Judge grants temporary restraining order against Sabri homeless encampments

Judge grants temporary restraining order against Sabri encampments

A judge granted a temporary restraining order against Hamoudi Sabri and homeless encampments on his properties on Tuesday. The decision bars Sabri from having homeless encampments on any of his city properties. FOX 9's Soyoung Kim has the update.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The City of Minneapolis on Tuesday had a temporary restraining order granted against Hamoudi Sabri and homeless encampments on his properties.

Temporary restraining order

What we know:

The ruling means Sabri is barred from having homeless encampments on any properties going forward, as Sabri and the city could not reach a mutual agreement.

The office of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released a statement on the decision Tuesday night.

Minneapolis, Sabri homeless encampment negotiations stall

Negotiations between the City of Minneapolis and the Sabri homeless encampment took a step back on Monday. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has the latest.

"The judge’s decision to grant a TRO is the right call. Encampments are not safe — not for residents, neighbors, or surrounding businesses. Once services and shelter are offered, encampments must be closed. This ruling allows us to do exactly that and move people toward safer, more stable housing."

Hamoudi Sabri responds

What they're saying:

Sabri responded to the restraining order in a statement to FOX 9 Tuesday night. 

"While I am weighing my next legal strategy, that strategy must also hold the City accountable for its profound dereliction of duty and care in public health and safety — especially when millions of dollars allocated for people experiencing homelessness have been wasted or mismanaged. My priority is, and always will be, the dignity and safety of our unhoused neighbors."

Negotiations stall

Why you should care:

Negotiations took a step backwards Monday between the city of Minneapolis and the man who owns a property that turned into a homeless encampment.

Last week, the city and Hamoudi Sabri told the judge they were close to a resolution, so he put off deciding whether to give the city a restraining order. Negotiations hit a snag Monday because the city wanted 90 days – into December – to figure things out and Sabri was only willing to wait 30 days.

This all started back in July when the city asked Sabri to clean up the encampment on his property at 28th Ave S. and Lake St. They issued several citations, calling it a public nuisance, mentioning human waste and drug use.

Mass shooting at homeless encampment

The backstory:

A mass shooting on Sept. 16 near 28th and East Lake Street in the Longfellow neighborhood left seven people injured. Four of the victims were located at the encampment while three others walked or self-transported to nearby hospitals before police arrived at the scene.

At the encampment, police found a woman inside a tent with a life-threatening gunshot wound to the head. Another man at the encampment also sustained a life-threatening gunshot wound. One woman had a non-life-threatening leg injury, while another woman sustained a life-threatening gunshot wound to the neck.

Of the three who went to hospitals, one man with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound walked into Children’s Hospital and was transferred to Hennepin Healthcare. A woman with a graze wound walked into Abbott Northwestern, and a man with life-threatening gunshot injuries to his neck and torso arrived at Regions Hospital.