Readers Write: Homeless encampments, Omar Fateh and Donald Trump, $60 schnitzel, commuting

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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No doubt there will be some who will protest the city of Minneapolis’ efforts to stop encampments on Hamoudi Sabri’s lots (“Landlord defies city on homeless camps,” July 14). This letter is for you. If only you would take a step 1% as bold as Sabri’s offer to allow people to pitch tents on his lots! Perhaps you’ve already done so?

If each of you let two of these desperate people pitch a tent in your backyard, the city would be unlikely to come after them or you. Better yet, you’ve probably got an extra bedroom, so invite them in! There must be 10 or 100 times as many empty bedrooms in town as there are people without homes. Or your church. There’s a roof to go over their heads! Bathrooms, kitchens, etc. too! Maybe you’ve got an empty storefront? Maybe your political party office is used only 40 or 50 hours a week and is empty every night? Better than a tent, don’t you think?

Sure. You have good reasons not to do this. I understand. My mentally ill brother nearly set fire to our home when he was between homes.

And of course the people in poor neighborhoods, whose family safety is threatened by the unfortunate, disturbed and victimized people, shouldn’t be asked to take on those risks. Or should they take on the risks, do you think?

If my mentally ill brother, decades ago, had had an option of panhandling and encampments, he might have gone down that road. And would likely have died young. He lived, in safety and physical comfort, because family and “the system” insisted that he do what was necessary and give up some freedoms that he and others cannot manage.

If you can take a brother into your home, your church or even into a pup tent in your backyard, please do so.

If you cannot, support efforts that give true protection to and insist on responsibility for people without homes. Give money. Support good public policy, especially to reduce housing costs. Don’t support the false promise of freedom of the encampments and don’t pretend that that option is a good one for people living there or for their neighbors.

So I appreciate Sabri’s sentiment, but decry the likely consequences of his action. Unless, of course, a hundred advocates decide his idea is a good one for their back yards.

Jay Wilkinson, St. Paul

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Thank you, Hamoudi Sabri. I am encouraged to hear there is somebody actually doing something to provide shelter for homeless. I hope our city, instead of interfering, actually supports his efforts.

Becky Carpenter, Minneapolis

The politicians and voters affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America-aligned wing of the Democratic Party have been among President Donald Trump’s most vociferous critics. However, the president and his left-wing opponents have more in common than initially meets the eye. Both peddle economics that are fantastical, uninformed and almost universally opposed by both public finance experts and nonideological economists.

The president’s tariffs will not create jobs, will raise prices for U.S. producers and consumers and leave the country exposed to disruptions in supply of critical material inputs. Likewise, the municipal income taxes supported by Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh and the progressive wing of the Minneapolis City Council will incentivize the richest residents to leave the city, risk further degradation of the property tax base and hamper efforts to lure big companies to our already-struggling downtown.

Minneapolis voters passed their first economics test when they voted overwhelmingly against Trump. They would do well to again demonstrate this wisdom and reject the similarly ill-advised economics of the democratic socialist wing of the city’s Democratic Party.

Brian J. Krause, Minneapolis

Regarding “Far-right activist targets Fateh in racist rant on X” (July 16): the upshot of Charlie Kirk’s comments is: “Hey, everyone, let’s exclude Muslims from our public life just because they’re Muslim.” I think we dealt with this one as kids: “Who died and made you God?” And, “It’s a free country.” Obviously, Kirk does not play well with others.

Robert Victorin-Vangerud, Minneapolis

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Look, I’m no fan of Sen. Omar Fateh’s politics, and I’m an atheist to boot. But attacking Fateh based on his faith simply lacks substance. I’m proud that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey decried such an attack on his mayoral opponent. Kirk should be brushed to the curb.

Jessica Swartz, Minneapolis

If there was any doubt the DFL caucus and convention process has become a playground for the political elite, this week’s announcement that a schnitzel sandwich during Saturday’s convention will cost $60 should erase that doubt.

The Star Tribune article failed to mention that delegates will be prohibited from bringing their own food. Nice.

Can we finally agree to replace this convoluted, expensive and fundamentally exclusive process with primary elections, in which a truly representative cross-section of diverse constituents have a chance to be heard?

Yes, we can. Let’s do it.

David Fey, Minneapolis

The writer was deputy mayor of Minneapolis under former Mayor R.T. Rybak.

Thank you to Eric Roper for his opinion piece “County’s lax hybrid work policy deserves closer look” (July 16). I am stunned to yet again read about the county’s lax policy on in-office work. The value of the downtown commercial market is plummeting because of vacant buildings. Guess who ends up picking up the slack for the corresponding need for higher taxes on residential property? All of Hennepin County constituents. And I don’t buy the “we need flexibility to keep workers.” Surely the Hennepin County Board can see that Target, 3M, US Bank, Ameriprise, General Mills, etc., are all requiring significant back-to-work days. The tail is wagging the dog at Hennepin County. Time for the board to step in and do what is right for the county — and not be held hostage by employees preferring to be in sweats at home.

Paul Kaminski, Minneapolis

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As Twin Cities motorists prepare for massive disruptions caused by major work on Interstate 394 (including no E-ZPass lanes), there is one glaring issue missing from the discussion (“Seeing red over orange cones,” July 14). With the Southwest light rail scheduled to open in 2027, two years from now, why was this work not delayed until then? While it wouldn’t totally solve the problem of congestion, at least commuters and attendees to Twins and Timberwolves games would have had a far less stressful option to get downtown. It would have also been a great way to showcase the new line and encourage ridership, especially as more companies are instituting return-to-office policies. Alas, strategic planning of this sort is too often missing at the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Peter Hall, Edina