A Call For Discussion and Action - How Do We Stop the Violence Now? Part 1

(stock photo - no affliation to MAD DADS)

Readers of this blog are probably all too familiar with the albatross of our community that has reared its ugly head far too much this summer. Violence. Gun Violence. Youth Gun Violence.

After indirectly experiencing one of the shootings mentioned here in this article, I was prompted to spur a squeaky wheel campaign by urging northsiders to contact any and all elected officials who might have some jurisdiction over north Minneapolis.

Here is what I wrote:
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July 1, 2010

To: Governor Pawlenty, Mayor Rybak, Chief Dolan, All Minneapolis City Councilmembers, All Hennepin County Commissioners, State Senator Higgins, State Reps Champion and Mullery, Sheriff Stanek, Inspector Martin, Lt. Heimerl:


I am asking each and every one of you to respond to me regarding the levels of violence occurring in my community. You each are paid to represent and serve me and my neighbors and we need to hear from you, please.

In my north Minneapolis neighborhood on Monday night, there were seven people shot within seven hours within an approximate 15 to 20 square block radius.

As you all are well aware, I am sure, this years homicide numbers are much higher than the decrease we had last year. (Commentary added: I've now learned the homicide rate is 271% higher than last year)

In addition to those terrible incidents mentioned above, there are an almost uncountable number of other urban terrorism incidents such as windows being broken or shot out with rocks or pellet guns every week, in a wide spread pattern.

The good, decent, taxpaying neighbors are being terrorized on their own streets. They don't have to travel to Iraq or Afghanistan to risk their lives, it is happening right at the spot where they lay their head in the land of the free, home of the brave.

If this was occurring in other areas of Minneapolis, Hennepin County or the State of Minnesota, I know there would be OUTRAGE and IMMEDIATE law enforcement attention thrown at the problem and no one would sleep until those good people were reassured and placated.

Well, there are good people, tax paying citizens who need protection now from this violence. We can not continue to be quiet as our neighborhoods become a jungle of urban terrorism. I can not believe that if similar incidents were occurring in Kenwood or Linden Hills they would be allowed to continue without direct action by the local authorities and elected officials.

North Minneapolis has been neglected for too long in the area of active crime fighting and greater police presence.

We have two more long months of summer to endure with this level of violent crime occurring nightly. We can not sit in our yards, allow our children out to play, or even feel safe parking our cars in front of our homes. This is an injustice to all of us that live in north Minneapolis. We are all property tax payers, but what services are we getting for these funds?

We have been told in meetings we attend that fighting crime IS a priority for north Minneapolis. However, we, as citizens are not seeing any of those efforts. Instead we wake up to headlines in the newspaper of record, Star Tribune that there were seven shootings in seven hours in north Minneapolis. That is if we have not been personally affected by those shootings, like I was last Monday night. Our property values have already shrunk, and headlines like the one above will keep anyone from considering moving to north Minneapolis. With the number of empty homes we already have, how much more in property taxes will we have to pay for people that are fed up with the crime and violence and just move, or worse, rent to anyone they can find?

Each and every day that I am driving around my neighborhood I see drug deals, hookers meeting up with johns, stolen property being sold in the open, large gatherings and public disturbances, littering, boom cars, people walking down the middle of the street. It's like the land of the lawless. If you are short on revenue, just come here and fine these criminals and you will generate enough revenue to be able to hire more police who can actually keep our streets safe and fight bigger crime.

Bring in more police, more sheriff deputies, heck, bring in the National Guard! Keep our people safe!

I know for sure if seven people were shot in Windom or Linden Hills or Wayzata or Apple Valley you would not even blink at the idea of declaring a state of emergency and bringing in U.S. Soldiers! What makes north Minneapolis less deserving of public safety?

Please respond to me so that I can share it with the neighbors that I am copying on this letter. I will share any and all responses, and I will share if there is NO response.

Thank you for your time and attention,

(NoMi Passenger)
~~~~~~~

I urge anyone reading this now to contact these elected officials. Email is often the most convenient. Tell them a personal story how this has affected you. Tell them any ideas or requests you may have. Tell them you aren't going to allow this to be status quo for our community, when we all know good and well if this happened in some other community there would be a declaration of emergency. Tell them whatever you would like to tell them - just TELL THEM!
Here is a list of email addresses you can copy and paste into your email system:
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tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us;
mayor@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
tim.dolan@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
kevin.reich@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
cam.gordon@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
diane.hofstede@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
barbara.johnson@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
don.samuels@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
robert.lilligren@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
lisa.goodman@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
elizabeth.glidden@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
gary.schiff@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
meg.tuthill@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
john.quincy@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
sandra.colvin.roy@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
betsy.hodges@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
mike.opat@co.hennepin.mn.us;
mark.stenglein@co.hennepin.mn.us;
gail.dorfman@co.hennepin.mn.us;
Commissioner.McLaughlin@co.hennepin.mn.us;
randy.johnson@co.hennepin.mn.us;
jan.callison@co.hennepin.mn.us;
jeff.r.johnson@co.hennepin.mn.us;
sen.linda.higgins@senate.mn; lhiggins@nmpls.com;
rep.bobby.champion@house.mn ; b-champion@msn.com;
rep.joe.mullery@house.mn;
sheriff@co.hennepin.mn.us;
mike.martin@ci.minneapolis.mn.us;
James.Heimerl@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you'd like to copy and paste your "call to action" email in the comments section here, please do, just be sure to give me some indication as to who you are, you know we are on troll extermination around here!

I will share the responses I've received in follow-up posts.

Fourth of July Weekend Festivities

Fourth of July is one of my favorite days in NoMi. We have a beautiful, waterfront, park-like setting to enjoy good friends, good food, good drinks and a great fireworks show. Across America, the words "fireworks show" conjures up images of some municipal festival, organized display or big choreographed event with hundreds of spectators gathering in one main spot with blankets and picnic baskets.

Well, in NoMi, there is not so much choreographing.  Not so much organization. Rather it is left to happenstance. Whatever will be, will be. The neighborhood always puts up a good show and some how backyard fireworks displays across dozens of blocks in a full radius find the perfect way to compliment and coordinate.  Orchestrated happenstance.

Here are some photos of the good times I had over the whole weekend as a NoMi Passenger.

The weekend started right with some great outdoor time in the boring lovely suburb of Plymouth where these wild blackberries were fun to snack along the trail. 

Before heading to Plymouth we stopped at a specialty store and picked up a little something to keep the father-son duo occupied and entertained for the weekend. 

This was my view from the park bench while the boys did their treasure hunting. Told you Plymouth was boring lovely.

Next to the metal detector store was a Mexican Mercado corner store. We spotted a yummy looking treat to share, peanut pudding. Oddly enough the actual nuts in the pudding were pecans. And it jiggled like jello.

There was a spontaneous trip to the super-awesome dog park at Minnehaha Park. If you haven't been there, with or without a dog, it's a MUST. I'll be your tour guide if you'd like. It goes down down down then BAM! It opens up to the banks of the Mississippi River. Camera difficulties made this one of the few clear photos of the trip but take my word, it's a must see. 

There were a few extremely worn out critters of the two and four legged variety.  C'mon guys, the car is RIGHT THERE!

Now on to more important things, like this delicious pitcher of Vodka infused with herbs and fresh cukes. On the rocks with a splash of LaCroix sparkling water. D'lish! Thanks, Ann!

Let's see that beautiful thing from another angle. 

The Fourth of July celebration on the Jordan Pond was filled with beautiful people. Like Azja, newly 18, and  Baby Noah, newly five months. 

And these two beautiful young ladies visiting us from Job Corp in St Paul. 

And this lovely lady. No, those flaming hot Cheetos are NOT made locally. 

But they were eaten locally. 

And these cute little munchkins sharing something yummy with each other. 

And this gentleman, who didn't even have to open his mouth to make a bold statement. 

Some new Jordan neighbors, Saul and his wife Nancy. Welcome!

And these two lovely ladies, Jacqui and Alexis a.k.a. "The Mommies"

Oh, the suffering we all endure at a Jordan neighborhood gathering. Please. Don't force me to eat that vanilla cake with fresh berries and decadent caramel sauce. Please. No. I'm pleading.

 I always knew that guy was full of hot air. 

It wouldn't be America's birthday without sparklers. 

Not even my  fancy "fireworks setting" on my camera can begin to capture the glory of a NoMi Orchestrated Happenstance fireworks show. 

Anthony Titus, this is dedicated to you, my friend. 

Are you kidding me?

In 1998 the City towed my bus to the impound lot. It really irritated me. It was January 1998. A sloppy January. The snow from December was melting. All of my shit was crammed in my VW bus parked in NE Mpls. I was staying next door with three Catholics and a Russian Orthodox guy.

It had been there for a couple weeks, the brakes rusted, the accelerator cable rusted, and the bungee cord I once used to keep it from jumping out of fourth gear- cracked from the Minnesota winter. It was loaded with my books. My skis. My camping equipment. My rusted tools. A friend and I towed the bus from Prospect Park with a chain, while she was in Colorado for Christmas with the family. I’m not sure why she bought two tickets for that trip. She came back to a real mess, but not to me. Painful. Next time I’ll use a tow rope instead of a chain.

When I found out, I hated that fucker for having it towed. And I let him know it. He said his sisters didn’t have anywhere to park. Said they were coming into town tomorrow to go to their mother’s funeral. I was drunk. Probably finished my first bottle of wine by the time I confronted him in his front yard. He was home from work. A machinist. A union guy. A stocky fucker too, but old. He seemed really old. A pissed off drunk asshole and a pissed off old asshole yelling at each other in Northeast for an hour and a half on a Wednesday night in the January thaw. There’s a first time for everything. Right?

I didn’t realize at the time what it meant to have some jackass’s piece of shit parked in front of your house. That bus contained everything I owned, except my books for the current semester, several changes of clothes, my suit, and tie or two. After another bottle of wine for me and more than a couple PBRs for him, I slathered away apologetically. I had a new respect my neighbor, for homeownership, and for common courtesy. It took me four trips to the impound lot to unload the bus. After paying $200 for the ticket and towing fee, I left the bus parked in a no man’s land somewhere in Harrison.

Some of my neighbors think I’m racist because I have the city tow abandoned pieces of shit from our block. The same neighbors don’t know that I love living here. We need to talk. Seriously. They didn’t like it when we built our fence. They didn’t say anything but I knew it. We like the fence. It keeps our dogs in, and keeps other dogs out. It also keeps some of our neighbors out. They think I don’t like black people near my house. We left two inches of space between the pickets, to open the fence up more… so as not to wall-off our backyard, and our neighbors.

I think some of my neighbors play their music too loud. I also think some of my neighbors really know how to cook. They’re the Miles Davises of barbeque, but they listen to the Arby’s Sauce of music- turned up REALLY FUCKING LOUD. Some of my neighbors break in to their friends’ and neighbors’ houses and take things. Like big screen TVs, Playstations, cash, and pot. Those are the black neighbors I don’t want near my house. Come to think of it, those are the white, brown, yellow, red, green, orange, and blue neighbors I don’t want near my house either.

What is it about living in Willard Hay that makes talking to your neighbors so difficult?

A Good Day in My NoMi Life

Today I'm feeling rather reflective, rather content. Validated. Reassured that my efforts and energies are accurately aligned. Just getting a bit of pleasure from all the simple things in life, that make one's life, well, alive.

For example I just can't stop gazing in adoration at my newly hung painting in my bedroom. A simple, ordinary yet extraordinary bouquet of flowers that I met at an antique store in Osakis, Minnesota. As soon as I met this fella I fell instantly in love and had to take him home with me. And I'll have him with me for the rest of my life. (The special bedspread and a little bat-itude keep me smiling, too.)

Here's something that will make a day brighter. Spring's gift to me, my tulips in my front flower bed. They don't stay around long so I had to snap a picture for memory. They will be even prettier next year.

Another gift from Mother Nature, these cute little darlings live in my back yard for a too-short time every spring. I can never have enough of them.

And since today was such a simple, yet reassuring and content day, I decided to celebrate it with a glass of sweet blush wine, given to me by a sweet guy, brought all the way from Louisiana. I enjoyed it with some olives from a bent-n-dent store in the outskirts of Minnesota and a handful of Texas nuts.

Yes. My life is simple and ordinary. But it's filled to the brim with small treasures, amazing people, a nonstop social scene, stories and adventures so exciting they can't even be created in the most colorful imagination. And everyday I am given the signs and reassurances that I'm on the right track.

Thank the Lord He led me to NoMi.

Easter Brunch on the Jordan Pond

I call this one "Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Goods."

Deb Wagner wore her mother's 50s apron and felt closer to her today. Delicious Bloody Mary. Oh, the pineapple upside down cake was not bad, either.

There's never a lack of good food when we get together.

Amie and her little man light up the room with sunshine.

It didn't take long for the party to move outside. Actually some folks never came inside except to dish up some good food.

It was like herding cats to try to get all the kids to sit for a picture. Take One.

Take Two.

Take Three. This is as good as it gets, folks.

The Bubble Machine was a big hit with the younger crowd.

Chasing bubbles leads to a necessary rest.

Two Alexs.

Erica and her new baby sister.

Two of my favorite people in the world. Well, three, really.

This lady has the right idea. I hear she always has the perfect excuse, too.

This young guy gets his very own "Dessert with Don." Poor boyfriend. Not sure he realizes what he's gotten himself into.

Brian and Jacqui prepare for the Annual "Egg Roll."

Allie gives her egg a roll, trying to land it near a "big money" flag in the grass.

Brian checks the money flag closest to the egg, and dishes out the prize. This is a Mondl family tradition that Brian has brought to our Jordan family Easter gatherings.

CC counts her loot. That girl knows how to roll an egg for "big money."

Asante Samuels shows off her winnings just before she runs to catch her departing caravan of Samuels peeps.

All the festivities took place on the beautiful Jordan Pond. Some have nicknamed it Laughing Duck Pond, because in the early quiet morning hours the ducks laugh and laugh as the sun rises over NoMi-land.

Happy Spring everybody out there in NoMi-land!

Sometimes, people who aren't aware of the well-kept secret that is NoMi ask me "Why do you live there?" My reply is "Because I have the most wonderful neighbors on this Earth."

Today was one of those times I am reminded of that.

See you all out on the pond for more sunshiney afternoons and great food this spring and summer. Love.

Happy 2010 - The Year of Hookers and Light Rail

Happy 2010! Photo by John Hoff

Here's to looking forward to a great year filled with advancement and success in NoMi. I have no doubt that this year we will see huge leaps and bounds in forward progress, based off a rebounding effect of the many successes we collectively accomplished in 2009.

Successes like this.

And this.

And hopefully, many more successes like this.

Towards the end of 2009, after basking in the afterglow of some of those aforementioned successes, I started thinking "What will I do with my free time next year"?

And I immediately knew that my two main focuses were going to be Hookers and Light Rail.

One I want.

One I don't.

I'll let you figure out which is which.