On March 11th, Mayor Frey abandoned tenants, small business owners, and community advocates by vetoing a measure designed to stabilize economic turmoil across the city through a temporary eviction pause ordinance. The Pause Evictions, Save Lives ordinance would have temporarily extended eviction pre-filing notice by 30 days, giving renters critical time to access rental assistance and other resources they need to stabilize their households, in the face of significant economic disruption. 

“We are deeply disappointed today to see Mayor Frey allow our neighbors, community members, and the city to suffer,” said Jess Zarik, Co-Executive Director at HOME Line. “While our immigrant neighbors are experiencing the sharpest harm, the ripple effects of this crisis are reaching far beyond any one group. People are skipping work. Parents are keeping children home from school. The economic shock of this crisis will not stay contained unless we take action. Instead, it will ripple outward to workers, tenants, landlords, and entire neighborhoods.”

“As Mayor Frey signs this veto, families’ lives continue to be destroyed through disruptive and unnecessary evictions,” said Juan Luis Rivera-Reyes, Coalition Organizer at the Alliance and Co-facilitator of the Housing Justice League. “Residents have lost millions in wages, business owners have lost millions in potential revenue, employees aren’t being paid, yet rent was due last Sunday. Now, Mayor Frey has denied communities the time for critical rental assistance to reach the people who need it.”

“The human toll of this is immense. Research has shown that the education deficits that a child faces from eviction can follow them for their life; eviction causes health effects,” said David Suitor, a housing attorney in Minneapolis. “A study from Rice University in Texas showed that evictions cost not only the tenant and the landlord, they cost the public and private sector thousands of dollars.” The Pause Evictions, Save Lives ordinance would not have decreased or cancelled rents; it would have given tenants a better chance of being able to pay.

The Housing Justice League urges the City Council to vote to override Mayor Frey’s veto and ensure our community can recover from this disruption. Rent assistance is a proven strategy to address eviction and its social and economic harms, but the assistance available does not go far enough and will not move fast enough to prevent the devastating wave of evictions we are facing. 

Ordinance vetoed

On March 3rd, after hearing over 70 community members shared testimony, the vast majority in favor of extending the pre-eviction notice period, City Council members voted (7 ayes, 5 nays, and 1 abstention) to pass the ordinance. Read the ordinance here.

On March 11th, Mayor Frey vetoed the ordinance.

Take Action

Contact your City Councilperson to urge them to override Mayor Frey’s veto and vote yes to Pause Evictions, Save Lives!

In the News

“Minneapolis renters seek more time to pay rent after immigration crackdown” —Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

“Minneapolis City Councilmembers urge mayor to temporarily delay evictions” — WCCO News

“Minneapolis residents who pay immigrant neighbors’ rent ask city to delay evictions”  — Star Tribune

“Mayor Frey vetoes eviction pause” —Star Tribune

“Minneapolis Braces for Rent Crisis As ICE Surge Winds Down” — NextCity

The Housing Justice League is a group of community organizations advocating for policy change and building grassroots support for housing justice in Minneapolis.