Isaac, a beloved friend and deeply-involved member of our community, needs your support to demand that Ramsey County drop the unjust charges against him and demand equal justice in Minnesota criminal and civil courts.

Isaac is a young Black man whose life has been upended because of the harmful actions of St. Paul police and vindictive landlords. While Minnesotans may say we pride ourselves on Midwest kindness and inclusivity, the inhumane treatment Isaac has experienced, not only by individuals but by the civil and criminal justice systems, needs to be addressed by us all to ensure all people can thrive in our communities and end the racial hierarchy. 

On May 30, 2024, Isaac's life changed completely when the apartment complex where he was living illegally locked him out of his home without notice or any judicial process. Isaac had been living at the apartment since January 2024, with the primary lease holder offering him a space to live and paying rent in equal shares with the management approval. After a small financial disagreement between Isaac and the primary lease holder, the primary lease holder took unilateral action and asked the management to change the locks, without any judicial process or actions as required by Minnesota law. This occurred after Isaac had already lived at the apartment for five months. Without any due process, the landlords at the apartment locked him out. Isaac attempted every path to address this –  going to court himself, attempting to address the situation directly with the management company and primary lease holder, and seeking support from the police – all with no success, as the police refused to get involved and said it was a civil matter. When Isaac took action to gain access to the apartment, the management company had the police arrest him. Judge Joy Bartscher later decided that Isaac should be allowed back to his sole residence without interference, but Isaac was met with harassment and no support to let him back into his home. The apartment management once again called the police and had him arrested in violation of Judge Bartscher’s ruling and the police’s prior assurance that this was a civil matter.   

What the apartment management did was a textbook illegal lockout. Isaac was clearly a rent-paying roommate and sublessee to a valid primary lease holder– he had his own key, fob, and parking pass, provided by the apartment manager before he moved in, and had lived in the unit for five months of continuous residence. Under Minnesota state law, individuals like Isaac are protected from illegal lockouts, and landlords have no authority to evict tenants without going through the legal system or legal process. In Minnesota, locking out a tenant in this way is a criminal offense [Minn. Stat. § 609.606]. In fact, the police had a legal obligation to support Isaac in gaining access to his home, but they did nothing other than contributing to the malicious acts that rendered Isaac impoverished. The illegal lockout by the apartment management rendered Isaac homeless. He filed a lockout petition expecting and hoping for justice but received none.

To make matters far worse, when Isaac returned to the apartment after being provided instructions from the court that he would be allowed to return home, Isaac was wrongfully arrested for the second time by police in Ramsey County, MN. Isaac spent time in jail, and now is the target of an unjust prosecution-- criminalized for his efforts to just go back to his home. Not only did Isaac lose access to a safe space and a roof over his head, but he also lost a huge amount of his personal belongings, which he still has not been able to retrieve from the landlord or anyone else. Because of the pending charges, Isaac also has lost opportunities for employment and to rebuild a stable life. 

The illegal eviction and prosecution have created many challenges for Isaac. After losing his housing, Isaac was homeless. Despite the daily stress and vulnerability of living in his car, Isaac found community support and has been a consistent presence in mutual aid efforts in the Twin Cities, including through the organization Community Kitchen. Both before and after the illegal eviction, Isaac has been a leader in supporting mutual aid efforts. He has bought and repurposed 16+ vehicles for people without transportation access and donated some to MN non-profit organizations. He has been generous in offering loans to people going through economic hardship. Even as an unhoused and food insecure person himself, he has volunteered his time with Community Kitchen in preparing meals for our neighbors. The community fundraised for Isaac to support him in covering housing and other costs while he navigates unfair legal fights. You can read more about the support for Isaac from Community Kitchen and our greater community here: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/supporting-isaac-a-black-unhoused-mpls-community-member 

Isaac has worked to resolve this injustice, at great personal cost. Under Minnesota state law, Isaac qualifies as an “other regular occupant” with lockout protection, because he lived at the apartment for five months, paid an equal share of rent with the primary leaseholder, and established sufficient evidence of his residency at the apartment.  When Isaac raised this argument to fight his unjust eviction order, the District Court unjustly denied relief in his case. Isaac then appealed to the Minnesota appellate court despite having no lawyer. Judge Mark Ireland, the district court judge who denied relief in Isaac’s case, also previously allowed for the release of Officer Jeronimo Yanez during his manslaughter case for the killing of Philando Castille. Given the disparate treatment and harshness Isaac faced during his interactions with the court, it’s clear that the decision was influenced by bias, prejudices, and colorism, rather than solely based on the facts and evidence presented, undermining the fairness and impartiality of the legal system. The Court of Appeals also denied relief after applying incorrect legal standards and not engaging in any real analysis of Isaac’s arguments. The courts have sided with business and their powerful lawyers against Isaac, who courageously is fighting for his rights and has worked hard to navigate the complex legal process. Now, Isaac has one more chance for civil justice, and has brought an appeal in the Minnesota Supreme Court where the case is pending. 

Isaac has faced this injustice despite the fact that white renters in cases with similar facts have been able to obtain housing relief through the courts. For example, in the case  Quinn v. LMC NE Minneapolis Holdings, a white woman was provided legal protection against eviction in similar circumstances to Isaac, but the judges who have evaluated Isaac’s case have ignored past precedent. This demonstrates that there are two different systems of justice in Minnesota: one for white people, and a separate system that impacts Black people and other people of color. Isaac intends to fight both his unlawful criminal cases and pursue justice in his civil case, but he needs your support to tell the power-holders in Minnesota that this injustice cannot stand. 

The potential to face incarceration and homelessness again as a result of these cases has put tremendous stress on Isaac’s mental and physical health. Isaac experiences various medical challenges and needs to take steps to get treatment, but the time and energy sapped by fighting these cases has not allowed him space to heal. This will only be exacerbated if he faces an unjust conviction for the “crime” of simply trying to assert his legal right to address the illegal lockout. 

No one should have to push to the highest courts in their state to ensure that they are protected by even minimal due process against illegal evictions. 

No one should be given false assurances by law enforcement, only to then face prosecution when a landlord retaliates. 

Sign this petition to demand: 

1) that Ramsey County prosecutors drop the wrongful and discriminatory charges against Isaac. 

2) that the Minnesota Supreme Court reverse the discriminatory and mistaken analysis by the lower courts, and allow Isaac to pursue meaningful relief in his civil case challenging his eviction. 

3) that the Governor and Attorney General investigate unjust evictions and the   prosecutorial abuses/malicious prosecutions and take strong action to ensure safe housing and protections for all Minnesotans.

Justice matters. Everyone deserves justice, regardless of national origin. Justice should be applied to everyone equally. Housing is a human right, and the justice system punishing more Black and brown people who are trying to keep roofs over their head is unacceptable. We must work together to support Isaac and demand he is protected. This miscarriage of justice needs to stop, and the law should apply fairly to everyone. 

“As long as there is racial privilege, racism will never end.” – Wayne Gerard Trotman

“It is never too late to give up your prejudices.” -Henry David Thoreau

Please reach out with any questions or inquiries to commkitchen.petition@gmail.com.