30 Minneapolis residents were in court Thursday afternoon facing eviction after not being able to pay their rent during Operation Metro Surge, more fallout over the proposals designed to help them.
Demonstrators chanted and held signs inside the Hennepin County Government Center, blasting Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for vetoing a measure passed by the City Council that would require landlords to wait 60 instead of 30 days before filing an eviction notice.
Charlie Tirey is with the Twin Cities Tenants Union.
"The money lying in Frey's pockets from landlords like Sherman Associates is money from the same landlords who churn profit from putting tenants out on the street in the middle of an occupation," Tirey said.
Tirey and other advocates are pressuring city councilmembers to override Frey's veto.
Mayor Frey, meanwhile, is proposing an additional million dollars in emergency rental assistance that residents could access immediately, without having to prove they were facing evictions
“Keeping people in their homes is the goal — and that’s exactly why we’re putting real dollars on the table today,” said Mayor Frey Wednesday while announcing his veto. “Stopping evictions may sound good, but experience from COVID shows it’s not the answer: Rental assistance is. Getting help to families quickly is the most effective way to prevent eviction, and that’s exactly what this investment does.”
Tirey also had a message to councilmembers who have the power to override that veto.
"Just because the mayor is in the landlord's pockets doesn't mean you have to be," he said. "You still have a chance to protect our neighbors. Override this veto. It's the least you can do."
Demonstrators chanted and held signs while blasting Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey
