A story about a squatter in an upscale neighborhood

[socks_mahoney]

I do not know a Mr Clarence Boykin. I do know that there are empty homes and homeless people so lets put two and two 2gether.

Why should the bank own the home? What did the bank do to deserve the home besides issue a likely racist subprime home loan.

I am willing to withhold judgement until I find out more about what is being done with the house. When you and your neighbors used a ladder to peer behind the plastic what did you see?

And for the record:

I am no member of Moratorium Now, but I support what they do. Bail out the people!

[Jimaz]

... I do know that there are empty homes and homeless people so lets put two and two 2gether....

Hear, hear!

We keep hearing that our "free" market prevents such wasteful situations from ever occurring yet here it is and has been and continues to be shockingly widespread.

Insanity never helps anything. Yeah, putting the two together would have been the sane plan from the start.

[ragnarok1981]

I am all for matching up people who are homeless with homes, but lets be realistic and match them with a home that they could afford. The house I am talking about is a big home and you would need to have an income that is upper middle class to do all the repair work done and maintain the home. This is not a neighborhood that is sparsely populated with tons of vacant homes that need to be filled. What we are talking about here is stable upper class neighborhood that is one of the few remaining stable areas in the city.
I don't want to make this sound like a snobish eliteist argument because it is not. What those advocating for this guy are not taking into account is that this guy has committed multiple crimes; breaking and entering, filing fraudulant documents, theft, and a number of other crimes. This guy or another like him could easily alter the title on your home and cause you a world of trouble.

Also to answer a previous question, yes I have copies of all the fraud he has perpetrated.

[jpbollma]

I mean really people? Have you ever owned a home and had someone come into the neighborhood and trash a house? Maybe instead of feeling sorry for this loony tunes creep you should have compassion for the upstanding people who have put sweat and tears into this area and kept it a viable neighborhood in a struggling city.

[hybridy]

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radi...-hostage?act=2

Rag, please listen to this podcast,.act 2. similar scenario but in new orleans. Heard it a couple years back, but your story jogged my memory. Good luck

[Bham1982]

I do know that there are empty homes and homeless people so lets put two and two 2gether.

Generally speaking, homeless people aren't homeless because of some financial obstacle that prevents access to shelter.

If homelessness were really caused by barriers to housing, Detroit would have virtually no homelessness. It's among the most affordable major cities on the planet; one in which housing ownership can be had for almost nothing.

[softailrider]

Some of us were curious as to what was going on so we propped a ladder up to peer in at a spot where the plastic was not covering. That is how I know what was going on inside. As for the utilities, they were cut off at the street because he would not allow them to come near the house.
There is a warrant out for his arrest, but the catch is that they have to catch him first, and the response time for the police is agonizingly slow despite being so close to the 12th precinct.

I also want to clarify what was said regarding the previous owner walking away. The reason he gave up was because he could not get anywhere near the amount he put into it. He probably bought the house for 400k and now he would be lucky to get a third of that.

Something doesn't smell right about this, you say the previous owner paid 400,000.00 for a house in Detroit? Even when real estate was at it's zenith that was a lot of money, must be [[or have been) a helluva house for 400,000.00.

Of course, maybe that previous owner bought that house with the intention of mortgaging to the hilt and then walking away with the money. Plenty of people did that, as far as I know, nobody went after them either. Kind of the perfect white collar crime.

[poobert]

Generally speaking, homeless people aren't homeless because of some financial obstacle that prevents access to shelter.

If homelessness were really caused by barriers to housing, Detroit would have virtually no homelessness. It's among the most affordable major cities on the planet; one in which housing ownership can be had for almost nothing.

Exactly - and even the best neighborhoods in Detroit would welcome anyone to buy a vacant property and take care of it on a very basic level.

There is a reason you know they're squatters - it's not like they go around telling people. They're generally very disruptive and engaged in any number of illegal, harmful, and dangerous activities. Let me put it this way: none of us would dream of ever squatting houses. This is not a matter of getting a roof over one's head, but of taking over an area. Much like a drug house or a chop shop - and they usually all go hand-in-hand. Mr. Squatter doesn't go off to his 9-5 each day. He often scraps the house he is in.

Here in East English Village we've dealt with squatters and the problem has mostly abated. As Detroitgay pointed out, utilities are absolutely the most effective way. Call the DTE theft line - 1-800-477-4747 and make sure you talk to a real person. As we all know, DTE loves money. They respond. Make sure you tell them it needs to be cut off at the pole. Water Department works too - call their general line.

However you're dealing with a very crafty squatter. Many of them have the utilities put in their name. Again, DTE loves money, and as long as they get it, they're fine.

So let's talk unconventional...

I have personally waged a guerrilla war against several squatters. It is dangerous business, but we live in a civilized neighborhood of good families and if we are to continue to be such a place then scrapping, drug-slinging squatters can't be allowed to set up shop. I wait till they're not "home" and drill out their locks and fill them with super glue. I send them threatening mail - making it look official [[I have been Bob Ficano at one point). I throw roofing nails all over the driveway while innocuously walking my dog. I take political yard signs and turn them inside out and make my own "NO TRESPASSING - IF YOU SEE ANYONE ON THIS PROPERTY CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY" signs for their front yards. Do it before you go to work - squatters don't wake up till 11am at the earliest. Speaking of 911, use it liberally. Things like "smoking weed" and "woman screaming" or "baby crying" will get the cops there, even in Detroit [[albeit eventually) - take creative liberties with it. Your taxes pay for it.

They get tired of it and move to a place where people don't care about their neighborhood. I refuse to let my neighborhood get bushwacked. To quote Howard Beale, I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.

I had squatters on my block at one time. They're long gone.

[JBMcB]

Why should the bank own the home? What did the bank do to deserve the home besides issue a likely racist subprime home loan.

1 - The bank should own the house because they paid for it. They paid the original owner, you agreed to pay them back, you don't pay them back, they get the house. It's not rocket science.

2 - Banks were being called racist for *not* issuing more subprime mortgages. There's YouTube video of Barney Frank yelling at bank execs to issue more subprime mortgages. Fannie May and Freddie Mac agreed to buy up any dodgy loans banks made to encourage this practice.

[SWMAP]

I love Poobert's campaign! When I had two girl squatters next door [[whose boyfriends jumped the meter and took over the garage to strip Hondas and threatened anyone who tried to drive through the alley) I did notice that they stayed up all night and slept late. They had a garden hose. Nightly I climbed out into their yard from my basement window and turned on the hose full blast, running it into the backyard they never mowed. In the morning I would turn it off. Finally the Water Department appeared and poured slag down the shut-off pipe. DTE also did turn them off at the pole finally. But the final straw for them was a raid by the Gang Squad. One night when about 10 gang-bangers were over, I drove to the Precinct [[ too risky calling 911 - those operators incompetent) with photos and copies of Facebook pages. I showed the Officer in Charge the proof of gang bragging and like a miracle the gang squad came and ticketed each one for being there. Garage raided, cars found. It was wonderful.

[ragnarok1981]

Ok first off at the height of the housing bubble 400k was a middle of the road price for some homes in my neighborhood.
Second there are all sorts of stupid tangents being interjected into this that have no place here. And yes I did say stupid because lets be realistic here, you would never suggest a good neighborhood be happy with having a squatter, someone who breaking the law I might add in multiple ways.
There was no racist subprime loans or any other illegal things going like that. This was just someone who bought a house during the housing boom and did not get out in time and lost the house in the process.
And Poobert I think I may just try your suggestion, although I am not going to say which I would do.

[softailrider]

Ok first off at the height of the housing bubble 400k was a middle of the road price for some homes in my neighborhood.
Second there are all sorts of stupid tangents being interjected into this that have no place here. And yes I did say stupid because lets be realistic here, you would never suggest a good neighborhood be happy with having a squatter, someone who breaking the law I might add in multiple ways.
There was no racist subprime loans or any other illegal things going like that. This was just someone who bought a house during the housing boom and did not get out in time and lost the house in the process.
And Poobert I think I may just try your suggestion, although I am not going to say which I would do.

I hear 400,000.00 for a house in Detroit, my ears perk up, a red light goes off in my head and the cop in me gets a wake up call. Even if we're referring to Palmer Woods or Sherwood Forest that sounds a little on the steep side to me. Unless you're goofing around trying to walk off with a quarter mil or so.

[jerrytimes]

I do not know a Mr Clarence Boykin. I do know that there are empty homes and homeless people so lets put two and two 2gether.

Why should the bank own the home? What did the bank do to deserve the home besides issue a likely racist subprime home loan.

I am willing to withhold judgement until I find out more about what is being done with the house. When you and your neighbors used a ladder to peer behind the plastic what did you see?

And for the record:

I am no member of Moratorium Now, but I support what they do. Bail out the people!

The bank deserves the home because they loaned the old homeowner the money to purchase it. Did you really just ask that?

[Det_ard]

I hear 400,000.00 for a house in Detroit, my ears perk up, a red light goes off in my head and the cop in me gets a wake up call. Even if we're referring to Palmer Woods or Sherwood Forest that sounds a little on the steep side to me. Unless you're goofing around trying to walk off with a quarter mil or so.

Time to do some research. The larger PW homes typically sold for $600K - $800K pre-crash. You weren't going to get a 6000 sqft Tudor in PW in good condition for $400K back then.

[Det_ard]

I do not know a Mr Clarence Boykin. I do know that there are empty homes and homeless people so lets put two and two 2gether.

Why should the bank own the home? What did the bank do to deserve the home besides issue a likely racist subprime home loan.

There are around 500 homes for sale in Detroit today for under $5,000. More than 100 of those are under $2,000. Go ahead, bail out the people you care about. Buy them a house. Fix it up. Pay their utilities and taxes. Be the change you want to see.

[adamjab19]

I'm sorry Ragnarock but I think you need to readjust your perception here. The owner of the house walked away after a fruitless attempt to sell it. Perhaps he was asking too much, chances are his mortgage was way more than the home is worth now. Can't blame the guy really. The banks though, could do no better. No one was buying the home at the price it was being offered.

Your neighbors, fearful of scrappers and vandals, watched the house closely. Now someone moves into the house and presumably will not be removing the pipes or the wiring as he is living there and you complain?

Just be happy the house is occupied by a god-fearing Christian and not drug dealers. So he put up black bags on the windows...maybe he is making improvements to the house and doesn't want criminal to see what is inside? Maybe he is growing some medical marijuana.

I fail to see how this man is hurting the neighborhood, other than maybe marginally damaging already decrepit housing values. Shit, if he wasn't there maybe someone may have gotten the copper already and the home [[and the ones around it) would really be worth next nothing. Many people in this city would be proud to have squatters like this man as a neighbor. Buck up. It could be much much worse. Be a good neighbor, bake some cookies and go and introduce yourself, you might even end up liking the guy.

This type of attitude can bring down a neighborhood real quick. What if everyone said, "Well he's a nice drug dealer." or "Well he only shot that man once not twice." How dumb.

[Bham1982]

Time to do some research. The larger PW homes typically sold for $600K - $800K pre-crash. You weren't going to get a 6000 sqft Tudor in PW in good condition for $400K back then.

I would be very surprised if this were true, unless by "larger PW homes" you mean only the very largest [[the old Archodiocese mansion and the like). I doubt there were more than a tiny handful of non-fradulent transactions anywhere in Detroit city limits at that price level at the height of the boom.

Currently one can buy in PW for 100k, and in very nice neighboring areas [[UD and the like) for as little as 20k. The obvious catch is that the carrying costs are huge, so it makes no sense unless you have a solid income.

[ragnarok1981]

I looked up the price the house was bought for, back in 2003 it sold for 472,500. At that time that was a pretty normal house price. Just because it is Detroit does not mean there are not great homes here that could easily garner that kind of price. Hell if you took some of these homes and moved them to another major city you could easily ask for double or tripple that.

[Det_ard]

I would be very surprised if this were true, unless by "larger PW homes" you mean only the very largest [[the old Archodiocese mansion and the like). I doubt there were more than a tiny handful of non-fradulent transactions anywhere in Detroit city limits at that price level at the height of the boom.

Currently one can buy in PW for 100k, and in very nice neighboring areas [[UD and the like) for as little as 20k. The obvious catch is that the carrying costs are huge, so it makes no sense unless you have a solid income.

Prepare to be very surprised, I guess. From '00 - '07, seven houses sold in the $500's and one was recorded at $725K. There were other sales where the sales price was not disclosed. They were selling for around $100/sqft. These weren't the Bishop/John Salley house.

In the last year 3 or 4 sold for over $300K. The 3 or 4 that sold for less than $100K were smaller, remuddled or in need of repairs, and not what most people think of as a Palmer Woods house [[none were Tudors or French architectural styles, for example).

[SWMAP]

Bham, In 2005 the house next to me in SW Detroit sold for $115,000 to the first person who looked it. It is a small frame house. It was in shiny copper penny condition but, by any standards, it was not covatable. It did have a new hi-efficiency furnace and central air. Kitchen and single bathroom cabinetry by Sears. All original oak trim and dated wallpaper, older carpeting throughout and a roof that was on its last legs. Three small bedrooms and a garage. I can see a much better, much grander house in a leafy neighborhood commanding $400,000 in those days.

I will say that the buyers next door did clearly get a no doc mortgage because he had no job at all and she cleaned airplanes at the airport. They lost the house in two years because they did not pay the mortgage, let alone the taxes that doubled as soon as they bought it.

[Bham1982]

Prepare to be very surprised, I guess. From '00 - '07, seven houses sold in the $500's and one was recorded at $725K. There were other sales where the sales price was not disclosed. They were selling for around $100/sqft. These weren't the Bishop/John Salley house.

In the last year 3 or 4 sold for over $300K. The 3 or 4 that sold for less than $100K were smaller, remuddled or in need of repairs, and not what most people think of as a Palmer Woods house [[none were Tudors or French architectural styles, for example).

That's exactly my point. Even putting aside potential fraud, seven homes [[and at the absolute height of the bubble market) isn't remotely representative of the neighborhood.

There are probably a couple thousand homes in in Palmer/Sherwood/Green Acres/University. UD alone is huge.

I've looked at closing prices for a long time now. This is my favorite area architecturally in the region.

[Bham1982]

I can see a much better, much grander house in a leafy neighborhood commanding $400,000 in those days.

I totally agree. 400k was the going price for a nice PW home. But, others were saying the going price was in the 600-800k range, which sounds way out-of-line.

[Det_ard]

Bham, going price was $100/sqft. I shopped the homes back then seriously as I considered buying in that area. I didn't but it's still an outstanding area. Of course Sherwood Forest, University District and particularly Green Acres will be less expensive.

There were only 37 sales in eight years [[00-07) per the MLS. Public records has a few more during that time frame. Homes that were original and well-taken care of were selling for around $100/sqft. You can do the math.

19160 Woodston was one I seriously considered as it was in great shape. 5900 sqft, it sold in 2000 for $565K. That was not an aberration. That was market price twelve years ago, before the subprime/Alt-A/low-doc/no-doc bubble got going.

The really good homes rarely came on the market. It was frustrating to see the ones that did come up for sale, as most were either small, wrong style [[for me), or some drop-ceiling, shag carpet, gold mirrors over walnut paneling bastardization of a beautiful house. Those didn't go for $100/sqft, but the good ones did. I guess you would have had to be there to know.

[Danny]

So in this Detroit middle income ghettohood of Palmer Woods. Some "Judas Preacher" name Boykin has conned the real estate and banking system to purchased an once fancy home and squat. This would definitely cause the area to lose property values making the area an instant blight and folks moving out and not moving in. If the same kind of the event happens in the suburbs that squatter will be arrested and the property fixed up back the way it was so that middle income [[ not welfare folks) can move in.

Years ago some U.S. Congresswoman addressed the podium in the U.S. Capitol during the subprime mortage housing crisis of 2009. " My Fellow Americans, squat your homes, live there until your banks give in."

[jackie5275]

I don't know who you contacted in law enforcement, but did you try the Wayne County Sheriff's Deeds Investigation Unit? Their number is 224-5869.