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Plundered: How Racist Policies Undermine Black Homeownership in America
When Harvard and Yale trained property law scholar Bernadette Atuahene moved to Detroit, she planned to study the city’s squatting phenomenon, in which thousands occupied vacant homes without the permission of the record owner. After a long sojourn in South Africa, where she researched the theft of land and homes from Black citizens, she wanted to immerse herself in a project that showcased Black agency. And yet what she found in Detroit was too urgent to ignore. Her neighbors, many of whom had owned their homes for decades, were losing them to property tax foreclosure. Even though the reasons why this was happening were shrouded, the results were once bustling Black neighborhoods blighted with vacant homes and trash-strewn lots, social networks eroded, family legacies lost. It was a puzzle that would take five years of dogged investigation, including hundreds of interviews with homeowners, landlords, real estate investors, and city officials to solve, but data point by data point, loss by loss, a story emerged, one very different from the dominant narratives that blamed irresponsible homeowners or a few corrupt politicians.
As Atuahene demonstrates, the problem is a system of predatory governance, where public officials raise public dollars through racist policies–a nationwide practice in no way limited to Detroit. In this powerful work of scholarship and storytelling, Atuahene expands our nation’s racial justice conversation from the physical violence that state agents exert to the less conspicuous, but intensely damaging bureaucratic violence that they routinely inflict. Unlike brutal police murders captured on video, predatory governance hides in plain sight, inviting complicity from well-meaning people, eviscerating communities, and widening the racial wealth gap. By following the lives of two grandfathers who migrated to Detroit at the turn of the twentieth century to work at Ford Motor Company—one Black the other white—and their grandchildren, Atuahene tells a riveting, braided tale about racist policies, how they take root, why they advance and flourish, who profits, and perhaps most crucially, explains what it takes to dismantle them.
As Atuahene demonstrates, the problem is a system of predatory governance, where public officials raise public dollars through racist policies–a nationwide practice in no way limited to Detroit. In this powerful work of scholarship and storytelling, Atuahene expands our nation’s racial justice conversation from the physical violence that state agents exert to the less conspicuous, but intensely damaging bureaucratic violence that they routinely inflict. Unlike brutal police murders captured on video, predatory governance hides in plain sight, inviting complicity from well-meaning people, eviscerating communities, and widening the racial wealth gap. By following the lives of two grandfathers who migrated to Detroit at the turn of the twentieth century to work at Ford Motor Company—one Black the other white—and their grandchildren, Atuahene tells a riveting, braided tale about racist policies, how they take root, why they advance and flourish, who profits, and perhaps most crucially, explains what it takes to dismantle them.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 28, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 6, 2024
What an informative and infuriating read. This does a great job breaking down the complex systems related to the housing market and shows how incongruous application of standards and private equity/investor firms unjustly profit off of the housing market.
November 22, 2024
This book is both eye-opening and engaging, filled with powerful personal stories and real-world examples. While it focuses on Detroit, it really helped me see how unfair property tax systems are a bigger issue across the country, and how old housing policies still affect people today.
I’ll be recommending this book to anyone wanting to learn more about urban development and the housing crisis. It’s a must-read!
I’ll be recommending this book to anyone wanting to learn more about urban development and the housing crisis. It’s a must-read!
March 2, 2025
Great read
June 5, 2025
A magnificent, exactingly researched examination of "what happened" to Detroit. Through Plundered, Atuahene makes clear the byzantine tax and property policies that have devastated the already-vulnerable people who call Motor City home. The clarity brought to this topic is already a feat in and of itself, but even more impressive is the way Atuahene centers the humanity of her subjects as the focal point of this story. For all the technicalities Plundered delves into, it is never dry reading.
Everyone, whether they call Michigan home or not, should drop just about everything to go read this book.
Everyone, whether they call Michigan home or not, should drop just about everything to go read this book.
May 5, 2025
A very well researched and thought out book on a subject matter that doesn’t get nearly the appropriate amount of research and discussion. Even with the book focusing on Detroit, I learned a lot about specific homeownership policies and laws as well as modern day redlining practices.
April 14, 2025
Like the other review said, this book was eye-opening and heartbreaking. The racist policies that hurt so many hard-working black Americans people are astonishing! The book was well written, lots of shaking my head moments to take it. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
March 11, 2025
my lord
March 2, 2025
While reading Plundered, I was reminded of Isabel Wilkerson's The Warmth of Other Suns, Ta-Nehisi Coates's The Case for Reparations, and Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. These works effectively illustrate the profound human impact of racist policies that many researchers often fail to fully flesh out.
Professor Bernadette Atuahene, a property law scholar, presents solid research and irrefutable data on the tax foreclosure crisis, highlighting the devastating impact on families who lost everything they had built. She also exposes those who profited from illegally inflated property taxes, shedding light on the systemic injustices that fueled the crisis.
More importantly, she lays out the invisible, complex tax structures and racist policies that left many neighborhoods in Detroit vulnerable to predatory investors. These investors are currently displacing Black residents from the housing market and reducing some working-class and middle-class neighborhoods to slums filled with poorly maintained rentals, thereby diminishing the opportunities for homeownership among residents in stable, Black communities.
In this work of literary nonfiction, Professor Atuahene's narrative juxtaposes the experiences of two grandfathers, poor sharecroppers who migrated to Detroit in the early 20th century to work in the automobile industry. One, Grandpa Bucci, is the ancestor of Robert Ficano, a former Wayne County Executive and Sheriff---his family, because of their perceived whiteness, ultimately achieved the American Dream. In stark contrast, the other, referred to as Grandpa Brown moved to Detroit from the South during the Great Migration in search of the American Dream but instead experienced what the professor describes as 'The American Nightmare.'
While Ficano, the white descendent of Grandpa Bucci, still lives comfortably in his family home now worth more than 250,000, Myrisha, the Black descendent of Grandpa Brown, ended up with a house worth less than 10,000 that she ultimately lost in tax foreclosure to illegally inflated taxes.
Among the facts presented are these:
Detroit had more property tax foreclosures than any other city since the great depression. Between 2013 and 2016, local property tax authorities illegally inflated the values of 70 percent of lower-valued homes. Between 2009 and 2015, Detroit's assessor's office illegally inflated 53-84% of the city's lower-priced homes. Detroiters were overtaxed by 600 million dollars. As of 2009, 1 in 3 homes were foreclosed on. Wayne County charged distressed residents 18% interest and a host of fees on tax bills they should have been exempt from paying in the first place.
Who benefitted the most? Wayne County and wealthy investors.
Now, my city, one where Black homeownership once surpassed the nation's predominately Black cities by 40%, is reduced to one where 60% of residents are now renters and are unable to pass on intergenerational wealth to their families.
After reading this book, I realized that, as a lifelong Detroiter deeply affected by the devastation caused by the housing crisis in my city, I did not have the information to understand nor the vocabulary to articulate what was happening to my historically stable neighborhood. This scholarly work comes at a critical moment in Detroit's trajectory. It makes a case for policymakers to consider de-commodifying single-family housing in residential neighborhoods to protect residents' intergenerational wealth and ensure equitable access to homeownership.
Black neighborhoods across the country continue to suffer in the aftermath of the mortgage crisis, which left our communities vulnerable to predatory investors. This new form of redlining allows these investors to benefit from the same racist policies that contributed to the housing crisis. As a result, many residents are unable to leave a legacy for their families, a privilege that white families often enjoy. Lastly, this scholarship challenges the widespread belief that Black residents in Detroit's neighborhoods lost their wealth due to irresponsibility, instead placing the blame where it rightfully belongs: on predatory racist policies and complicit local government.
Professor Bernadette Atuahene, a property law scholar, presents solid research and irrefutable data on the tax foreclosure crisis, highlighting the devastating impact on families who lost everything they had built. She also exposes those who profited from illegally inflated property taxes, shedding light on the systemic injustices that fueled the crisis.
More importantly, she lays out the invisible, complex tax structures and racist policies that left many neighborhoods in Detroit vulnerable to predatory investors. These investors are currently displacing Black residents from the housing market and reducing some working-class and middle-class neighborhoods to slums filled with poorly maintained rentals, thereby diminishing the opportunities for homeownership among residents in stable, Black communities.
In this work of literary nonfiction, Professor Atuahene's narrative juxtaposes the experiences of two grandfathers, poor sharecroppers who migrated to Detroit in the early 20th century to work in the automobile industry. One, Grandpa Bucci, is the ancestor of Robert Ficano, a former Wayne County Executive and Sheriff---his family, because of their perceived whiteness, ultimately achieved the American Dream. In stark contrast, the other, referred to as Grandpa Brown moved to Detroit from the South during the Great Migration in search of the American Dream but instead experienced what the professor describes as 'The American Nightmare.'
While Ficano, the white descendent of Grandpa Bucci, still lives comfortably in his family home now worth more than 250,000, Myrisha, the Black descendent of Grandpa Brown, ended up with a house worth less than 10,000 that she ultimately lost in tax foreclosure to illegally inflated taxes.
Among the facts presented are these:
Detroit had more property tax foreclosures than any other city since the great depression. Between 2013 and 2016, local property tax authorities illegally inflated the values of 70 percent of lower-valued homes. Between 2009 and 2015, Detroit's assessor's office illegally inflated 53-84% of the city's lower-priced homes. Detroiters were overtaxed by 600 million dollars. As of 2009, 1 in 3 homes were foreclosed on. Wayne County charged distressed residents 18% interest and a host of fees on tax bills they should have been exempt from paying in the first place.
Who benefitted the most? Wayne County and wealthy investors.
Now, my city, one where Black homeownership once surpassed the nation's predominately Black cities by 40%, is reduced to one where 60% of residents are now renters and are unable to pass on intergenerational wealth to their families.
After reading this book, I realized that, as a lifelong Detroiter deeply affected by the devastation caused by the housing crisis in my city, I did not have the information to understand nor the vocabulary to articulate what was happening to my historically stable neighborhood. This scholarly work comes at a critical moment in Detroit's trajectory. It makes a case for policymakers to consider de-commodifying single-family housing in residential neighborhoods to protect residents' intergenerational wealth and ensure equitable access to homeownership.
Black neighborhoods across the country continue to suffer in the aftermath of the mortgage crisis, which left our communities vulnerable to predatory investors. This new form of redlining allows these investors to benefit from the same racist policies that contributed to the housing crisis. As a result, many residents are unable to leave a legacy for their families, a privilege that white families often enjoy. Lastly, this scholarship challenges the widespread belief that Black residents in Detroit's neighborhoods lost their wealth due to irresponsibility, instead placing the blame where it rightfully belongs: on predatory racist policies and complicit local government.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2025
3.5/5.0
I found this book frustrating for a couple of reasons. The first and most obvious is the truth it reveals about racist policies that exist, persist, and people are reluctant to reform. There are countless policies like these that exist throughout the United States, but they're often mentioned broadly as this nebulous problem that needs to be solved. By focusing on one specific area and revealing the policies within it and how it affects people, Plundered shows just how sinister and/or indifferent these policies can be to affected minority groups.
However, the second reason I think this book is frustrating is just how dry it can be. Atuahene really gets into the weeds of statistics and the twisted web of bureaucracy, and the contrast between that and the more human stories of the people affected by and benefitting off these policies is stark. On one hand, it serves to illustrate just how impenetrable the bureaucracy is. If an average reader of this book can't parse through it, despite Atuahene's best efforts to make sense of it, what hope do impoverished Detroiters have to do the same? On the other hand, it threatens the clarity of the book's message. Not to spoil it, but the primary racist policy at the center of the book's thesis is that black Detroit residents were subject to illegally inflated property taxes that violate the state of Michigan's constitution and that many of the people facing property tax foreclosure shouldn't have been required to pay those taxes in the first place due to an available exemption. This is practically a mantra that is repeated again and again throughout this book. Which, to its credit, is now drilled into my memory, giving me the ability to recite it, but I couldn't tell you why the property taxes were being illegally inflated in the first place without looking it up again in the book.
Another thing to the book's credit is it doesn't shy away from how complicated the problem is or how complicated and complex the people are on all of the various sides of the issue. It's further frustrating that there are no clear or easy fixes, but the book does end with hopeful messages and efforts that are being taken to remedy the situation that can be emulated elsewhere in the country.
If nothing else, I now have a response if anyone tries to blame Detroit's troubles on the residents instead of the policies screwing them over.
I found this book frustrating for a couple of reasons. The first and most obvious is the truth it reveals about racist policies that exist, persist, and people are reluctant to reform. There are countless policies like these that exist throughout the United States, but they're often mentioned broadly as this nebulous problem that needs to be solved. By focusing on one specific area and revealing the policies within it and how it affects people, Plundered shows just how sinister and/or indifferent these policies can be to affected minority groups.
However, the second reason I think this book is frustrating is just how dry it can be. Atuahene really gets into the weeds of statistics and the twisted web of bureaucracy, and the contrast between that and the more human stories of the people affected by and benefitting off these policies is stark. On one hand, it serves to illustrate just how impenetrable the bureaucracy is. If an average reader of this book can't parse through it, despite Atuahene's best efforts to make sense of it, what hope do impoverished Detroiters have to do the same? On the other hand, it threatens the clarity of the book's message. Not to spoil it, but the primary racist policy at the center of the book's thesis is that black Detroit residents were subject to illegally inflated property taxes that violate the state of Michigan's constitution and that many of the people facing property tax foreclosure shouldn't have been required to pay those taxes in the first place due to an available exemption. This is practically a mantra that is repeated again and again throughout this book. Which, to its credit, is now drilled into my memory, giving me the ability to recite it, but I couldn't tell you why the property taxes were being illegally inflated in the first place without looking it up again in the book.
Another thing to the book's credit is it doesn't shy away from how complicated the problem is or how complicated and complex the people are on all of the various sides of the issue. It's further frustrating that there are no clear or easy fixes, but the book does end with hopeful messages and efforts that are being taken to remedy the situation that can be emulated elsewhere in the country.
If nothing else, I now have a response if anyone tries to blame Detroit's troubles on the residents instead of the policies screwing them over.
April 24, 2025
I was greatly interested in this topic. As a teenager and young adult, I had witnessed blockbusting and racial steering first-hand in Elmont, NY, where I grew up. The title made me think it would cover events in various places in the United States. This is misleading. Author Bernadette Atuahene only details the problems in the City of Detroit and its counties. A better title would have been “How Racist Policies Undermine Black Homeownership in Detroit.”
The problem with the misleading title and subject is that it will be easy for people to dismiss this. Detroit has a reputation. We can argue back and forth whether it deserves that reputation for the way its residents are treated (my opinion) or if Detroit is the way it is because of its residents (other people’s thinking). The people who most need to understand the systemic racism that Bernadette Atuahene is highlighting will dismiss this book simply because she only talks about Detroit.
Atuahene succinctly details the problem: areas where African-American residents live are over-taxed and under-represented. Poor and working-class families do not have access to the legal means to remediate the problem, not to mention that the City and County make it overly complicated. Atuahene follows the stories of several families who have lost homes to tax foreclosures, highlighting that it’s not a matter of “personal responsibility.” It’s a matter of the system being stacked against them and elected officials unwilling to do much about it until recently.
The book was not an easy read. I don’t think it’s meant to be. It’s meant to give a deeper understanding of the housing crisis in the Detroit area. Sure, houses can be purchased for quite a bit less in Detroit than in many other areas of the country, but it’s also easy for people to lose those houses. Besides unfair property tax assessments, mortgage companies make it difficult for working-class people in these areas.
To read my complete review, please go to Plundered: How Racist Policies Undermine Black Homeownership in America by Bernadette Atuahene – Systemic Racism’s Impact on Detroit Homeowners
The problem with the misleading title and subject is that it will be easy for people to dismiss this. Detroit has a reputation. We can argue back and forth whether it deserves that reputation for the way its residents are treated (my opinion) or if Detroit is the way it is because of its residents (other people’s thinking). The people who most need to understand the systemic racism that Bernadette Atuahene is highlighting will dismiss this book simply because she only talks about Detroit.
Atuahene succinctly details the problem: areas where African-American residents live are over-taxed and under-represented. Poor and working-class families do not have access to the legal means to remediate the problem, not to mention that the City and County make it overly complicated. Atuahene follows the stories of several families who have lost homes to tax foreclosures, highlighting that it’s not a matter of “personal responsibility.” It’s a matter of the system being stacked against them and elected officials unwilling to do much about it until recently.
The book was not an easy read. I don’t think it’s meant to be. It’s meant to give a deeper understanding of the housing crisis in the Detroit area. Sure, houses can be purchased for quite a bit less in Detroit than in many other areas of the country, but it’s also easy for people to lose those houses. Besides unfair property tax assessments, mortgage companies make it difficult for working-class people in these areas.
To read my complete review, please go to Plundered: How Racist Policies Undermine Black Homeownership in America by Bernadette Atuahene – Systemic Racism’s Impact on Detroit Homeowners
January 21, 2025
In Plundered, Professor Atuahene skillfully combines personal narrative and rigorous research to craft a book that is not only thought provoking, but also a page-turner. I finished the book in only a few days because I could not put it down. Although the concept of predatory governance is complex, Atuahene traces its origins and explains its implications in a way that is easy to understand. So much of her research is proprietary — building off her multi-year Detroit-based research and organizing project — making Plundered's insights groundbreaking for people who are not currently involved in Detroit's property tax justice movement. Throughout Plundered, Atuahene elucidates how predatory governance is not a problem relegated to Detroit, but one widespread nationally. Plundered's provision of this information, along with its interesting character, makes it a must read for anyone interested in social justice, economics, or policy. I can not recommend this book enough!
March 27, 2025
This book dives deeply into the bias and racism in this country focusing on the policies in Detroit that grossly inflated low-income home values causing evictions by inflicting unpayable tax bills, often ignoring exemptions due to low-income home-owners. Many specific cases were explored in depth with names changed for privacy. It is unbelievable that these onerous situations couldn't have been avoided. This shocking study is well-researched and presented in an understandable and compelling manner. Though the subtitle alludes to similar problems throughout American cities little is said other than the Detroit debacle.
January 17, 2025
I didn't fully read this book because it seemed to me that the picture it portrayed is lopsided. I do not doubt or deny that racism exists and manifests itself in cruel ways, but indicating that it dictates the destiny of people is unrealistic.
October 9, 2025
3.5–a really important topic, a little repetitive for a whole book.
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November 12, 2025So important story that was a very densely read.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews