A real estate developer has allowed dozens of people to stay on an empty lot that he owns in Minneapolis’ Longfellow neighborhood, racking up at least $15,000 in fines for public health citations. But unless he’s presented with a court order, Hamoudi Sabri said there’s nothing the city can do to make him close off his property from people who need a place to sleep.
Mayor Jacob Frey is expected to brief city council members on possible legal action Monday morning, August 8, in a special closed-door meeting, which could be followed by a public vote on how best to proceed. Frey’s special meeting was initially planned for three days after the charter school next to Sabri’s property started classes, but was rescheduled due to the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School.
“The reason they’re here is they’ve been kicked around a lot,” Sabri said of those staying in the space, after city workers came in late August to clean up trash that had accumulated around the perimeter of the encampment. Sabri was billed for that.
“Now they’re here as a hub. It’s easy for people to find them, to feed them, to help them,” he said. “So what is the city doing? They just keep moving them around.”…