Renters rally after Frey vetoes Minneapolis eviction notice extension

Frida Tellez Mercado carried the weight of her entire apartment building when she stood inside the Hennepin County Government Center on Wednesday, March 12. The daughter of a single mother, she came with a translator and another story to tell, this one from a neighbor who could not risk being there herself.

“I’m the daughter of a single mother, and my mother, my brother and I live in an apartment together. We’ve lived there for three years,” Mercado said. “I’m currently involved in delivering food to my neighbors because these have been very difficult times for me, my family, and my community.”

Speaking through translator Rebecca Song, Mercado also read a statement from Laura Perez, a 10-year resident and mother of five.

“The other concern is not being able to pay our rent, and the worry of losing that one place that has afforded us protection and kept us safe during this occupation,” Mercado said, reading Perez’s words.

Across the river in St. Paul, Alibella Rodriguez, a mother of three who has lived in her neighborhood for 24 years, made a similar plea to lawmakers considering a $45 million emergency rental assistance bill.

“I’m a mother of three children during these months of our lives that have changed everything,” Rodriguez said through a translator. “My husband has not been able to go to work for fear of being kidnapped. My daughter is fearful of losing her parents.”

Her husband has since sold his work truck.

Rodriguez and Mercado spoke a day after Jacob Frey, mayor of Minneapolis, vetoed an ordinance that would have temporarily expanded the city’s pre-eviction notice period from 30 to 60 days.

Nearly 100 people testified at a city committee meeting, many speaking on behalf of neighbors who were too afraid to leave their homes. Supporters of the ordinance argued it would give renters more time to find housing or stabilize their finances before facing eviction court.

The veto came the same day the all-women city council in St. Paul voted 7–0 to advance an ordinance that would temporarily extend its pre-eviction notice period from 30 to 60 days through the end of the year.

“Yesterday, Jacob Frey vetoed the policy,” said tenant organizer Farhan Badel. “After three months of living under occupation, we stand here today as tenants in Minneapolis with absolutely zero eviction protections in place to keep our families safely in their homes.”

Eric Hauge, co-executive director of HOME Line, a renter advocacy nonprofit, said eviction filings have already surged.

In Minneapolis, there were 123 eviction filings in the first 10 days of this month, compared to just 43 during the same period last year.

Frey defended his veto in a social media post, saying homeless shelters and affordable housing providers favored direct rental assistance rather than what he called “blunt measures that put people further into debt.” The mayor argued that allocating $1 million in city funding to rental assistance would be a more effective way to help residents behind on rent.

Hauge pushed back, saying data from HOME Line show that a large portion of recent eviction filings have come from the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and other nonprofit housing providers.

Tenant activists rallied inside the Government Center and called on the five council members who voted against the ordinance, six including Jamison Whiting, who abstained to flip their votes when the council considered a veto override on March 24.

Minneapolis Council Member Robin Wonsley said the veto reveals the mayor’s priorities. While residents organized food drives, donated to GoFundMe campaigns, and monitored federal enforcement activity, she said Frey was making national media appearances.

“It’s very sad that we even have to be here asking five council members to override a veto that did not need to happen,” Wonsley said. “Our own mayor spent months touring around the country saying he was fighting for Minneapolis. But what we didn’t know was he was fighting for Minneapolis landlords, not working-class people.”

Organizer Badel echoed that criticism, pointing to campaign finance records.

“It’s no secret that Jacob Frey is a dream come true for the real estate industry,” Badel said. “Their donations tell the story.”

Meanwhile, at the Minnesota State Capitol, the Minnesota Senate passed a $40 million emergency rental assistance bill on a 35–32 party-line vote Wednesday, with Sen. Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville, serving as chief author.

The bill would distribute funds to counties and tribal governments to help renters struggling in the aftermath of Operation Metro Surge.

“For renters being pushed to the brink by the rising cost of food, gas, utilities, and health care, this support could be the help they need to get back on their feet,” Port said. “Our communities are being pushed to the brink by the Trump administration and the billionaires who pull their strings.”

Port called on Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth to bring the bill to the House floor. But that path appears steep. Republicans flipped the House in 2024 and now hold a one-seat majority.

House Minority Leader Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, has already expressed opposition, saying Republicans are “not really interested in a bailout” for residents forced to shelter in place during Operation Metro Surge.

Back in Minneapolis, Rodriguez spoke plainly about what is at stake if neither the city council nor the legislature acts.

“Without support, many families will be evicted,” she said.

Minneapolis will consider overriding the veto Tuesday, March 24 at 9:30 a.m. during the Committee of the Whole meeting at Minneapolis City Hall. St. Paul’s pre-eviction extension ordinance is scheduled for a final vote Wednesday, March 18 at 3:30 p.m. at St. Paul City Hall.

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