"Too Quiet" In The Jordan Neighborhood?

Photo By John Hoff

There's an old line from the movies, and it applies to the Jordan neighborhood right about now.

It's quiet. TOO quiet.

I guess we'll see when the next bit of drama breaks loose in the ongoing controversies--personally, I'd give it no more than a week--but in the meantime here's some bits and pieces of info.

First, the...

...Jordan Livability blog may not follow the Johnny Northside maxim to "pour on the content," but it has some good and detailed info. Here's a recent post, click here, which gives more info on the missing equipment controversies and some details about freezing the bank accounts which can't be found anywhere else.

A subsequent post on that same blog, click here, gives a rundown on events leading up to the elections, basically showing everything was in order. There was no coup or, heaven forbid, "hijacc" of the board. It was an election. After an election, it's somebody's bleak duty to get roaring drunk in the bar and stagger home depressed to cry in their pillow. The first stage of crushing electoral defeat is denial but, as we can see, some people never manage to leave that stage.

JACC Executive Director--A Cursed Position?

Here's a story which just hit in the Pioneer Press, click here. Jonathon Palmer, a former executive director of JACC, is being sued for allegations of sexual harassment. I happened upon this story while fishing all over the internet, looking for new information about the controversy in Jordan.

Like the Professor of Dark Arts position at Hogwart's Academy, in the Harry Potter book series, the position of JACC Executive Director may be, well...cursed.

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Images: Apartment Complex of Anarchy Goes Down, Day Two

Photos By John Hoff

In the top photo, the front steps remained near the end of today's demolition activities. A whole lot of drugs were dealt from those steps, and it will take a lot of effort--even by a powerful backhoe--to rid the neighborhood of those accursed steps.

Second photo, a "fault line" appears in the front of the structure shortly before the backhoe took some serious, fatal whacks at the peaked portion. At one point, a crazed squirrel ran on top of the building, started the backhoe right in the eye, held its ground for a moment...then heeded the sensible impulse to retreat, RETREEEEEEEEEAT.

Third photo, some copper pipes pulled from the building. Hard to believe, but there were still a few copper pipes in hard-to-access places ripped open by the backhoe. The water hose was used to decrease the amount of dust in the air, but often it was a case of whistling in the wind.

In the fourth picture, this guy had to deal with trailing wires dragged along with scoops full of material deposited in the dumpster by the backhoe. A dirty job, but somebody had to do it.

Last photo; the Apartment Complex of Anarchy leaves our neighborhood in a fitting way...pulverized and packed in a series of large dumpsters. 

(Do not click "Read More") 

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Good Riddance, Apartment Complex Of Anarchy (3101 6th St. N.) Day Two

Photo By John Hoff

"The Apartment Complex of Anarchy," the site of so much drug dealing and chaos, has been nearly reduced to rubble. The distinctive front doorway with a high, pointed roof is now down, and given the pace of the demolition it appears the entire building will be down today. Already, one super-sized dumpster of debri has been hauled away and another is loaded, ready to go.

There is a sense of quiet joy and triumph in the neighborhood. Fourth Precinct Commander Mike Martin came by, briefly, and watched the demolition, speaking to Peter Teachout, Chair of the Hawthorne Neighborhood Association, who lives nearby. 

Notably, the demolition crew happened upon several large copper pipes and pulled these aside. Yes, despite the energetic efforts of an army of desperate crackheads, a lot of copper was missed and that scrap has now ended up in the hands of honest, hardworking people.

(Do not click "Read More")

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"New Majority" In Jordan Neighborhood Discusses Evidence Of Financial Irregularity

Photo By John Hoff

Today I dropped by 2009 James Ave. N., the headquarters of the Jordan Area Community Council (JACC) where the "New Majority" faction is firmly in power. Secretary Anne McCandless was sitting at a table, going through mail and, according to her own account, trying to piece together clues about what had been happening to the organization in the last few years while it was under the control of the "Old Majority."

Yes, I was told my "New Majority" and "Old Majority" labels were sticking...

There was frustration in the air as I entered. McCandless had a letter in her hand from a collection agency, demanding $1,506.62 for an electric bill. This didn't make sense. How could there be such a large unpaid electric bill?

McCandless and another person in the office sorted through the paperwork, making calls, figuring out the puzzle. In a short while the mystery was solved. JACC didn't owe an electric bill. Yes, the JACC electric bill had been overdue, recently, to the tune of $490.59. When former Executive Director Jerry Moore had called the electric company to shut off the power, the company told him he first needed to pay the outstanding bill, and THEN they would shut off the power. So, somehow, Moore paid the electric bill, then tried to shut off the power. But the power never got shut off. The electric company did some double-checking, first.

So the light bill had been paid. What, then, was the deal with this bill for $1,506.62? A call to the collection agency appeared to produce the following information: this was Jerry Moore's PERSONAL bill, not a bill owed by JACC. The collection agency was just trying to track down Jerry Moore.

"Um," I asked. "Why would somebody let their electric bill go for so long?"

McCandless laughed. She started showing me things, telling me things.

Item One; unpaid JACC gas bill due to Centerpoint Energy, $602.71.

Item Two; unpaid rent. How far back was rent unpaid on 2009 James Ave. N? According to McCandless, three or four months.

Item Three, JACC corporate charter filed with the office of the Minnesota Secretary of State. According to McCandless, Jerry had not been paying the annual fee and allowed JACC's corporate status to lapse for two years. JACC was due to be dissolved, but through the efforts of McCandless and a very nice, helpful person at the Secretary of State's Office, the fees were now paid, and JACC was in no danger of losing its corporate status.

Item Four, freezing the bank accounts. According to McCandless, Jerry Moore had not only written out a personal check to himself for $1,500 since being fired by the JACC board, but another check for $680 has been cashed by the bank (Franklin Bank) as well. (I didn't find out who wrote the check, or who cashed it) However, the bank account was now frozen. McCandless stated "several" checks had been presented to the bank, but not cashed. I tried to find out the meaning of "several." To McCandless, it meant four or more.

McCandless told me about four board members "marching in" to Franklin Bank and demanding the JACC accounts be frozen. A bank manager said, well, this extraordinary request would require a conversation with the bank's lawyers.

"Fine," McCandless and others agreed. "So go get the lawyers. We'll wait."

So they waited. And soon they had the accounts frozen.

I asked McCandless about when another executive director would be hired. According to McCandless, this will take place no time soon. There is little money left in the accounts to pay a new executive director. And members of the board are trying to figure out how to keep the organization running as the pieces are put together about what, exactly, happened in the last few years. Meanwhile, some members of JACC are still dealing with defamation lawsuits filed by (Old Majority member) Ben Myers.

In saying these things, McCandless showed no sign of being discouraged, of quitting. She talked about the long, dark midnight that went on for years, in which she and others were relegated to "vocal minority" status, and members of the "Old Majority" warned new board members to have nothing to do with these malcontents, squeaky wheels, and "racists" who were only there to disrupt. And yet McCandless said she and others kept pushing for answers, asking questions, never letting up.

At first, McCandless said, Board Member Dan Rother (pictured above, left) was not friendly to their point of view. Indeed, Rother would not even speak to members of the "New Majority" at first. And yet, bit by bit, Rother came around to their way of thinking. Now the New Majority appears firmly in control of JACC headquarters, and backed by city officials. Very little seems certain, but this much I can say for sure: the lights are on and somebody is home.

This blog is open to receiving comments and information from all sides in this conflict and I again wish to make that clear.

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"The Apartment Complex Of Anarchy" (3101 6th St. N.) Goes Down, Story In Words

Photo By John Hoff

I was on my way to pick up some dry cleaning, when I thought I'd drive through the Eco Village just to see what was happening, just to make sure my former block was secure. I had just fixed my left taillight after a not-unpleasant encounter with the Minneapolis Police Department the night before. From the east, 3101 6th St. N. looked the same as ever. But as I drove by, The Backhoe of Doom reared its head like a mythical bog beast...

The orange monster was hip-deep in wreckage, but showed no sign of stopping. It was snowing shingles. Cinderblocks popped beneath its treads like walnuts. If ancient humans had beheld such a site, they would have erected temples and brought little doll houses to sacrifice. Forget picking up dry cleaning. It was time to fetch batteries for my camera. It was time to start working the cell phones and alerting friends in Hawthorne to the joyous, long-awaited news.

Ding Dong, The Wicked Apartment Complex Is Dead

Jeff Skrenes needed a nap, badly, but he wasn't going to miss THIS. Even police cars were pulling up, briefly, to watch. I knocked on the door of the Teachout residence, and JoyAnne greeted me. Yes, she said, she had been wondering about that NOISE. Several minutes later she walked over, bundled up, holding a camera. It was too cold to stay for more than a few moments, but I snapped some pictures with her camera as she posed. 

"The Polish Lady" arrived for a visit, too, in leather slippers and a head scarf. Later she told me the building had been there since before 1961, when she had moved into her house, but at some point there had been a renovation of the exterior; that's when the shingles were extended over the sides. I always thought the look was distinctively 1970s, and reminds me of certain restaurant chains.

"Patty Cake" arrived in her cute little blue VW, then drove to her house to pick up Aunt Lizzie's teapot, filled with cocoa. Sitting in my van, me and Jeff toasted to "a rat free Eco Village." It was too cold for any beverage but cocoa, but still we toasted. How long had we waited for this moment? 

"Was it everything you ever imagined?" I asked Jeff. He agreed it was, "only much colder." 

We shared stories with the demolition crew and their family support system, which was also on the scene. This was no ordinary building, no ordinary demolition. This was a symbol of our progress in the Eco Village.


We Have Come Far, We Have Far To Go

While the building was demolished, fairly obvious drug traffic stilled flowed from 3020 6th St. N., but at one point a squad car sat at the intersection of 6th and 31st, taking some kind of coffee break, or just watching. It was encouraging. Clearly, this was a low and demoralizing moment at 3020--seeing yet another building come down in the unstoppable march toward neighborhood revitalization--and the presence of the squad car seemed (even unintentionally) to rub in the feeling of impending, total defeat of drug dealing on that part of 6th Street North. 

3020 6th St. N. Is Still A Problem

If only the squad cars would stop near 3020 6th St. N. all the time and take their lunch breaks. Really, you can hardly get better, more affordable food than the stuff at Bangkok Deli. (Well, admittedly the "pork organ stir fry" is not everybody's cup of testes, but there's plenty of other good stuff and, honestly, if people would just TRY the testes, they'd be as hooked as me!) 

I will not think too much about what remains to be done. This was a great day, and the demolition will apparently continue in earnest first thing tomorrow morning. 

We are still getting used to the idea of 3101 6th St. N. being really, completely GONE and not just an empty wreck of a building. 

I am contemplating the possibility of people having picnics on that spot, buying hot food from right next door, once the grass grows back. Now we are in the cold heart of winter, we are in the dark center of our struggle to change this neighborhood into something better, but spring and light are coming. 

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"The Apartment Complex Of Anarchy" (3101 6th St. N.) Goes Down, Story In Pictures, PART THREE

Photos By John Hoff

Top Photo; Congratulations, Shirley G., former owner of 3101 6th St. N., you just won a lifetime supply of TOOTHPICKS!!!!!!!!

In the second photo, Jeff excitedly calls various people, holds up his cell phone and says, "Can you hear THAT? Do you know what that sound is...? That's 'The Apartment Complex of Anarchy' being demolished."

Third photo; at least five different squad cars drove by, some stopping to watch the demolition with pensive-yet-satisfied expressions. It seemed like some kind of word went out over the police communication network, and everybody wanted to get a look-see. This was no ordinary demolition. This building was infamous. 

Tonight a high-ranking police officer sent me a message, telling me "The Apartment Complex of Anarchy" was being demolished. I told him to look for the pictures on Johnny Northside Dot Com. 

Fourth photo, that's me giving a double thumbs-up. It's cold enough for two stocking caps. The other day I saw my 11-year-old son had taken up the practice of wearing two stocking caps and I thought, "That's my boy." 

Fifth photo, Hawthorne Housing Director Jeff Skrenes poses like Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune. For many years you could buy SO MUCH MORE than a vowel at the "open air drug market" of 3101 6th St. N. 

Last photo; a lone toilet sits for a moment...and then The Backhoe of Doom turns it to a chalky residue of ceramic dust. 

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"The Apartment Complex Of Anarchy" (3101 6th St. N.) Goes Down, Story In Pictures, PART TWO

Photos By John Hoff

Top photo; the unstoppable fury of The Backhoe of Doom. 

Second photo; "The Polish Woman" walked up from her house, wearing leather slippers, to witness the demise of 3101 6th St. N. It was very cold out, so she didn't stay long, but she posed for a photo. Later that night, she found some Polish sausages in her freezer to share with me and Jeff. It is becoming a tradition in the Eco Village to celebrate demolition with Polish sausage. 

The third photo shows where demolition ended when the hose broke, and though the hose was fixed there was not enough daylight to continue. Roughly one third of 3101 6th St. N. was demolished, roughly 1/3 remained. 

Fourth, The Backhoe of Doom leaves its distinctive claw marks in the snow.

Fifth, some of the family of the backhoe operator who is, I believe, also the owner of the company. They were interested in the upcoming demolition of 3024 6th St. N. and whether the project had already been bid. I gave them a name: Kevin Gulden of PPL. You can try contacting him. Good luck. 

(Do not click "Read More") 

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