Tenants facing eviction meet with Minneapolis Mayor Frey

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Emotions ran high Friday afternoon in a closed door meeting between Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and a group of renters.

More than 20 residents facing eviction met with the mayor and City Councilman Jeremiah Ellison in north Minneapolis.

The homes the tenants in are owned by Mahmoud Kwan, a former landlord who lost his rental license last year, because many of the houses are in deplorable conditions.

A court ordered the renters to be out of the homes by August 31. 

Friday, many residents expressed disappointment in the city’s inaction.

“It’s just emotional that we have to talk about this stuff all the  time,” said Patricia Grant, a tenant. “I’m tired, I’m really, really tired.

The group criticized the mayor for arriving to the meeting later than planned.

When addressing the media, the mayor said that the city will do what it can to help find tenants a new place to live.

“From the perspective of the city, we’re going to be working like dogs to ensure that people are able to find homes because at the end of the day, housing is a right,” said Mayor Frey.

The mayor said that the city is working on a stabilization plan that will assist tenants in finding a new place to live. The city will also offer tenants rental assistance.

Despite the eviction notice, many tenants say that they won’t leave their homes.