DETROIT – Neighbors near Vernor and Junction in Southwest Detroit claim they are unfairly targeted with blight penalties, despite efforts to comply with city rules.
Many of their neighbors, who live in homes without driveways, have witnessed an increase in parking violation fees since the summer.
“Some [tickets] are for $100,” said William Sancen, whose family has been handed over $1,000 in citations, adding that others have been for “$125… plus court fees.”
The fines were given for parking on the street, which residents say is the most convenient choice, as well as for parking vehicles in backyards, which they used after obtaining street parking violations.
Ed Gies, a community spokesperson, noted that the violations frequently involve “unlawful parking on lawns or unpaved areas,” with at least half a dozen homes in the region receiving two to four fines each.
“They only had 10 days to pay the fine or remove the problem,” Gies told reporters. “If they didn’t do it within the 10 days, the city would remove the vehicles and charge them whatever the cost was.”
For many residents, compliance has come at a high cost. Some have sold or discarded the automobiles they were repairing, while others have struggled to pay the fines.
“They’ll pay, sell the automobiles, and do whatever. And it’s extremely tragic,” Gies explained.
Residents also claim that enforcement has been spotty.
They allege that businesses in the neighborhood were not ticketed and that no warnings or signage were supplied before the appearance of tickets.
Sancen stated that his autos had to be in functioning order and parked on the pavement.
The tow truck driver said, ‘They all work.’ “I was like, ‘Yup, but we gotta get rid of them,'” Sancen added, noting that the cars were on pavement. Despite this, his family had to sell or dispose of the items.
The Detroit Police Department tells Local 4 that their approach to blight enforcement encompasses the entire city, with the primary goal of bringing all areas of the city into conformity with established laws and ordinances.
The department wants the community to understand that a violation notice is not a ticket and that no payment is necessary at the time of notice.
Residents are given time to fix the offense before any additional enforcement action or a court appearance is scheduled.
When an abandoned unlawfully parked or stored car is discovered on a city street, it is marked with a violation notice noting that it is illegally parked and will be towed if not moved within 48 hours.
If the car’s owner fails to comply with the order within the specified deadline, the vehicle will be towed and a ticket issued.
The Detroit Police Department invites any resident who has a question regarding a violation notice to call the Department of Appeals & Hearings at 313-224-0098 or the Code Enforcement Unit at 313-596-5544.
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