Detroit: A Case in Point for a National Problem

The Dignity Restoration Project is building the infrastructure to support the national movement toward racial repair. Our work starts in Detroit, where we aim to compensate and restore the dignity of homeowners who were subject to illegal property tax foreclosures. The city overcharged homeowners $600 million in property taxes between 2009 and 2015, plundering the wealth of predominantly Black communities. These illegal assessments led to the foreclosure of more than 30,000 homes, robbing families of stability and dignity. We hope to expand this infrastructure to support kindred efforts across the country, collectively contributing to a more inclusive society and a stronger democracy.  Professor Atuahene spearheaded the research that uncovered the illegal overassessments in Detroit. Read the New York Times Op-Ed on the crisis here.

Building the Infrastructure for a National Movement

The Dignity Restoration Project is a pioneering effort to build the infrastructure to support a national movement toward racial repair. We are building the prototype in Detroit:

• Data: We are cleaning public data sets to generate a database of eligible program participants in Detroit. These are homeowners, currently living in Detroit who were subject to illegal foreclosures and at an income level that would have exempted them from property taxes. 

• Compensation: We plan to offer symbolic compensation of $5000 to each eligible Detroiter, starting with the hardest hit.

• Resource Mobilization: We are raising money from philanthropic, public, and private sources in Michigan and nationally. Since all sectors have contributed to racial harms, we all need to be part of the solution.

• Fund Management: We have partnered with UpTogether to administer the compensation fund (detail below) with efficiency and integrity

• Narrative Change: The current narrative of Detroit’s tax foreclosure crisis has characterized Black homeowners as financially irresponsible. Homeowners have also felt shame within their families and communities for losing their homes. We are building a storytelling campaign to highlight the systemic injustice and affirm the dignity of affected Detroiters.

• Research: This is a pioneering effort, and we do not simply assume it will have a positive impact. We have partnered with Stanford University to evaluate the impact of the model.