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Cash-strapped Minneapolis, Minnesota, is reportedly demanding that riot-wrecked businesses, including those that were burned to the ground in the protests following George Floyd's death while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department, pay their property taxes before being allowed to rebuild.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that Minneapolis city government is not issuing permits to remove ashes and debris leftover from arson attacks until business owners pay their 2020 taxes in full.

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Dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed in widespread looting in the days following George Floyd's death. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, in a separate report, noted that 1,500 businesses were damaged and 150 were burned to the ground. TwinCities.com said, in June, that the damage could cost business owners as much as $55 million and that was nearly two months ago.

Minneapolis officials say they're bound by a law that "prohibits the removal of any structures or standing timber until all of the taxes assessed against the building have been fully paid," but Hennepin county, which enforces that law, says they've suspended enforcement of that law for "riot-damaged properties."

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" Most property owners must pay $35,000 to $100,000 to clear their sites of debris, with larger tracts such as strip shopping centers costing as much as $400,000, according to property owners," the Star-Tribune reports. "That doesn't include the money those owners must pay to get their permits. On average, the owners of properties destroyed or significantly damaged owe $25,000 in taxes for the second half of 2020, which come due in October."

The Minneapolis City Council and city government are already in hot water with residents after voting this week to strip funding from the Minneapolis Police Department in the midst of a violent crime wave. The city recorded a massive spike in homicides in June, logging 42 homicides already this year. The city saw only 48 homicides in all of 2019.

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84AGEC said:

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Going to become another Detroit

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American Hardwood said:

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Minneapolis officials say they're bound by a law that "prohibits the removal of any structures or standing timber until all of the taxes assessed against the building have been fully paid," but Hennepin county, which enforces that law, says they've suspended enforcement of that law for "riot-damaged properties."

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What? All of the sudden the law matters? Weren't they bound to protect these businesses from getting burned down in the first place?

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ABCDE said:

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I'd walk away if I had little to no equity in my property. Let the lenders, tax authorities and city figure out what to do. It's obvious they put the desires of rioters above the rights of property owners. Why ever rebuild in that hell hole.

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will25u said:

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American Hardwood said:

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Minneapolis officials say they're bound by a law that "prohibits the removal of any structures or standing timber until all of the taxes assessed against the building have been fully paid," but Hennepin county, which enforces that law, says they've suspended enforcement of that law for "riot-damaged properties."

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What? All of the sudden the law matters? Weren't they bound to protect these businesses from getting burned down in the first place?

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I bolded the relevant section of that paragraph. The county is in charge of upholding that law, and they are not enforcing it currently. So Minneapolis is just doing this as a way to get money now.

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hbtheduce said:

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If I'm one of those property owners. I'm not paying **** on that land until it gets reappraised.

The value of smoldering rubble is the lot value less the cost to clean up.

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