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Minneapolis City Council Tackles Corporate Greed to Protect Renters

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Minneapolis joins San Francisco and Philadelphia as the third city to pass legislation banning the use of algorithmic rental price fixing software

Minneapolis, Minn – Yesterday, Minneapolis City Council, led by Council Members Robin Wonsley, Jeremiah Ellison, and Jason Chavez, passed legislation to ban algorithmic rental price fixing. Minneapolis is the third city in the country to do so, after San Francisco and Philadelphia passed similar bans last year in September and October, respectively. 

Companies like RealPage provide an algorithm for landlords to collude and exploit loopholes in price fixing law: landlords provide RealPage with data and RealPage’s algorithm, Yieldstar, recommends rent prices for landlords to maximize profits, drastically hiking up costs on seniors, students, families, and other renters. The corporate greed of RealPage and large landlords has created an anticompetitive housing market where renters can’t afford to stay in their homes and struggle to find a new place to live. In 2021, when discussing double digit rent increases in the country, RealPage executive Andrew Bowen said “I think [Yieldstar is] driving it, quite honestly.” 

“Banning algorithms that landlords use to jack up the rent is one clear way that we can prevent some of the most egregious extractive practices that landlords are using to exploit renters,” said the ordinance’s lead author, Council Member Robin Wonsley. “Minneapolis is majority renters. Banning rent algorithms moves us closer to a city where every single renter has an affordable place to call home.”

Recently, the Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit along with 30 other attorneys general against RealPage and six major landlords for creating an anticompetitive market. Litigation can take years, however, and renters experiencing soaring costs need relief now. That’s why the Council took the step to ban this renter exploitation tool now.

“The use of algorithmic rent-setting tools undermines the fairness and competitiveness of our housing market, artificially inflating rents and pushing residents out of their homes,” said Council Member Jeremiah Ellison. “This ordinance is about restoring transparency and ensuring that rental prices are set through fair competition, not secretive algorithms designed to maximize profits at the expense of tenants. By taking this step, we are standing up for affordability, accountability, and a housing market that works for everyone in Minneapolis—not just corporate landlords.”

“Increased rents due to the use of algorithms negatively impact not only renters in properties that deploy them, they also distort the market for renters across Minneapolis and the region,” said Council Member Jason Chavez. “At a time when there aren’t enough truly affordable housing options in Minneapolis, the City needs to look at every possible option we have to prevent predatory corporate actors from making housing unattainable for renters. This Council is not waiting for a drawn out legal process to determine whether these corporations violated antitrust laws. We took this step now because our residents can’t afford inaction.”

Algorithms that use non-public data to influence rent or occupancy rates caused renters to pay an extra $3.8 billion in rent in 2024, and Twin Cities renters in units managed with algorithms paid an average of $324 more per year than renters in units that were not managed by algorithms. Minneapolis is 52% renters, and people of color are disproportionately renters in Minneapolis, meaning exploitative practices by landlords disproportionately extract wealth from people of color. 

For additional background on the issue, refer to this memo by Local Progress, Local Progress Impact Lab, and the American Economic Liberties Project on rental price fixing and how localities can take action.

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Immigrant Defense Network Calls for Investigation After Firing of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem

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MINNEAPOLIS – The Immigrant Defense Network is calling for a federal investigation into immigration enforcement practices following the dismissal of Kristi Noem as secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In a statement released Thursday, the Minnesota-based advocacy group said Noem’s removal reflects “growing instability and failures” within federal immigration enforcement leadership but warned that her departure should not shield federal agencies from scrutiny over policies enacted during her tenure.

The organization criticized enforcement actions carried out by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing that tactics expanded under Noem harmed immigrant communities nationwide, particularly in Minnesota.

Central to the group’s criticism is Operation Metro Surge, a federal enforcement initiative the Immigrant Defense Network described as one of the most damaging recent operations affecting local immigrant families. According to the group, the operation created widespread fear in affected neighborhoods and strained trust between residents and public institutions.

The organization also pointed to two deaths connected to enforcement actions linked to the operation: Alex Pretti and Renée Good. The group said the deaths illustrate the dangers of what it characterized as increasingly militarized immigration enforcement strategies.

Beyond those incidents, the Immigrant Defense Network cited broader concerns about conditions in federal immigration detention. The group said more than 73,000 people remain in immigration custody nationwide and that nearly 40 detainees died in detention facilities during Noem’s time leading the Department of Homeland Security.

“These deaths are not statistics,” the organization said in its statement, describing them as evidence of systemic failures within the immigration detention system.

The Immigrant Defense Network is urging federal officials to establish an independent, nonpartisan commission with authority to investigate alleged abuses tied to federal immigration enforcement, including Operation Metro Surge, deaths involving federal agents, and conditions in detention centers. The group also called for an independent review of the deaths of Pretti and Good.

In addition, the organization is advocating for an immediate halt to deportations and renewed efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform that would create a pathway to citizenship, strengthen due process protections, and reduce reliance on enforcement-driven policies.

The group said communities in Minnesota and across the country continue to deal with the fallout from recent enforcement operations, citing family separations, economic hardship for immigrant-owned businesses, and declining trust in government institutions.

“Leadership changes at DHS will mean nothing if the policies and culture that allowed these abuses to occur remain intact,” the organization said.

The Immigrant Defense Network said it will continue to work with families and community members affected by enforcement actions as it presses for what it described as “truth, justice, and accountability.”

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GARSOORE MAR KALLE AMAR KU BIXIYAY IN AAN LA XIRI KARIN DADKA QAXOOTI AHAANTA KU SOO GALAY WADANKA

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MINNEAPOLIS – Garsoore federaal ah ayaa kordhiyay oo wakhti ku daray amar uu horey u bixiyay oo ku aaddan ilaalinta xuquuda dadka qaxooti ahaanta wadanka Mareykanka ku soo galay ee ku sugan gobolka Minnesota.

Garsoore John Tunheim ayaa waaxda socdaalka dalka Mareykanka amar ku siiyay in ayna xiri karin dadka qaxootiga ah inta ay dowladdu dib u eegis ku sameyneyso codsigooda sharciga Green Card-ka.

Xukunkan ayuu garsooruhu soo saaray Jimcihii la soo dhaafay ee ay bishu ahayd Febraayo 27, 2026. Xukunkan ayaa daba socda dhageysi dacwad Maxkamadda Federaalka Mareykanka ee ku taala magaaladda Minneapolis ka dhacay Febraayo 19, 2026. Amarka uu garsooruhu soo saaray ayaa u diidaya in saraakiisha ICE ay xiraan dadka qaxooti ahaanta ku soo galay dalka Mareykanka, ee weli sugaya in ay buuxiyaan sharciga Green Card-ka ama sugaya in ay helaan sharciga green card-ka loo yaqaano.

Qaar kamid ah shicibka Minneapolis oo banaanbaxaya, taageerayana bulshadda Soomaalida ee ay saraakiisha ICE beegsanayeen.

Laanta socdaalka Mareykanka, gaar ahaan xafiiskeeda ku yaala magaaladda Minneapolis ee gobolka Minnesota ayaa dad tiro ahaan dhan 5,600 oo qof oo qaxooti ahaan iyo si sharci ah lagu keenay dalka Mareykanka dib ugu balamiyay wareysi looga dan leeyahay in dib u qiimayn lagu sameeyo dadka qaxooti ahaan ku yimid dalka oo tiro ahaan gaadhaya dhowr kun oo qof.

Hawlgal loogu magac daray PARRIS ayaa dadkan qaxootinimada ku soo galay dalka lagu beegsaday. Wakiillada federaalka ayaa sheegay in ay u baahan yihiin in ay dib u eegaan oo wareyski ay la yeeshaan kumanaan qof oo ah dadka qaxootiga ah, waxayna wakiiladda laanta socdaalka ay sheegeen in dadka qaar lagu tuhunsan yahay khiyaano iyo been-abuur la xiriirta sida qaxootinimadda ah ee ay dalka ku soo galeen.

Haddaba waxaa dhacday in horaantii bishii January ay saraakiisha ICE iyo wakiiladda laanta socdaalka Mareykanka ay xireen kaddibna u duuliyeen oo u qaadeen xabsiyo ku yaala gobolka Texas dad baddan oo qaxooti ahaan iyo si sharci ah ku yimid dalka Mareykanka iyo gobolka.

Taariikhdu markay ahayd Janaayo 28, ayuu garsoore John Tunheim wuxuu bixiyay amar ku meel gaar ah oo ka hortagaya in dowladdu ay xirto dadka qaxooti ahaanta dalka Mareykanka ku soo galay, sidoo kalle garsoorahan ayaa maalintii Jimcaha markalle amar ku bixiyay in ayna saraakiisha ICE iyo shaqaalaha Laanta Socdaalka Dalku ayna xiri karin dadkan qaxooti ahaanta dalka ku soo galay, oo ah dad si sharci ah dalka ku jooga, kuna soo galay, ilaa iyo inta dacwadda arrintan la xiriirta go’aan rasmi ah laga gaarayo, oo la soo af-jarayo.

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Community Organizer Abdu Rahman Launches Campaign for State Capitol Seat

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MINNEAPOLIS – Abdu Rahman, a longtime community organizer, has announced his candidacy for a seat at the State Capitol, setting up a challenge to incumbent Mohamud Noor, a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party who currently holds the seat.

Abdu Rahman said his decision to run grew out of years spent working alongside residents to address local concerns and build grassroots coalitions. He argues that communities need representation grounded in lived experience and direct engagement rather than partisan politics.

“I believe in the power of community and the need for a new kind of leadership,” Abdu Rahman said in a campaign statement. “It’s time for a change that puts the needs of the people first.”

According to Abdu Rahman, his background as an organizer has centered on bringing neighbors together to tackle issues ranging from economic challenges to neighborhood development. Supporters say that experience gives him a practical understanding of how state-level decisions affect families on the ground.

Abdu Rahman’s campaign slogan — “Real Support, Real Change, Real Results” — underscores what he describes as a commitment to tangible outcomes rather than political rhetoric. If elected, he said he would prioritize strengthening local communities and increasing accountability in government.

The race sets the stage for a contest between Rahman, who is positioning himself as a grassroots alternative, and Noor, an incumbent DFL lawmaker seeking to defend his seat. Additional details about Rahman’s policy platform and campaign schedule are expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Learn more about Abdu Rahman’s campaign at: Facebook

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