Encampment shooting sparks safety concerns

The plight of the homeless is front and center in Minneapolis. For the past couple months, an encampment on East Lake Street has been at the center of disputes, court hearings and potential lawsuits. When seven people were shot Sept. 15, 2025, the encampment was closed.
Hamoudi Sabri, a long-time business developer in Minneapolis, let individuals experiencing homelessness set up tents on a parking lot he owns at 28th and East Lake. The city raised concerns over the conditions of the encampment, but Sabri countered, saying that he feared there was no resolution being offered by the city.
According to Jess Olstad, a media relations spokesperson for city of Minneapolis, Sabri was served with two public health nuisance letters in July and August and was given deadlines to correct the problems listed. He also received citations for public health issues, such as the presence of drug paraphernalia, improper food storage, lack of access to water and accumulated solid waste. These citations resulted in fines of $13,060 and $6o in late fees. Olstad said the problems were not corrected.
“The City’s Homeless Response Team (HRT) was at the site nearly every weekday since July 9, to help with making calls to shelters and offering resources,” Olstad said. The city had cleared the encampment a few times, at Sabri’s expense. She said the city and other partners have provided wound care, transportation and other resources. The city’s new mobile medical unit has provided services and substance abuse resources.
In a 6-4 vote on Sept. 8 the Minneapolis City Council voted to file a lawsuit against Sabri citing health risks posed by the encampment.
On Sept. 15 about 10 p.m., seven people were shot at the encampment. One later died, Jacinda Oakgrove, age 30. Investigators believe the shootout stemmed from a dispute over who got to sell drugs inside the encampment which had spilled over from a similar dispute at the Lake St. and Stevens encampment earlier that day. A temporary restraining order was placed on Sabri that does not allow him to reopen the encampment, which was cleared the next day.
For his part, Sabri said that he had made a mistake in calling the site an encampment. “It is a transit from being homeless to getting to a safe place,” he said.
Sabri directs much of his anger about the situation towards Mayor Jacob Frey, blaming him for not resolving the homeless status of so many people. “I am a Palestinian,” Sabri said. “I was never homeless, but I know what it is to be displaced.”
He had gone to the hospital to see the people who were shot, and he said he talks to those who have been displaced every day. “I have to tell them I cannot open the camp right now,” he said.
Sabri said he believes Mayor Frey is misleading the homeless residents by sending in the police. “The police we have now are good people,” he said. “They are only doing what they are told.”
He responded to the accusations about health issues at the encampment by calling it “BS.” He added, “Why do they just look at the homeless camp? These are problems everywhere.”
Sabri stated, “This is not about me, it is about the homeless. Many of them are disabled or mentally challenged, and they need help. Instead they get a kick in the pants. I just want to make the city a better place.”
He said he will keep on fighting. “You know me, I am very stubborn,” he said.

RESOURCES NEEDED IN AREA
“After hastily evacuating the encampment the night of the mass shooting, people were waiting on the sidewalk and in neighboring parking lots all night,” said Angela Schwesnedl of Moon Palace Books. “They were being told by the city of Minneapolis employees that they’d be allowed to retrieve their things. Residents of the homeless encampment were not allowed to return to reclaim their property, including clothing, tents, ID documents and immigration paperwork before city of Minneapolis workers put everything in dumpsters and hauled it away.”
Schwesnedl said that when volunteers from DSA and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church reached out to see if people who had just survived a mass shooting and seen some of their friends taken away in ambulances could stay in their parking lot for one night, they agreed.
“We hoped the Mayor’s office would send out anyone to provide resources, food, water, counseling, anything to everyone in the neighborhood,” Schwesnedl said. “All of us are upset, traumatized, re-traumatized and sad.” She said one person from the city came out with a folding table and did some one-on-one consultation, and a few other city employees brought some lists with phone numbers for help.
“A shelter said they could take everyone, and buses were sent to take people there, but later it was found that the shelter did not have the capacity, so everyone returned with no place to go,” Schwesnedl stated.
Schwesnedl praised city council members Jason Chavez and Aurin Chowdhury for their efforts to try and help, as well as a couple pastors from Holy Trinity and DCA volunteers.
“We can’t help but wonder if the response would have been very different from the police, the city and the neighborhood if the victims of the mass shooting hadn’t been unhoused,” Schwesnedl said.

RESPONSE FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS
Ward 12 Council member Chowdhury said a lawsuit against Sabri could not have prevented the incident on Sept. 15. ”We cannot let lawsuits replace real solutions,” she said.
Chowdhury remarked, “It’s frustrating that we only act during crises. We’ve repeatedly called for real, sustainable solutions to unsheltered homelessness, and while I’ve offered and pursued many ideas, there’s been no real partnership with us as policymakers to make them a reality.”
“I saw in person that it was our neighbors – community members, service providers and local business owners – helping with cleanup and connecting displaced individuals to resources.”
Ward 9 City Council member Chavez said that the city’s current approach to unsheltered homelessness does not work, and there is no plan to address it.
“Moving people when there is not enough capacity, is not the way to address unsheltered homelessness,” Chavez said. Chavez said that the council voted to file a lawsuit against Sabri, and the mass shooting devastation still occurred – without any solution in sight.
“I am still supportive of building tiny houses, a navigation center and a housing first approach to addressing this,” said Chavez.

EPNI PLAN WOULD CREATE HOUSING OPTIONS
The East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) has been working to create a housing solution in the area at the former Roof Depot site for over 10 years, but it has been tied up in litigation as the city has pushed for an expansion of its public works facility on the site instead. Recently the city of Minneapolis rejected a $10.2 million offer for the Roof Depot site from EPNI.
“This tragedy highlights the urgent need for action,” said Longfellow Business Association (LBA) Board members in a letter to Mayor Frey. “The growing presence of encampments and unhoused individuals using buildings and yards for temporary shelter has created additional challenges for our community.” The LBA asked city leaders to address the issues of drug addiction, biohazards and vacant lots in the area. (Read the full letter on page 4).