Property owner says he has no plans to clear homeless encampment

By Ubah Ali

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    MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (WCCO) — A deadline to fix what Minneapolis officials are calling a public health nuisance has come and gone.

Hamoudi Sabri transformed his commercial parking lot into an encampment for those experiencing homelessness. A battle between the city and Sabri has been building for a month over this homeless encampment on his private lot on East Lake Street.

Minneapolis called it a public health nuisance, and Sabri said he’s being targeted for doing what the city won’t.

“This is a place where people can be identified instead of being kicked around,” Sabri said.

Mayor Jacob Frey has called for a closed-door meeting on Wednesday with the City Council to talk about potential legal action.

This comes after the city sent him a public health nuisance letter in mid-July and a similar document last week to rectify the issues found by an inspection done by the Minneapolis Health Department. Sabri has racked up $7,000 in citations for the public health issues.

The notice of health public nuisance dated Aug. 21 lists six violations:

Presence of drug paraphernalia and hazardous sharps. Improperly stored or accumulated solid waste and refuse. Lack of water access or adequate sanitation facilities (sewage disposal). Unstable and unsafe structures (e.g., tents, makeshift shelters). Presence of junk and debris hazardous to health and safety. Evidence of open fires and uncontrolled combustibles. The Aug. 21 notice gave Sabri a deadline of Aug. 25 to rectify the issues stated in the letter, or the city will do it for him, at his expense.

Sabri told WCCO during an interview on Monday that people in the camp are aware of the issues and were cleaning the area.

Last month, Minneapolis Health Department Commissioner Damon Chaplin said encampments are unsanitary and not safe.

Sabri said he has no plans of clearing the camp and looks forward to working with the city, adding he’s not concerned about a battle in court.

“Am I the government who is responsible on this? No, I pay taxes to have the government do it, but they are not doing it,” he said.

Officials say the city’s homeless response team has been to the site every weekday since early July to offer resources.

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