This is an absolutely beautiful introduction into the schemes behind the stealing of Detroit properties and other resources.
There are nefarious fraud schemes behind this story I believe are about to be exposed because this Detroit model of snatching properties is to be the national model.
#thestormiscomingtodetroit
The following is from Jerry Paffendorf and Loveland Technologies.
Due to fortuitous timing I just caught the VICE News piece on Detroit tax foreclosures live. I walked into a TV production studio to visit a friend just as it was about to start and asked if they could turn on HBO. They put it on a big screen and sat me down on a large leather couch, and then to much surprise, I appeared on screen in what amounts to a real LA power move. What a wacky world.
The piece, I think, was pretty good. It will be online for streaming in a little bit and I would love to hear what you think.
It jumps back and forth between an investment group in the suburbs that specializes in buying occupied homes at the tax foreclosure auction, and a woman losing her home at the auction, and the United Community Housing Coalition - Detroit as they try to buy homes back for their occupants (featuring Michele Oberholtzer).
In between it gets into the financial relationship between the City and the County, including the City's property tax over-assessment, the County's role as the city's debt collector, and the high interest rates charged by the County that contribute greatly to the foreclosures and make the finances work out for them.
I make a very small appearance as a (clean-shaven) talking head saying what I usually say: that it's crazy, it's ongoing, it lowers the population, it creates blight and vacancy, it fragments ownership and makes Detroit a renter city, and (at least implying) there are things that can be done about it.
The piece says that the Mayor and the Treasurer declined requests to be interviewed, and that there is no plan to stop selling occupied homes. Really that's what we need: an officially stated public position to stop selling occupied homes, and then increased efforts to work on solving the systemic problems upstream.
I know a lot of people think I'm stupid to stick with this issue and keep talking about it and working on it even though it's damaged some of our relationships and our business in the city, but I really don't know what else to do. I feel stupid sometimes too, but I've never been so close to something so obviously wrong that has hurt so many people and neighborhoods and that otherwise good people have so far failed to fully address.
Honestly I do not dislike anyone in office and know there are many amazing things happening in town to celebrate that people would prefer to hear about. It pains me to keep talking about this issue because it only takes and doesn't give, but there is also an unstoppable feeling that just flows up from the inside and gives me some amount of faith that something good will eventually come from being honest about it.
Thank you to all the people who haven't stopped talking about it and who also work on solving it. We could use some more traditionally powerful people joining the conversation to say what's happening is wrong and to work on solutions. I know that's a scary thing to do in Detroit, but if you're reading this and you think you have influence, it would really be helpful to hear you say something out loud that the Mayor and Treasurer hear, too. Anyway. Thoughts.
Check it out when you have a chance.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
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