‘It’s like a cover for criminals’: Neighborhood event causes controversy on Detroit’s east side

DETROIT – Some neighbors in a community on Detroit’s east side said they’ve been cleaning up vacant lots on their block for several years. They claim the city will not let them hold community gatherings on the vacant lots they’ve voluntarily maintained near their homes.

It’s a unique controversy brewing in that community. Some neighbors said they began moving and maintaining overgrown lots near their homes.

They said they were tired of seeing neglected conditions and took matters into their own hands.

“When you go up to the corner, and you can’t see around the corner, that’s not safe,” said Basil Dennis.

Some families near Newport Street and Mack Avenue said vacant lots had been a longtime nuisance.

“You get frustrated,” said Linda Dennis-Goss. “These weeds, trees, whatever, is like a forest. It’s like a cover for criminals.”

The siblings said they didn’t know who owned the empty plots of land. They claim neighbors have been mowing tall grass and weeds, along the street, for several years.

“We found out you can’t wait for nobody to do what you need done when you can do it yourself,” Dennis-Goss said.

However, it’s what Dennis-Goss said happened recently, during what they described as a community gathering, that has them most concerned.

“Detroit police told us that you can’t have it on here,” Dennis-Goss said. “It had got the attention of the Mayor. We had to shut it down.”

Dennis-Goss said neighbors were hosting a birthday party on the lot when three Detroit police officers showed up and ordered them to shut it down or risk citations.

The party was advertised on social media, with organizers saying attendees could pay for food.

“The flier stated $30 for adults, $10 for children,” Dennis-Goss said. “I think the city believed we were charging people to come onto the lot. We were not charging people.”

According to staff with the City of Detroit Mayor’s Office, the Detroit Land Bank Authority owns the empty lots.

A spokesperson with the Detroit Police Department said the recent gathering on the lot was unauthorized, so the crowd was asked to move.

Police said the organizers failed to get proper permits for the party.

“You only have a few people trying to maintain this lot,” Dennis-Goss said. It’s a lot of work.”

The neighbors on Newport Street said they didn’t see any harm in holding a community event on a space they claim has been ignored for so long.

Workers with the mayor’s office said while the Detroit Land Bank Authority owns the lot, city crews are cutting and maintaining the grounds.

Applications for Black Part events can be made available by Neighborhood Police Officers or found online by clicking here.