Minneapolis council moves ahead with legal action over property owner who refuses to clear encampment

Mpls council approves lawsuit over homeless encampment

The Minneapolis City Council approved a vote to move ahead with litigation in an ongoing homeless encampment fight. FOX 9's Rob Olson has more on the story.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minneapolis City Council voted in favor of moving forward with legal action against a property owner who refuses to clear an encampment along East Lake Street.

East Lake Street encampment

The backstory:

FOX 9 previously reported the city had declared Hamoudi Sabri's private property at the corner of East Lake and 28th Avenue South a public health nuisance.

As many as 45 people have been living at the site, FOX 9 is told. On Aug. 26, the city sent crews to clean up the site but were refused access to the property.

The city says the public health notices issued against the encampment stem from a number of problems, including drug paraphernalia, solid waste and debris, a lack of clean water or sanitation facilities, open fires, hazardous junk and debris, and unsafe structures at the encampment.

The city also says about a third of the people who hang out at the encampment during the day aren't homeless and do not regularly sleep there.

Sabri is facing approximately $15,000 in citations and fines related to the encampment.

Council meeting on Monday

What's next:

Mayor Frey called the special council meeting to discuss potential litigation against Sabri. The meeting was initially scheduled for Aug. 27, but was rescheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 8.

The Minneapolis City Council met during a closed meeting for approximately three hours before publicly discussing the topic. Ultimately, council members voted 6-4 in favor of moving forward with litigation against the property owner.

What they're saying:

"True compassion means safe shelter, basic sanitation, and healthy living conditions — none of which are present at this encampment," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in a statement. "Today’s action gives us another tool to both address these unsafe conditions and safeguard nearby residents, students, and businesses. I appreciate the City Council’s partnership on the matter."

It's unclear when the lawsuit will be filed. 

Property owner reacts to council vote

The other side:

In a statement on Monday, Sabri condemend the decision as "political theater at the expense of real solutions."

"This lawsuit is not about public health or safety — it is about Frey’s desperate attempt to stay in front of cameras in the midst of his failing Mayoral campaign, this guy stops at nothing in his pathetic, last grasps for power," said Sabri. "For years, the Mayor has shuffled human beings from one block to another with bulldozers, fencing, and police sweeps, leaving behind traumatized residents, destabilized neighborhoods, and wasted taxpayer dollars. This revolving-door approach is not leadership — it’s worse than failure- it’s brutality and re-traumatization again and again. As a Palestinian, I know what these feels like and I won’t be part of it, they can sue me — we will fight like we always fight."

Speaking with the media on Aug. 26, Sabri said he was pushing back against the city because he feels the city's policy on homelessness isn't working. He echoed similar sentiment after the council's vote on Sept. 8. 

"I offered a place for people to stay when every shelter bed was full. If the Mayor or Council can look these people in the eye and offer them options, then do it. But you cannot, because there is nowhere. The city should sue itself before it sues me," Sabri said. 

He added, "This vote is a setback. But it also shows the urgency of building a plan that treats people with dignity instead of pushing them from block to block. Minneapolis deserves better than political scapegoating, we will continue the fight-moral authority is on our side. I hope this opens the eyes of Minneapolis Residents to see what a vacuous shell of leader they have had for the past 8 years, he knows there are better ways but chooses instead to be a little bully who harms impacted neighborhoods and our most vulnerable neighbors, my dog would do a better job — a new mayor is well overdue."

Homelessness in Minneapolis

Dig deeper:

In statements from previous weeks, city officials pointed out that homelessness countywide is down 33% since 2020. The city's Homeless Response Team has also been on site at the encampment most days since the encampment formed offering shelter and other services.

In a statement on Aug. 26, a spokesperson for the mayor's office said:

"From the start, the City has approached this encampment with an eye for both compassion and safety. Our homeless response teams have been on site nearly every day, offering shelter, services, and support to those living there.

"Despite repeated outreach, many individuals have not accepted those offers—and the situation has now escalated into a health and safety risk. The encampment sits on private property directly next to homes, businesses, and a school preparing to welcome students back in a matter of days.

"Because the property owner has refused to take responsibility despite clear public health concerns, Mayor Frey is convening the City Council to consider legal options to ensure the safety of residents, students, and people at the encampment."

Previously speaking with FOX 9, Minneapolis Health Commissioner Damon Chaplin explained the nuisance designation the city issued was about the potential health hazards connected to the encampment.

"It just means that there's an overwhelming amount of filth in the area that is being generated by this particular site that is harmful to the community," said Chaplin about the nuisance designation. "The uncleanliness, the refuge, the garbage, the needles – that's primarily for us what we are trying to abate."