The Minneapolis City Council, in an 8-5 vote, refused to renew liquor licenses for two hotels accused of housing ICE agents, delaying action to seek greater ‘public input’ in the process. A public hearing for residents to complain about the hotels is scheduled for February 17.
Canopy by Hilton, credit: Hilton
The hotels have been targets of protests because federal immigration officers were believed to be staying there during the immigration enforcement surge that brought 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota, when an agent killed Renee Good.
Even the city’s attorney told the council that (1) the hotels complied with liquor licensing laws, (2) are eligible for renewal, and (3) deny the licenses on the basis of housing federal employees is impermissible and they’d need other grounds.
If there’s any plausible argument, it’s that protestors don’t like the hotels and that the protestors themselves create a dangerous situation where on-premises alcohol could become a problem. Protests broke windows and graffitied the Depot Renaissance, and forced their way into the Canopy through an alley entrance before leaving.
The five council members voting against the delay suggested license renewals shouldn’t be used as a proxy fight over who stays at a hotel, that it’s discriminatory, and creates legal liability. City licensing staff said the hotels can keep serving alcohol in the meantime – the current licenses effectively remain usable pending final council action.
- A (brief) delay seems legal, while the hotels suffer no harm because they can serve alcohol in the interim. If a delay became extended, that could create a cloud of uncertainty which undermines the market value of the properties.
- Punishing a hotel for doing business with the federal government or for who its guests are is clearly illegal. And council statements make clear that searching for liquor law violations and findings that could condition approval is pretextual.
Renaissance, credit: Marriott
It never ceases to amaze me that city councils say they’re doing illegal things, but the point isn’t to sustain any decision but to be performative for voters.
Last thing those people need is alcohol.
if no illegal criminals in town, there will be no ice in town
When the city loses in court after tons of legal costs, it won’t even teach them a lesson, I’m sure.
Minneapolis is sick and tired of these invaders’ kidnapings, murders, and general harassment of citizens as well as non-citizens who have every legal right to be there. It’s too late for “good germans” to stop the stormtroopers, but I favor any and all nonviolent ways to express loathing for these heartless, faceless, soulless occupiers. 93% those seized by ICE have no criminal record anywhere. That said, I don’t know if alcohol licenses can be withheld from places in the service of evil or not. I guess that will be up to the courts.
Umm, Gary, that’s some nice sane-wash you got goin’ on there, but, it’s no longer ‘business as usual’ and ‘just follow the law/orders’ when our government starts murdering citizens with impunity… clearly, R’s aren’t solving anything, anywhere, and scapegoating, grifting, doubling-down, and planning to cheat to retain power indefinitely, won’t work well for them or anyone in the end.
This is one of those rare times I wish I were a lawyer…because I would sue the sh!t out of Minneapolis for so blatantly basing my liquor license on a political condition. Isn’t bribing the inspectors illegal? Well so is basing a liquor license on anything other than the actual serving of alcohol! This impinges upon the profitability and value of a hotel and to penalize these hotels for such blatant political reasons is extremely illegal and unethical. I would salivate at the notion of kicking their a$$ in a courtroom! Plus guess what! I would champion law abiding travelers and locals to patronize these 2 hotels to mitigate the political retribution the simple minded city council members are attempting to wage against them.
That’s right MN, teach the country a lesson by hurting your own businesses. Of course any headlines that don’t read Billion dollar fraud are welcome for that state.
The Depot could be hurt considerably as it does a number of weddings and receptions in their restored 1940’s reception area.
Hope saner head prevail, unlike the ridiculous and overwrought polemics championed above. I guess they prefer illegal alien criminals walking the streets and committing crimes against our citizens, and all others, regardless of legal consequence, if any by the local authorities.
DaveS –
Your statistic is bogus as I have never seen such a lie anywhere.
As for the uninitiated, the accurate statistic is those who have a criminal conviction or who are currently facing charges, not only those who are convicted of a crime.
In addition, the paper trail of those who crossed the border illegally, does not extend very far if they are using a false identity or alias or if they come from a jurisdiction that does not have accurate vetting methods so as to ascertain whether they had any criminal convictions in their home countries.
As for those who have been apprehended by ICE, I have seen figures as high as 70% with the metric I have advanced; not the paltry 7% advanced by the polemical apologist, DaveS. ,
Two things about me:
1. I don’t follow and harass law enforcement officers.
2. I haven’t been shot dead by any law enforcement officers.