Adriana Nixon, a 20-year-old mother, sprinted from her apartment on 2200 Blaisdell Ave, firmly holding her infant daughter, to join a press conference on 2119 Pillsbury Ave. Nixon’s urgency stemmed from the dismal conditions in her apartment complex: mold growing on her ceilings and near outlets, a damaged mailbox, and exposed mail cluttering the hallways.
“I was pregnant with my daughter, actually, and there was mold growing throughout my ceilings,” Nixon recalled. “It flooded my whole house.”
Nixon’s situation is far from unique. She is one of many tenants who have banded together, sending a joint letter to Investment Property Group (IPG) and staff at both 2200 Blaisdell Ave. and 1219 Pillsbury Ave., demanding action on issues of mold, security concerns, missing payments, and unprocessed checks.
Linnea Cavitt, a U.S. veteran who lives in Nixon’s building, echoed her frustrations. Cavitt, who relies on medication, had her prescriptions stolen from the building’s unsecured mailbox. “It took a good three weeks, and it’s a controlled substance,” Cavitt explained when trying to retrieve a new batch of medicine.
Security is also a major concern for tenants. “The cameras don’t work around here, so if anything were to happen, it’s basically on you,” Nixon added. “There’s nothing they can do about that, and so much more.”
Missing or unprocessed rent payments are further complicating matters. Cavitt, whose rent is partially covered by Veterans Affairs (VA), had her cashier’s checks go missing and/or unprocessed on multiple occasions. “Yes, it happened three times,” Cavitt said. “And lo and behold, it’s right there in front of them, but they haven’t gotten to it.”
Since IPG took over management in 2022, the problems have escalated. Michael Hru, a long-time tenant, recalled a security breach when a door was left wide open for an entire month. “We’re talking roughly a month — that door right there was open 24 hours a day,” Hru said.
Valerie Mack, 69, a resident who rightly feels she should be enjoying her retirement, instead of relaxing in her golden years finds herself cleaning up dog feces and acting as an informal security guard. In fact, during MSR’s interviews dog feces was visible not even a foot from a KSTP microphone lying in the grass, a reminder of the neglect.
To make matters worse, Mack has to contend with poorly maintained garages, where residents pay $50 per month for parking. “They used to take care of the garages when the previous owners were here,” Hru said. “They would paint the yellow lines to separate the parking spots. They don’t do that anymore.”
Mack’s frustration is compounded by a lack of communication from management. “I’m still not sure who is running this organization. I don’t know who I’m paying rent to,” Mack said. “They never communicate with us.”
Other residents, like Manuel Alvarez, also face similar struggles. Alvarez, who lives in the same building as Nixon, says he has had his maintenance requests ignored. “They told me, like, ‘You’re being so dramatic. You’re exaggerating this thing,'” Alvarez said. “I just need them to fix these issues, you know? I need the repairs done.”
One of the most pressing issues voiced by tenants is incorrect rent ledgers, which have caused significant financial distress. “What’s wrong with most of our ledgers? They’re not correct,” Mack said. “When you look at it, it looks like I owe you when I don’t, because you’re not putting the money in correctly. And there are missing money orders and checks. So now you’re making me pay for your mistakes.”
For some residents, these errors have led to the threat of eviction. Mack shared her concern about being evicted due to these accounting mistakes. “I am being evicted if I don’t get $2,000 tomorrow,” she said. “I went to court, came back the next day, and they gave me a brand-new lease.”
As tenants from 2119 Pillsbury Ave. marched to Blaisdell Apartments, they voiced their discontent and delivered their joint letter to the new property manager, Tina Johnson. Seen in a YouTube video titled “Minneapolis Tenant Activists submit a letter to property managers demanding cleaner apartments,” which was recorded during the action, Johnson answers the door to a hallway filled with tenants angry over the living conditions.
“I bet you dollars to donuts that you won’t be here by May,” Hru said. “Everybody’s going to resign.”
Johnson, who was recently hired, tried to calm the residents. Hru gave her the benefit of the doubt. “You’re in the hot seat. You just got here, we understand,” Hru said.
Johnson responded, “You’re going to give me some grace. I appreciate that.”
“Have somebody else do security,” Mack said, referencing the ongoing security concerns.
“There’s been as much turnover in this office as in a fast-food restaurant,” Hru added. “Hear what I said? In 29 months, at least 20 different people have come and gone — maintenance workers, office staff, you name it.”
The event concluded with advocates, organizers and supporters returning outside to discuss next steps.
Clint Combs welcomes reader responses to ccombs@spokesman-recorder.com.
Those used to be nice apartments.