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Minneapolis leaders to vote on ordinance extending landlord eviction notice

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Minneapolis leaders to vote on ordinance extending landlord eviction notice


Tenant’s rights advocates say 90% of evictions are due to unpaid rent, but renters in Minneapolis could soon get more time to come up with their rent money or risk being removed from their home.

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What we know

Earlier this year, a new state law went into effect requiring landlords to give tenants 14-day notice before they file for eviction.

Now the Minneapolis City Council is considering going even further, giving renters 30 days because rental assistance in Hennepin County can take two to three weeks to arrive.

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“Right now we know that when folks need rent assistance and more support, 14 days is not enough – 30 days is a better opportunity for us to be able to help a renter who is struggling,” said Minneapolis City Council member Jason Chavez, who proposed the ordinance.

Supporters of the proposed ordinance say people who are evicted in Hennepin County are more likely to end up in a shelter or unhoused.

“This is a homeless prevention tool and it also is a pro renter ordinance that makes sure that there are more resources for residents, rather than less,” Chavez said.

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Ordinance opposition

Opponents say housing providers will feel the financial squeeze from longer timelines and could mean they won’t receive rent for two to three months.

“That mom-and-pop owner is trying to make mortgage payments without the rent, and they could potentially lose the property,” said Cecil Smith, president and CEO of Minnesota Multi Housing Association.

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They say a better solution would be getting rental assistance for those who need it in a more timely manner.

“If this is an emergency, if people need to make rent and pay rent, then let’s expedite the process, but not extend timelines where you’re potentially putting housing providers at financial risk through no fault of their own,” said Smith.

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Brooklyn Center and St Louis Park have passed similar ordinances.

The Minneapolis City Council is scheduled to vote on the ordinance on Sept. 18.



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Minneapolis, MN

Bystanders throw snowballs at ICE agents dragging woman on the ground in Minneapolis – video

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Bystanders throw snowballs at ICE agents dragging woman on the ground in Minneapolis – video


US federal agents were filmed dragging a woman and pinning her down in the snow for several minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Monday. Bystanders pleaded with the agents to let the woman go and threw snowballs at them. The Minneapolis police chief, Brian O’Hara, criticised the ICE tactics after the incident



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‘She’s pregnant’: Trump’s immigration agent drags woman through Minneapolis street, kneels on her; video goes viral

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‘She’s pregnant’: Trump’s immigration agent drags woman through Minneapolis street, kneels on her; video goes viral


United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents violently dragged a woman in Minneapolis this week, and pinned her face down on snow-filled streets as onlookers screamed. According to ICE officials, they were deployed for ‘targeted vehicle stop,’ when protesters swarmed the agents. Soon after several onlookers including journalists saw an ICE agent holding a woman on the ground. The video of the incident has now gone viral on social media with people criticising ICE for their violent methods. The Minneapolis police chief criticised federal immigration enforcement tactics after the chaotic scene.

What exactly happened?

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According to the video, ICE agents handcuffed a pregnant woman, and violently pinned her to the ground by forcing her onto her stomach and pressed their body weight into her even as the crowd shouted that she was pregnant. According to ICE, the incident happened during ‘Operation Metro Surge.’

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that ICE did not appear to take steps to de-escalate the situation as bystanders shouted at agents and threw snowballs in an attempt to save the woman. “We have been training our officers for the last five years very, very intensely on de-escalation, but unfortunately that is … often not what we are seeing from other agencies in the city,” O’Hara said. O’Hara also accused ICE of stoking fear, including the practice of hiding their identities with masks and unmarked clothes.

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This comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration has increased immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities of Minnesota – Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Trump called Somali immigrants there “garbage” and said they should be deported after dozens of people, including Somali immigrants, were charged in a fraud scheme.



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Minneapolis PD chief worries about ‘instability’ created by ICE operation

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Minneapolis PD chief worries about ‘instability’ created by ICE operation


Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara expressed concerns about the “instability” created by the ongoing ICE operations in Minneapolis during a sit-down interview on FOX 9 All Day on Wednesday.

O’Hara on ICE operation

What they’re saying:

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Speaking with FOX 9’s Amy Hockert, Chief O’Hara said the issue isn’t necessarily what the agents are doing in enforcing federal law but rather the tactics they are using to go about their business.

“I think it’s been very destabilizing for a lot of people in the community,” explained Chief O’Hara. “A significant portion of the city are immigrants and that sort of instability is something that criminals and bad actors can take advantage of and that’s been the concern.”

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Identifying ICE

Big picture view:

O’Hara says he is also concerned about masked federal authorities. Often, ICE agents will be masked, in unmarked squads, and not wearing visible identification of their law enforcement status. Chief O’Hara said a bad actor posing as law enforcement is a legitimate concern, pointing to the murders of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband at the hands of a man posing as a police officer.

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“Two or three months ago, the FBI put out a law enforcement bulletin saying that there were people committing violent crimes in cities around the country that were posing as ICE,” O’Hara said. “And it urged ICE to better identify themselves during law enforcement operations. And so that’s not just something I came up with – that’s something the FBI has been recommending.”

O’Hara says the department has also responded to calls from people who’ve encountered federal law enforcement and were unsure if they were legitimate.

“We have had calls from people who aren’t sure,” said O’Hara. “We’ve responded, and it turns out it was federal law enforcement. In other cases, it turns out it wasn’t. It was someone with a gun. We’ve had it happen both ways.”

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ImmigrationMinneapolis Police DepartmentCrime and Public SafetyMinneapolis



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