MINNEAPOLIS — An arson fire in the middle of the night displaced 10 residents and — at least temporarily — four retail tenants on the second floor of an Uptown building on Lake Street.
"He lit the recycling dumpster on fire right here," said building owner Joe Hughes while showing KARE 11 News the damage. "We had numerous apartment residents that were sleeping upstairs. It was 3:30 in the morning. Could have easily had someone killed."
Two of those business owners, coincidentally, had just done interviews with KARE 11 News two days before.
"That's just what I was thinking, is this some type of retaliation for speaking out?" said State Farm Insurance Agent Lawrence Thomas.
Thomas is one of several business owners against a proposed emergency homeless medical recovery center opening across the street. They all agree those services are needed, but they say the location on the busy retail corridor still recovering from the 2020 riots is simply a bad idea.
"We've found that in other large cities, a lot of these shelters are opening in light industrial areas and not so much in retail corridors," Hughes said.
Two days after building owner Joe Hughes' tenants shared their opinions, 62-year-old Bennett Thomas, who is homeless, allegedly lit the dumpster behind the building on fire. The incident is clearly captured on surveillance video.
"Probably about a half million dollars in damage," Hughes said.
According to a criminal complaint, Thomas started at least five fires that night, was arrested and confessed, but then was released before he was charged.
As for motive, the charges say Thomas starts fires for fun.
And even if the incident — nearly burning down their building — is in no way connected to the business owners speaking out, they say it speaks to the safety concerns they've already raised.
"Adding a shelter is just going to add to more fear and trepidation in this neighborhood," said David Detloff, owner and lead artist at the Ink Lab.
There is a warrant for 1st degree arson out for the arrest of the suspect Bennett Thomas.
The issue involving the homeless recovery center will be back before the Minneapolis Planning Commission on Monday.