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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Blight Threatens the Safety of School Children
May 15 20122 comments
In a recent survey, Detroiters said abandoned homes and vehicles — blight — is the second biggest problem in the city right behind crime.
Blight is unsightly, it’s expensive and it can be dangerous, particularly for children.
8:05 AM on a typical school day students make their way to Wilkins Elementary School on Detroit’s east side. Their path takes them over broken pavement, through overgrown weeds and past abandoned houses.
For these young children, the road to learning goes straight through one of the most blighted areas of Detroit.
Yvonne Stokes is the principal at Wilkins: “I do not like the idea of kids coming to school, in particular in the morning, some walking by themselves because they don’t have another option, in front of a place that’s dangergous.”
As a crossing guard at Wilkins, Craig Jackson does what he can to keep the kids safe. But the houses and the blight are working against him. Craig says, “I’m constantly watching the empty houses where the children are walking.”
Last school year Craig was on duty when Wilkins students found a burning body as they walked to school. It was near an abandoned building, “It was just laying there and it was still burning. Oh it was terrible, it was really terrible.”
The city has more than 60,000 homes that are abandoned or in disrepair. Mayor Dave Bing promised to demolish 10,000 of them during his 4-year term. He says he’s on schedule, “But people are just walking away and leaving their homes so every time we tear down something one or two pop up.”
Every home that is torn down costs $8500 to $10,000 to demolish. The city is in a terrible money crunch, but Mayor Bing says houses like the ones by Wilkins school are a priority, “We want to make sure that our young people have a safe passageway to school, so we’re going to focus on that for the next 120 days.”
Detroit 2020 has been to Wilkins before. A few months ago we tagged along when a citizen review team checked out the program at Wilkins. That’s when we first noticed all the abandoned houses in the neighborhood — especially the two right across the street.
Chief Roderick Grimes of the Detroit Public School Police Department says, “Unfortunately they’re wide open and that gives a safe haven or a place where predators can lurk and kide and pick out their prey, so that’s a concern that I have, and so do city officials.”
Wilkins 4th grader Taevon Stewart knows the danger, “Kids can get hurt and bad things can happen to us and I don’t want that to happen to none of my classmates or friends.” Taevon’s mother, Eva agrees, “Trying to get some help around here would help a lot.”
Detroit 2020′s Carolyn Clifford showed Mayor Bing video of the two schools by Wilkins. We had already expressed our concerns to members of his staff. The mayor delighted us by announcing, “As we speak today those homes are going to be boarded up. But ultimately we can’t save those homes. But partnering with you, finding out what you can bring to the table, maybe we can get them town down.”
A few hours later, as promised, a team was boardeing up the two houses across the street from Wilkins. Boarding up the homes does not remove the blight, but it does remove some of the danger to students.
Principal Yvonne Stokes said, “I’m really happy about that.”
But perhaps Taeveon put it best,” I think that would be good so that we won’t have to worry about danger and nothing can happen to my classmates and kids that go to Wilkins.”
What To Do About Vacant Abandoned Unsafe Buildings In Detroit– (from City of Detroit website)
What is a dangerous Building?
A dangerous building is a house or other building that shows serious defects, unsafe conditions
or is vacant and open to trespass.
No one can legally and arbitrarily take or destroy another’s property. Owners have a right to due
process, and, if necessary, their day in court.
The path is seldom straight and narrow, and it does take time. But in the end, it is effective,
providing democratic and legal protection to all parties concerned.
The City has the authority to order the owner of dangerous buildings to make repairs or remove
the structure.
If the owner fails to take action, the City can demolish the structure and have the cost assessed
against the property. Even if a building is barricaded but is considered hazardous as a result of
fire or storm damage, the City can order that building demolished, too.
Until renovation or demolition is underway, owners are required to securely barricade open
buildings. Under no circumstances is a building to be left open to trespass.
Here’s where the City of Detroit Buildings and Safety Engineering
Department steps in to help.
The following step-by-step procedure is offered as information and guidance to those citizens
and organizations who want to do something about dangerous buildings in our community.
THE FIRST STEP IS UP TO YOU!
• Report vacant, abandoned, and dangerous buildings by calling the Department’s ABANDONED BUILDING HOTLINE 313-224-3215 and providing the building
address.
• If a street number is not shown, give the address of the nearest building on each side so identification can be made.
• The Department will inspect the structure within two days of your call.
• Our next step is to determine who owns the structure — governmental agencies or private individuals. The Department must then make a thorough search of tax rolls and the register of deeds to locate all persons who have a legal interest in the property.
• All individuals with a legal interest in the property are sent a notice to appear at a Departmental Hearing. The notice includes charges against the building and specifies the conditions that must be corrected immediately.
• If the owner or owners fail to appear at the hearing, or fail to comply with the agreement reached at the hearing, then the Department submits a report to the Detroit City Council recommending demolition or other remedial action.
What To Do About Vacant Abandoned Unsafe Buildings
•ı lf the City Council orders the structure demolished, the order is carried out by our
Demolition Division 313-224-3215
• It takes about two and one half months from the time of the City Council’s order, for
demolition of the building to occur.
However, if the building’s owner requests and is granted a deferral of demolition by the
Council, action to demolish could be postponed an additional three months. This is State
law and the City of Detroit is required to follow this procedure.
• If the house is owned by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(
HUD), the department will inspect the premises and contact the appropriate
governmental agency to report its condition.
City government cannot demolish or maintain federal property.
• Governmental agencies are responsible for maintaining their properties, and will respond
to our notifications to make the structures safe.
• In the case of HUD ownership, you should also register a complaint about the structure with the Department of HUD in Detroit at 248-827-0200. Complaints on file with HUD will add impetus to the formal request from the City of Detroit, Buildings and Safety Engineering Department, requesting immediate action.
Jerome LewisMay 16, 2012
We need to do more than we’re doing now. There are so many vacant homes/houses and building.that can be turn donw with the local companies here. It would give some jobs here, some of the buildings belong to the city (old police stations,schools, and churches. Some can be remolded,land cleared(by locals) and the city can look up those who own the land(cutting thu the chase)pay them a flat price for the land not the house or business) and then sale it to someone (if the home is not in bad shape) then turn around and get the taxes form that new land owner. The city can use the money, the neighborhoods would be so bad and the city would get pride in itself again. This is a new day, we cannot operate under “old agendas” “DO THE SAME THING,GET THE SAME RESULTS” Do something different ,get different results….may or may not acheive but you would have something to work toward. What’s needed is for them to come from behind those desk and tables,,,and be apart of the city. |
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Mon Dec 03, 2012 7:53 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Flint has houses that have been on the demolition list for decades. Yet the City of Flint does not have a website or a process for citizens to report dangerous structures, some of which sit across from currently operating schools. The current website is woefully outdated and the Blue badge program had to create their own site for updates.
The current Flint City Hall and police department has many flaws and needs critical improvements. The "skin" on the outside is like the Genesee Towers and is loose and at one point a section fell from the back of the police department. Luckily no one was parked there at the time as those sections are extremely heavy. I hear comments from the public asking if the bridge to the police department is about to collapse and discussing how safe the entire structure is.
Flint had the former armory on Kearsley Park and some wanted to use the building to replace structures in need of repair. Brown gave it to Mott College for $1 and it is now their physical plant. Brown also gave the colleges the franchise money from AT &T.
Flint could have moved some of the police department into the former Social Security office and it was offered for next to nothing. It could have been used for our court system instead of that cumbersome system created under Walling during the flooding of the district court. Flint rented space instead. |
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Mon Dec 03, 2012 8:07 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| Word is that five new blight officers will be hired through a grant. |
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Mon Dec 03, 2012 9:47 am |
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JCARPENTER
F L I N T O I D
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| A GRANT IS NOT EVEN NEEDED.THE INSPECTORS WILL EARN THEIR OWN COST THRU FEES CHARGED FOR RENTAL REGISTRATIONS.YOU DONT BELIEVE IT? OK YOU KEEP THE GRANT AND I WILL HIRE THE INSPECTORS IF YOU GIVE ME THE FEES. |
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Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:59 am |
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