New Year Tragedy

On New Year’s Day, our neighborhood received some unwanted attention from local media outlets. As some may have heard, at 1:42 am a young man was killed at a New Year’s Eve party on East Warren. The shooting incident took place at the Royalty Dance Studio. Two others were wounded by gunfire that came from a vehicle. Detroit Police Department detectives are working on this active case and further details are not available, other than that this was a targeted--not random--crime.

Thanks to quick action from Councilmember Johnson and other City employees, the Buildings and Safety Engineering Department (BSEED) has informed the property owner that the building may no longer be used as a rental hall.

As it turns out, BSEED had mailed a Correction Order to the owner back in April, 2022 which stated: “Discontinue use of this property as RENTAL HALL. No permit has been issued for the present use of this property.” In other words, the building can continue as a dance studio, but not be rented out for parties or other events.

This tragic situation shines a spotlight on a significant issue. It’s very difficult for concerned residents to find accurate information on City of Detroit enforcement of building code and other violations. The relatively new operator of Royalty Dance Studio may not even have known that her landlord had received a violation notice. If neighbors on East Warren or Audubon had been able to discover that Rental Hall activities at that location were in fact illegal, they might have requested an earlier crackdown by BSEED or DPD. Several rental parties have taken place there since last April.

Along with other neighborhood activists, I am committed to advocating for better and more transparent systems within our city and county government agencies. Many residents are willing to use the power of the internet to research and report violations of the law.

Some may say that citizens should stay out of the business of helping government. I have personally been accused of being a “nosy neighbor.” My response is that we need more, not less, nosy neighbors! Only with the full support of society can our systems work effectively.

Next month I will return to discussing “Housing Matters” such as property tax foreclosures and the Detroit Land Bank. If there’s a housing question or issue you’d like to see discussed, please contact me at ericdue@umich.edu.