Community leaders are calling on the Minneapolis City Council to override Mayor Jacob Frey's veto of the "Pause Evictions, Save Lives" ordinance.
The Minneapolis Council will vote this week on a policy that would double the pre-eviction notice period to 60 days. But the mayor does not support that action, instead preferring more direct aid in rental assistance.
Christin Crabtree with Minneapolis Families for Public Schools says that without this extra time, families who have struggled in the wake of "Operation Metro Surge," will be displaced before $40 million in state rental assistance becomes available this July.
"It is irresponsible not to take every action we possibly can to prevent this existing public health emergency from spiraling further," Crabtree explained. "We can prevent evictions. Not to do so is a costly and cruel choice."
This push comes as legal advocates report an 87% surge in rental-aid requests and record-breaking eviction filings following the federal surge of immigration enforcement across the Twin Cities, which according to Minneapolis had a devastating effect on the area economically.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told WCCO Radio's Chad Hartman why he vetoed the ordinance on Monday.
"The reason that I am against the eviction moratorium pause is that we've tried it before and it didn't work," said Frey. "You know, I advocated for an eviction moratorium during the COVID-19. I was a proponent of saying, hey, let's hang on, let's not have any evictions. Let's, this is just an important time, and people aren't necessarily getting paid. It's the right thing to do."
The mayor is instead pushing a $1 million emergency rental assistance investment, arguing that direct financial support is a more effective tool for housing stability than delaying legal timelines.
