June 1995

Dear Friend:

Lucky you! You own rental property in Minneapolis. And - if your experience is like many of ours - you have become a special target for city inspectors, tax collectors, etc., who play fast and loose with your money, your property rights, and your peace of mind.

You may have heard that a subcommittee of the Minneapolis City council has unanimously approved a change in the city ordinances that would held landlords criminally responsible for “allowing” drug activity to take place on their property. In this and other areas, rental-property owners are being asked to control crime problems that the city police are unable or unwilling to solve.

The goods news is that the tide has started to turn. When the city council held two public hearings this year on ordinance proposals, Minneapolis rental-property owners expressed their opposition in forceful and effective terms. People are starting to get the message. The Star Tribune recently ran an editorial criticizing the council’s plan.

The bad news is that city government holds most of the cards. It will take a long, tough battle with these people to get them to behave more decently towards us - a battle that will have to be fought, ultimately, in court.

For much of the past year, a group of landlords has been meeting twice a month to discuss mutual problems and to plan strategy. We call ourselves “Minneapolis Property Owners Action Committee.” In mid June, we filed a class-action lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis alleging abuse of the inspections process and other issues. Will you join us?

To become part of this action, we are asking for an initial contribution of $55.00. Larger amounts would be welcome. You can, of course, come to our meetings, look us over, and then decide whether to participate. (We generally meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. at 2501 Blaisdell, Minneapolis.) Please do something. Ben Franklin’s adage was never more true: If we do not hang together, then assuredly we will hang separately.

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Charles Disney