Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey touted the city’s housing enforcement efforts at a mayoral forum last month. “We’ve got a Regulatory Services Division,” Frey said. “We have inspectors that can work directly with those in homes to make sure that the conditions are not only habitable, they are up to par.”
For many renters, however, calling 311 has yet to yield “up to par” housing. Frustration over unresolved complaints helped spur the creation of the IPG Tenant Union and a proposed ordinance that would require city council approval, rather than automatic renewal, of rental licenses for landlords with histories of unsafe conditions and code violations.
The Business, Housing, and Zoning Committee advanced the Stop the Slumlords Ordinance in a 5-1 vote. Tenants say they have little faith in the city’s 311 complaint system, which is intended to address issues like mold, broken appliances, and infestations.
At the center of the controversy is 2119 Pillsbury Ave., which has the city’s highest number of Tier 3 violations — 61, according to the housing dashboard. The property is owned by California-based Investment Property Group (IPG), led by Brian Fitterer. For tenants at Pillsbury and another IPG-owned building at 2735 Blaisdell Ave, the failures of the 311 system, lack of city enforcement, and neglect by property managers have escalated into violence and retaliation.
“I’m the person that the apartment manager sprayed mace in my eyes,” tenant Mike Brown said, recounting an August 25 incident. Video footage shows three IPG employees surrounding him as he attempted to pay rent.
“This is unnecessary,” Brown said. “They sent all of them over here to collect the rent check from me when I was over there 25 minutes ago.”
Union tenant Valerie Mack described the same event: “She was having a conversation with another tenant. Mike happened to be coming around, and she just went spraying,” Mack said. The union is calling on IPG to hold staff accountable by replacing Blaisdell Manager Tina Johnson and her maintenance team.
“On February 13, IPG issued eviction notices to almost 20 tenants in one building, 2119 Pillsbury Ave,” Union President Klyde Warren said. “That’s what retaliation looks like. We’ve called 311, we’ve called the city, and we made IPG aware of the mice, bugs, and mold that contaminate our living spaces.”
Tenants report repeated issues with mold, leaks and infestations. “I’ve had mold in my bathroom for over a year. I’ve called 311. They came, they sent a notice. Nothing happened,” said Taylor Kohn.
Yasmin Issee added, “For about three months I wasn’t able to use my bathroom shower because there was a leak in the wall.”
Renter Emery Brush said inspections often fail to resolve problems. “We called 311 dozens of times. While citations were issued and orders to correct were sent out, things were not repaired,” he said.
Tenant advocate Andrew Fahlstrom described a visit to Oak Manor Apartments, where an inspection of a Tier 3 building released a cascade of roaches from a hole in the ceiling. “This is a license that had been automatically renewed by the City of Minneapolis,” he said.
The proposed ordinance, if passed, would apply to 160 properties totaling 2,260 rental units with histories of nuisance violations, quality of life issues, and “notices to condemn.” Tenant attorney Daniel Suitor criticized the current system as unenforced.
“Landlords in this city do not care about the tier system,” Suitor said. “Even under Tier 3, the supposedly annual inspections are not happening. These are deferred maintenance issues. These are people who don’t pay attention to their properties and let them molder for years on end.”
Not all support the ordinance. Cecil Smith, president of the Minnesota Multi Housing Association, argued the measure would not benefit renters. Fitterer has also donated to Mayor Frey and former President Trump, and has financially supported city council challengers Michael Baskins, Elizabeth Shaffer, and Lydia Millard, who are running against Robin Wonsley, Katie Cashman, and Aisha Chughtai.
“MHS is opposed to this ordinance because the net effect does not help renters,” Smith said.
NAACP Minneapolis Chapter President Cynthia Wilson strongly disagreed. “He’s suited and booted, talking about what we should not do. He’s saying that because he doesn’t want to be held accountable,” she said.
“The amount of complaints that come across the NAACP desk in a single day regarding housing and slumlords is unbelievable.”
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