It was good to be out protesting today

This particular protest was called by Detroit Eviction Defense. It was held outside the 36th District Court in Detroit. We protested for about a half hour, then heard a few speakers.

When the pandemic lockdown began in March Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a moratorium on evictions. That expired on July 15. Surprisingly, it was not renewed with her last couple stay at home extensions. Officials at the court said they added a one month grace period to the eviction moratorium. That expired today.

One speaker said that doesn’t mean there were a whole bunch of eviction cases to be heard today. It does mean landlords may start eviction procedures. That means there will be a wave of cases, but spread over weeks and months, making protests and actions more difficult.

Another speaker said a senior judge issued a memo saying a landlord can start eviction proceedings only if they have a current certificate of occupancy. Since it sounds like 97% of rental properties in Detroit don’t have a certificate of occupancy those residents are protected, for now. Alas, it also means nearly all of the rental properties in Detroit are in such bad shape nobody should be living in them. And the residents know that and know how likely landlords are going to fix things up.

Detroit Eviction Defense will continue protests at the court. They also are organizing a rapid response system so that when someone sees a dumpster heading down the street they can form a blockade to prevent an eviction from actually happening.

One speaker was not impressed with candidates for president. He didn’t mention the one openly hostile. He did mention the other one, though not by name, who does little for the black community.

There were about 50 people at the protest. Since Detroit is 80% black I was a bit surprised that the protesters were about 90% white.

Here’s a photo I took today. Yes, we all wore masks. This is a group that cares for others. Even so, I weaved in and out of the loop to try to keep a six foot distance. The guy with the drum helped keep the beat as we chanted. The tents on the right are for people who have business inside. It protects them from the rain and sun as they wait to go through security.