At twilight Sunday evening I finished my last outdoor painting project of the year, just north of West Broadway. The police pursuit of a crazed rapist around Penn/West Broadway (Ferrant Place), was only one safety concern on my mind that compelled me to cruise, and survey my property holdings. I spend a lot of landlord time monitoring the properties for break-ins, loitering, drug dealing, stray animals, property damage, etc. It is a waste of time; yet it is never a waste of time. Sadly, it is often fruitful.
On Sunday evening I scored. I caught a couple of white males preparing to glue up posters, billboard style, on a vacant building. It was my building and they were trespassing. Again. I called 911 and parked a block away to monitor their actions and their PU truck that was parked on my property. I was exited. they appeared to have just started in earnest and I might have enough time to get a police response. I have learned that graphite, trespass, etc., does not get the lights/siren treatment, and I accept that fact. I just didn't want these guys to get away with it again. I scrounged a piece of metal re-bar rod recycled from a campaign sign; and psyched myself for a possible solo, citizen's arrest. After 20 minutes I dialed 911 again. This time I reported that these two fellows might be breaking into the building; hey, I really didn't know their goal. The dispatcher doubted me and tried to persuade me to go back to "postering". I hoped for the best. The cops rolled onto the site and I quickly followed. Two young (teenage) slacker/hippie types were stopped. They had an address list, about two hundred posters, a disposable camera, glue and brushes. They explained that they had answered a help wanted ad in City Pages, and were hired to put up posters by an agency in California. They were told that their activity was legal, yet if apprehended the worst they would suffer is a ticket. Hey, I simply report what they said to the cops. They were to trespass, and deface all the addresses on their list then take pictures of each job completed. They were to forward the camera, out of state for payment. The PU they were driving had out of state plates. One kid had a local ID; the other had no ID. I was astounded that this was not just some hippie kids promoting their grundge band or a spoken word event. This was an out of state organized, criminal enterprise making serious money (and paying serious money to the trespassers) to commit a crime and deface our neighborhoods, over and over again. Scheduled like clock work to promote arena events DT. And using my property, and mostly MCDA held property, to advertise their product. The policemen gave what I asked for: A misdemeanor trespass ticket to the one fellow who was the 'boss'. I believe it was a citizen's arrest deal with me as the citizen; and I promised to follow through as the cops did not think the City attorneys' office would even bother to prosecute this matter without a big citizen push. I was amused when the 'boss' offered his camera to take the evidence photos. The cop declined that offer but accepted the use of my Polaroid camera. We must clean up the "Avenue with the Most Potential" and other commercial corridors. We must protect our property and City held property. I will follow through, and I hope that we can go farther then a couple kids trying to make a buck. I wish to go up the ladder a few rungs to the out of state folks operating a criminal enterprise; and perhaps the DT arena event promoters who hire them to trespass and deface, and induce kids to brake the law. Keith Reitman Still vigilant while winterizing NearNorth _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
