but somebody was supposed to be moving into the upper unit in a week. She urged me to call police if I saw anybody hanging around on the front steps, because nobody was supposed to be there.

And she thanked me.

Get Out Of My Neighborhood, Street Walkers

Photos By John Hoff

A posting by Hawthorne's newest blogger which mentioned chasing some prostitutes off her street reminded me of a recent incident on Lyndale Avenue North...

I was driving my van "Chick Magnet 2" near the Eco Village, when a woman tried to hail me like I was a taxi of loooooooooooooooove.

She used a crooked finger "come thee hither" gesture, which is interesting...I've never seen a hooker use that particular gesture before. But there are a lot of variations on the basic "Hey, sailor" hail, everything from meaningful repeated head jerks to the frantic double-hand-wave with full flailing arms, like you're trying to make yourself visible to a Medivac helicopter.

How odd, I thought. Hookers on Lyndale Avenue North during the BEGINNING of the month, and not the END of the month. The economy is getting worse before it gets better, it appears, just like Obama said.

I circled the block, calling 911, and when I went around the block a second time the (alleged) hooker was far from the bus stop, expecting me to pull over, smiling broadly. The third time I went around the block, I had my camera out. That was when the (alleged) prostitute and her shorter, arguably much prettier companion began walking rapidly toward Lowry Avenue North, but the taller one had been walking to my car until I pulled out my camera.

I got a couple of pictures, then yelled to inform them I'd called the police, and it was best not to return to this part of the neighborhood. Words to that effect. I don't know if the police came or had other more urgent calls, but sometimes the police work as a promise rather than something actually delivered.

Not five minutes later, I was in the middle of ANOTHER incident on that part of Lyndale Avenue North. See next blog post.

423 23rd Avenue North ("The House Of Annoyance")

Photo Used Under "Fair Comment And Criticism"

My fellow Housing Board member, Michael Klick, Attorney At Law, was kind enough to tell me the story of 423 23rd Ave. N., which Michael and his boyfriend have nicknamed "The House of Annoyance." Well, actually...

There is more to the nickname than that, but I've said enough.

New Owners, Hopefully A New Story?

The reason "423" was on our radar at all was because of its bad history. When a property changes hands, you know for sure one of three things will happen: it will get better, worse, or stay the same. Naturally, one hopes to have an impact and "push toward the better."

Late last month, Michael Klick told me, "I just talked to the new owners of 423 23rd Ave. N. The guy's name is Doug something. He says he doesn't own any other places in North Minneapolis."

Michael says, "I strongly stated that it is best to get good tenants in there. There are very active people around here that will have no problem calling the police and the city on this property if they get terrible people in there. He (the owner) said he is hesitant about getting property in North Minneapolis.

"I told him about the last tenants in there and how we worked to get them thrown out of there. I think he got my point. Here we go again."

The House Of Annoyance

Michael says, "It was a terrible house. You can talk with Joan (from the Public Safety Committee) about this. They were absolutely filthy, loud and just disrespectful. Every car that they had had no muffler. They would just sit out there with their music blaring all the time.

"There was always some junk on the property. The porch was full of junk and beer cans. They had large pit bulls that were seen periodically. The back yard was even worse than the front yard, but we never saw it. Joan did. They used to throw their cigarette butts all over Joan's neighboring garden. Ask her about the situation when they actually spit on her from the second story window."

Michael says, "We worked for a year to get that place shut down. They moved out in the spring, and since then, 23rd Ave. quieted down a lot."

Hawthorne's Executive Director, Laban Ohito, Gets Married

Photo Provided By Laban Ohito

The Executive Director of the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council, Laban Ohito, was recently married in Manila, Philippines. I am awaiting more details, such as the name of his wife, but here is a picture Laban forwarded.

(Do not click "Read More")

City Councilman Don Samuels On The Front Lines Of The Mortgage Crisis

Flickr.com Photo

I've written previously about the "North Minneapolis ARMs Defense Plan" and the door-knocking to locate subprime mortgage holders who may be in need of financial counseling, click here and also here.

Well, word comes from Hawthorne Housing Director Jeff Skrenes that...

City Councilman Don Samuels recently participated in the door-knocking effort. I have no further details but I have put out feelers for some anecdotes and numbers about the effort, but according to Jeff there are indeed instances of people saying, "Yes, thank you, I realize I need some help and I've been wondering where to get it." When I have more details, I'll post 'em.

In the meantime, I was gratified to see Minneapolis Public Radio used the phrase "ground war" in covering this story, click here for their article.

311 Meets The Blogosphere (Take The 311 Challenge!)

Photo By Jeanie Hoholik

Hardly a day goes by I don't make a 311 call about something--mostly graffiti--and certainly a week never goes by that I fail to call 311.

Recently, my friend Jeanie Hoholik posted something on her blog about a stop sign which had been defaced in an interesting way...

Even though Jeanie's blog post was accessible to the whole wired world including (so I hear) astronauts on the International Space Station, I knew it was necessary to make a 311 report to actually get the sign fixed.

So I pulled the photo off Jeanie's blog and emailed it to 311 as an attachment, along with an explanation of its origin. (The 311 email address is minneapolis311@ci.minneapolis.mn.us) My report was acknowledged and is now in the system.

Lately, in addition to calling 311 a lot on my cell phone, I have emailed pictures as well, click here for an example. But I've never pulled a picture off somebody else's blog and made a 311 report. So it was kind of cool, an interesting variation on the common pattern... blogosphere meets the 311 system.

Moving At The Speed Of Government

I think one of the problems with 311 is citizens think nobody is listening if they don't see results in a couple of days, a week at the most. They measure 311 by the same standard they measure other systemic requests, such as being promised a refund from a business or having a teenager promise to clean his room.

Well, 311 is like Heinz ketchup. It's slow, but it's gooooooooooood worth the wait. Kevin Gulden of PPL has a phrase for it: Moving at the speed of government.

I would challenge citizens to test the 311 system, and see if it doesn't work for you, and see if it isn't VERY SATISFYING to have it work, even "moving at the speed of government."

Find some graffiti and call it in. In fact, find about half a dozen instances of graffiti and call all of it in. If you can't find enough in North Minneapolis--and that's one good thing, we don't have as much graffiti here as some places--then look for graffiti in the "wannabe gangster" neighborhoods where college students live. (Cough--Marcy-Holmes--cough)

Make a little note to yourself about what day you called in the graffiti and then FORGET ALL ABOUT IT FOR A MONTH.

But in a month, go back and look. I am confident you will see results, and you will feel a sense of civic pride and accomplishment. Lately, the response rate for vacant, unsecured buildings seems to be even FASTER.

CROSSING THE FINISH LINE! 3306 James Ave. N., A Former "T.J. Waconia House" Just Hit The Market

Flickr.com Photo

Word comes by email from real estate agent Jeanie Hoholik that 3306 James St. N., about which I have written quite a bit, click here, and also here, just got listed on the MLS...

Jeanie really outdid herself with the listing, slapping up TEN IMAGES of the house. While I was at Jeanie's office, I watched some video "virtual real estate tours" which have appeared on YouTube. I guess this is a new marketing thing, putting virtual tours on YouTube. If I learn of any virtual tours in Hawthorne, I'll try to put a sample on my blog or, well, ya'll are free to chime in on the comments thread and even post links.

"Sell, sell, sell," I say, as well as "buy, buy, buy." Our neighborhood is turning around rapidly, and much of the change is being driven by real estate agents like Jeanie.

There was a slight delay in listing 3306 James St. N. due to getting the oak flooring just perfect, and the extra effort shows in the MLS pictures. The house is currently listed at $139,000. I think the perfect buyer would be somebody working for the Minneapolis Fire Department, due to its proximity to an MFD training facility.

Jennifer The Flipper (not to be confused with Jeanie, Jennifer's real estate agent) has reportedly signed purchase agreements on two more North Minneapolis properties. Will she revitalize North Minneapolis ALL BY HERSELF?

Stay tuned to Johnnynorthside.com to find out.

ReBuilding Together Announces New Program, Calls For Volunteers

Photo By John Hoff

Brett Thompson, Emergency Repair Coordinator for ReBuilding Together, was at the December Hawthorne Housing Committee Meeting, and announced a program to help low-income homeowners, as well as putting out a call for volunteers...

You will find Brett's email address at the bottom. At the meeting, I told Brett I'd simply publish her letter to put out the word. I will say, however, the new program to help citizens with much-needed repairs is really exciting. But not everybody who may need such a program is internet savvy, so please help spread the word if you know a neighbor in need who doesn't regularly "surf the web."

Here's Brett's letter:

Calling ALL Skilled Volunteers!

My name is Brett Thompson and I am the Emergency Repair Coordinator with Rebuilding Together Twin Cities (RTTC). RTTC is a non-profit housing organization that brings volunteers and communities together to improve the homes and lives of low-income homeowners. RTTC provides the tools, building materials, and volunteer labor to help low-income homeowners repair or modify their homes to make them accessible, safe and warm at no cost to the homeowner.

Since being founded in 1997, RTTC has rehabilitated 131 homes and 8 non-profit centers thanks in large part to the hard work and dedication of more than 3,500 volunteers.

RTTC is excited to announce Safe & Healthy Homes, a duel minor home modification and emergency repair program that will start in 2009 serving low-income homeowners who are faced with the prospect of losing their home or independence as the result of needing a home modification they are unable to address. The goal of minor home modification is to improve the quality of life and degree of independence for low-income elderly or disabled homeowners by increasing mobility and safety in their homes.

The emergency repair program will address home repairs that present and immediate risk to the safety or health of individuals in the home. To help meet the needs of low-income homeowners with emergency repairs, RTTC has partnered with Project for Pride in Living (PPL).

PPL started their Emergency Repair Program in 1972 and RTTC is excited to join them in this effort to help homeowners when the need is most urgent.

In light of the current economic instability our country faces, it is more critical than ever that low-income homeowners who may qualify for this program are made aware of the services that could help them through the difficult times ahead. In preparation for the launch of Safe & Healthy Homes in January 2009, I am contacting local individuals, organizations, groups and businesses to establish relationships that will help us spread the word about our new program.

Volunters are going to play a critical role in the success of Safe & Healthy Homes. Working with homeowners and RTTC staff, skilled volunteers will provide the dedication and motivation to ensure the needs of homeowners are attended to in a timely manner. There are numerous ways to get involved; including working with RTTC to network with skilled individuals, referring possible low-income homeowners, providing in-kind donations, and/or becoming Safe & Healthy Homes' volunteers.

Skilled volunteer support is also critical for the continued success of RTTC's fall and spring rebuilding days. RTTC prides itself in making quality, in-depth repairs on the homes of low-income homeowners. These repairs are indubitably made possible due to skilled volunteers who bring to RTTC their construction knowledge and those who join the Home Team Volunteer Core and become teachers as they empower and inform volunteers and homeowners in completing home modifications and repairs.

From construction supervisors who spend multiple weeks working with RTTC staff to plan and prepare projects, to house captains who lend their construction expertise to making repairs on rebuilding day, killed volunteers are key components to the success of RTTC's Rebuilding Day Program.

With skilled volunteers taking on these important leadership roles, RTTC is able to focus efforts and resources on addressing the needs of a larger number of low-income homeowners.

If you, your business organization, club or family would like to work with RTTC to improve the lives of your community, please contact me (Brett Thompson) at 651-776-4273. Or email at b.thompson@rebuildingtogether-twincities.org to gather more information or schedule a meeting.

Click here for the Twin Cities Rebuilding Together website.

2207 4th St. N. Situation, Updated, Full Details

Photo By Stacy Shaffer

In a previous post, click here, I provided a brief overview of the situation at 2207 4th St. N., the "party in a condemned house" situation which caused alarm in the neighborhood.

Here is the update...

My Opinion, And I Do Have One

There may be differences of opinion about whether there is gang activity at this house or whether it's sort of a misunderstanding. I'm going to present neighbor Stacy Schaffer's words, and the words of Lieutenant Rugel. But first I'm going to give my opinion, briefly.

First, if there isn't a law against having a birthday bash in a condemned house, there should be. The whole point of a condemned house is they are dangerous and unsafe. So how can there TECHNICALLY be no law against having a party there, which includes eating, drinking, dancing, sitting around yakking, possibly sleeping, possibly making out, and more than likely urinating and defecating at some point?

I mean, if one person can't live in a condemned house for days on end, how can 30 some people reside there at a party for one evening?

Second, and I'm directing this to the new owner of the house, JOSE HUGO CONTRERAS VAZQUEZ of 3305 5th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55408:

Hell of a way to meet the neighbors, Jose, letting your minor son or one of his buddies paint graffiti on the boards covering the windows, and then throw a party with a bunch of teenagers in a condemned house in the tough part of North Minneapolis.

You see, Jose, we have a problem with gangs having gatherings in vacant houses, a problem we're fighting and cleaning up as we turn our neighborhood around by degrees, every day. So congrats on alarming folks, upsetting neighbors, and landing on the radar of police and city officials with your new real estate acquisition. So far, public opinion says YOU ARE A BAD NEIGHBOR.

But public opinion can change. You have an opportunity to change it, Jose.

You could start with getting the graffiti off the boards before the city does it, and charges you money. The fact you were present at the property, and you have NOT does this, says plenty.

Firsthand Account Of Stacy Shaffer

Greetings and Salutations from the North side of Minneapolis. As you know I have had my fill with the democracy that Minnesota/Minneapolis/Hennepin County and who ever else might be involved with making the rules. Over the weekend, November 28, while on my porch having Mommy time, I noticed that a few more than 5 people were moving things into what was, as far as I ever knew, a condemned house...

(They were moving) things like tables and chairs, pool sticks, lights of a not-renovating-a-house nature. They moved in speakers and radios, so I watched...and watched as they moved more and more things in. I contacted Peter Teachout to see if my suspicions were correct that there were no permits pulled with this property. I knew somebody bought the place (I think end of September, mid-October).

Well, the next time I went out I looked across the street to see if there was still people there and lo' and behold there was, and there was an advertisement for a 13 x 13 party in bright, colorful red and green spray paint.

Yes, I am serious, spray paint. They made the street look ghetto, even though it is the hood. I felt like I was back in the projects of New York, even Chicago. My opinion.

Well, as 8:30 crept up on me, I realized there were a lot of people showing up for this party. By this time there were 15-20 people standing, hanging out nest to Miss Shirley's house. Loud and obnoxious. Can these people really be having a party while this house is condemned? Did they just buy this house so they had a place to party? What the (expletive)!

Excuse me, but dang, you know that when we bought our house the 4th Precinct police made our life hell. If we were there too late working, they would harass us. If we were there too early the police wanted to handcuff us and manhandle us. Some days we could not win for losing.

Well, me being the big baby I am, I called the police. Told them there there was a party going on at a condemned house.

"Yes, I am sure that the house is condemned."

"How do you know?"

"Well, for one it just sold a month and a half ago, and according to the net, there has been only one permit, the VBR permit was pulled, by a realtor, mind you, in April of '08, I live across the street and I have yet to see some sort of contractor's truck, or plumbing or anything for that matter to be done. No other permits have been pulled. But yet 'n' still there is a party going on at this house."

The police came about 30-45 minutes later...love the time, by the way...and went to the back of the property where everyone was comign and going, there has to be like 30-45 people there. And, well, they let them go. Police messed with them for about 15 minutes and LET THEM ALL GO BACK AND ENJOY THEIR PARTY.

Police said the owner was on site, and that they had to vacate the building by 10 pm. OK, long enough to get a little twisted and go to the bar and not have to spend so much money. I know the trick, I don't have BOO BOO THE FOOL written on my forehead.

So they left. And they came back at almost 2 a.m. and, well, I called. My civic duty, right. Police show back up and then the people leave, but mind you...none of them took tables and lights or radios.

By the way, did I tell you they had strobe lights and red lights? Sexy. Ugh.

Well, that is what happened. Here is my point: I was told by my insurance company that I could not have anyone on my property that was not licensed. If we had people come help work on our property they worked on their own behalf, and that we would not be liable. Something to do with CONDEMNED properties and HAZARDS or something. (...)

OK, the next thing that gets my GRIND is that so what if the HOME OWNER OF A CONDEMNED BUILDING is throwing a party and it is only 8:30 or 9 p.m. The house is condemned. And we get harassed any time we stepped foot to renovate our home.

How could the police say "The homeowner is here and that's what he wants to do, it is before the NOISE ORDINANCE goes into effect."

Update: Yesterday, while enjoying my few moments before kids get home, on my porch, the INSPECTOR'S truck rolled up and took pictures of the "beautiful art work." (By this, Stacy apparently means the graffiti on 2207 4th St. N.)

I am not sure if it was the fact that I called and HAD A NICE GROWN UP FIRM CONVERSATION WITH THIS MAN WHOSE NAME I FORGET...or the POLITE tone I used trying to find someone who would be in charge of this matter...or Peter (Teachout)...if he called and complained, too?

(Addendum by Johnny Northside: I also emailed your picture to 311 at their handy dandy email address, which is minneapolis311@ci.minneapolis.mn.us)

It is like trying to figure out how many licks to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop. You may never know, but I think it was Peter. Hope you enjoy the photo. I will by working on setting up my own blog. LOVE THE BLOG, TOO! Please forgive the typos.

(Addendum by JNS: I always try to clean up the text of contributors, unless it contributes to the expressiveness of the content)

Ugh. Politics. I bet (here, Stacy speculates about the honesty of the police) so I wonder is this going to be the party house to continue to bring our values down? (...)

New Update From Stacy

In another email, Stacy said: The police were back over there today. I'm not sure why but I saw the man with the red truck get a ticket after the K9s went through, then he and the police left.

Valuable Info From Lieutenant Rugel

A member of the Hawthorne Housing Committee, Michael Klick, asked me by email if I had any more information about 2207 4th St. N. I forwarded Stacy's email before it hit the blog, because I don't sit on top of useful information just to produce interesting blog posts. Klick forwarded it around, and it got to Lt. Rugel of the 4th Precinct. Rugel's reply got back to me, and here it is.

Rugel writes:

The house has been condemned and boarded for some time. It was purchased at an auction in November. The guy who says he bought it is: JOSE HUGO CONTRERAS VAZQUEZ, 3305 5th Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55408.

He allowed his kid to have a birthday party in the house last weekend. Officcers were out on two calls but said there was no alcohol present and both calls were before 10 PM when the city noise ordinance kicks in, so they advised the owner (who was on site) that he had to break things up by 10. It looks to me like he did so. The condemnation means the house cannot be occupied, but the owner has a right to go in and out and let other people in, so long as no one tries to live there.

I am not sure about throwing parties there, but it was clearly not a "wild gang party."

I was out on the call yesterday and spoke to the new owner. He was in the house to install new doors and new locks so he could keep it secured. He told me he plans to start working on fixing up the place. I advised him on the need for permits and he said he knows about getting permits.

I told him that he could be in the house to do work (assuming he gets his permits for any work needing them) but he could not live there and he said he understood this. I am not sure what his goal is, here. He owns his house in South Minneapolis but no other properties in the city and has no rental licenses.

I also sent a memo to the new inspector for the area, Joy Parizek. The graffiti on the front door is a problem and I am sure Inspections will order him to have it removed or painted over. Otherwise, I don't think this guy is doing anything wrong.

(Johnny Northside responds: I believe there should be a city ordinance against having a party in a vacant house. The same rationale which precludes individuals from LIVING in a condemned house should, logically and sensibly, preclude individuals from having a PARTY in a condemned house. Clearly, the police must enforce the laws as they exist, however, not as we wish or hope the laws to be. This is a matter for city officials who represent North Minneapolis)

(This is yet another instance where having owner information updated QUICKLY on city websites would be helpful)

On another note: Housing Committee Member Michael Klick speculates the number "2207" is clearly "a cursed number" in the Hawthorne neighborhood)

North Minneapolis "Arms Defense Plan" In Action: Photos From The Front Lines

Photos By John Hoff

Here are some images and stories from tonight's meeting at the Urban League, see previous post, to send volunteers into the neighborhoods and find holders of long ARM, subprime mortgages to (hopefully) get them financial counseling if they need it to avoid foreclosure.

From top to bottom:

1.) We didn't have too many volunteers, or too few. We had just the right amount.

2.) Organizing the lists of homes. At one point, I saw a list actually being cut up with scissors.

3.) Three small portraits of neighborhood leadership. Many neighborhood leaders were there. Truthfully, there were more leaders than foot soldiers.

4.) Minnesota Public Radio and 5.) a reporter from the Star Tribune. Both scooped by this blog, of course. You read about it first on Johnny Northside Dot Com.

6.) Jerry Moore, Executive Director of the Jordan Neighborhood, gesturing as he talks with another volunteer.

7.) Proper headgear is essential for winter door-knocking. I asked an ACORN leader, tactfully, about this guy's rather distinctive dress. I found out Mad Hatter Dude is a very successful ACORN fundraiser. I guess he needs the rather large hat to collect all that money, baby.

8.) One of the squads of volunteers moments before walking out in the cold to go door knocking.

9.) Jeff Skrenes wearing his "chook," knitted by his grandmother in Upper Michigan. Jeff says he's had the cap since he was 4 years old. Jeff apparently had to grow into his brain.

Do not click "Read More"

North Minneapolis "Arms Defense Plan" In Action: Squads Of Volunteers Fan Out

Photo By John Hoff

Tonight, about 15 volunteers gathered at the Urban League to receive information packets and "rap sheets" before door-knocking at North Minneapolis addresses known to have subprime loans originated in 2007.

Media were on hand, including a reporter from the Star Tribune, Minnesota Public Radio, Twin Cities Daily Planet, a film crew from 612 Authentic and (of course) this blog.

The "rap sheets" contained talking points about mortgage counseling, gearing to avoid inducing alarm while making sure those in need of help were given contact information to avoid foreclosure.

Before organizing into teams, volunteers watched "role playing" by two teams, one of which included yours truly starring as a slightly-cranky homeowner with hard-to-admit mortgage problems. Volunteers were organized to make sure individuals familiar with the neighborhood were paired with those who didn't know the terrain so well. There was no shortage of vehicles.

The influence of ACORN on the volunteer effort was in evidence everywhere. One team of volunteers who assembled for a photo was asked, "What neighborhood are you going into?"

"ACORN'S NEIGHBORHOOD!" one answered, and the others laughed in agreement.

The door-to-door effort was expected to take approximately 3 nights, including tonight. The subprime mortgages in question are from a very specific period of time, and so the numbers are more limited than one might suspect, making the effort quite manageable. For example, there are only 8 such mortgages in the Hawthorne Neighborhood. The lists in usage are known to be quite up-to-date. 

As volunteers put on hats and gloves, and went out into the cold and dark winter night, I was oddly reminded of a volunteer search party seeking out the body of a crime victim. It seemed to me that success might be measured in saving only one family from the loss of a home, but if that happened, it would be worth approximately three evenings of effort by a dozen volunteers. 

I watched from a vehicle as Jeff Skrenes and his team member visited the three houses on their list of eight. The first house on Third Ave. N. had a Hmong family who spoke no English and appeared to be renters. Language appropriate resources will be sent to the house in the future. 

The second house had a man who was a renter, but had no interest in talking. At the third house, no lights were on except what appeared to be the dim light of a television in one back room. Nobody answered, but Jeff Skrenes was able to determine the name on the mailbox was different than the mortgage holder so, once again, probably a renter. Information was left at the house...not in the mailbox, of course, but on the doorknob. One goal of the program is, of course, to help renters avoid sudden, unexpected evictions in the wake of foreclosure.

More details about the "Hawthorne Arms Defense Program" will appear on this blog as they become available.

(Do not click "Read More")

A Photographic Celebration Of ReBuilding Together Volunteers!

Photos By Pam Patrek

Pam Petrek took a bunch of photos of ReBuilding Together volunteers and here are some of the images.

From the top to the bottom,...

1.) Pam tells me these women built the "south side wall" all by themselves. Here, they pose with their handiwork.

2.) Once again, a mysterious lavender aura appears in a photo taken near Pam's house, like I blogged about before, click here. But previously it was a DIGITAL image, while this picture was taken with OLD-FASHIONED FILM. Pam accounts for it this way: Uncle Jack was a tool guy. Power tools interest him.

3.) I think it was the Puritans who said, "Many hands make work light." Of course, they had a much more interesting saying about idle hands, and that's the one people tend to remember.

4.) 5.) Posing for group portraits after a job well done.