DPS, MBA, disaster: Sickouts came from somewhere

I attended GMAT training this weekend and last weekend. My employer was looking for a few more instructors, and I had put in interest, since it's similar to one or two other tests that I teach and would allow me more flexibility.

 But the other reason that I am attending GMAT training is that I am trying to figure out next steps. I am planning to go back to school eventually, probably when Rebecca finishes her residency, and I am considering what degrees I could best to leverage to improve Detroit.

There are many options, given that Detroit has many problems. For a while I considered a Masters of Public Health, so that I could address the environmental issues facing the children of the city. For a while I considered a law degree so that I could make sure that students with special needs were receiving the services that the law guaranteed that. There was a time when I thought that an Ed.D. in something related to education was the best choice, or perhaps a PhD in second language acquisition.

I haven't completely ruled out any of those choices. All of them sound interesting, and do much to research and apply new concepts of problem-solving. I know people with each of these degrees, and I deeply admire the work that they are doing.

However, there is a new field of study that I am considering after pondering what degrees I've been seeing used in decision-making lately.

Robert Bobb? MS in Business Studies.  Roy Roberts? Bachelor's in Business Administration. Darnell Earley? Master's in Public Administration (and Ph.D. in poisoning entire cities). None of the emergency financial managers had a background in education (although Robert Bobb did attend a school superintendent training program created by business mogul Eli Broad).

Governor Snyder has a JD and MBA. 

What degree do many of those controlling the vast majority of the wealth in Detroit have? Business degrees. Administration degrees.

My wife pointed out, at one point, that even in Flint, people with PhDs, DOs, and MDs were ignored for months when they insisted that Flint children were being poisoned by the water. They've also been ignored when they've insisted that the children in Wayne County are being poisoned and shortchanged. Given how long med school is, add some residency, add a high level of difficulty for those doing residencies particularly at urban hospitals, and it is very puzzling that the state has ignored those with that kind of degree, but they did.

And so I believe that I may need to get an MBA to get people to listen to me. Given my nontraditional background for business school, I feel that it would be important to my application to have a very, very high GMAT score. So I went to training to learn more about the test, because I doubt my background in education will count in my favor if the state is unwilling to listen to educators about things like school conditions and curriculum.

After all, what could a teacher know about the business of schooling?

We shouldn't have demo'ed #fixerupperdetroit ourselves: Here's why

When we were getting inspections done on #fixerupperdetroit, the inspector was very explicit that no women of childbearing age (which is different from women who are actually pregnant- this group includes women who may ever become pregnant) should help with demolition unless we took a lot of precautions.

Here's why:

Far from being isolated to Flint water pipes, lead was used in paint until the late 1970s. Our home was built in 1928 and has been remodeled multiple times, so it is virtually guaranteed that some of the paint that we'd be smashing through contained lead. That lead becomes airborne and people inhale it. For average adults with a reasonable diet, the amount is typically not overly harmful- it gets bound in the bones and never leaves.

Unless said adult becomes pregnant. Then the lead often escapes and circulates. And an amount of lead that doesn't harm an adult can have drastic effects on an unborn child.

Rebecca and I are of childbearing age and haven't decided how to have our future family yet. 

So I found myself standing in an aisle at Lowe's looking at dust masks and respirators. When I asked for help, the saleswoman told me that we shouldn't do this demolition ourselves. 

I told her I was aware of the risks, couldn't afford to pay someone, and was looking for protection. She unhelpfully started picking up boxes and reading descriptions. (I know how to read.) I ended up ordering a respirator online and buying safety glasses elsewhere.

I also took calcium supplements over the last couple weeks to try to lessen the impact of any residual lead. We haven't had our water tested yet, but it is very possible that, like Flint,  we also have lead water pipes coming into our house from the street. The question is mostly if they're leaching. We can afford to have drinking water delivery in five gallon jugs or get a whole house filter, but not everyone can.

If you're curious, though, about the high cost and slow going to demolish burnt out houses in Detroit, here's the truth:

A lot of these houses are coated in lead paint, or asbestos, or other hazards. Living in them is unsafe, but many do because they have no choice.

Demolishing them without sending up a dust cloud of environmental hazards that spreads to the rest of the neighborhood takes time, money, and training. Drinking water laced with lead and living in homes with lead paint has caused a silent epidemic of learning disabilities and behavior problems for Detroit's children.

Flint is justifiably in the news. They are suffering deeply for the decisions of politicians, and something needs to be done. Their plight made me hyper aware of the hazards in my own house, more than an hour away, though. I'm concerned that in all the media hype of sending bottled water to Flint, the public is forgetting that this isn't an isolated problem. It isn't one that can be solved in a few weeks from a couple truckloads of water. 

It's a problem that spans the entire state, especially the older urban centers, especially the areas of poverty. The danger comes not only from the water, but from paint and soil also. 

To fix it, we don't need more finger pointing or respirators or bottled water. We need an investment in community, in infrastructure, in our children. 

We need a common sense, comprehensive, moderate, sustainable plan to protect our children instead of using them as the canary in the coal mine.

Crowbar, Work Hard: So Far, So Good

Demo is officially over, partly because the dumpster will be picked up tomorrow and partly because

the dumpster is full!

That's right. We have gutted so much of the house and gotten the garage so cleared out that we've filled an entire dumpster.

I am filled today with awe, gratitude, and hope. We have had so much help from so many people. Today, not only did my friend Dawn come help take apart furniture in the garage and heave it into the dumpster, my friend Dante came to clear out and recycle the metal pipes. They are not the only ones who have shown up for us, either.

And now that so much is cleared, we are ready to start restoring our home. 

Confessions: Yelp's Star System is Pointless, But the Reviews Help

I'm Yelp Elite. I attained Elite 15 status last year and this year, I was renewed as Elite 16. It's been a good ride - free tickets to things (the upcoming one is a pair of tickets to Indulgence in Royal Oak), updates in my inbox about different food trends in metro Detroit, a social network that helps me plan my work meetings better. So I like Yelp, and I use it. Often.

But some parts of it are nearly pointless, including the star rating system (1-5), unless a business has a LOT of reviews. Why? Because people overuse the 1 and 5 star ratings. I can't tell you how many reviews I've read that described a single lackluster or just fine experience that included one negative (and probably fixable) element, and then gave the business one star. The algorithm tries to prioritize reviews that take more into account and show actual reflection, but for new businesses or the types of businesses that aren't typical Yelp fodder, it doesn't always help.

And I've noticed some things from reading so many reviews.

1. People are obsessed with their food coming fast.

Seriously, unless you're at a fast food restaurant, you're going to have to wait. Especially if you didn't make a reservation. Especially if you came at a peak time. That's just how it works.

2. People expect everywhere to operate the way large chains do.

Does it make me sad that Love & Buttercream isn't open on Sundays and Mondays? Yes. Do I wish more libraries were open later on Fridays? Yes. But doing that kind of staffing either costs a lot of money or is cruel to employees, and feeling entitled to everything all the time isn't a reflection of a healthy society.

3. There are so few second chances.

Typically, I try to visit a place at least twice before I write a review. That way, I have a fuller picture of what's going on. Maybe the first menu item I ordered wasn't great - that doesn't mean the whole menu sucks. Or maybe it took them a while to get settled in and the service improved substantially. I edit my reviews with some regularity, and I always try to be fair.

Yelp is one of the only places I don't feel guilty posting pictures of food.

Some parts of Yelp play to the worst in human nature. It feels almost anonymous and allows people to vent their opinions with little oversight. The Elite program was established to lend more credibility through a vetting process, but it's definitely not a panacea.

Still, reading the reviews has helped me make plans, so I'll keep using it for as long as it serves.

Reflections on Landbank Seizure: After a Deep Breath

In the last few days, my Open Letter to the Detroit Land Bank has gotten almost 400 views. That's hardly breaking the internet. On the other hand, it's a lot of attention that the land bank didn't have before, and judging by the diverse nature of my friends, the post has probably reached the eyes of people that had never heard of the Detroit Land Bank Authority.

And here's my concern: my post about the resolution of our situation hasn't been read that many times.

In the midst of the fear and chaos surrounding #fixerupperdetroit and the seizure notice and my justifiable haste to resolve the situation, I didn't provide as much background as I should have. Of course, you can Google the land bank, read their website, like them on facebook, etc. So this isn't intended to be exhaustive. But here are some things I have put together for you to help you understand:

Detroit is roughly 137 square miles. You could fit Manhattan, San Francisco, and Boston within Detroit city limits. It's huge.

The city is designed to be occupied by two million people or thereabouts, primarily in single-family homes, and at its peak probably had about 1.5 million Detroiters.

It's now occupied by about 700,000.

That population drop wasn't caused by a natural disaster or a war or an epidemic, at least not a standard version of any of those things. It was caused by a confluence of factors. I recommend picking up The Origins of the Urban Crisis to learn more, or digging into Detroit's history.

In any case, the city has far more space, far more homes, than it has people to live in it. And in the housing crisis, some awful people bought up a lot of property in a land grab that resulted in gambling on Detroit neighborhoods.

[This is where the notion of urban farming in Detroit comes from - farms could fill in many of the areas that are short on people, short on groceries, and long on available space. In the most simplistic version of this, the city somehow convinces everyone to move out of certain neighborhoods and into others, rezones the empty areas for farms, and makes a bunch of money while watching food deserts disappear.]

Enter the land bank.

With so much vacant housing stock, such low housing prices (though the $500 house is a myth, and here's why we didn't buy one), rampant real estate speculation, and no instruction manual, the city and county started land banks to try to get houses occupied.

The programs have varied. As the economy improves and prices rise, they've been able to flip some homes and sell them as move-in ready, and auction other homes as fixer-uppers (some total gut jobs and others more manageable). Mayor Duggan wanted to make sure President Obama saw the progress. I know a couple people that work there, and they are well-intentioned, hopeful individuals.

Unfortunately, with the mess Detroit's in, the amount of bureaucracy, and the state of democracy (or non-democracy) in the city, the land bank, like much else, doesn't work as well as it could. In the middle of our mess, I heard from friends of friends about their own struggles.

Once our situation worked out, a few of those struggling seemed to hope that there is a secret to negotiating with the land bank, that I know the magical thing to say or do. I wish I did. A little part of me wishes that we'd let them file a lawsuit so that we could have drawn even more attention to the issues.

In our case, it's possible that our home was never supposed to be targeted, and so notifying them of the discrepancy was all that was necessary - I still don't have the straight story on why exactly we received a seizure notice or why the city would have the right to seize our property when we're not behind on taxes or utilities.

It's also possible that the amount of attention from my posts on this blog and social media raised our profile enough that #fixerupperdetroit was removed from the possible seizure list using less than standard procedure.

In either case, there seems to be one key: make the house look as occupied and maintained as possible. Since some of the seizure notices result from neighborhood drive-through monitoring, and others result from complaints from the neighbors, the best bet to avoid or fight a seizure notice seems to be evidence that the home isn't vacant. Given the age of the housing stock, the economic realities of the city, and the arbitrary nature of some of this, that isn't always possible, and a perfectly manicured lawn leading up to a perfect picket fence shouldn't be required for people to keep their homes.

But that seems to be the number one visual distinction between an owner holding a vacant home as a gamble and an actual city resident, or someone truly investing.

In short, the land bank exists for a reason, and like almost everything in life, it isn't perfect. I hope that it will see the reforms it needs very, very soon. I hope that all of the other homeowners who have been unfairly targeted see a resolution soon.

And in the long run, I hope Detroit returns to being a place where many, many people fulfill dreams of homeownership.

Chapstick & Chapped Lips & Things Like Victory: #fixerupperdetroit land bank update

My coffee table is covered in snacks. I've been biting my lips (even when liberally using good lip balm), binge eating carbs, and rubbing my face. I'm behind on all housework. I feel behind on our demolition. I woke up feeling like I've been hit by a bus.

And I don't have the energy left to do anything about any of those things.

I spent years teaching myself not to engage in the kind of emotional eating I did throughout adolescence and young adulthood. It felt so good to start eating when I was hungry and finding other ways to manage stress. I also trained myself not to rub my face - a nervous habit that I found strangely soothing but is unprofessional and unsanitary (the trick is to wear enough makeup that I'm afraid to smudge it, something that I cut back on once the habit was broken). I stopped biting my lips using much the same technique - a combo of lip balm, lipstick, and lip exfoliation.

But the amount of pressure we've been under lately caused me to take up a bunch of bad habits. Stopping myself took too much energy.

Good news, though: 

In making so much noise about the land bank, contacting people, explaining the situation, and so forth, they have decided to

officially close our case.

No additional paperwork. No awkward timeline. No risk that they will seize the property. No lawsuit. No legal fees.

They're moving on to other homes that actually need help.

My beautiful mess is free and clear for her makeover.

I guess that means I am too.

(As an aside, we still need help with a few demolition projects. If you have time tomorrow, please let me know.)

Open Letter to Detroit Land Bank Authority

Dear Detroit Land Bank Authority,

(Back story for this post can be found here: Land Bank, Red Tape, MI Hate, #Fixerupperdetroit Googles Squatters Rights,   and Why Detroit Can't Have Nice Things.)

I saw my wife for 20 minutes today. I drove home between shifts to see her because I didn't think I could wait to discuss this with her. I woke her from sleep because she is currently working nights as a family med resident saving lives at Henry Ford. She is also helping to organize medical care for homeless people in Royal Oak.

And she is trying to get #fixerupperdetroit ready to live in.

Of the 20 minutes I saw her today, I think we were either yelling or crying for about 17 of them. She is overwhelmed and doesn't know how she is going to keep on for another week and a half of night shifts. This is what your seizure notice has done to my wife, my beloved wife who does everything for everyone else, who persisted in buying a home in desperate need of repair from a seller who couldn't care less about the house or the neighborhood.

We spent 68 days trying to close to get this property away from the seller. Then we spent weeks setting up demolition, hiring someone to do landscaping, meeting the neighbors, and uncovering antiquated sewer lines, electrical dangers, plumbing leaks, and fiberglass insulation.

I'm sorry that the neighbors complained that the house was a nuisance before we bought it, or that your crew driving by noticed it looked vacant, or whatever caused you to post the sign, since you don't seem to have the story straight, but it turns out it takes time to turn around a 1928 home.

We're working at it. We have to - our mortgage requires it. Our current living situation requires it.

There are so many owners who aren't working at it. The person who owned our house before us (and who, rumor has it, owns multiple other properties). The person who still owns the house we spent the summer trying to buy. You'd be better off going after them. You claim, in fact, that you are going after them. In that case, why is a friend still fighting to execute a purchase agreement on a Parkside home, a house that has been vacant without climate control for multiple winters now? In that case, why didn't you seize our Greenacres property when our seller had it? The house was featured on Curbed in October 2014 and had been vacant the whole time. Why not go after the negligent landlords? You've got 99 problems, and we ain't one.

My dear wife cannot bear the thought of signing an agreement that would in any way allow you to take our home. After the fight we've had to buy it, signing any paperwork that would create even the tiniest possibility that we will not keep it is untenable to her. And I don't blame her. We've seen a lot of examples of government and corporate overreach in Michigan lately. We've been the victims of unfair housing laws already. She's not irrational for believing that you really might take our home.

I'm hoping that this is a misunderstanding, and that if I keep explaining to you, you will understand that we are not the enemy, we are not negligent, and we also are camels whose backs can't take another straw.

Every minute we spend fighting with you, every dollar we spend on legal fees is a minute and a dollar that isn't spent actually fixing up the property. Your actions are counterproductive. You are wasting your own resources and my resources, and I will not be silent.

So shame on you. Shame on you for terrifying my gentle wife who is already sleep deprived and overwhelmed. Shame on you for going after easy targets like us, who are law abiding, instead of focusing on the real problem. Shame on you for prioritizing certain neighborhoods over others.

Regards,

Committing in the Mitten