Real Life Minneapolis Story

Rambix reader Brent S. recounts his Minneapolis horror story which sheds light on why the city is in the shape it's in. The experience even includes a squishy judge who slaps the hand of one of Minneapolis' finest pieces of garbage.

Read it and weep [edited for brevity]:

I used to live in a townhouse near East 24th St and Chicago/Elliot Ave So. My vehicle had been broken into more times than I can count. My tires were slashed, paint keyed, gunshots almost every night. We had a drug dealer and his girlfriend who lived right next door. He would beat the crap out of her on a semi-regular basis. There was pedestrian traffic to their door at all hours. He once bragged that he had been arrested over 50 times...

They didn’t maintain their property, had broken windows, torn screens, the front door had major dents and even holes in it. They were thousands of dollars behind in association dues. Each time they would get a notice of one sort or another, they would claim racism. Once, they even enlisted the help of the NAACP. Friends did not like coming over to visit because they did not feel safe.

One day, the MPD Narcotics unit “entered” their townhouse. Inside, they found measurable amounts of crack cocaine packaged to sell. They also found a scale, large amounts of cash and other drug paraphernalia. He had recently sold to an undercover NARC officer. We had been in communication with the MPD SAFE unit about the activities at their residence...He had voiced verbal threats to us many times that he was going to kill us, and our dog.

We had also met with the prosecution in this case, as we were witnesses to much of what went on. We were asked to write impact statements of how our day to day lives have been affected by this thug. We also found out he had done time in Illinois, and Michigan...Our concerns weren’t even considered by the judge. In fact, the judge labeled us as “racists”, and felt that the defendant was “Amenable to Rehabilitation”! He was in his late 40’s or early 50’s and has been a criminal most, if not all of his adult life!! So she gave him 1 year of probation. She also ordered him to “mediate” with the townhouse association and problem neighbors and work out a solution.

...the judge said we had to go to mediate. I was floored and insulted. I could not believe I had to go mediate with a convicted felon and recently convicted drug dealer! [Ed. - I can't believe it either!] We went to the meeting...Some agreements were made, between the association and them, which to my knowledge were never kept.

I learned that law abiding, tax paying, hard working citizens do not have any rights in Minneapolis, are not entitled to peace and quiet, and the rights of the criminal are more important.

To top it all off, this scumbag receives SSI benefits! Someone needs to pass a law that if you are a convicted felon, or convicted drug dealer, then you get NOTHING!!!!

Thanks for doing what you do!

Brent S.