Serial Evictor: Michael Kelly and Detroit Property Exchange

Michael Kelly filed 1,160 evictions between 2009 and 2016. That is the equivalent of one eviction filing every 2.5 days. Kelly operates over 40 LLCs and currently owns over 500 properties in the City of Detroit. Kelly’s most prominent company is Detroit Property Exchange which offers low income residents land contracts on dilapidated housing. HousesContinue reading “Serial Evictor: Michael Kelly and Detroit Property Exchange”

#dismantlingdetroit Data and Methods

#dismantlingdetroit Details: Two properties a week between September 2018 and September 2019. 70 speculators are included 105 properties are featured References for quotes in posts may be found at urbanpraxis.org, references are organized under owner’s last name. A detailed project statement is available at urbanpraxis.org Data: City of Detroit Assessor 2017 Property Praxis 2017 RealtyTracContinue reading “#dismantlingdetroit Data and Methods”

Development Creep: 40-years devaluing Detroit’s lower Cass Corridor

For nearly four decades, speculation in the lower Cass Corridor wreaked havoc on residents and shredded the community fabric that held it together. By the early 2000s, the area was largely deserted except for low income apartment buildings. The primary speculator in this neighborhood was the Ilitch family, the owners of a national pizza chainContinue reading “Development Creep: 40-years devaluing Detroit’s lower Cass Corridor”

#dismantlingdetroit

Over the next year, the Urban Praxis Workshop is featuring two speculator owned Detroit properties per week. These images will appear on our social media feeds with an initial post on Instagram @urbanpraxiswork, on the Urban Praxis Workshop Facebook page, and a link to the Instagram post on Twitter. We hope you will follow andContinue reading “#dismantlingdetroit”