DETROIT – Allanah Morales has lived at the Millie on Brush in downtown Detroit for almost two years, and she’s seen it all.
“They’re good at selling dreams, and it’s a lot of people that move in on these dreams,” Morales said on Friday. “Two years later, and they’re like, ‘Well, what happened?’”
Morales has lived in the building, which is across the street from the Renaissance Center, since November 2024, and she’s seen everything from rats in the lobby to roaches in the apartments to numerous security breaches.
“When I first reported about the rats, when I first heard them through the ceiling tiles, they tried to convince me that that was a sound of construction,” Morales said. “I don’t know about you, but nobody’s doing construction at 4 a.m. on a Saturday when you’re coming home from the bar.”
“One time, I was waiting on an elevator, and a literal maggot fell in my hair,” Morales added. “
Morales has also had to deal with a violent, unstable neighbor harassing her and her dog, describing an incident where the woman started smashing her door with a 2x4.
The building has been run by the Southfield-based management company Village Green since December 2024.
Morales says she has spent more than a year trying to get answers about the vermin and the violence from the company and has been stonewalled.
“I’ve had instances where someone has urinated in front of my front door,” Morales said. “I’ve had other instances where someone tried to forcibly enter my apartment, and I had to press my body against the door until the police came.”
“I’ve filed four complaints to Detroit’s BSEED department,” Morales said. “I know that many other residents have as well, and because of those complaints I am currently facing some retaliation.”
Morales enlisted the help of the Detroit Tenants Union and has been attempting to rally other residents to unionize. She even went door-to-door trying to drum up support.
“During the door knock we did the other day, we actually knocked on a resident’s door who was fighting off a rat in her home at that moment,” Steven Rimmer, the executive director of the Detroit Tenants Union, said. “We have ordinances and laws that protect us, but like you heard from Allanah, she doesn’t feel protected in this situation”
Morales and the Union have reached out to the city’s Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department (BSEED) about the issues in the building, and the city says they have issued corrective action to Village Green.
“Tenants should reach out to us after they have filed a complaint with the management company to put in a service request for issues within their unit and within the building,” Arthur Rushin, BSEED’s executive director, said. “If it’s something that’s a life and safety issue, such as rats indoors, then we will generally issue a correction order on emergency items in three days.”
“We did issue an emergency correction order, and they did hire an extermination company,” Rushin said. “However, we issued another ticket because they did not move fast enough.”
Tickets from BSEED can range from $250 to $1,000 and can multiply over time.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to our community, the property continues to undergo planned improvement projects and routine preventative maintenance, including regular pest-control services. We remain focused on maintaining the property to a high standard and supporting a positive living experience for all residents.”
Village Green
Rushin said if the company does not improve these conditions, the matter will be referred to the city’s law department.
A spokeswoman for Village Green also says the eviction notice Morales received is over a rent issue and not due to retaliation. Morales says that she has kept her rent in escrow until the issues are fully resolved.
“They’re trying their best to make us scared and silent,” Morales said. “I’m not going for it.”