Detroit police investigating after house meant for deserving family is illegally demolished

No permits for demolition were pulled

DETROIT –  Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo appeared at Tuesday's City Council meeting in Detroit demanding answers after a house she owned was demolished without warning.

The house was in the process of being fixed up by a nonprofit to be given to a deserving family during Christmastime. The house sat on the edge of the Brightmoore community. The city said it didn't tear the house down.

There were two houses in the area, but one burned down earlier this summer, and part of the fire spread to the rehab house. The house was boarded up, and the nonprofit was going through the permit process to continue the rehab.

Gay-Dagnogo got a call Thursday night that the house had been demolished.

ORIGINALDetroit house meant to be rehabbed for deserving family demolished without warning

"I've reached out to utility companies. I've met with Detroit police officers. I've talked to the mayor and they've said that they will certainly make this right. But, more than making it right for me as an individual, I'm making it right for the family that didn't get an opportunity to get a house at Christmastime," Gay-Dagnogo said.

It's still unclear who demolished the house and why, that mystery is now a criminal matter. Detroit police have launched a criminal investigation as to why the house was illegally demolished. The city of Detroit said the house was not on its radar for demolition and no permits were pulled.​​​​​​​


About the Authors

Paula Tutman is an Emmy award-winning journalist who came to Local 4 in 1992. She's married and the stepmother of three beautiful and brilliant daughters. Her personal philosophy in life, love and community is, "Do as much as you can possibly do, not as little as you can possibly get away with".

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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