WALLS OF SILENCE
Surviving Don Klyberg
SECTION 6 TITLE 6.14 CONTINUED ANIMAL WASTE AFTER 120 DAY INSPECTION COMPLETION
Tenant Exposes Ongoing Health Hazards and Lack of Transparency Months After Animal Control Complaint
[City], [Date] – Despite a formal Animal Control complaint made four months ago and a 120 day inspection period with two visits from city housing inspector Steve Carson that reportedly led to city's continued approval of absentee real estate owner Don Klyberg's units, a tenant continues to live in unsanitary and unsafe conditions. A recent attempt to do laundry for the first time in months (due to roach infestation and animal waste encompassing the laundry facilities) only reinforced the extent of the ongoing problem—and the institutional failures enabling it.
According to the tenant, the building’s laundry room was cleaned with bleach the night before last, temporarily removing the pervasive and sickening animal odor that has filled the upstairs apartment unit as well as the common areas since the start of their tenancy. It was the first time the tenant had considered doing laundry in nearly three months.
“The bleach smell filled my unit and briefly got rid of the animal stench for the first time during my tenancy,” the tenant said. “It inspired me to try to do laundry.”
But the brief moment of relief was short-lived. On the way down the stairs, the tenant unknowingly stepped in animal waste left on the steps.
“Per usual, you can’t walk through the building without tracking something back into your own unit,” they said.
The situation raises urgent questions: Why is animal waste still present in shared spaces four months after an Animal Control was contacted to intervene? Why did a city inspector approve the unit despite these ongoing violations? And why have requests for documentation—of both the inspection and police involvement—been ignored or denied?
A Fight for Documentation, Not Just Repairs
The tenant emphasizes that they haven’t even requested repairs. What they’ve asked for, repeatedly, is access to basic documentation of the inspection and their animal control call which was forwarded to police without her permission, who then refused to show up to the scene even when a police report of the tenants effort to resolve the issue was requested—documentation necessary to secure legal support and technical assistance to move out, as well as replace totaled personal property.
“I didn’t even call for repairs to be made, I had had all I could take by nine months which is when the Animal Control call was made” the tenant explained. “I called for the documentation I need to get assistance to replace my items and move because the rental and those involved in it are damaging my health and the wealth I arrived with.”
Despite this, both the housing inspector and local police have reportedly refused to provide records, effectively blocking the tenant’s ability to seek legal support or seek emergency housing relocation assistance.
Systemic Failures
The ongoing presence of animal waste, the failure to address long-standing odor and sanitation issues, and the apparent withholding of public records suggest systemic breakdowns in oversight, accountability, and tenant protections.
Housing advocates say that conditions like these often go unchecked in lower-income buildings where physically handicapped tenants may lack the resources to fight back. When city inspectors approve units that don't meet health and safety codes—and when documentation is withheld—it raises serious ethical and legal concerns that prevent tenants from seeking more aggressive court actions that exposes them to retaliation.
What Needs to Happen
Tenant advocates are calling for:
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Immediate reevaluation of the unit and property by an independent housing inspector
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Release of all public records relating to the inspection and police calls
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An investigation into the conduct of the landlord, inspector, and city agencies involved
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Support for the tenant to safely relocate and recover lost or damaged belongings
As the tenant continues to live in unsafe and unsanitary conditions, the lack of action—and lack of documentation—amounts to more than negligence. It may be a violation of the tenant’s civil and human rights and a sign of deeper dysfunction within Minnesota housing oversight system.
“All I’ve asked for is what I need to get out safely,” the tenant said. “Why is that so hard?”
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