By G. Errol Jennings, former president, Historic Russell Woods-Sullivan Area Association
DETROIT, MI — Historic Russell Woods-Sullivan area of Detroit is a historic district credited with being a premier African American neighborhood. Residents who lived in the neighborhood, in consideration of our historic designation, included all three of the Supremes, Dinah Washington, Brazeal Dennard, Dudley Randall and Civil Rights champion Nicholas Hood, Sr.
Russell Woods became the premier African American community between 1952-1970, partially due to the invisible line of Livernois Street, which oral history confirms was the racial barrier that Blacks could not cross.
Over the past two years, Russell Woods began the foreclosure season with 200+ homes in foreclosure; a disturbing number considering the neighborhood has 1,100 homes. Assessment values were out of line, some 100 times in excess of other Wayne County cites.
People in Detroit, whose racial makeup is 88% African American, have been for the past six years in perpetual crisis concerning property. The ability to be fairly treated as property owners has impacted as many as 1/6 of the population of Detroit. People were foreclosed upon for as little as $200 in a 2015 auction.
To apply for a poverty exemption, one resident in Russell woods—87 years in age, with a bad hip, and low income—is expected to go downtown, fill out the pre-application, get a real application, prepare a lengthy document and submit it. This could take two or three trips. This resident owned her home since 1959. In her own words, “I used to be able to afford [taxes,] but they skyrocketed and my only income is Social Security.” She never qualified. A Good Samaritan paid the back taxes in full.
I helped move a 68-year old music teacher from her home which been in the family since 1954 after four attempts in applying for the Michigan Step Forward program, and a poverty exemption through the city. A Russell Woods resident opened her home because she was unable to find public housing and actually faced homelessness. Both seniors tried multiple avenues for remedy and suffered great emotional stress because they faced homelessness for the first time in their lives!
Russell Woods has been greatly impacted by the transfer of wealth to investors that do not live, interact, or participate in the community. There seems a motivating factor like the $90 million raised in the 2014 Wayne County Tax Auction and the $180 million raised in the 2015 Wayne County Tax Auction. The severity of the impact and crisis on human life, cost of living, safety, and blight it generates is catastrophic. The system completely failed its citizens.
