Kingfield Crime and Safety Meeting
Tuesday, October 17
7-8pm
MLK Park
Attendance: 7 Kingfield Residents
MPD: CPS Tom Thompson and Lt. Marie Przynski
Crime and Safety Task Force Chair: Shawna Gibson
KFNA Staff: Joanna S. Hallstrom, Project Organizer – KFNA
Introductions:
Announcements: CPS Tom Thompson and Lt. Marie Przynski now attend the CARAG Neighborhood meeting on the same night as the Kingfield Crime and Safety Task Force. They will give reports to CARAG at 7:00pm and then arrive at Kingfield’s meeting by 7:15pm.
Lt Przynski has been reassigned to night shift. A decision was made to shut the precinct down from 12:00am – 6:00am through Oct. 29-Nov. 25th in order to ensure the greatest amount of police coverage possible in the community during that time period.
Issues of Concern:
Residents from Van Nest reported that drug dealing is continuing to take place at 3943 Van Nest (upper unit). The police raided this house a few months ago. Residents from the block reported that the dealers are making their drug transactions on Nicollet Ave. to try to avoid detection.
CPS Thompson reported that Deborah Gustovson; owner of 3715 Blaisdell Ave. has still not been located (as reported in the September meeting). It is possible that she gave the property to her son, Guy Gustovson, however there is limited information from mortgage records. The house is currently vacant and the water is shut off. There is evidence of renters (possible vulnerable adult) living in the unit even after the water was shut off. The property owner does not have a rental license. This property was also a hang out for the Bogus Boys Gang until recently. Thompson asked for help in locating the property owner. Gibbson, a realtor offered to research the mortgage a bit further and another resident, who works for Hennepin County Child Support offered to cross reference the address in his data base to see if anyone is receiving support at that address.
Lt. Przynski had 3936 Nicollet Ave. (vacant house) boarded up. Residents from Van Nest (street behind the house) thanked Przynski. They had been concerned that people might start squatting in the house.
Lt. Przynski stated that in North Mpls they have painted “Boarded up for narcotics activity” in bright orange on the window and door boards of vacant properties they have closed up. This has been effective in keeping drug dealers from returning to “do business” near the properties.
Residents living on Van Nest inquired about an eight-unit public housing development proposed for the 3936 Nicollet Ave. and the two empty lots north of this address. These residents are very concerned about this project and expressed frustration that they had not been notified. They stated that there were/are plans to have a drive way entrance to the development on Van Nest instead of on Nicollet. They are also concerned that due to the current drug issues on their block the addition of public housing would not be beneficial to the situation. Gibbson and Hallstrom stated that MPHA had presented their initial plans for the site to the Kingfield Redevelopment Committee at their September meeting. Hallstrom noted that MPHA had not officially purchased the property yet and that design plans were still very preliminary thus any resident notification that was required would be upcoming. Gibbson and Hallstrom encouraged residents to email Mark Hinds, chair of the Redevelopment Committee with their concerns.
Neighborhood Crime Report:
In the last month there was a robbery at Subway located at 4622 Nicollet Ave. There was a robbery of person at 1st Ave and 38th Street. Two adult males assaulted their victim (possible gun), took his money and ran. There was a robbery at 45th and Nicollet Ave. on October 3rd at 1:40am, with a gun. The victim was knocked to ground and a wallet was taken.
CPS Thompson explained that when a robbery is called in there is first an immediate response to victim then the area is flooded with a patrol to try to apprehend the suspects. Many of the robberies are related to alcohol. There is rising concern in the Mpls Police Department of suspected over serving at bars. Many victims of robbery are intoxicated adults targeted before or as they leave a bar. Cops will now ask victims where they have been drinking and how long they were there and over serving will be investigated.
44XX Pleasant Ave was burglarized. Cash was taken.
Many Super Americas are being robbed of cigarettes. Thieves are using the “smash and grab†tactic or diversion stealing. There is an ongoing investigation metro wide. There are two known suspects stealing cigarettes. Working together one suspect diverts the clerks attention with the second suspect (very short, small man) enters the back storage room by crawling through the milk cartons, and then steals boxes of cigarettes. Super America has been very cooperative with police and has implemented multiple security systems: Storing cigarettes behind and above the counter, at the pump zip code requirements, camera systems (talk down), and limiting the multiple use of credit cards. The police department is also working on updating security camera access technology (in future police will be able to log into a stores security camera and view activity remotely from patrol cars).
Westrums Update: The owner of Westrums Tavern has a hearing with the City Licensing Department on Friday, October 20th. The owner has been cited for additional violations. The owner did pay an over-due quarterly payment and is in the process of being reviewed by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). She still needs to bring her business into compliance with the 60/40 requirement. She may be asked to go back to a 3/2 establishment.
Linda Roberts is the Licensing Inspector working on this case. It was advised that KFNA send her a copy of the agreement the neighborhood had with Westrums when KFNA supported the liquor license. CPS Thompson and Lt. Przynski ask for Community Impact Statement by 10am on Friday.
Residents at the meeting gave verbal impact statements, recorded in the paragraph that follows, to Thompson and Przynski (however it was asked that they also send in a written statement).
Residents were in agreement that they would be sad to see Westrum’s shut down. It has been a neighborhood restaurant for many years. However, residents reported that although they used to patron the restaurant they no longer feel safe entering or walking by the business after 5:00pm. Residents stated that there is no control over the activities taking place in and outside the bar and that food service is very inconsistent (long wait for food, sometimes no cook). Residents have witnessed the following activities at or around Westrums Tavern: men falling down drunk in the streets after leaving the bar, men urinating openly along near by apartment buildings, patrons crowding the sidewalk so that it is difficult to walk through (tables on both sides of sidewalk), bar patrons verbally harassing residents who walk by, prostitution in the women’s bathroom, smoking inside the bar, breaking of bear bottles outside, and an atmosphere that aides neighborhood drug dealing activity. Residents offer the following suggestions: enclose a portion of the back parking lot for outdoor seating (instead of using front side walk), add a bouncer, get rid of the hard liquor license and improve overall management. Residents feel that these changes would help turn the restaurant back into the friendly neighborhood tavern they grew up enjoying.
Community Organizing Strategies:
Three people are interested in block club training. The Task Force decided to do a larger training in January (during the regularly scheduled Crime and Safety meeting). Hallstrom will work on reciting more new block leaders. Lt. Przynski noted that most of the training material could be found on the police department web site.
The Neighborhood Crime Prevention Action Plan has been tabled for future discussion.
The group discussed a neighborhood wide alley/front yard lighting initiative? Hallstrom will check on funding for a large program verses individual Community Initiated Grants.
Residents on Van Nest inquired about a City street light for the middle of their block. They were encouraged to contact CM Elizabeth Glidden, since they have already been unsuccessful in getting information from the City directly. Thompson also noted that there is a program looking for blocks to test out a new lighting system and that they should ask CM Glidden if they could be a test block.
Kingfield Citizen Patrol:
It was decided to combine all the walking groups into one location, MLK Park. This would bring people together, make the program more manageable and help connect residents to the park. The Citizen Patrol will remain active through the winter. Weather guidelines will be decided and then posted. Also walkers asked for a phone list so that they could call each other the night of the walk. Hallstrom will look into a simpler enrollment form – possibly an e-form that could be filled out in the MLK computer lab and emailed to KFNA. Hallstrom will include the new Citizen Patrol plan in the December KingfieldNews and will also ask local business owners to offer discounts to walkers that stop in during their walk. Gibbson will help draft a letter.
The walking group decided to map out the “dark spots in Kingfield” to help inform the neighborhood alley/front yard light initiative. Thompson noted that CARAG gives individual residents $500 to install lighting in the front homes.