URGENT U.P. Breaking News Bulletin – 4-27-18 – 3:39 p.m. ET
A raid on an “uninhabitable home” in Escanaba aimed a female tenant – plus a reported “homeless crew” causing police concern in Marquette – and just a few of many recent incidents involving the U.P. homeless
By Greg Peterson
U.P. Breaking News
Owner, News Director
906-273-2433
(Upper Peninsula of Michigan) – In Escanaba this afternoon court officials, a building inspector, police and others forcefully evicted a female squatting in a dilapidated house, Marquette police today handled a complaint about a “homeless crew,” plus a homeless man passed out on a toilet in a Marquette laundromat bathroom, a needle scare at same place earlier in day, and dozens of U.P. evictions even moments ago – and this is just in the past week.
Its soon another spring Friday Night in the U.P. If recent events are a judge – it could be a long night for U.P. cops and emergency officials.
In Delta County District Court today, the Escanaba Building Inspectors Office got court backing to evict a tenant from a home on N. 14th Street because the home is in ill-repair (a problem facing every U.P. city that has mining-era housing still in use by the poor – in fact all U.P. fatal fires are in old homes).
It seemed more like a raid than a normal eviction in Escanaba today.
The address they hit just after 1 p.m. was at 224 N. 14th Street in Escanaba (lower apartment).
Among those called to the scene were the Escanaba Police, the building inspector, the landlord – with officials armed with a handy court order.
“The tenant is a Amanda Brown,” the dispatcher said to the officer on the scene. “And Blake, and the landlord are supposed to meet there as well.”
Are police needed on the scene for standby or “in case there is trouble?,” the officer asked the dispatcher.
“Not sure, they did state its a building deemed uninhabitable by the building inspector – I think it was just a standby,” the dispatcher answered.
That’s when another official got on the radio and said he too was en-route.
The dispatcher said “Blake” but may have meant City Hall’s Blaine DeGrave, the Escanaba “Code Enforcement Official.”
Over the past week U.P. Breaking News has heard a large increase in evictions – plus police calls related to evicting people from abandoned or dilapidated city homes in Marquette County. In fact, as we were posting this story – at 3:15 p.m. ET today (Friday) – another evection was ordered in Ishpeming, MI at 230 N. Elm Street.
Last night a “homeless crew” were allegedly pounding on at least one door in the city of Marquette – resulting in a second 911 call to police on Friday afternoon. With domestic violence out of control, cops seem actually relieved to handle the more mundane, yet very important, mental issues. For example, in Houghton County today a scared woman called 911 to report someone spread dust around her house. She has called many time for many reasons. But moments later they were called to a doctor’s office for a disruptive patient.
Friday morning, Marquette Police and firefighters were called to a homeless man found passed out on a toilet of a Third Street laundromat. Earlier, county deputies visited the same laundromat because of a man reported to have a bunch of needles.
U.P. will soon not be able to sweep the problems from public view – as more and more incidents happen and social problems fester. Highly-addictive drugs like meth and heroin are flooding U.P. streets and there is a soaring problem in the U.P involving suicide, domestic violence and mental issues issues. The numbers are growing on all fronts in an exponential form – as only band-aids are put on the northern Michigan problems that once only plagued the gloomiest cities in the Lower Peninsula.
We have only two things to say to those who think we are exaggerating, or think its not a big deal, or believe we should punt it down the field like we have done as a country with North Korea. Do you think the problem just go away? Plus remember big Michigan cities are better equipped to handle the social problems – tho few are shining examples – because if they did not do something there would be many people laying dead in the street.
If history is any example, little will be done until people die. Just like the issues caused by the criminal underfunding and short-staffing at U.P. prisons. Many think it will take some COs murdered to capture Lansing’s attention. Until then prisoners will continue to be beaten, abused, and fed garbage. While experienced COs will continue to quit in droves for their own health and because it is a no-win job with no state pension.
Over the past decade, Lansing’s reaction to the far north issues by cutting funding to U.P. social programs and greedily raping the U.P. environment by destroying the deer herd and the pitiful over-site of mining-related pollution. Local U.P. governments, state officials are unable to stop the growing problems – as even well-meaning groups are unable to do more than put a bandage on the gushing problems of wounds – created by homelessness, poverty and mental health issues.
With little increase in tax revenues, local governments have offset their budget deficits by increased fees on everything – and we mean everything. Today all government-related issues in the U.P. now have an onerous fee attached.
U.P. Breaking News has documented how U.P. counties profiteer off government documents and public records – which SHOULD be no more than the cost of the paper to print document. Governments had their taxing hands tied since the Headlee Amendment. Tax revenues have dwindled since the Headlee Amendment that protects property owners from rising taxes.
As poverty and oppressive government fees continue to keep the low-income and homeless down across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, officials are not able to stop the issue from continuing to spill out into the streets causing pain, suffering and lots of your tax dollars.
Michigan’s governor has made it clear he distains the problems of the poor – and loves to squeeze every penny out of the U.P. despite the bigger cost. He has also armed landlords – many are slum lords who once watched a midnight scam involving property-buying commercials that let all think they would become overnight millionaires.
https://www.fosterswift.com/communications-Tenants-Trespassers-Squatters-Michigan-Landowner-Rights-Possessory-Interest-Property.html
Escanaba Community Development / Code Enforcement
City of Escanaba – City Hall
Blaine DeGrave, Code Enforcement Official
410 Ludington Street
Escanaba, MI 49829
Phone: (906) 786-9402 Fax: (906) 786-4755
E-mail: communitypreservation@escanaba.org
Mission Statement:
The mission of the Community Development-Planning Department is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens, and preserve the aesthetic character of Escanaba through the enforcement of Zoning Ordinance, Planning Ordinance, Property Maintenance Codes, Bed and Breakfast Ordinances and the Fence and Hedges Ordinance.
Upper Peninsula Breaking News by Greg Peterson 