Slumlord Howie Gangestad Reportedly Ripped Off "Joy The Cat Lady" In A Real Estate Deal...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

When I wrote about slumlord Howie Gangestad and how he'd flown under the radar of this blog for so long (quite odd, because this blog pulls no punches when it comes to naming the names of slumlords) an anonymous commenter came on the blog and virtually whispered in my ear, saying Gangestad had ripped off Joy Mattice, a/k/a "Joy The Cat Lady," whose humanitarian work I have mentioned before.

Well, it turns out...

...there really is something to the "Howie Ripped Off The Cat Lady" rumor. A few hours ago I was visiting my girlfriend, Jordan Neighborhood "Super Citizen" Megan Goodmundson, and Joy the Cat Lady came through the alley. I chatted with her for a while (actually helping her to retrieve one of her boots that was stuck in a snowy fence, lost in a feline-assisting misadventure) and Joy gave me the dirt on Howie.

In summary (according to Joy) she and her late husband loaned Howie $450,000. Joy's husband, known as "Buzz," was a much beloved Minneapolis police officer. When Buzz died, Howie showed up at the funeral and told Joy, in so many words, he wasn't paying back the money because Buzz was dead and Joy was old and wouldn't be alive much longer, either, so what did she need with credit? Joy reported her response--there at her husband's funeral--was to call Howie a son-of-a-bitch.

Joy says Howie has ripped off a bunch of other people and these folks are gathering up their evidence, hoping to get some kind of legal action against Howie. (I strongly suspect it was one of these individuals who contacted me through the comment function of my blog and put me on this story) These folks want Joy to assist and provide her testimony.

There are more details, but that's what I managed to memorize without notes, talking to Joy in the alley. Talk did naturally turn to felines: Joy says the city is cracking down on people, even folks who feed strays. Joy says she has many kittens that need homes and folks should contact her for free kittens.

The previously mentioned blog post has contact info to help Joy with financial donations or--any time you like, just about--get yourself a cat for a pet.

Does anybody have more info about these allegations? Including any court file numbers, property addresses, names, etc?

JNS BLOG EDITORIAL: Friedman's Shoe Store Persists In Its Shabby Ways/ JNS Blog Extends "Butt Glass Days"

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

More than a month ago, this blog made a public vow to keep raising the issue of the dirty, discolored Plexiglass at the Friedman's Shoe Store on West Broadway. Just to be fair, I'd like to point out not the ENTIRE store is nasty, discolored, and festooned with old stickers. My critique is limited to the ground floor windows. In fact, SOME of the store has a real classy look, like the portion pictured above.

But the simple fact is many folks in North Minneapolis--not just me--have pointed out that Friedman's is inexplicably resisting the general trend of in North Minneapolis of spiffing up and revitalization. That's the kind of thing you'd expect from slumoidal slumlord Keith Reitman, but you expect better from this "umpteen generations" shoe peddling business. That's why I promised to keep bringing up their ugly "butt glass" (my phrase, my coinage) until "the Ides of March." That's today. And I said if nothing happened by the Ides of March, well, we'd see.

Here it is the Ides of March. Nothing has happened.

Johnny Northside Dot Com is now in VIRTUAL FROWNY FACE MODE.

I swear, Friedman's, when the people of the neighborhood are making a critique...and you're a business and won't listen to the critique or act upon it...what do you think is going to happen? That the critique is going to go away?

The harsh public critique is NOT going away. In fact, facts and harsh public critiques are all North Minneapolis "revitalizers" have to fight with sometimes, all we have to make our environment better. You, Friedman's, are shabbing up our environment and (I might point out) you had the nerve to spit bile at me when you talked to that "crackhead looking lady" from the Mpls Mirror. Did you seriously think a harsh public critique was going to stop my harsh public critique? You have only managed to make your store more well known, NOT for shoes but for having AN ASS UGLY EXTERIOR.

"Butt Glass Days" is hereby extended until Tax Day, April 15. That means I might (out of the blue, on a whim) write something any given day--I surely will before April 15, maybe once, maybe several times--and I might make mention of "butt glass" at odd times in comments, in blog posts, etc.

What are you going to do? SUE ME? You can see how well THAT works.

(Do Not Click Read More)

Tynessia Snoddy Pleads Guilty To Two Felony Counts Of Identity Theft (Names In The Court File Include Keith Reitman, Knita Moore)

Contributed photo, 1564 Hillside Ave. N., blog post by John Hoff

Tynessia Snoddy, whose involvement in mortgage fraud schemes never received the kind of attention it deserved from the mainstream media, but was reported with depth and enthusiasm on this blog, click here for an example, pled out on March 10, 2011 to two felony counts of identity theft. It should be noted that almost two years ago this blog publicly urged Tynessia Snoddy to take a plea deal, click here.

The identity theft happened in association with fraudulent mortgages, some of which (by no means all) were in North Minneapolis.

Among movers and shakers and blog content bakers in North Minneapolis, Snoddy's links to "1564" were long known and suspected. Now, with the case against Snoddy concluding in a plea bargain on two counts, with six counts dropped, this blog is getting a peek at the court file for the first time and we love what we're seeing...

As of today, online court information said Snoddy had a jury trial scheduled for April 18, 2011. I've been able to confirm this information is wrong. No trial is scheduled, though Snoddy has a sentencing date of May 11, 2011. Victims will have an opportunity to make impact statements. The judge is the Honorable Gary Larson.

In the criminal file, which is 27-CR-0814082, the alleged links between Snoddy and 1564 Hillside Ave. N. are finally made explicit. It becomes clear that Snoddy is not a stand-alone player, but part of a massive ring of mortgage fraud that involved many different players. The fact Snoddy's case is RELATED to the Larry Maxwell case (he of 1564 Hillside Ave. N. fame) is made explicit in this sentence, from the State's Notice of Motion and Motion for Extension of Time--June 18, 2010, as follows:

"The prosecution is making available for the Defense to inspect and copy files regarding the investigations and prosecution of Larry Maxwell, Bernard Holmes, Realty Executive Associates and others related to the case at a mutually convenient time." [my boldface]

This criminal file is filled chock-a-block with the names of two bit players who have not yet hit the internet, including one name associated with 1564 Hillside Ave. N. that I find very interesting:

Knita Moore. The prosecutors made allegations that Knita Moore played a role with 1564 Hillside Ave. N. [my boldface]

This blog has done some digging, trying to figure out who is this Knita Moore. We've found a lot of stuff with amazing ease but we're not yet ready to make it all public.

There could be more than one Moore, after all, especially with a name like (ha ha) MOORE.

The Snoddy file includes long lists of evidence including a "statement" from notorious North Minneapolis slumlord Keith Reitman.

It's all in the hopper, dear readers, all in the hopper. But if you want to keep reading this kind of stuff, with my blog and the First Amendment itself under vicious attack, consider using the Paypal button, upper right of my site.

JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Peter "Spanky Pete" Rickmyer To Face Judge Robert Blaeser, Answer For His Purported Lawsuit Against This Blog!

Photo and blog post by John Hoff


Some questions are impossible to answer, like "where is the end of pi" or "why should Peter Rickmyer not be held in contempt before Judge Blaeser for filing pretend lawsuits against blogger Johnny Northside after Rickmyer was declared a frivolous litigant under Rule 9?"

On March 23, 2011, at 9 a.m. in Room C-659, Hennepin County Government Center, Judge Robert A. Blaeser will see if Rickmyer can spuh-spuh-spit out some kind of answer as well as Rickmyer can spank minors for sexual gratification or expose his penis. As documented in two postings on this blog, Rickmyer...

...served purported legal paper on me, and then (some days later) purported to serve my attorney, Paul Godfread, increasingly famous champion of the First Amendment. (Though intellectual property issues surrounding software are his real forte, click here for Godfread's website)

For the record, this blogger and this blog DO NOT CONCEDE JURISDICTION or proper filing. A pretend lawsuit is a legal nullity, no matter how attempts are made to serve it. A legal nullity EXCEPT (that is to say) as hard, irrefutable evidence that an individual who has been declared a frivolous litigant under Rule 9 violated a judge's order and should now be held in contempt and, furthermore, his probation revoked and he should be sent back to prison.

But let's just see what kind of flotsam and jetsam show up in court to watch Rickmyer and cheer or even advocate on his spanky behalf. Based on remarks Don "Shake Down Blogger" Allen of IBNN made in the corridor outside Room 655C of the Hennepin County Government Center--it would appear that Don "Poopgate" Allen is a supporter of Level Three sex offender Peter Rickmyer.

Hmmm. This is indeed odd, since Allen testified in court--loudly, and shouting the phrase "by any means necessary" like he was Malcolm X reborn as a blogger with terrible writing skills--that he (Don Allen) is expecting a child by his wife.

HELL OF A FATHER DON ALLEN WILL MAKE, advocating for a piece of human filth who spanks minors for sexual gratification. I may not be the world's most perfect father--I know I'm not--sometimes making my kid open a can of Spagetti-0's instead of ordering pizza, for example--but I sure do draw the line at being friendly with sex offenders. It may be the job or duty of some people--their criminal defense lawyers, their counselors, their mothers--to be friendly to a sex offender. I don't see how it's Don Allen's job or duty. I don't see why Allen--who loudly declares his fatherhood on the stand--would advocate for a sex offender who targets minors. I pity the spouse of Don Allen, whose name I will refrain from mentioning nor will I allow it to be mentioned in comments on this blog.

But back to Spanky Pete! (Though it's always a bad idea to turn your BACK on Spanky Pete)

I have a copy of the ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE in my hot little hand--muchas gracias, helpful law clerk--and it reads as follows:
---------
STATE OF MINNESOTA
DISTRICT COURT

COUNTY OF HENNEPIN

(Filing stamp: 2011 Mar-8 9:02 By SN
HENN CO. DISTRICT
COURT ADMINISTRATOR

Peter Rickmyer, Plaintiff

vs.

Robert Hodson, Jeff Hoff aka jns aka
Johnnynorthside, The Adventures of Johnny
Northside, David Arnold Schooler, Jordan Area
Community Council, et. al., Defendants

Judge Robert A. Blaeser

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE

Court File No. 27CV10-3378

WHEREAS the above-named plaintiff attempted to serve a Notice of Motion for Temporary Injunction on a party in a courtroom on the Sixth Floor of the Hennepin County Government Center on March 7, 2011.

WHEREAS the above-named plaintiff attempted to file an affidavit of service of the motion on the Public Service Level of Hennepin County Government Center on March 7, 2011.

WHEREAS the above-named plaintiff is prohibited from making any filings unless an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Minnesota has signed it and the Chief Judge or Presiding Judge of Civil has approved it.

WHEREAS the above-named plaintiff's motion paperwork was not signed by an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Minnesota nor approved by the Chief Judge or Presiding Judge of Civil. Now therefore,

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the above-named plaintiff shall appear before this Court on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. in Courtroom C-659 Hennepin County Government Center, 300 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota to show cause why he should not be held in contempt for attempting to file motion paperwork without meeting the requirements of the Court's order dated May 17, 2010 imposing the aforementioned pre-filing conditions on the above-named plaintiff pursuant to Rule 9.

Dated 3/8/11

BY THE COURT:

(Signature of Robert A. Blaeser, Presiding Judge of Civil Division)

On another note: just because this hearing is intensely important and interesting to this blog DOES NOT MEAN THAT I WILL MANAGE TO ATTEND THE HEARING.

Grassroots journalists, mainstream journalists, other bloggers, interested parties who post comments on blogs, I would encourage you to attend. I have no claim on this story. It is not mine alone.

But the sordid, epic tale of Peter "Spanky Pete" Rickmyer appears to be reaching a "twilight of the gods" moment, (musical homage, click here) and what happens should be witnessed and documented.

Accused Fraudster Tynessia Snoddy Pleads Guilty To...Something???

Snoddy's Facebook photo, used under First Amendment commentary and

criticism, blog post by John Hoff

In the midst of a firestorm of publicity about my "to tell the truth" verdict in the Moore v. Hoff defamation trial, dependable and reliable word reaches me that a couple days ago Tynessia Snoddy (whose name has come up, over and over, in association with allegations of fraudulent activity swirling around mortgages--has "pled guilty to something.")

Johnny Northside Dot Com is working to dig up the oh-so-juicy details.

(Do Not Click "Read More")

(But Do Be Aware "That Specific And Repeated Evidence In Hennepin County District Court Shows Jerry Moore--the former executive director of JACC--was involved with a high profile fraudulent mortgage at 1564 Hillside Ave. N."

(In The Fiery Cauldron Of The Hennepin County Judicial System, A Single Sentence Written By Johnny Northside Was Tried, Year After Year, Day After Day. And That Single Splendid Sentence Was Found To Be True, Hooray)

(Now, Though It Will Surely Cause Him Pain...Jerry Moore Must Forever Wear That Fiery True Sentence Like The Mark Of Cain)

NoMi Loses Dottie Titus, Longtime Neighborhood Force For Good...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

Dottie Titus, a longtime Jordan resident who constantly helped and advocated for positive change in her North Minneapolis (NoMi) community, has lost her longtime battle with cancer. Postings to social media by credible, reliable people state she died Thursday.

Titus was a NoMi blogger way before there was a NoMi, and way before recent high-profile heated blog battles. Titus was there ahead of all of us, leading the way with a Wordpress platform and a blog called Jordan Livability. Her last blog post...

...was September 15, 2010, a simple little "bread and butter" blog posting about concerns over new bylaws in the Jordan Area Community Council. (JACC) Yet Titus often cried out on her blog about financial mismanagement by what has come to be known as the "Old Majority" crowd of no-account, worthless crap-bag malcontent screw-ups who nearly bankrupted JACC, including disgraced former executive Jerry Moore and Ben Myers, Chair and Criminal Attorney. (Not a very good one, based on my observations)

Dottie was a professional counselor, a gardener, a friend. She was often involved with making 911 calls about prostitution on Penn Ave. N. and videotaping what was happening out on the street. In fact, Dottie once showed me piles and piles of videos she said documented prostitution activity on Penn Ave. N., few of which have actually seen the light of day. She would just set up her camera and leave it run. Here's an example of her work, click here.

On Thursday--the day she died--Dottie was still listed as a defense witness in the Jerry Moore v. John Hoff a/k/a Johnny Northside matter. She was listed on Friday, too, with neither side knowing she had passed. Dottie was truly with us in spirit. In fact, some of her blog postings were put forward, offered as evidence that Jerry Moore is a "public figure" for purposes of defamation analysis. Even when she was too sick to get up and help us, the things she wrote and documented were valuable and being used.

It was Thursday when--while showing pictures to my attorney, Paul Godfread, of some meetings at JACC--that I came across this photo of Dottie. I was unaware she'd died, but thought how I'd taken this picture and not used it. I thought it would make a great "stock photo" if I ever had to write something about Dottie. Odd how I would see a picture of Dottie on the very day she died, a picture I hadn't seen in several months.

In this photo, Dottie is at a JACC meeting. She is documenting what is happening, using her video camera. It was, in fact, Dottie who managed to record Al Flowers shoving council member Don Samuels at a different meeting. But at this meeting, it is just a regular meeting, the first board meeting "after Al Flowers went crazy at the JACC press conference" and folks were expecting trouble, but no trouble actually arrived--no trouble except that Peter "Spanky Pete" Rickmyer was haunting the meeting, having the audacity to sit right next to Lt. Jeff Rugel, a high-ranking police officer. It was at that very meeting "Spanky" stood up and talked about how poor little North Minneapolis children are likely to get PTSD and the matter needed to be studied. Now Spanky is in jail, and will have a hearing March 23 on whether he committed contempt of court. More on that in a moment. The point is: Spanky haunting Jordan Neighborhood council meetings is no longer the norm, not like it was the day this picture was taken.

Did Dottie get some choice pictures, some audio of Pete that day? Knowing her, I'm sure she did.

You might be thinking this is a strange way to write of somebody's passing. But Dottie was right in the thick of neighborhood issues. Constantly. Even when she was ill, during times she was feeling well Dottie would show up and give of herself. She was a selfless, humble warrior for NoMi, and blazed a trail others (including myself) are following. Before many Northside residents dared to dream such a dream, Dottie saw it was possible for our neighborhood to be not merely be SAFE, but actually NICE.

Dottie's life was epic, beautiful and heroic. No obituary can do her justice. She will be missed but (like Michael Spivak) she is now with us in spirit, and we will raise a glass to her from time to time. To Dottie.

Damn Right We're Appealing--All The Way To The U.S. Supreme Court If Necessary! Stay Tuned...

Contributed photo, xoxo, blog post by John Hoff

Specific, detailed coverage will follow on the recent Johnny Northside defamation lawsuit, which declared THIS BLOG TOLD THE ABSOLUTE, UNPOLISHED, HARSH AND TERRIBLE TRUTH when I said, on June 21, 2009:

"Repeated and specific evidence in Hennepin County District Court shows Jerry Moore was involved with a high-profile fraudulent mortgage at 1564 Hillside Ave. N."

The jury ruled THAT SENTENCE IS THE TRUTH.

Yes, we had a five day trial over the truth of A SINGLE SENTENCE, but in the end truth won. Your tax dollars at work. It is not defamation to say that sentence. And it's not trademarked so you can put it on a t-shirt, bumper sticker, or a sign at a political convention.

But now we need more than truth. We must appeal to obtain "justice and the American way."

To the many kind readers who have inquired how I am doing in the wake of the recent jury verdict and extensive media coverage on this story, I want to let you know...

1.) I was busy making this weekend fun for my 13-year-old son, which was my priority. I am perfectly capable of putting on a warrior face, doing my job, and acting as though I don't have a care in the world.

2.) A bloggy rain of fire is coming, and I will make sure disgraced former JACC director Jerry Moore wears that sentence like The Mark of Cain. Everything I can get in regard to the fraud at 1564 Hillside Ave. N. and the recent civil suit will be published, including links to PDF documents like the narrative statement of fraud victim Melony Michaels. I hope the lawyers in that civil suit are doing a good job for Melony Michaels, because the name of their law firm is going to come up over and over, not unlike the name of slumlord Keith Reitman; who was the seller of the property in the fraudulent deal.

To those who have become interested in this blog because of the recent free speech court battle I say:

What matters most is making sure all the "little fish" who were part of that fraudulent mortgage deal share the harsh legal consequences along with convicted mortgage fraudster Larry Maxwell. Let the whole city, state and nation know (as this lawsuit is appealed ever upward) we need to get to the rancid, stinky bottom of what happened at 1564 Hillside Ave. N. So let us focus attention like a laser ray on the zany "two bit players" who were INVOLVED, like two-bit player Jerry Moore the former Executive Director of JACC.

3.) The First Amendment itself is under attack, and this blogger will not back down from the battle.

(Do Not Click "Read More" But Do Know Jerry Moore Was Involved With A High-Profile, Fraudulent Mortgage At 1564 Hillside Ave. N. The Jury Agrees.)

Hot New Makeover For Peter "Spanky Pete" Rickmyer, Level Three Sex Offender, Currently In Jail...

While writing my previous story about Peter "Spanky Pete" Rickmyer, (who also goes by Peter Richard Stephenson because, um, well it's complicated but suffice to say the man has somehow found opportunities to get away with using another name) I was linking to Peter's special little portion of the the State Department of Corrections website when I noticed...

Oh, my word. "Spanky Pete" has a hot new look.

Or does he? The top photo bears the notation "11/04." Is that November of 2004? Or (it seems more likely) some date has been truncated and digits are missing. No matter. The fact is this image is pretty close to the way "The Spank-i-nator" looks right now. Like many of these professional sex creeps, he's known to change his appearance with facial hair, or a bald "Mr. Clean" look, a bizarre white fedora, or whatever rocks his boat. It's tough to keep up with Rickmyer's changes of appearance but, to their credit, the DOC has updated Rickmyer's image a few times on their website. Off the top of my tired head, I can't recall so much as one other instance of a "Level Three" mug shot getting an update, and some of them clearly need to be updated since they're blurry in the first place.

With more Level Three sex offenders in our neighborhood than any other part of the state, I think residents of North Minneapolis bear a large burden and certainly have a right to updated and accurate sex offender images. As for Spanky Pete, as of this moment he has no court hearing set but just seems to be rotting away in the hoosegow. At least he can (parody font) take comfort in the fact that every time he changes his appearance and DOC posts a new photo, the old photo is still somewhere on this blog.

I close this topic with my usual annoying public begging to any source who can provide me a list of the current addresses of all Level Three sex offenders in North Minneapolis, which I will not hesitate to publish. Oh, and the usual grating musical homage to Spanky Pete, click here for Bloodhound Gang.

(Do Not Click Read More)

JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: "Spanky" Pete Rickmyer Lands His Perverted Ass In Hot Water, Precise Reasons Unknown But Strongly Suspected...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

Information taken from online legal records a moment ago as follows...

Peter Richard Stephenson, (a/k/a Peter Rickmyer) was received by the jail yesterday, 3/9/2011, at 11:23.

This is assumed to be 11:23 a.m., it is believed "military time" is used on the record in question. The charging party is "MN DOC," which is Minnesota Department of Corrections. Severity of the charge is FELONY. He is held without bail.

It is unknown but strongly suspected the arrest has something to do with Rickmyer's recent actions directed at myself and my blog, as documented in this recent post, click here.

JNS blog thanks unknown public officials for this prompt action. I sincerely hope the book is thrown at Pete and he does not walk the streets with decent people for a long, long time. Let me know if you need my testimony or that of Megan Goodmundson or others who are witnesses.

Blogosphere Trial Of The Century Goes To The Jury Today, 9 a.m. approx, Room 655C, Hennepin County Government Building, CLOSING ARGUMENTS...

Statue of Veritas image, blog post by John Hoff

Both sides have rested in the Jerry Moore v. John Hoff a/k/a Johnny Northside trial and will present closing arguments today after what is expected to be a small flurry of intensely dry and legalistic stuff at about 9 a.m. Witnesses put on yesterday included Jerry Moore, (more) and Megan Goodmundson, who gave a literal "blow by blow" of the infamous fistfight incident of January 12, 2009, following the JACC board elections.

There has been quite a bit of press coverage about this trial, which has attracted commentary from legal scholars far removed from this city and from the specific facts of this case. It would be great to say more, but that isn't terribly prudent due to the ongoing lawsuit, so readers are asked to "hang in there" and, for now, seek details from other media including Twin Cities Daily Planet.

(Do Not Click "Read More" But Do Read All About Moore)

Level Three Sex Offender Peter "Spanky Pete" Rickmyer Purportedly Serves A Second Lawsuit On Johnny Northside Blog...

Stock photo and blog post by John Hoff

Prudently refraining from writing about frivolous litigant Peter "Spanky Pete" Rickmyer for a day or two hasn't worked, no more than calling his zookeeper probation officer has worked. After talking it over with Jordan Neighborhood "Super Citizen" Megan Goodmundson, my girlfriend, we decided it was best to tell the disturbing tale of how Peter Rickmyer has been shadowing the Johnny Northside defamation trial and actually purported to serve a lawsuit on me, not just once (I already wrote about that) but TWICE.

As to the fate of the first attempted lawsuit that I wrote about earlier...

I had a conversation with Spanky Pete's probation officer, whose name I will refrain from using for the moment, and that conversation went like this:

March 3

Dear (name of probation officer)

Thanks so much for talking to Megan [Goodmundson] today and telling her that I didn't have to worry about Peter "Spanky Pete" Rickmyer's purported lawsuit, that you were on it, that I don't have to file anything, etc.

What you told my girlfriend verbally is a comfort but I really think that to rely on that I need to at least have it in writing like in an email. Something I could pull out and show if, oh my word, I don't file an answer AT ALL and then somebody (like crazy [name of attorney]) wants to assert I have lost by default.

Can you help me out, here, Mr. [name]?

(He replied as follows)

Mr. Hoff:

Judge Blaeser may be the better authority in this case. According to my conversation with the Judge, his order was clear that nothing can be filed without going through him. The clerks [sic] office has no record of anything and would not even know what to do if you were to respond to it. Perhaps you can stop by the civil clerk's office on the 3rd floor and show them the summons you received.

I am not an attorney nor licensed to practice law. I cannot help you out with any documentation or give any legal advice and my conversation with Ms. Goodmundson was more meant to keep you informed that we were handling the matter and to relay what the Judge had told me.

(To which I responded)

Thanks, [name].

I guess I will have to let the judge know that I want consequences and sanctions for Spanky Pete disobeying the judge's order.

(And so things went until Monday, when...)

I was coming around a corner after lunch on the way to Court Room 655C and there was a flurry of activity as Spanky Pete appeared with papers in his hand. The exact sequence of events that happened will remain shrouded in Spanky Mystery for now, though I do recall saying out loud to Megan, "Call his probation officer." And Spanky Pete made a loud declaration, which shall be (for now) as mute, silent and unquoted as certain anonymous dead victims of deviant psychopath sexual predators who live on the same mental wavelength as Pervert Pete. But suffice to say, it was only much later that I learned the contents of the papers because they weren't (and still are not) served upon me.

What's really annoying, here, was that jurors were in the hallway and this appeared to be Mental Pete's way of committing jury interference.

At some point, I learned (secondhand) what Judge Blaeser thought of this second alleged, purported, and pretended lawsuit document, which was as follows.

THIS ISN'T REALLY A LAWSUIT AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO FILE ANYTHING IN RESPONSE.

However, I am stuck with the fact that:

1. Twice, now, I have heard secondhand that I don't have to worry Pete's lawsuit is, in any legal sense, real. But I really prefer to hear things firsthand and I especially prefer to get things in writing.

2. From an abundance of caution, based on my legal training, it really seems more prudent to file an answer to the purported lawsuits than NOT.

The purported lawsuit in question is (like everything Rickmyer writes) a self-involved and obsessed articulation of specific yet random madness. If the logic were merely circular that would be a simple matter, but it appears to be shaped more like a tangled up fishing line.

The lawsuit-like document is captioned as follows: Peter Rickmyer, Petitioner v. John Willard Hoff, Et, al. defendants. [sic]

Again, please note: the caption on the LEGAL DOCUMENT ITSELF uses "Et, al" by which one would assume Rickmyer means "et al," Latin for "and others." The problem is real lawyers (those who get their legal training somewhere besides the Moose Lake facility for sexual sickos) put all the names of a party on the lawsuit. A phrase like "et al" is used when writing about the case elsewhere, or citing the case, to dispense with having to write out the names of ALL THE PARTIES, regarding which there may be many and...

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

OK, other things wrong with the lawsuit-oidal document.

1. Appears to cite the Hennepin County Government Center Law Library Rules as on point legal authority. I suppose if you've spent a lot of your adult life being institutionalized then something like "library rules" are about as close to common law or statutory authority as one is likely to experience directly, but for most adults, er, we don't cite cases from Library Court.

2. Here's how the purported lawsuit begins: Plaintiff Rickmyer ("Plaintiff", "Rickmyer", "me", "myself", "I") moves this Court for temporary injunction enjoining the above named Defendants...

3. Rickmyer states I (Hoff) have harassed him "in numerous ways which started after I served his 'buddies' Petition for restraining Order which I was seeking to stop the harassment in May of 2009 till June of 2010 when I dropped all legal appeals."

OK, the reality train is pulling into the station, Spanky, and I am your conductor: You didn't drop all legal appeals. Rather, the Court declared you a frivolous litigant (an event so rare in the annals of American law that you really should be stuffed and put on display in some law library when you are done peacefully living out your pervy, minor-spanking-for-sexual-gratification existence) and the gist of the Court's declaration is YOU CAN'T FILE LAWSUITS. Not unless you go get yourself an attorney, that is to say.

4. The lawsuit says I admitted I took a picture of Spanky Pete in the law library. I have admitted no such thing. I will, however, freely admit (parody font) that I telepathically beamed myself to the 24th Floor of the Hennepin County Government Center, took mental control of Pete's brain, forced Pete to take a picture of himself with his own cell phone, and I had Pete email it to me from one of the computers in the law library. Now, I know that using a non-consenting human avatar to access a law computer is against the law--or will be in the year 2052--but here's the problem, Pete.

Time travelers only have to obey the law on the plane of reality where they momentarily reside. You know it, I know it, and the Solar Council Supreme Authority knows it. I'm afraid there's nothing much you can do about this legal loophole unless you can find a wormhole. I'd start by checking your medulla oblongata. (End parody font)

5. Pete complains that "while doing thinking, research and typing would have to look every minute forward, left, right and backwards" to ensure Hoff was not there or catch him in the act of taking pictures of me and realized he [isn't that supposed to be me, myself, I?] could not concentrate with the threat of Hoff being allowed to stalk and take pictures of me and was unable to appeal.

To which I reply: Pete, I think the reason you couldn't appeal was because, due to the ruling by the Honorable Judge, you needed a lawyer to file that appeal. But if you want to give me credit for being the reason you couldn't file an appeal in your frivolous and expensive lawsuit against so many public officials and decent residents of the Jordan Neighborhood, I shall (as the Apostle Paul wrote) "wear [the accusations] as a crown upon my head."

6. Rickmyer next complains about a Judicial District Court employee, a female he names, who tried unsuccessfully to get Creepy Pete trespassed from the building for, well, being creepy. (The word "creepy" is actually in the narrative text of the report, which appears to be a police or security report) It is numbered 09-001089, 9/25/2009. Specifically, the word "creepy" appears as follows: "[S]he commented that it was 'creepy' having him around but it was better now that the kids were back in school."

My question is: how does Peter act in the county government building when the kids are NOT in school?

This next phrase from the report is very interesting, and comes from the police or security officer: "I told [the complaining party] that RICKMYER had not been trespassed yet because there had not been substantial enough cause to issue a trespass warning."

Uh huh. To which I respond: Since 2009 there have been attempts to trespass this creep from the County Government Building, and the most powerful people in the county can't pull it off. So how is my politically-disenfranchised neighborhood supposed to protect itself from this psychopath? (That last phrase is not figurative, see this newspaper article)

7. The conclusion of Rickmyer's complaint is notable and shows his overall goal: getting back to the Law Library where he would hang out all day, doing nothing productive, figuring out new creepazoidal tactics to creepily creep out people in the Jordan Neighborhood.

The "conclusion" of the legal complaint reads as follows: Unless enjoined above-named defendants will continue to keep me from the H.C.G.C. law library.

Spunkmyer (I mean Rickmyer) then complains I (Hoff) am in "active concert or participation" to violate, inter alia, law library rules.

And it's Thursday, so today we are legally entitled to jello and Wheel of Fortune.

Rickmyer includes a "Memorandum of Law" in support of his puh-puh-purported pleadings, citing the crazy case he so often cites which seems to have nothing to do with anything: re Special Force Ministries, et al., Respondents, vs. WCCO Television, a subsidiary of CBS Inc., et al.

As though it wasn't bad enough that Spanky Pete made a failed attempt to personally serve his own purported lawsuit, today he was also seen and photographed trying to follow a citizen from the Jordan Neighborhood. This on top of the fact Spanky Pete was present in the corridor outside of Room 655C during the first hearing where I appeared with my current attorney. That's a total of FOUR Spanky Pete manifestations over a short period of time, counting Pete's process server as one. This includes two attempts to serve purported lawsuit documents.

At this point, we have gone beyond calling Peter Rickmyer's probation officer, or the supervisor of his probation officer (who is on vacation until March 17) or the substitute supervisor. Our county commissioner has been contacted. How on earth can a Level Three sex offender get away with this stalking behavior and not have consequences? How can somebody declared a frivolous litigant serve purported lawsuit documents? TWICE? Once in the presence of a sequestered jury?

Consider this vexing question in closing: if the people who occupy the County Government Building--the most powerful people in the county--can't deal effectively with Rickmyer, then how is my politically-disenfranchised neighborhood to deal with him, as well as all the other many Level Three sex offenders who have been dumped here?

We ask, we beg, we pray our government officials for severe legal consequences for Stalker Pete, the kind of consequences which involve reinforced locks.

Are you hearing us? Or do our pleas fall on deaf ears?

Ian Alexander Law Firm Has Moved To 3111 Penn Ave. N.

Stock photo, Goddess of Glass, blog post by John Hoff


Ian Alexander, one of a surprisingly small number of attorneys to have a law office in North Minneapolis where we desperately need lawyers, has moved.

But, thankfully, he hasn't moved out of NoMi. In fact, Ian's moved to quite the up-and-coming portion of the neighborhood, at 3111 Penn Ave. N. near Goddess of Glass and the soon-to-open (we hope) Lowry Cafe.

Word reached me yesterday that Ian was trying to have a meeting with Don Samuels, the Fifth Ward City Councilman, but the meeting had to be canceled so Samuels could appear as a witness at Johnny Northside On Trial: The Blogosphere Battle Of The Century! (Click here for my increasingly-predictable musical homage)

I feel bad Ian Alexander missed his meeting, but if I had to guess what the meeting was about (I don't know, but I can make an educated guess) Ian might have been, inter alia, trying to talk to Don about the finely-tuned thesis he has written, suggesting how certain laws and regulations about vacancy fees are "gaming the system" to create an environment more friendly to slumlord investment than new home owners in North Minneapolis.

It's an important document and I hope lots of concerned North Minneapolis citizens will take the time to read it over and see how these ideas can be applied.

(Do not click "Read More")

Yes, It's Still On...The Blogosphere Trial Of The Century!

Blog post by John Hoff


Yes, it's still happening: Jerry Moore v. John Hoff a/k/a Johnny Northside, and John Does 1-5. The blogosphere trial of the century is taking place again today, Room 655C, Hennepin County Government Center, the Court of the Honorable Judge Denise Reilly.

This blog is too busy defending itself to write much, but fortunately there is all kinds of coverage in the mainstream media and at least one other blog, Ed Kohler's "The Deets." The trial has been covered by MinnPost, Twin Cities Daily Planet (two articles by Shiela Regan with a third expected today) the Star Tribune (one article, one opinion column by John Tevlin) and MPR.

And so it is the fate of this blog and its impact on the neighborhood is in the hands of a judge and seven jurors, good and true. Win or lose, the blog will go on. Readers can be assured of that.

They will stop my blogging when they pry the password from my cold, dead brain.

(Do Not Click "Read More")