Minneapolis property owner sued over homeless encampment 'public nuisance'

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) - Arguing that his refusal to clear a homeless encampment on his property is creating a public health concern, Minneapolis officials have filed a lawsuit against property owner Hamoudi Sabri.

Lake Street encampment lawsuit

The backstory:

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

According to the lawsuit, on July 9, 2025, Sabri announced publicly that he would be creating a parking lot homeless encampment on his property. Within two days, approximately 20 people had moved onto the parking lot.

With as many as 45 people have been living at the site, on Aug. 26, the city sent crews to clean up the site but were refused access.

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.

Minneapolis officials threaten to clear encampment

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is calling a special meeting next week about a homeless encampment that is creating a public health nuisance on private property along East Lake Street. FOX 9?s Paul Blume has the latest details.

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’s M&S Properties, LLC, is facing approximately $15,000 in citations and fines related to the encampment.

On Sept. 8, the Minneapolis City Council met during a closed meeting for approximately three hours before publicly discussing the topic.

Council members voted 6-4 in favor of moving forward with litigation against Sabri.

A copy of the lawsuit filed in Hennepin County can be found below:

Property owner responds to encampment lawsuit

The other side:

In a statement following the council vote, Sabri condemned the decision as "political theater," saying in part, "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. 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."

What's next:

A first court hearing has not yet been set, but city officials have sought an emergency judicial assignment.