Leland House tenants push Detroit City Council to take action

Many Leland House tenants are frustrated and angry, pushing Detroit City Council members to take action nearly three months after they were evacuated from their homes.

"This is not confusion. This is not miscommunication. This is failure. This is affecting these residents, physically, mentally. They are struggling right now," said displaced tenant Steven Remmer.

"It's kind of like you abandoned everything. You were forced to abandon," said displaced tenant Daryl Stewart.

Late Monday, Leland House ownership attorneys filed new paperwork asking the city to approve tenant asset removal procedures, which determine how and when residents can get their things.

Attorneys for the displaced tenants call the move an eleventh-hour filing and yet another example of delay tactics to keep people out of their homes.

"There's no reason they cannot get back in this building to retrieve their belongings, other than obstruction. They also are not cooperating with us. They have not been communicating," said attorney Donovan McCarty.

With no set timeline on when residents will get access, some city council members are pushing for accountability.

"Why did it take this long? Could this have not happened any sooner because we asked this to happen sooner? Does it really take this amount of process and these court filings for us to get to this point? " said Detroit City Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago-Romero.

"It's not right for our residents. This building had over 300 people. Now we're down to a 38 or something like that, because of the ones that could afford to leave, left," said Detroit City Councilwoman Renata Miller.

A hearing to determine the removal proceedings is set for March 12.