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Riverpointe Towers tenants press council for repairs, written responses and protection from retaliation
Summary
Residents of Riverpointe Towers and tenant-union organizers described years of maintenance failures, pest infestations and alleged retaliation; they asked council for written responses from management and help enforcing code compliance, and councilmembers pledged follow-up.
Tenants from Riverpointe Towers and organizers with the Detroit Tenants Union used public comment time at the City Council meeting to press for immediate help and a written response from property management.
Teresa McCormick, who lives at Riverpointe Towers on the East Side, described long-running problems — roaches, bedbugs and what she said were inadequate repairs — and said management had retaliated against tenants who organized. “We have the issues of the past, the roaches, the bedbugs… They put a band aid on it, they changed companies, but it’s not better, it’s worse,” McCormick said. She asked the council for help getting management and Capital Realty to meet with tenants.
Jackie Rice, a leader with the Riverpointe tenant union, said a tenant eviction notice earlier in the year was stopped by union action but that the building’s conditions and management’s treatment remained unacceptable. Steven Remmer, director of the Detroit Tenants Union, described tenant organizing and alleged management intimidation and retaliation; Walter Welch and Charles Cunningham gave detailed accounts of maintenance failures, unsecured doors, plumbing problems and long-unresolved work orders.
Councilmember Leticia Johnson (District 4) said she had met with residents and agencies including Buildings & Code and the Detroit Fire Department last year and would pursue a written response from the owner. “We brought out BC, the Detroit Fire Department, and the Detroit Police Department to address the concerns,” Johnson said. She noted an item on the agenda (memo 11.3) that requests an update and said the council would connect residents with right-to-counsel and other resources.
Attorney Graham Anderson (law department) said he would follow up with the law department and attempt to provide an update by the end of the meeting; the BC representative said related matters were with the law department and in court.
Next steps: councilmembers said they would seek written responses from management, connect tenants with legal resources and request follow-up memos from City departments. Several speakers asked the council to ensure enforcement and to protect tenants from retaliation.
Provenance: topicintro SEG 734, topfinish SEG 2374.
