By Fighting Words Staff
The Leland House Tenants Union continues to fight back against the unjust lockout from their residences. On March 10, Leland House Tenants Union members and their supporters marched from the Leland House to the the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center to demand that the city administration address their concerns. The City of Detroit Councilmembers and the Mayor were invited to the rally but failed to attend.
The Leland House Tenants Union immediate demands are:
- Immediate restoration of electrical power at Leland House
- The right to retrieve their belongings themselves
- The Right to Return to their apartments at Leland House
The Union asks further “What is the delay? Why did the city not act within the 48 hours? Why is Corporate Counsel misleading Councilmembers?”
In a statement the Union states:
This fight is about more than one building. It is about Detroiters being treated as disposable and our communities protecting each other. It’s about whether or not we will continue to accept the same cycle this city keeps repeating – crisis, promises, delay, and then silence, while tenants pay the price with their livelihoods and their homes.
We are tired of watching buildings deteriorate while officials posture. We are tired of being told to wait while conditions worsen. And we are tired of shady deals while Detroiters are displaced.
Together, the Detroit Tenants Union, MSU Housing Law Clinic, Leland House Tenants Union, Moratorium Now! Coalition, Mid-Michigan Tenant Resource Center, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation Detroit are also calling for the immediate public acquisition of Leland House through eminent domain, so it can be stabilized and converted into permanently affordable, publicly owned housing for Detroiters.
Background
Leland House tenants have been locked out of their homes for over 3 months.
On December 10 2025, all residents were evacuated from the Leland after a power failure. Three months later, they still do not have access to any of their belongings, and there is no plan for residents to ever return to living at their homes in the Leland.
Most have secured alternative housing, while some residents are still living at a Red Roof Inn, paid for by the City of Detroit. When they were evacuated, they were told it would be temporary. Most residents left with only the clothes on their backs and whatever they thought to grab in a moment of chaos. The fate of their belongings currently hangs in US Bankruptcy Court. Some Leland residents worked at Leland House, leaving them now both displaced and unemployed.
But that is not where their story ends. Residents are fighting back, together. They formed the Leland House Tenants Union, a majority union with 30 members.
They now have a seat at the table. The Union is currently fighting in US Bankruptcy Court for the retrieval of their belongings. Next, they will be fighting for a Right to Return to living at their homes in Leland House.
This is their home. Most residents have been at Leland for decades. But a lot has happened here over the past few years – in 2021, renovations were planned but never happened, while residents were told to stay and promised affordable, renovated apartments. Then the owner suddenly died in 2023 and left his properties to the maintenance man. The same year, the City of Detroit filed a nuisance abatement lawsuit claiming neglect and code violations. The property owner filed for bankruptcy in November 2025. Then in December, the electric company threatened to shut off the power over an unpaid bill. The bill was paid, but then just days later the building suffered a total electrical failure caused by flooding in the basement. All residents were evacuated and the building was immediately deemed “unsafe.” They were forced to leave behind everything they own.
Residents stand united, in solidarity. And they will see this through to the end.
