Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.
Council Member Coleman Young II introduced an ordinance to prohibit “nuisance parties and unlawful gatherings” on the heels of deadly shootings at summer gatherings.
If approved, the ordinance gives police the authority to shut down parties, punish hosts and promoters and prevent attendees from reconvening elsewhere.
Organizers of parties that are deemed “unlawful gatherings” can face a misdemeanor, along with attendees who decline to leave.
The ordinance raised many questions from Young’s colleagues, who worry it could contribute to over policing of community events and question how the changes would help officers stop behavior that’s already illegal.
“What we see in Detroit is a huge situation where everyone used to hang out on Belle Isle, we moved everyone from Belle Isle, we moved everyone from the riverfront, now everyone is congregating in neighborhoods,” Council President Mary Sheffield said. “When you talk about the root cause, it’s not necessarily to continue to criminalize.
“I’m not saying I’m against it,” she said. “I don’t see how it solves the issue per se, I’m looking forward to those discussions.”
Deputy Police Chief Franklin Hayes said 40 people were shot and seven were killed at disorderly parties this summer. He asked the council to urgently approve Young’s ordinance before the council’s August recess.
“In these next few weeks where we will have record temperatures, this will be a haven for this activity to continue,” Hayes said.
“It is our hope that this body will take up the request to expedite this ordinance so that we can better regulate these street takeovers and these parties in the interest of public safety.”
Young’s ordinance defines nuisance parties as a gathering of five or more people that results in the following illegal behaviors:
- Disorderly conduct
- Consumption of liquor on streets, sidewalks, alleys or other public areas
- Unlawful sale of alcohol or sale of alcohol to minors
- Illegal possession, sale or distribution of controlled substances
- Outdoor urination or defecation
- Indecent or obscene conduct
- Littering
- Destruction of property
- Violation of noise ordinances
- Brandishing or shooting firearms
“A lot of what is in here is already in city code,” Sheffield said. “The only change is now we’re holding sponsors or hosts accountable.”
Hayes said if the ordinance had been in place it may have prevented a July 7 mass shooting that left two dead and 19 injured in the Mohican Regent neighborhood. But council members were skeptical.
Council President Pro Tem James Tate said the ordinance is reactive, and doesn’t appear to prevent situations from turning violent.
Meanwhile, Sheffield sent a memo to DPD seeking details about why 911 calls reported by neighbors before the shooting went unanswered.
Sheffield is also seeking information about staffing and the frequency of police patrols in the Mohican Regent neighborhood.
Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero said she gets regular calls from constituents who organize permitted community events that are still shut down by police. She also voiced concerns about passing the ordinance without adequately engaging residents.
“You already have some tools to prevent these parties,” she said. “My concern is we are over policing, we are not getting to the core of anything. The tools are already there.”
The ordinance was referred to the Public Health and Safety Standing Committee for discussion on July 22. A public hearing is being considered for July 30.
Council members would have to vote on the ordinance the same day to meet the request for passage before the August recess.
Young introduced another ordinance creating exceptions for downtown noise violations.
It would allow loud music and sirens for an extra hour on Friday and Saturdays in the Central Business District.
What page are we on?
Today’s notebook covers the July 16 formal session.
Dig into the agenda, read Detroit Documenter notes or watch the recording for more details.
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There are only two formal sessions left before the City Council takes a break in August. An annual recess is scheduled from July 31 through Sept. 2.
No daylight yet for solar plan
The City Council held off on a key vote needed to establish the neighborhood solar farm initiative.
The council was scheduled to vote on creating a solar equity fund needed to purchase homes from residents within proposed solar farm sites.
Council Member Fred Durhal III said the council will take up all required items at once, including contracts with solar companies.
Solar fields are being planned across 104 acres in Gratiot-Findlay, Van Dyke-Lynch and the State Fair neighborhoods. Three other neighborhoods will be selected in early 2025.
The sites would generate clean energy to power municipal buildings.
Council members did take action on seeking a legal analysis. The council voted 6-2 to retain the Perkins Law Group.
The Detroit Law Department and the council’s Legislative Policy Division issued concurring, yet confidential, opinions addressing potential legal issues.
Sheffield said a third opinion would give the council assurance on questions like whether the city can use eminent domain to acquire land for solar sites and how zoning rules apply.
An LPD report shows the city is planning to amend zoning ordinances to exempt solar facilities from zoning requirements. City planners are also working on a zoning overlay for solar facilities to protect Detroit from potential legal challenges.
Durhal and Council Member Scott Benson voted against hiring the law firm, while Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway was away from her seat during the vote.
City documents show 28 of 31 homeowners in Phase II sites under consideration agreed to sell their residences. The Detroit Land Bank Authority also plans to sell parcels needed to complete the proposed solar initiative.
It could cost $4.4 million to acquire land for the project, paid for with reserves in a utility conversion fund.
Whitfield-Calloway requested the council vote separately on each of three neighborhood projects that make up the program’s first phase. The council has yet to vote on her request.
Sheffield issued a memo with 27 questions about the solar project to Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration on Monday.
Here’s a few of them:
Resident reactions remained mixed on the solar plan in public meetings. Some said solar farms are a better alternative to blighted vacant lots.
Others asked council to exercise due diligence before using public funds to pay contractors like DTE Energy or eminent domain to take ownership of properties.
Duggan backs rental inspection reform
A new ordinance introduced Tuesday by Council Member Mary Waters and championed by Duggan seeks to address low compliance with rental regulations and improve the condition of properties.
“Residents overwhelmingly are having issues with property conditions where they’re living at now and it’s created displacement issues as well,” said David Bowser, deputy director of the Housing and Revitalization Department.
Duggan’s administration is advocating for streamlining the rental inspection process and revamping a renter escrow program used by tenants to avoid eviction.
The ordinance reduces the inspection checklist from 37 items to 15 core health and safety issues. It also cuts the inspection fee from $1,000 to $150 and increases fees for uncooperative landlords.
Only 10% of Detroit rental properties passed inspections and received a certificate of compliance.
City officials told reporters that past attempts to punish landlords didn’t result in better compliance with city regulations – only 8% of properties ticketed for violating rental ordinances became certified.
Andrea Taverna, a senior policy adviser within the Duggan administration, said few landlords paid tickets. The new ordinance would allow the city to convert unpaid tickets into liens that could result in foreclosure.
The city issued 100,000 tickets in the last five years, including 33,155 in 2023.
Detroit data showed the city conducted 7,533 inspections last year, but a Detroit Future City report estimates there are 82,000 rental properties.
The city plans to move its escrow program to the housing department and adjust requirements to make it more accessible.
Tenants can use the escrow account to make rent payments while waiting for their landlords to meet rental requirements. It’s been used only 138 times since being created in 2018.
Detroit officials said only 12% of tenants who applied are eligible under current requirements. The city plans to shed requirements and add more flexibility for tenants to use the program.
Tenants can file a complaint with the city online to trigger an inspection of their home.
