Judge holds off on issuing order in Minneapolis encampment case
Legal battle over Minneapolis homeless encampment
A Hennepin County Judge is holding off on issuing a restraining order on a property owner over a homeless encampment in the city. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has the latest.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Hennepin County judge on Wednesday decided to hold off on issuing a restraining order in the legal battle over a Minneapolis homeless encampment after a mass shooting.
READ MORE: Minneapolis property owner sued over homeless encampment 'public nuisance'
Judge postpones making decision on encampment order
What happened:
During the virtual hearing, an attorney for the city argued that a restraining order was necessary to secure the property and prevent the owner from reopening it once it is no longer an active crime scene.
The property owner agreed not to reopen the encampment or set up another one until the situation could be resolved.
The judge instructed both sides to discuss the situation and try to reach an agreement.
What they're saying:
Calling it a "dire situation," Senior Assistant City Attorney Sharda Enslin said: "Without a court order, we are essentially going to be in a position where we are a dog chasing its tail with this particular encampment, given that the defendant has indicated they simply intend to keep reforming the encampment...."
Hamoudi Sabri, who owns the property, represented himself at the hearing. He expressed frustration with what he viewed as the city’s lack of a plan for the people who were forced out of the encampment on Tuesday. "We have an issue with homeless. I want to address it to the mayors, to the leaders to say, 'How [are] we going to work it?' Because if you have 50, 60 people here like last night – they were kicked out across the street. Where [are] they going to go?" he asked.
In an earlier statement, Sabri accused city workers of discarding a woman’s daughter’s ashes during the cleanup on Tuesday.
The city estimated the cleanup cost taxpayers about $50,000, and it said it would ask a court to force Sabri to reimburse the city.
Hearing comes after mass shooting, lawsuit
The backstory:
On Monday night, a mass shooting at the encampment left seven people injured, including four who suffered life-threatening injuries.
Police said the shooting was part of a narcotics dispute.
The city has been at odds with Sabri over the encampment since early July when officials started making daily trips to the site.
It eventually sent him two public nuisance letters and five citations before eventually suing him last week.
What's next:
The judge said he might issue an order on Monday after both sides have had an opportunity to discuss the situation and reach a resolution.