Current:Home > MarketsA Minnesota city will rewrite an anti-crime law seen as harming mentally ill residents -AssetLink
A Minnesota city will rewrite an anti-crime law seen as harming mentally ill residents
View
Date:2025-04-18 13:08:51
A Minnesota city has agreed not to disclose private medical information about renters with mental health issues and to pay $175,000 to resolve a complaint from the federal government that the city discriminated against mentally ill residents in enforcing an anti-crime law.
The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday announced its agreement with the city of Anoka, a medium-sized suburb of Minneapolis. It addresses allegations that the city violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by improperly pressuring landlords to evict tenants with mental health issues over multiple police or emergency calls to their addresses. The DOJ also filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the city, but that case won’t go forward if a judge approves the agreement.
The department told the city in a letter in November that an investigation showed illegal discrimination in enforcing a “crime-free” housing ordinance allowing the city to fine or deny rental licenses to landlords whose properties are deemed a nuisance or a source of criminal activity. In at least 780 cases from 2018 through mid-2023, the city issued weekly reports to landlords sharing details about people’s mental health crises and even how some tried to kill themselves, the DOJ said.
DOJ officials described the November letter as a first-of-its-kind finding of discrimination against people with mental health disabilities from one of the hundreds of anti-crime ordinances enacted by cities across the U.S. since the early 1990s. Housing and civil liberties advocates have long argued that those policies are enforced more harshly in poor neighborhoods and against people of color.
“Anoka’s so-called ‘crime-free’ housing program does not protect public safety but rather risks lives by discouraging people with disabilities and their loved ones from calling for help when needed most,” Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement.
Anoka, with about 18,000 residents, is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Minneapolis, and has been home to a state psychiatric hospital for more than 100 years.
The city’s mayor and its attorney did not immediately respond to email and phone messages seeking comment, but the agreement said the city denied wrongdoing and the allegations in the November letter and the lawsuit filed Tuesday.
“However, the City desires to avoid any litigation,” the agreement said, adding that Anoka wanted to ensure that its policies comply with both the ADA and federal fair housing laws.
The city’s $175,000 payment will cover compensation for people the DOJ identifies as having been harmed by Anoka’s enforcement of its anti-crime ordinance.
The city will have 30 days to revise its anti-crime housing ordinance, which allows the Anoka to suspend a landlord’s rental license if there are more than four “nuisance” calls to an address in a year. A nuisance call involves “disorderly conduct,” such as criminal activity and acts jeopardizing others, but also “unfounded calls to police” and allowing a “physically offensive condition,” without defining those further.
Under the agreement, the city cannot treat mental health-related calls to an address as nuisance calls, and it is required to notify both a renter and landlord whenever a call for another reason is deemed a nuisance call, giving them information about how to appeal.
veryGood! (1681)
Related
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- 1 million migrants in the US rely on temporary protections that Trump could target
- Louisiana asks court to block part of ruling against Ten Commandments in classrooms
- Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says next year will be his last in office; mum on his plans afterward
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Disney Store's Black Friday Sale Just Started: Save an Extra 20% When You Shop Early
- Full House's John Stamos Shares Message to Costar Dave Coulier Amid Cancer Battle
- John Krasinski Details Moment He Knew Wife Emily Blunt Was “the One”
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Congress is revisiting UFOs: Here's what's happened since last hearing on extraterrestrials
Ranking
- Jamaica's Kishane Thompson more motivated after thrilling 100m finish against Noah Lyles
- Supreme Court seems likely to allow class action to proceed against tech company Nvidia
- Love Actually Secrets That Will Be Perfect to You
- Jason Statham Shares Rare Family Photos of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Their Kids on Vacation
- NCAA President Charlie Baker would be 'shocked' if women's tournament revenue units isn't passed
- Federal judge denies request to block measure revoking Arkansas casino license
- Congress heard more testimony about UFOs: Here are the biggest revelations
- 2 credit unions in Mississippi and Louisiana are planning to merge
Recommendation
Man charged with murder in death of beloved Detroit-area neurosurgeon
Daniele Rustioni to become Metropolitan Opera’s principal guest conductor
Inspector general finds no fault in Park Police shooting of Virginia man in 2017
He failed as a service dog. But that didn't stop him from joining the police force
US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
Black women notch historic Senate wins in an election year defined by potential firsts
Best fits for Corbin Burnes: 6 teams that could match up with Cy Young winner
Kate Hudson and Goldie Hawn’s SKIMS Holiday Pajamas Are Selling Out Fast—Here’s What’s Still Available