Arson and a Complicated Web of Property Transfers with Known Slumlords at 2519 3rd St N

(A number of hyperlinks will be added in the near future, as well as an addiitonal comment or two.  Until this headline is removed, this is a POST IN PROGRESS.)

A little backstory on "Mr. Slummy," aka Mohamed Amro.  Mr. Slummy purchased two adjacent properties several years ago at 2515 and 2519 3rd Street North.  He began to excavate the entire back yard of 2515, even though he had never pulled the proper permits to do so.  The ensuing confrontation between Amro and myself, and its accounts on Johnny Northside, led to the first time I was called "The Hawthorne Hawkman," a moniker I use to this day even after moving on from that neighborhood.

Anyhow, Mr. Slummy had apparent plans to build a vast, multi-unit structure on one parcel, even though the area was zoned for nothing more than 2-unit buildings.  His construction site was notoriously unsafe and shut down by the city multiple times.  Eventually he walked away from 2515 3rd Street North and focused his energies on 2519.  So much so, in fact that his laser-like intensity must have caused an initial fire there.  Given how little work had actually happened, many northsiders speculated that the fire may have been intentional and that were it not for intrepid neighbors calling 911, the house would have burned down and Amro could collect insurance money.

2519 was saved by a quick emergency call and the brave men and women of the Minneapolis Fire Department, and was still very much a salvageable property.  So much so that...

New Tax-Forfeiture Regulatory Plumage!

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

There are a few vacant properties in Hawthorne and Jordan that I watch over, well, like a hawk.  So much so that even when driving by, I can tell out of the corner of my eye that there is a new notice posted on the door.  Most of the time, I can tell the difference between a water shut-off notice, a tax-forfeiture notice, condemnation, work permits, and other such "regulatory plumage" even at a distance.  I've impressed friends and colleagues by knowing the difference not only by the color of the notification, but even the tape used to affix, or the format and typesetting that is visible at a distance.

It's not often that an entirely new sort of notice shows up, and when it does I am immediately fascinated.  That's exactly what happened today at the infamous "Mr. Slummy" property at 2515 3rd Street North.  That's when I saw...

Mr. Slummy's Buildings Registered as Vacant, Condemned

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

Wait, they weren't already?

The foreclosure process hasn't yet finished up over at 2515 3rd St N, but now the building has been listed as condemned.  The collective response to that development is shock that it took over two years from the point where the property was open to trespass to the date when condemnation was posted at the property.  The wheels of regulatory services do turn, albeit ever so slowly.

Its partner to the north, 2519 3rd St N, has several boards over openings along the side and rear of the house.  This property was condemned in October of last year, and continues to go downhill.  It's too bad, because Amro seemed to be doing at least slightly good work over here.

There aren't too many homes out there that I would celebrate their demolition, but these two are among them.

Mr. Slummy Loses Judgment, Served with Foreclosure!

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

Mohammed Amro of Amro's Properties Inc., informally known in the NoMi blogosphere as "Mr. Slummy," has been served with foreclosure papers on 2515 3rd Street North.  A brief s(l)ummary of this property, as well as what specifically led to the foreclosure filing can be found at the Johnny Northside post "Mr. Slummy Owes Some Money."

As to the papers now posted at the property, a sheriff's sale is now scheduled for November 9, 2011.  Amro contracted out tens of thousands of dollars' worth of work to Siwek Lumber & Millwork, but has not paid them for work performed.  So Siwek responded with a judgment, demanding among other things...

Fire at a Mohammed Amro Property

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

The two properties down the street from me at 2515 and 2519 3rd St N have played a key role in my blogging efforts.  The owner, Mohammed Amro, has been coined "Mr. Slummy" on the Johnny Northside blog, due to his extraordinary flouting of both city housing ordinances and common sense.  After I confronted Amro regarding his illegal excavation at 2515 3rd, an anonymous commenter on JNS was the first person to use the moniker "The Hawthorne Hawkman."

Well, on Sunday I was out for a stroll in the neighborhood when I saw the family that lives just south of Amro's properties standing outside and looking rather concerned.  They had noticed smoke billowing out of a second-story window and alertly called 911.  It should be noted that Amro has been nothing short of a complete disaster of a neighbor to these folks, and yet they still had the common decency to do the right thing.

And thankfully, no one was home when the fire occurred.  It appears as if no one in the house nor any firefighters were seriously hurt either.  For Amro's sake, let's hope the damage is minimal, because...