Neighbors fight blight
Persistence gets buildings removed
The Detroit News
Three years ago, vacant structures were spreading like weeds near Marygrove College. Tanesha Hadley and her husband, Kevin, did something about it.
Working with their neighbors, they documented 22 empty homes and residential buildings, researched their owners, back taxes and water bills. They called city officials, pleading for help.
"You hear how 311 is supposed to be for everything?" asked Kevin Hadley, 45, a landscaper, referring to the city's self-help line. "They do nothing."
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The group showed up at City Council last March. "We made sure they heard us," said Tanesha Hadley, 38, a quality-control engineer who presented members with a list of 13 houses they wanted gone.
Within a year, seven were demolished. Two weeks ago, they were back with a list of a dozen more houses. "You don't give up. You keep fighting. You work as a community," Kevin Hadley said.
Council member information is at www.detroitmi.gov/legislative.
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