Tag Archives: police in Dickinson

School Assignment, Dickinson, North Dakota

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Hello, and thank you for reading my blog.  The purpose of this blog is to tell people from out-of-state, what Dickinson, North Dakota is like.  Additionally, I hope that people from Dickinson read this blog.  The people here in Dickinson should be ashamed of how badly they treated everyone during the oil boom.  The people here in Dickinson were hostile, unfriendly, uncooperative, and they took advantage of people.

I want people to know the truth about Dickinson.  I don’t want people to get misinformation about Dickinson from the Chamber of Commerce, the City of Dickinson, or Dickinson State University.  Because I have written approximately forty-five blog posts about Dickinson, this site usually comes up on the first page of search engine results for “living in Dickinson”, “working in Dickinson”, “moving to Dickinson”, “relocating to Dickinson”, “women in Dickinson”, “corruption in Dickinson”, “nightlife in Dickinson”, and “the Dickinson mafia”.

Even though this site comes up on the first page of search engine results, there should be more views every day, from school kids doing their homework assignments for instance.  There should be more school kids looking at this site, but that doesn’t surprise me too much, North Dakota ranks first in some categories of illiteracy.

I want to write this blog for the school kids in Dickinson, to give them some useful information for their school assignments and reports on Dickinson, and to give them some useful life information.

The ratio of men to women in Dickinson is probably about 3:1, which is not normal.  Because there are way more men in Dickinson than women, there is a shortage of women for men to date, and marry in Dickinson.  There should be a strip bar, where men can go and talk to women and see them naked, but the City of Dickinson will not allow that.  There should be prostitution in Dickinson to provide women for men to date, but the City of Dickinson will not allow that.  Thank God there aren’t any rapes!  Because there is a shortage of women in Dickinson, most of the women in Dickinson do not try to stay in-shape, dress nicely, look nice, or be pleasant.  Most of the women in Dickinson are overweight and unfriendly.

There is not a lot to do in Dickinson.  It is cold from about the beginning of October through the end of April, that’s seven months.  It would be nice to go out to bars at night to have some drinks, but the City of Dickinson has instructed its police officers to be very aggressive in arresting people for Driving Under the Influence.  In fact, the Dickinson police arrest people and take them to jail, even before giving them a breathalyzer test, if they are under the legal limit at the police station where the breathalyzer test is given, they are still under arrest, are processed into jail, later post bail, and pay $3,000 up-front to an attorney.  Don’t let mom and dad go out to bars in Dickinson, they might get a DUI, lose their job, and then you’ll be out on the street!

Going out to restaurants in Dickinson is not that great either, the service is usually very bad.  The servers in Dickinson restaurants have been led to believe that all of the oilfield workers in Dickinson make over $100,000 per year, that’s what the television news says.  The servers have had the expectation that every oil field worker would spend $100 every meal and leave them a $20 tip.  The servers are angry that they aren’t making $300 per day at Applebees, Perkins, Country Kitchen, and Players Club.

There are not a lot of restaurants in Dickinson.  Prior to 2008, people in Dickinson did not go out to eat because they did not have much money, they were paid very low wages.  The local companies in Dickinson paid very low wages in order to control their workers.  The workers could not get ahead, they lived paycheck-to-paycheck, they could not afford to lose their job, they had no savings, they were completely dependent on their employer, they had to keep their job even if they were mistreated.

Because wages were low in Dickinson prior to 2008, home rents were low.  A one-bedroom apartment was probably $300 per month, a three-bedroom house was probably $700 per month. Due to the oil boom, by 2011, the rent for a one-bedroom apartment went up to $1,500 per month, a three-bedroom house went up to $3,500 per month.  This huge cost increase in housing not only hurt the oil field workers, it hurt the local people too.  This is why some people say that people in Dickinson were very greedy and took advantage of people.

That’s enough for now, your brains are probably jumping like a toad!  Please, please feel free to write comments and ask me questions.  I’ll go ahead with what will probably be a FAQ, Frequently Asked Question:

Question:  You seem to hate Dickinson, why don’t you just leave?

Answer:  I stay here because currently I can make more money here than elsewhere.  I have a home in a different state that I would like to go back to, but unemployment is high in that state.  While I am here, I would like to get the truth out about Dickinson, so that people from out-of-state will know what it is like, and maybe not come at this time.  I hope that I can change some things in Dickinson by exposing them.

 

 

Dickinson mayor Dennis Johnson resigning at the end of October 2015

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I have written about forty-two blog posts trying to explain what Dickinson, North Dakota is like.  Maybe some of the people who have read my blog don’t believe me.  Please, please read the Dickinson Press newspaper article dated October 6, 2015 titled, “Dickinson mayor Dennis Johnson resigning at the end of October.”

Dennis Johnson became mayor of Dickinson in year 2000.  According to my research, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of MDU in 2001.  MDU, Montana Dakota Utilities is a a large utility company that provides electric and gas service in North Dakota.  MDU also owns a construction company called Knife River Construction.

I would have thought back in 2001, that being mayor of Dickinson, and being on the board of directors of MDU, would probably lead to conflict of interest accusations and suspicion.

In about 2013, MDU began constructing a refinery in Dickinson, called the Dakota Prairie Refinery.  Again, I would have thought people in North Dakota would have thought that Dennis Johnson as mayor, was not able to be neutral, objective, and unbiased concerning MDU’s activities in Dickinson.

In approximately 2014, Knife River Construction was awarded a large road construction project on State Avenue in Dickinson.  There are several civil construction companies in Dickinson: Northern Improvement, Martin Construction, Tooz Construction, Baranko Brothers.  Did a citizen, a city council member, or a construction company owner finally say, or make the accusation that there was something corrupt going on?

In the Dickinson Press newspaper article, Dennis Johnson said that he was resigning as mayor of Dickinson because MDU stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange, and the New York Stock Exchange has a rule that you can’t be a government official and be on the board of directors of a company that does more than 2% of that government entity’s business.

My personal opinion is that Dennis Johnson’s increased status as mayor of Dickinson in 2000, probably increased his potential for being appointed to the board of directors of MDU in 2001.  Being on the board of directors of MDU probably helped Dennis Johnson be re-elected mayor several times.  Being mayor of Dickinson and being on the board of directors of MDU probably also helped Dennis Johnson’s company, TMI cabinets, a manufacturer of cabinetry for institutions and facilities like schools and hospitals.

There are some other things that I would like to say, that I was told by people who are in a position to know, that I believe are true, that Dennis Johnson is a large stockholder in MDU.  How can you be mayor of Dickinson, where MDU is building a refinery, and Knife River Construction is awarded a large road improvement project, and appear that you are not personally benefiting every time an employee of the City of Dickinson makes a decision favorable to MDU or Knife River Construction?  Did City of Dickinson employees, city council members, and business owners feel pressure to give MDU and Knife River construction preferential treatment in order to not get on the bad side of the mayor, or win favor with the mayor?

I encourage readers to go look up other news articles about the City of Dickinson, in particular articles related to the arrest of the Trinity High School principal and his coerced confession, and also news articles about illegal practices at Dickinson State University.  You will get a much better understanding of Dickinson.

Some Good Businesses In Dickinson, North Dakota

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I have written a lot of negative things about Dickinson, North Dakota:  Extremely high housing prices, shortage of women and lack of attractive women, prostitution not being allowed though it is needed, police being over zealous in DUI arrests so you can’t safely go out to bars, lack of entertainment and things to do, inhospitable and uncooperative local people.  Why would you want to live here?  You probably don’t want to live here, I don’t recommend it.  Right now, you do not want to move to Dickinson, North Dakota, because many people have just lost their jobs, and there are not many job openings.

If you are here in Dickinson, or if you come to Dickinson, there are a few businesses that I have good things to say about:

Don Pedros Restaurant:  I have eaten here about fifteen times in the last two years.  The servers have always been pleasant and quick.  The food has always been good.  Every time I have eaten here, I have had to get a to-go box because there has been so much food.  By far the best restaurant in Dickinson, because it is always quick, good, and more than you can eat.

Dan Porter Motors:  I have had a Toyota truck serviced several times, and had several repairs done.  They have always been quick, did a good job, and the prices were fair.

Charboneau Dodge:  I have had a Dodge truck serviced several times, and had several repairs done.  They were able to fit me in a couple of times so that I wasn’t without the use of this truck for long.  The prices were fair and the repairs were done right the first time.

Parkway Ford:  I have had a Ford truck serviced and repaired a couple of times.  The prices were slightly higher than what I thought they should have been, but I knew the specific repairs would take a long time, and they were done right.

Paradise Cleaners:  Huge improvement over the cleaners/laundry that had been in Dickinson in the past.  This cleaner is what you would find in a normal city.

Prairie Hills Mall Cinema:  The three movie theaters are in good condition, they are not over-full, many different movie times throughout the day.  You can watch a movie and forget you are in Dickinson.

Almost:

I can almost recommend the West River Community Center:  It has two indoor pools, one outdoor pool, four full-size basketball courts, three indoor racketball courts, two indoor tennis courts, indoor track, weight room, rock climbing wall, cardiovascular equipment.   The WRCC is open to everyone for a small daily fee.  However, Dickinson State University, which is not even a fourth-rate college, has its thugs/athletes come and use the WRCC.  Given that Dickinson State University has academic standards that are less than that of most community colleges, and their level of athletics is less than that of a large public high school, you can imagine the type of trash they get for their football and track programs.  Probably 80% of the people that came from the hood, that are now living in Dickinson, that can hook you up with some crack, came here because of an invitation from DSU.

April 2015 Summary of Dickinson, North Dakota

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You do not want to come to Dickinson, North Dakota, at this time.  There have been many, many jobs that have gone away in the past two months, mostly because of the low price of oil.  The price of oil is so low right now, that the oil companies who own the wells do not want to pump the oil out of the ground.  It had cost the oil companies so much to lease land, clear the well sites, drill the wells 5,000 feet deep, fracture the wells, install the pump jacks, install the tanks, that they can’t even break even on the money they spent unless they can sell the oil for more than about $70 per barrel.  The price of oil right now is about $35 per barrel.

The oil companies who own the wells, not only do not want to pump oil out of the ground right now, they don’t want to drill new wells, they don’t want to fracture new wells that have already been drilled, they don’t want to repair wells that have just started to have problems.  The oil companies don’t want to do anything right now, except wait.

As you might imagine, when the oil companies don’t want to do anything, they let people go.  The oil companies, the drill rig companies, the fracturing companies, the oil field service companies have all let people go.  Many oil field workers have already left North Dakota and have gone home or gone elsewhere.  Because of oil field work slowing down, because of oil field workers going home, retail stores, restaurants, and hotels are less busy, and they will let employees go also.

The price of hotels, apartments, trailer parks, and houses is still very high.  The property owners, property managers, real estate developers, real estate investors, and real estate agents are all trying their best to keep the prices high, even though it is inevitable that prices here will eventually come down greatly.  People in Dickinson will begin to lose their homes to the banks soon because they are unable or unwilling to pay their mortgage.  They may be unwilling to pay their mortgage because the house that they bought for $300,000 is now worth about $150,000, they may owe $250,000 for a house that is worth $150,000.  People will abandon the manufactured homes that they bought because they are unable or unwilling to pay.  Real estate investors and real estate developers will have to sell their properties for low, low prices because they have no other choice but to sell or let the bank take possession.

In order to keep the riff-raff out of Dickinson, the police are very eager to pull over motorists in Dickinson.  Once they stop a motorist, they can check for outstanding warrants, non-payment of child support, driving without a license, driving without insurance, driving under the influence, possession of firearms, possession of a controlled substance, and they would love to make an arrest.  If you have an out-of-state license plate, you have an even greater chance of being stopped.  If you have a construction worker’s truck that is more than a couple of years old, you have greater chance of being stopped.  The police in Dickinson are enforcing a local social decision, they do not want out-of-state workers ruining their town.  If you get stopped in Dickinson, and you are an out-of-state worker, the cost of going to jail, hiring an attorney, and possibly losing your job, and losing your housing,  is going to bankrupt you, you will leave Dickinson poorer than when you got here.

The people in Dickinson are unfriendly and not helpful.  There is no homeless shelter.  There is no cheap campground, they have made sure to end that.  You can not sleep in your car in the Wal-Mart parking lot, you can not sleep in your car in the truck stop parking lots.

The women in Dickinson are unattractive and unfriendly.  There is a shortage of women.  The ratio of men to women is probably 3:1.  There is very little to do in Dickinson for recreation or entertainment.  It is cold here for seven to eight months of the year.  The people here do not like out-of-state workers, they are hostile to them.  The people here are not very friendly or social with each other even.

Please do not come to Dickinson, North Dakota.  If you do, you will only find that what I have written is the truth.

Warning, Do Not Come To Dickinson, North Dakota

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Please do not come to Dickinson, North Dakota, at this time.  Right now, and in the coming months, there will be many people let go from their jobs.  There will be many more people looking for jobs, than job openings.  The people that are already here will be competing against each other and fighting each other for the few job openings that will come up.

According to the “Dickinson Press” newspaper, and some oil field industry publications, there were approximately 280 oil well drill rigs in operation at the peak of the oil boom in North Dakota several years ago.  A little over two months ago, the “Dickinson Press” newspaper had an article about two drilling companies parking approximately eighty drill rigs outside of Dickinson because they were not being operated.  About one month ago, the “Dickinson Press” had an article that said the number of drill rigs operating in North Dakota had fallen to 97.  Now, the number of drill rigs operating in North Dakota is about 80.  The number of drill rigs operating in North Dakota went from 280, to 80 the present time.

According to oil industry publications, one drill rig that is operating, has about 100 direct and indirect jobs created when it is operating:  site clearing operators, dump truck drivers, quarry operators, road construction operators, fence installers, equipment transport drivers, rig erection crew, site trailer haulers, trailer set up workers, electricians, tank battery haulers, water truck drivers, drill rig operators, work-over rig operators, drill rod deliverers, casing deliverers, fuel truck drivers, heavy equipment mechanics, welders, pump jack installers, oil tank installers, containment barrier installers, automation & control installers, etcetera.  Because the number of drill rigs operating went from 280, to 80, 200 drill rigs x 100 jobs per drill rig, equals 20,000 jobs lost. 

Some of the oil field workers who have recently lost their job have already left North Dakota and have gone home or gone elsewhere.  The ones who left right away already knew what was going to happen.  How do you expect to get another job in the oil field when there are 20,000 other people who are also losing their job at this time?

In Dickinson, every hotel, every restaurant, every grocery store, every retail store, every hardware store, every bank, will let a couple of employees go, because business has slowed down, and it will slow down even more.  Car dealers and heavy equipment dealers will let sales people and mechanics go.

Though many out-of-state workers have recently left Dickinson, the RV parks, trailer parks, and apartments will not lower their prices for about a year, and housing prices will remain very high.  The people who lost their job, who currently have housing leases with high rents, will be so desperately in need of money to make their rent payment, they will take any job they can get in Dickinson, and it will be an employer’s market, wages will go down.

Please do not come to Dickinson right now.  There are going to be so many people out of work, so many people looking for work, and no job openings.  Housing prices will continue to be very high.  You will not want to be here.  It is cold here for about seven months each year.  There is not a lot to do for recreation and entertainment.  The people are unfriendly, not hospitable, and not helpful.  There is a shortage of women, and the women here have decided that they are going to be overweight, unattractive, and unfriendly.  The police here are determined to cite and arrest out-of-state workers every chance they get in order to try to encourage them to leave.