Residents in Detroit’s Yorkshire Woods neighborhood say squatters have turned the vacant apartment building at 10030 Cadieux into a daily problem. Sterling Dickerson said the activity has brought harassment and apparent drug use into the area.
On Monday, Aug. 10, building inspectors posted Notice to Vacate warnings around the site, while city staff prepared to secure the building again. Detroit Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett, Jr. said the property had already been boarded up at least three times.
Sterling Dickerson on Cadieux
Dickerson identified 10030 Cadieux as the center of the problem and said the activity does not stop after dark. He said the steady stream of people going in and out has affected the block throughout the day.
He also said nearby vacant properties have had problems. In an interview, he said, “They overrun our neighborhood.” He added, “The constant squatting and the people that’s harassing us. The drug use is amazing over here.”
Conrad Mallett, Jr. on the building
Conrad Mallett, Jr. said Detroit police have been out at the building and that plywood boarding has not worked. He said, “This property has been boarded up at least three times. We’ve had DPD out here.”
He said the city is probably going to have to upgrade securitization to clear-view or steel grating to keep people out of unsafe buildings. That points to a tighter physical barrier than plywood alone, aimed at making repeated break-ins harder to sustain.
Detroit City Council and District 4
The building is tied to Real Token and is under court-ordered receivership, according to the information shared about the property. Latisha Johnson represents District 4 on the Detroit City Council.
For neighbors, the practical issue is whether the city’s next pass at the building will hold when earlier boarding did not. Dickerson said, “I’m talking to you today because of this.”
