Overgrown weeds, empty bottles and discarded bags littered property around a Detroit Family Dollar store. This type of blight isn’t unusual for a number of the dollar stores across the city, according to a report by BridgeDetroit reporter Jena Brooker, who found the city issued more than 2,400 blight tickets to Family Dollar and Dollar Tree, which are owned by the same parent company, in a three-year span dating to 2020. The company racked up more than $740,000 in unpaid fines, BridgeDetroit analysis shows.
The city negotiated a settlement with the company for $150,000, about one-fifth of its unpaid fines, BridgeDetroit reported. A Dollar Tree spokesperson said in a statement: “We know how much Detroit shoppers rely on our stores, and we’re committed to offering a clean, safe environment for our associates and customers – both inside and outside of our stores.”
Some city council members disagreed with the settlement and wanted to see more action taken to rectify the issues. Councilmember Angela Whitfield-Calloway wants a temporary moratorium on building new dollar stores in the city. She also wants to see more fresh produce in existing dollar stores.
One Detroit Producer Will Glover caught up with Brooker to learn about the blight issues at dollar stores around the city, as well as what steps city officials are taking.
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