The Coalition for Property Tax Justice

Using Detroit as a lens, PLUNDERED by @ProfAtuahene is a deep examination of racist policies that undermine Black homeownership in America. Publishing 1/28/25, but you can pre-order now! bernadetteatuahene.com/plundered/ #PlunderedHomes

Join us for an important conversation as we take a closer look at the first 100 days of Mayor Sheffield’s administration. We’ll be breaking down where progress has been made, where challenges remain, and how the coalition’s wins and losses shape what comes next for our communities. 📅 April 10 at 11 AM ET 🔗 Register using the link or QR code #Detroit #DetroitCommunity #JusticeForDetroit #First100Days #CommunityAccountability

Join us this Saturday for Coffee & Stories ☕ Connect with neighbors, share your story, and get plugged into the fight for property tax justice and housing support. 📍 The Commons (7900 Mack Ave) 🗓️ Saturday, April 4 ⏰ 10:30 AM Featuring special guest Detroit’s Madam Ombudsman, Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, you won’t want to miss it. #CoffeeAndStories #DetroitHousingJustice #PropertyTaxJustice #BlackHomeownership #DetroitCommunity

Join us next month as we reflect on Mayor Sheffield’s first 100 days in office and what it means for our city moving forward. We will discuss Mayor Sheffield’s administration, including the coalition’s wins and losses during these first 100 days in office, and what it means for our community. 📅 April 10th at 11 AM ET 🔗 Register now via the link or QR code. #Detroit #DetroitCommunity #JusticeForDetroit #First100Days

☕ Coffee & Stories is back next Saturday! Join us Saturday, April 4 at 10:30 AM 📍 Eastside Community Network (4401 Conner St, Detroit) Our monthly space to connect, share stories, and organize for property tax justice. #Detroit #HousingJustice #PropertyTaxJustice #CommunityOrganizing

This weeks #fromthearchives shows a time before erasure. Hastings street held more than buildings it held Black life, culture, and community 🖤 The Brewster Douglass Homes were once a symbol of opportunity, home to thousands and rooted in the legacy of Paradise Valley. But their story also reflects a deeper truth about housing justice. Black communities were displaced, concentrated, and later neglected as cities chose development over people. As new spaces are built, we have to ask who are they really for and who gets left out. Still, what remains is the legacy. The music, the memories, the resilience. Photos in order: Applicants in line at Hastings and Benton Street, Brewster Housing Project, on Aug. 28, 1938. Detroit News Archive Leland Street, looking east from Hastings Street. Dated April 25, 1960. Detroit Historical Society Hastings Street, looking north from the Brewster Douglass Housing Projects. Dated March 19, 1959. Detroit Historical Society #DetroitHistory #BlackHistory #blackhomesmatter

🚨 Public Comment TOMORROW — Show Up for Detroit Homeowners 🚨 A critical resolution is going before the Detroit City Council tomorrow, sponsored by Council Member Johnson, calling on Treasurer Eric Sabree to pause property tax foreclosures on owner-occupied homes in 2026 before the March 31 deadline. We need YOU to speak up. 🗣️ 📅 Tomorrow at 10:00 AM (EDT) 💻 Join the Zoom before 10 AM and raise your hand to give public comment: detroitmi.gov/Online-CC-Meet… 📝 RSVP here: actionnetwork.org/events/public-… This is our chance to protect homes from foreclosure — especially as research shows many Detroit properties are still being illegally overassessed. ✊🏾 Let’s show up united, thank Council Member Johnson for this resolution, and urge City Council to act now to protect Detroit families. 📖 Read the resolution: drive.google.com/file/d/1i200cJ… Your voice matters. Your presence matters. Let’s save these homes. #PropertyTaxJustice #StopTheForeclosures #DetroitDeservesBetter #CoalitionForPropertyTaxJustice #HousingIsAHumanRight #BlackHomesMatter

This Thursday’s #FromTheArchives is a map from 2019 overlayed with the 1930s redlining grades. It highlights the multi-generational effects of institutional racism 🗺️. The colored outlines show historical redlining grades, where neighborhoods were labeled “desirable” or “hazardous” largely based on race. Nearly a century later, the pattern still remains today. These neighborhoods continue to be burdened by the effects of the racist policies causing lower home values, underfunded schools, and fewer resources because redlining shaped who could access investment and build wealth. These patterns remind us that inequality is not accidental, it was built, and it can be changed. 📸 Photo courtesy of the Mapping Inequality Project. #Detroit #HousingJustice #PropertyTaxJustice #BlackHomesMatter

💰 #First100Days Pillar 5: Return Money to Overtaxed Homeowners On April 10, the first 100 days of Mary Sheffield’s administration will come to a close—and Detroiters deserve justice. Since 2010, the City has overtaxed homeowners by more than $600 million. That money belongs back in the hands of the people. Pillar 5: Compensate overtaxed homeowners through property tax credits and direct payments—a solution legal experts agree is both lawful and achievable. 📢 That means: ✔️ Securing clear legal guidance from Dana Nessel ✔️ Passing a restitution ordinance with a transparent formula for repayment ✔️ Using lawful funding sources—without burdening taxpayers ✔️ Creating a simple, accessible process so residents can claim what they’re owed ✔️ Reporting publicly on impact and progress This is about more than policy—it’s about repairing harm, restoring trust, and stabilizing Detroit families. #First100Days #PropertyTaxJustice #DetroitDeservesJustice #ReclaimDetroit #CoalitionForPropertyTaxJustice

🏡 #First100Days Pillar 4: Protect Owner-Occupant Exemptions On April 10, the first 100 days of Mary Sheffield’s administration will come to a close. The Coalition for Property Tax Justice is calling for reforms that protect Detroit homeowners. Pillar 4: Protect the Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) for the people who actually live in their homes. That means: 🏠 Removing LLC and corporate-owned properties from the homeowner exemption rolls. 📊 Using automated verification tools to monitor exemptions and catch ineligible claims. 📬 Providing clear notices and at least 60 days to respond if eligibility is questioned. 🤝 Offering free in-person help and community workshops so residents can fix issues quickly. 📑 Publishing transparent annual reports showing enforcement and reinstatement data. Detroit must protect real homeowners while ensuring the system is fair, transparent, and accountable. #First100Days #PropertyTaxJustice #DetroitHomeowners #ProtectThePRE #CoalitionForPropertyTaxJustice

📊 #First100Days Pillar 3: Stop Over-Assessing Lower-Valued Homes On April 10, the first 100 days of Mary Sheffield’s administration will come to a close. The Coalition for Property Tax Justice is using this moment to push for reforms that make Detroit’s property tax system fair for homeowners. Pillar 3: Stop the over-assessment of lower-valued homes. This means improving two key parts of the City’s assessment process: 📊 Improve ECF (Economic Condition Factor) analysis so property values reflect real market conditions. 🏚️ Improve depreciation analysis so older homes are valued accurately instead of being overtaxed. When these tools are applied correctly, homeowners—especially those in lower-value neighborhoods—won’t be forced to pay more than the law allows. Detroit homeowners deserve accurate assessments and fair taxes. #First100Days #PropertyTaxJustice #DetroitDeservesBetter #StopOverassessment #CoalitionForPropertyTaxJustice

#FromTheArchives Before and after the construction of I-375 through Detroit’s historic Black Bottom neighborhood. During the era of “urban renewal,” many neighborhoods were torn down in the name of removing what the city called blight. These projects often targeted communities of color. The construction of I-375 displaced an estimated 42,000 Detroiters, nearly 70% of them Black, uprooting homes, businesses, and community institutions. Urban renewal reshaped Detroit but came at a devastating cost to the people who lived there. 🏘️🖤 Photo courtesy of detroitfuturecity.com #Detroit #HousingJustice #PropertyTaxJustice #CommunityOrganizing #BlackHomesMatter

📊 #First100Days Pillar 2: Fully Implement the Property Tax Reform Ordinance On April 10, the first 100 days of Mary Sheffield’s administration will come to a close. The Coalition for Property Tax Justice is using this moment to push for the reforms Detroit homeowners deserve. Pillar 2: Fully implement Detroit’s Property Tax Reform Ordinance. This means taking three critical steps to bring transparency and accountability to the property tax system: 📄 Improve the Detroit Notice of Assessment so homeowners clearly understand how their property was valued. 📊 Produce the required independent annual audit of the City’s assessment data on time. 🔍 Disclose property tax assessment data so the public can see how homes are being assessed across the city. Detroit passed this reform to protect homeowners. Now it’s time to fully implement it. #First100Days #PropertyTaxJustice #DetroitDeservesBetter #HousingJustice #CoalitionForPropertyTaxJustice

📊 #First100Days Pillar 1: A Qualified Assessor for Detroit On April 10, the first 100 days of Mary Sheffield’s administration will come to a close. The Coalition for Property Tax Justice is using this moment to push for meaningful reforms that bring fairness and accountability to Detroit’s property tax system. Pillar 1: Replace the current assessor with someone fully qualified for the job. Detroit’s current Chief Assessor, Alvin Horhn, has not passed the Michigan Master Assessing Officer (MMAO) exam—the state certification typically required to oversee an assessment roll the size of Detroit’s. Yet he continues to lead the office responsible for determining property values across the city. If Detroit wants a people-centered property tax system that strengthens neighborhoods instead of pushing families out of their homes, it must start with qualified leadership. A fair system starts at the top. #First100Days #PropertyTaxJustice #DetroitDeservesBetter #HousingJustice #CoalitionForPropertyTaxJustice

⏰ DEADLINE TOMORROW March 9 at 4:30 PM EST Detroit homeowners may be paying too much in property taxes. Many homes in the city have been illegally over assessed. The Property Tax Appeal Project PTAP helps homeowners challenge those assessments. This year PTAP is offering a FREE online tool that helps you 🏠 Check if your home is over assessed 📝 File your property tax appeal yourself ⏳ Submit before the deadline ⚠️ If you miss the deadline you cannot appeal this year. File now app.propertytaxproject.com/detroit #PropertyTaxJustice #DetroitHomeowners #AppealNow #StopOverassessment #coalitionforpropertytaxjustice

Rain didn’t stop the community from showing up. We had a full house at @ECN_Detroit for Coffee & Stories today. Neighbors came together to share their stories and organize for property tax justice. The question remains: why haven’t Detroit residents been reimbursed the $600 million they were overtaxed? Thanks to Donna Givens Richardson for joining us this month. #Detroit #HousingJustice #PropertyTaxJustice #CommunityOrganizing #BlackHomesMatter

🎤 This month’s Coffee & Stories speaker: Donna Givens Richardson! Executive Director of Eastside Community Network and Co-Chair of the Housing Development & Planning Committee on Mayor Mary Sheffield’s transition team. ☕ Join us Saturday, March 7 at 10:30 AM 📍 Eastside Community Network (4401 Conner St, Detroit) Come connect, share stories, and organize for property tax justice. RSVP at the link in bio. #Detroit #HousingJustice #PropertyTaxJustice #CommunityOrganizing

#FromTheArchives In 2005, about 68% of mortgages issued in Detroit were subprime, compared to about 24% nationally. Many banks pushed Black homebuyers into high-interest subprime mortgages, even when they qualified for safer loans. When the housing market crashed during the Great Recession, those loans reset to unaffordable payments. The result? Mass foreclosures across Detroit, devastating Black neighborhoods and stripping families of generational wealth. This predatory lending and systemic discrimination is still impacting Detroit today. 📸 Photo from a Moratorium NOW! Coalition demonstration in Detroit (October 3, 2008) #DetroitHousingJustice #StopTheSteal #BlackHomeownership #propertytaxjustice

⏰🚨 ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT, DETROIT! Your property taxes might be illegally inflated — but you still have time to fight back. Homeowners can file a FREE, fast, online property tax appeal with the March Board of Review. It only takes a few minutes and could save you hundreds (or thousands). 📅 Deadline: March 9 📲 File now: app.propertytaxproject.com/detroit Don’t leave money on the table. Don’t let overassessment slide. Appeal today. Protect your home. #PropertyTaxJustice #DetroitDeservesBetter #StopTheForeclosures #OvertaxedAndOverIt #CoalitionForPropertyTaxJustice #BlackHomesMatter #HousingIsAHumanRight

🎙️🔥 New Interview Alert! Check out this powerful conversation with Professor Bernadette Atuahene on America Trends Podcast — where she breaks down how the “bag of tricks” used to make Black homeownership difficult continues to grow. From systemic barriers to property tax injustice to the deep roots of racialized housing policy, this interview sheds light on why justice in homeownership is still an urgent fight. 👉 Listen here: americatrendspodcast.com/2026/03/02/ep-… Get informed. Share it with a friend. Let’s keep building a movement that leaves no one behind. #PropertyTaxJustice #HousingJustice #BlackHomeownership #BernadetteAtuahene #CoalitionForPropertyTaxJustice #DetroitDeservesBetter #StopTheForeclosures #PlunderedBook #AmericaTrendsPodcast

Property tax justice starts with accountability and ends with money back in homeowners pockets. 🏠💵 These 5 pillars are our roadmap to fair assessments, protected exemptions, and real reform. Detroit deserves better‼️ #PropertyTaxJustice #Detroit #FairTaxes #CoalitionForPropertyTaxJustice