“Dispossessing Detroit” Videos

We hope you were able to join us for “Dispossessing Detroit”! The JLR team was thrilled to host a wonderful day of engaging sessions and conversation.

Recordings of each talk can be found below. We hope you’ll re-watch your favorite parts and let these questions continue to challenge you!

Property Dispossession is Nothing New: A Historical Overview
Panel discussion on the historical instances of land dispossession experienced by people living in the Detroit area and more broadly.

• Bernadette Atuahene, Professor of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law
• Beryl Satter, Professor of History, Rutgers University-Newark
• Louise Seamster, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology and African American Studies, University of Iowa
• Michael Witgen, Director of the Native American Studies, Program and Associate Professor of History and American Culture, University of Michigan

Municipal Bankruptcy: Who Gets What?
Panel discussion comparing the experiences of Detroit, Puerto Rico, and Harrisburg, PA and the citizens who call these places home during and after bankruptcy proceedings.

• Michelle Anderson, Professor of Law, Stanford Law School
• Juliet Moringiello, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and Professor of Law, Widener University, Commonwealth Law School
• John Pottow, John Philip Dawson Collegiate Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
• David Skeel, S. Samuel Arsht Professor of Corporate Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School 

Dispossession in Other Forms: A Closer Look at Detroit 

Right of Refusal 

• Michele Oberholtzer, Director of Tax Foreclosure Prevention, United Community Housing Coalition 
• Eli Savit, Senior Advisor to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan

Changes in the Detroit Real Estate Market

• Joshua Akers, Assistant Professor of Geography and Urban & Regional Studies, University of Michigan-Dearborn

MorningSide v. Sabree: The Tax Foreclosure Crisis

• Michael Steinberg, Professor from Practice, University of Michigan Law School 

How Data Informs Policy

• Jerry Paffendorf, Co-Founder & CEO, LOVELAND Technologies

No video available

Ramifications of Dispossession: Activism and Lived Experiences
A panel discussion addressing the ways dispossession has affected community members and activists. 

• Sonja Bonnet, Community Legal Worker, Detroit Justice Center
• David Pitawanakwat, J.D. Candidate, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and University of Windsor Faculty of Law  
• Simone Sagovac, Southwest Detroit Community Benefits Coalition

Revitalization Today: Urban Renewal and Eminent Domain
Panel discussion on the role of revitalization efforts in cities throughout the country. 

• Raquel Castañeda-López, Detroit City Council Member
• Amina Kirk, Senior Legal and Policy Advocate & Organizer, Detroit People’s Platform
• Olga Pomar, New Jersey Legal Services
• Ilya Somin, Professor of Law, George Mason University
• Sean White, Director of Fund Development, Develop Detroit

Closing Remarks
Small group discussions with speakers and participants discussing reforms to current issues of land dispossession. Small groups will reconvene to report possible reforms.

• Bernadette Atuahene, Professor of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law

Special thanks to Shawn Deloach for AV assistance!