Frustrated Minneapolis tenants protest management after dealing with rodents, mold and feces

Frustrated renters and their advocates marched into the office of south Minneapolis' Blaisdell Apartments on Thursday, demanding better conditions with residents complaining units and halls have been plagued by vermin, vomit and a host of broken items.

Adrianna Mixon, a 20-year-old renter, said the rats have become so bad that she got a cat to deal with them.

“I should not have to be living like this with my daughter,” said Mixon as she held her infant child outside the apartment offices at 2200 Blaisdell Av.

Mixon was one of about a dozen Blaisdell renters at the Thursday morning protest, which was organized by tenant advocacy group United Renters For Justice. They were protesting against the Utah-based management company Investment Property Group, which took over management in 2022 of a variety of apartment buildings near the intersection of Blaisdell Avenue and West 22nd Street.

Investment Property Group did not return calls and emails seeking comment.

The tenants reported a host of issues since new management assumed control, including broken doors to the building that allowed anyone to enter. They allege Investment Property Group rarely cleans apartments and hallways, where tenants reported seeing human feces and vomit.

Several said it took weeks or months for management to replace broken apartment doors that were kicked in last summer by police checking the units following the murder of Minneapolis officer Jamal Mitchell, which happened a block away.

Tenants showed photos showing cracks in the hallway and air conditioning units with mold growing around them. Another showed a picture of a cockroach in a unit.

In February, about 20 tenants were given eviction notices at 2119 Pillsbury Av., which United Renters for Justice organizer Farhan Badel said was unfair because Investment Property Group refused to fix issues with security and sanitation.

“We’re here to let them know that these tenants deserve safe and dignified homes as a human right, and we will let nobody mess with that,” Badel said.

Valerie Mack, who is 69 and works part-time as an usher at U.S. Bank Stadium, said management is trying to evict her for unpaid rent, alleging she owes $2,000 for her apartment at 2119 Pillsbury, where she has lived for 14 years. Mack said it’s an unfair eviction since she sent money orders for rent that management lost.

Mack said she and other tenants take turns to clean the garbage strewn around the apartment building’s communal garage and act as security when the door locks are broken.

Renters delivered to the Blaisdell offices a list of demands which included: addressing repair issues; adding a 24/7 maintenance phone line for emergency repairs; recalling eviction notices; improving security in the buildings; and arranging a meeting between tenants and Investment Property Group.

Tina Johnson, who told tenants she’s a new manager for Blaisdell Apartments, took the list of demands and listened to tenant concerns.

“We need y’all to step up and take care of our properties,” Mack told her.

Tenant Michael Hru said “we’ve dealt with this too long,” and that “we’re looking forward to working with you.”

Johnson replied to the tenants, “I’m looking forward to working with you too.”

A spokesman for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said tenants should file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office if they believe they are being unlawfully evicted.

In 2023, the Attorney General’s Office sued Investment Property Group over the way the group divided utility bills at its local properties, charging what Ellison’s office called “exorbitant electric and gas utility fees.” The office later reached an agreement with Investment Property Group that the management company would not use unpaid utility charges as a basis for an eviction action and would not charge many of its tenants for gas or steam heat. The civil case is ongoing.