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I am a composer, producer, publisher of new music. As a category, new music is very hard to describe because it can range of rock songs to avant garde warblings. I like to partake of all of the above and more. More information about my music is available at www.boysartmusic.com.
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June 9
3.45p A-A male, 30s, 5'10" 190 lbs; black bike. LV 729 SE 8th Av. Nickname: The Cuckoo.
3.46p Cauc female, 30s, 5'4" 130 lbs; blonde, black jacket. ARR 729 SE 8 Av; LV @ 3.50p returns to 725 SE 8 Av.
4.01p {PFB 077} Grand Am - 2 A-A. #1 is male 5'11" 210lbs with corn-rows enters 729 Se 8 Av. #2 is female 20s waiting in car. ARR 729 SE 8 Av LV @ 4.01p.
4.02p A-A fem 30s 5'3" 110 lbs; blue jean jacket, peach top, glasses ARR 729 SE 8 Av.
4.02p {PFB 077} drives by on 8 St SE headed E.
4.05p Cauc female, 20s shorts, gray sweater ARR 729 SE 8 Av
4.05p AA male, 20s, props door open @ 814 SE 8 St. Delivery of furniture. {MYC 615} black sedan.
4.07p Lat male ARR 729 SE 8 Av from 725 SE 8 Av.
4.08p Cuckoo ARR 729 SE Av on bike. Proceeds to occupy the window overlooking the front door of the property; pops head in and out as many people arrive and depart.
4.10p AA male on bike, khaki clothes 30s, 175 lbs 5'10", black bike. Talks to Cuckoo in the Nest and heads S on 8th Av SE.
4.16p {TDN 096} Brown 4-door sedan; AA male with khaki pants ARR 729 SE 8 Av with 6-pack.
4.17p {MWV 859} Black station wagon ARR 810 8 St SE parking lot.
4.17-20p 4.07p male and 4.05 fem walk ARR 814 SE 8 St LV 814 SE 8 St ARR 729 SE 8 Av. AA fem 20s LV 814 SE 8 St ARR 729 passes something to 4.07 male and 4.05 fem and returns to 814.
4.22p 2 AA males walk 814 SE 8 St to 8th St Mkt and return.
4.29p AA male 20s, brown shirt on cellphone into parking lot @ 810 SE 8 St {PPZ 227} Grand Jeep Gran Cherokee
4.32p {LNK 045} Silver Cad, AA male 20s on cell drive by on 8th St going W. {NYR 270} white SUV park on SE 8th St. AA male bushy black hair, 20s fleece top from ARR 810 SE 8 St to 729 SE 8 Av.
4.42p AA male 20s blue sweater, gray pants ARR 729 SE 8 Av.
4.45p AA male 30s bald ARR 729 {HDG 951} red Honda Civic drives by.
4.48p {JZC 172} purple VW jetta looky loo. E on 8th St.
4.49p AA male grovery bag E on 8th St.
4.54p {PDL 418} SUV red Chevy, AA male.
4.54pm AA male 5'#' 30s 140 lbs, gray plaid shirt.
4.57pm UPS delivery truck {03024 partial} to 729 SE 8 Av; sign by AA male 20s; delivery into 725 SE 8 Av went indoors.
5.02p 3 AA males walk E on 8th St past 729.
June 11
5.35a Cuckoo standing in the door at 729 SE 8th Av. Greets us.
5.53a AA fem, 20s, 130 lbs, 5'6", pink jacket, long black hair, big caboose. Walking E on 8th St throws rock at Cuckoo's window on SE 8th St side. Enters after being buzzed in.
6.07a 2 Cauc fem, 2 Cauc male on 3 bikes coming out of parking lot at 810 SE 8 St; hooded sweaters; 15-17 y.o. headed W on 8th St.
6.18a {MBA 536} conversion van (Chevy?) beater. AA male driver, late 20s/30s, 5'9" 180 lbs, baseball cap. W on 8th St into 810 parking lot.
6.21a {PKA 023} purple Suzuki mini-SUV. Cauc male, 50s, beard, sun glasses on head. E on SE 8th St. Came N on 7th Av and W on SE 8th Av. Slowed down; looky loo.
6.27a {PHU 385} Pale gold Chrysler. Native African 30s, 5'10" stopped to ask why his lic plate was being recorded; handed flier. Angry questions. LV going W on SE 8th Av.
6.29a {PKA 023} comes over 35W going W on SE 8 St.
6.41a {PBY 123} Red Chrysler. Blonde Cauc fem 50s. ARR going N on 7th Ave; LV going E on SE 8 St. Looky loo.
7.03a Duo (male + fem) from 6.07am headed W on SE 8 St; turned into 810 SE 8 St parking lot...disappeared when followed.
{ILLINOIS 841 5477} Pontiac 6000-LE parked in the lot next to 501 SE 8 Av.
{RXJ 870} Silver beater, 4 dr sedan @ 5th/5th; 2 AA males arguing and drive away S on 5th Av.
Sunday, 6/11/06
Patrol: Martha, Chris, Patty N., Eric N
Gathered at Dunn Bros. at 7:00 to begin patrol. There was a small mix-up with the packet. No one working at Dunn Bros was aware of our packet. We patrolled the "triangle" and spoke with several morning walkers. Generally, a very quiet morning during our shift, so we concentrated on a list of 311 items...will provide tonight at Dunn Bros. meeting. We did pause briefly at 8th & 8th. No sign of Cuckcoo. Finished our patrol at 9:00am.
Grafitti report has been sent to 311 on behalf of the Sunday Morning Patrol group.
15 Jun
12.30am-1am. Green and White Cab {MUX 063} picking up Cuckoo at 8th and 8th headed toward the River and then onto 4th St SE. Cauc male, 30/40s, 190 lbs, mustache, biking up and down 8th Ave SE. Tried to bum a smoke. Quiet party on the porch at SE 6th St and SE 8th Ave. AA female walking down the middle of 8th Ave SE towards the river between 6th St and 4th St. No action at 810-814 SE 8th St. Light auto traffic. No ped traffic. Quiet.
Anonymous said....
I was running Friday morning with a friend. At 6 am we approached the corner of 6th St. SE and 7th Ave SE where we saw another runner (male, approx. 6 ft. tall, 165 lbs., dark shorts, white running top, short dark hair). We motioned 'hello' as most runners do (subtle hand wave). He turned around and followed us. We stopped in front of my home and were saying our goodbyes. The guy came up and just stood there, acting kind of weird, as though he were looking for something or waiting for something from us. It was very strange. I asked if he lived near-by and he hesitated, then said "No, I live in Northeast". My friend got in her car and drove away. I went around the back of my house and he ran off. Seemed like he was looking for something, but not sure what.
June 17
Patrol: Norm, Deb, Sarah, Martha, Pamela, Larry, Brian, Tom, ??.
We met at Dunn Brothers today - 9 people showed up for Patrol!! So, we divided into 2 groups. Our group walked toward Northest along University Ave. Documented some 311 violations (Overgrown weeds, etc.) At approx. 7:15 we ran into Mr. Hello Neighbor (Herschel) walking along 3rd Ave SE toward University. He said 'hello' and we gave him a flyer. We decided to follow him. He walked to the bus stop at the corner of University and Central. Shortly before reaching the corner, he stopped to talk to a young blond woman in a silver car (she was an Aveda student). They seemed to know each other. At the bus stop, an obvious drug addict approached him. Since we were watching, the customer kept walking and then went behind the gallery. We followed both of them and successfully interrupted the drug deal. Eventually, Herschel kept moving and we lost sight of him. This whole thing took about a half hour. He seemed to be getting irritated that we were following him.
Epilogue: I was leaving my home on 6th St. SE at approx. 11:00 am with my daughter and Herschel was walking up 8th Avenue, crossing 6th St. SE with a large, scary looking AA male. They slowed down and really gave me the evil eye.
June 15
10.25p 2 AA males, 20s. {NZK 352} stop at light at 8/8; move E on SE 8th St.
10.28p 10.25 ARR again; move E on SE 8th St.
10.29p Cauc fem from house btwn SE 7th and SE 8th Streets LV and tries to stop 10.25 car.
10.29p CUCKOO walks E on SE 8th St and enters 729 SE 8th St.
10.32-35p 10.25 car ARR at 7th St address to move stuff
10.45p Notice care with smashed driver's window and windshield near 8/8. {865 JRW Wisconsin}
GRAFFITI noticed -- no 311 report made: Between SE 6th and SE 7th Streets on frontage sidewalk along freeway; on fence.
DANGER noticed -- no 311 report made: Power and phone lines extend from central post in alley behind 1st Congregational Church. Wires are very low and among tree branches.
11.12p AA fem, 20s, long hair LV 729 SE 6th St; ARR 814 SE 8th St through the back-door
11.17p Police drive by 729 SE 8th Av
11.17p Chevy Baretta {TDE 645} drives by 729; long time at the stop sign looking back at patrol
11.35p 2 AA fem, 20s/30s, t-shirts ARR @ 801 SE Univ Av
N.B. 318 SE 8th Av is being developed by the University of MN. Information @ 612.633.1888 or 612.636.1026.
11.52p 2 AA gender unknown long time at stop sign at 8/8 {GGU 506}
11.53p Cauc fem, long blong hair, black t-shirt pleading with CUCKOO to gain entry to 729 SE 8th Av
11.56p 2 males ARR 729 SE 8th Av {GEX 809}. #1 Cauc male, 25, enters 729 with key. #2 AA bald, 30s. Stand on landing between floors hanging out windows and make comments to patrol.
11.57p CUCKOO LV 729 SE 8 Ave and tries to get in again. #2 drops his keys to CUCKOO who then enters.
11.58p CUCKOO gets bike, LV 729 SE 8 Av moves S on 8th Av towards river. Says "How you doin."
11.59p CUCKOO circles back. Patrol moves to back door of 729 SE 6th St and sees Cauc male, 20s, 200 lb, 6'1" taking out garbage (unrelated activity).
12.06p Green and white private car moving E on SE 8th St stops at 8/8 (seen from intersection of SE 8 Av/SE 7 St); #1 hands something off to car and returns to 729 SE 8th Av
12.08p Cauc male, 20s, bare-foot seems to be spotting on SE 8th St nr 729.
12.15p 2 Cauc males approach patrol nr 729 SE 8th Av. "JUSTIN" Cauc male, 20s, bare-chested, 165 lbs, 5'8" describes himself as the caretaker of 729/725 SE 8th Av. "TIM" Cauc male, 20s, black t-shirt, bare-foot, 185 lbs, 5'10" claims he's a resident at 729 SE 8 Av. Conversation with patrol about the Marcy Holmes CP. Patrol recognizes TIM from previous night in 1am encounter when TIM tried to bum cigarettes.
12.17p AA male, 20s, 5'6" 125 lbs bikes S on SE 8th Ave from SE 8 St towards river
12.25p CUCKOO bikes N on SE 8 Av towards 729 as patrol is moving S on SE 8 Av. Residents whistle for dogs.
June 20th
9:30 p.m.
Biking Home from MHNA Meeting.
Red Civic in front of 729 SE 8 av.
Honks horn. Blk Male gets out of car, approaches window. yells out, " Hey Man You Got the Stuff???"
Jun 22
Only 2 of us showed up for the Fri aft patrol. One patroller had not been out before, so I showed him the "problem" properties. When we went to 801 Univ. I noticed an AA heavyset male sitting behind the building talking to another AA male. I had seen the same heavyset male in Dunn Bros. wandering around before we went on patrol. Was he checking out the CP patrollers? We saw activity at 729--Causausian male in "Hawaian" type shirt yelled at Cuckoo's window and went in. Also AA males on bikes noodling around on the corner and then went toward 8th St Market. Because there were only 2 of us, I did not feel comfortable staying around 729, so we did not stay near there. I collected some 311 reports about overgrown trees, etc, that I will call in tomorrow. We also observed a thin AA female in black tights and a red patterned top wandering around from the corner across from 729 and down to 814 8th St. I also saw last week, at different times, 3 AA's riding what appeared to be the same red bike down 5th St. The female gave me a sort of dirty look. A thin male greeted me--I saw him returning from the direction of Aveda a bit later. Fri aft coming back from patrol, I was talking to Paula and a more heavyset AA male rode by on the bike--Paula said that was Herschel. I don't think it was the same man, but it could have been. I was paying more attention to dogs than I was to him. Sorry.
A Blk female on University between 35W and 8th Ave has wondered around the area for two weeks now. She seems to constantly be high or drunk. I'm worried she may be a prostitute or some kind of drug runner.
June 22 - bike patrol
10.33p 911 call as we came around from SE 8th St headed S on SE 9th Av. Car passed us as came down the street {RYN 675}. 2 AA males were in the midst of a drug deal. #1 was HERSCHEL.
10.33p AA male 30s 5'9" 180 lbs maroon sweatshirt/blue shorts @ 729 SE 8th Av.
10.35p police squad ARR. They proceed to look for suspects; fail in finding them in the neighborhood.
10.45p AA male 5'8" 170 white tee shirt and black pants loitering outside of 810 SE 8th St.
10.45p AA fem (prostitute?) 120-130 lbs 20s waiting to get in to 814 SE 8th St. AA male lookout low 20s 150-160 lbs sitting on the front stoop.
10.49p same couple at 814 SE 8th St.
11pm same couple at 814 SE 8th St.
11.04p 401 SE 4th St Cauc fem white t-shirt blonde 5'6" (prostitute?). Cauc male with very short haircut 5'10" 170 lbs. Patrol was spotted which upset both folks and the male called on cellphone which made fem hit him with her white handbag. Couple headed N on 6th Ave towards 6th St and returned when patrol turned off their bike lights. Patrol turned on lights again which encouraged couple to walk to 501 4th St door and begin knocking loudly and repeatedly. 911 called.
11.17p {LMA 127} stopped by police at SE Univ Av and 5th Ave SE. They speak for about 5 minutes.
11.23p Red SUV stops at 501 SE 4th St.
11.35p Trio of people at 810/814 SE 8th St are not there.
11.40p Dark 2-door coupe with lights off and motor on sitting in the shadows near SE 7th St and SE 9th Ave. Call 911. Patrol sits around the corner and talks with 2 Cauc males and 1 AA male who are visiting across the street from the Fraser's.
11.56p Patrol splits up. AA male ARR in grey SUV; enters 810 SE 8th St. At the same time police squad ARR. Just as the police car arrives, the dark 2-door coupe quickly departs and heads N on SE 8th Ave and then W on SE 8th St.
12.16p HERSCHEL ARR at 801 Univ Av SE.
Patrol encountered HERSCHEL at 800 Univ Av SE at 11.53pm loitering outside on the front stoop. HERSHEL said that he was looking for an apartment to rent in the neighborhood after being evicted from 501 SE 5th St.
12.35am {WI 585 BXG} turned onto "Drug Alley" next to I-35 between 6th St SE and 5th St SE and made a U-turn infront of 802 SE 6th St where "he" parked. No sign of the person on approach.
July 19
311 calls: 11th Ave, betw. 7th and 8th Streets, 3 streetlights that are out.
10:23 - 3 AA males cruising the neighborhood. Ultimately park their SUV (Dodge Ram, Black, MN Lic. FGZ 722) at corner of 9th Ave and 7th St. Individuals then walked four blocks west to 5th Ave and proceeded North on 5th. They then ran between alley between 5th and 6th Aves. Neighborhood patrol believes the indivuals entered 711 6th Ave, SE. Patrol made 911 call.
10:30 - Black Van (MN Lic. JCV 289) parked in alley (across sidewalk) next to 711 6th Ave. Patrol suspects that the van is linked to 10:23 entry.
10:40 - Auto idling in alley between 6th Ave and 7th Ave. Then drove off, proceeded south on 6th avenue and left neighborhood on either 4th St. or University.
10:42 - AA male, 170 lbs, orange T-shirt, dark pants exits 709/711 7th Ave (property where "Feel Me" has been sighted). He entered Dark colored, banged-up Ford Taurus (MN Lic BDH 297). Drove west on 7th St, then north on 6th Ave.
11:30 - "Herschell" spotted walking south on 7th Ave at 7th Street. He was wearing Vikings jersey, carrying backpack. May have been dropped off by bus at 8th St. market. Appeared to be heading "home."
AKA 40-year-old Neighborhood homeowner…
My first experience with the citizen patrol was when I was sitting out in my car talking on my cell phone on 7-19-2006 as my housemate is kind of an Internet hog and is on the phone line a lot. It was a somewhat cool evening in July and this guy on a bike kept riding back and forth, or forth and back I can’t remember which one comes first. Anyhow he kept doing this for about 10 minutes. Sitting in your car on your cell phone is not a crime, and if it were we would all be headed for the pokey. Raise your hand if you have ever talked on your cell phone in front of your house while in your car. I see lots of Hands. It was like sitting in your car and having the police shine the spotlight in your face it just didn’t feel right.
My second experience that very same evening was when I was on a test drive to determine which component was making the clunking noise on my vehicle AKA The black dodge RAM you called the police on. As I am driving around I notice several bikes with flashing lights; they followed me up and down the blocks as I was trying to get the vehicle to repeat the clunking noise. I felt as though I drove into some type of evening cycle rally chase “Tour De Marcy Holmes?” They followed me for what seemed like several miles, down 6th street, down 7th street, down 5th street; these guys would not give up, it felt like harassment.
If I am not doing something totally out of the ordinary why chase me all over. For all I knew two young guys were following me around waiting for me to get out of my car to knock me down and take my wallet. As they were chasing me my heart began to race, adrenalin flowing in my blood; I began to drive faster, hell I almost ran into someone who decided not to make a complete stop at a stop sign. What if I would have caused an accident? Rarely do the Police chase people unless they have done something wrong. Middle-aged White guys are rarely breaking the law at 10:00 PM on a school night.
I own a home in the neighborhood, you have been patrolling over a month and I don’t even know about the citizen patrol until I look on line in the bridge. I believe a key component in this project would be informing homeowners of this project via a flyer, or canvassing the neighborhood, Like republicans looking for campaign contributions on a Saturday morning. It would also be helpful if the neighborhood Patrols were identifiable in some way, you know to set them apart from others.
After realizing that I had a citizen patrol group I stopped shaking, wiped the sweat from my brow, and thought way to go, this is awesome, after reading about the goals of the group and the issues we are trying to prevent in the neighborhood I thought, this is a great program, we should all become involved.
My Advice: Be watchful, monitor behavior patterns, inform the necessary authorities but do not become a Vigilante, Life is too short to take law enforcement into your own hands.”
Do not call the police claiming that 4 AA males got out of the Dodge RAM unless you actually saw them get out of the truck. I got out of the truck middle aged white guy (M-A-W-G) you are wasting your time and the police officer’s time if you provide inaccurate information.
Patrolling the neighborhood has its rewards, being chased around by the neighborhood patrol is not priceless.
Signed: “The Neighborhood’s Andy Rooney.”
MAWG,
Consider hanging up your phone, taking some initiative and helping to protect the neighborhood.
If you were out, you would know your kind DOES commit crimes at all hours.
You wouls also know that bad guys rarely (never) bike with proper lights.
Keeping an eye on the street for characters sitting in cars chattering, and for vehicles circling the area is not law enforcement. Maybe you could ask a Saturday-morning Republican to explain the difference to you.
July 29 (10.30pm to 11.30pm)
Very slow tonight. No 911 calls. Several street lights are out (see 311). A small house fire with a significant presence from the Fire Dept (12th Ave SE, 6th St SE).
The neighborhood west of 35W seems transformed. Lots of pedestrian traffic. No loitering, even on SE 8th St (810, 814). Very little car traffic.
The Citizen Patrol should be very pleased at the significant improvement in conditions.
April 6, 2007
The bike patrol has had a number of organizing meetings in the past two weeks. Walking patrols have begun already.
There is a rather large number of volunteers interested in serving on bike patrols and so we can expect things to start soon and to have a presence in the evenings at least twice every week until October.
The patrols have been going out at least once a week. We've noticed a dramatic drop in crime since 813 5th St SE has been boarded up. There is no way to attribute the crimes to the men who were being housed there, but it it hard not to draw a conclusion that all the crime was caused by those individuals.
The fear that neighbors have been feeling has gone down considerably although there is no reason to think that crime won't continue.
If you are interested in participating in a bike patrol, it is very easy. Send a note to the webmaster of this page (shilohmsp@gmail.com). He'll hook you up with a partner/mentor.
Answers to the Bicycle Safety Quiz
1. Cyclists are required by law to stay as far to the right of a roadway as practical. When can a cyclist legally ride in a regular vehicle lane?
a) If the road surface is blocked by debris or the pavement is damaged.
b) To avoid vehicle doors, which may open unexpectedly.
c) If the road width is too narrow to accommodate both a cyclist and a vehicle.
d) To make a left turn at an intersection or move into a left turn lane.
All are correct. When cyclists are on the road, the law says motor vehicles can pass no closer than 3 feet from a cyclist. Bikers cannot, however, ride more than two abreast and must stay in a single lane.
2. Minnesota law requires cyclists to ride on designated bike paths or trails, if such paths are separate from the regular vehicular roadway. True or false?
False. Bicycles have the same rights to roadways as other traffic—just as sport-utility vehicles aren't required to drive off-road. It's also illegal to drive bikes on sidewalks in downtown business districts, unless specifically permitted by local ordinance. With this right, riders also have the legal responsibility to obey traffic laws, stop at stop signs and traffic lights, and yield to pedestrians, etc., just as if you were in a car.
3. At night, Minnesota law requires a bicyclist to have:
a) reflectors on the pedals that are visible from front and rear.
b) a headlight and rear light.
c) a headlight and rear reflector.
Correct answers are a and c. Bikes must have headlights and rear reflectors as well as pedal reflectors. At least 20 square inches of side reflectors are also required. Cycling advocates usually also recommend a flashing red rear light, which is legal under Minnesota law but not in all states.
4. Who has the right of way on an officially designated bike path or bike route, a pedestrian or a bike?
Bikes must yield to pedestrians—not just on bikeways but also in crosswalks, at intersections, on sidewalks and everywhere else. State law also requires cyclists to give an audible warning before passing pedestrians.
5. If a vehicle doesn't have enough room to safely pass a bicycle...
a) the cyclist is required to pull off the road to make way.
b) the vehicle can pass after honking to warn the cyclist.
c) the motorist must follow at a safe distance until it is safe to pass.
Correct answer is c.
6. While illegal, it's safer to ride against traffic, on the left shoulder of the road, because you can see approaching vehicles and better avoid them. True or false?
False. Statistically speaking, you're more likely to run into trouble going the wrong way: You can't see traffic control signs, drivers don't yield to wrong-way traffic at intersections, and the speed of an approaching vehicle actually gives you less time to react.
The links below will let you access two good websites about bicycle safety issues.
www.dps.state.mn.us/patrol/safety/bikesafety/
www.minnesotasafetycouncil.org/facts/bikesafe.pdf
How do I get information and help with organizing our National Night Out party? Go to the city website www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/nno to request an NNO packet, or call 311 or (612) 673-3000.
Join the Movement – Put “Neighbors” Back in The Neighborhood
Noted by a member of the bike patrol:
Just thought I'd drop you all a quick note. I just returned from a wet 10:45am morning stroll to check on the yellow house on 5th St [813 5th St SE]. As I was nearing the corner of 8th Ave [SE] a dark green Honda Odyssey came barreling up 5th St. and took a screeching left turn down 8th [Ave SE] and came to an abrupt stop by the now infamous corner of 8th [Ave SE] and 8th [St SE]. So....
I headed down to see what all the fuss was about. As I approached there were several black males hurriedly exchanging bags in front of the last apartment building on the left [725 8th Ave SE] before 8th St (complete with baggy pants, hoods drawn down over their heads). They saw me approaching with cell phone at the ready so they completed their "discussions/transactions" and 2 males got back into the Odyssey (MN license plate LLU? and a white Riviera (MN license plate TXX?) now being driven by black females. The male in the Honda paused to light up a nice looking joint as the remaining 2 black males returned to
the apartment building shouting something to the effect the "the Mother F------ can't make me move" (perhaps for my benefit)....both cars went right towards the freeway.
Don't know if the cops have their eyes in this yet but we might have a new spot to deal with...[The police have responded to this posting.]
Anybody know the story of the house that burnt on 5th ST SE across from Marcy Open school? I gather there were no fatalities. But what started the fire etc . . . ?
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