The Michigan chronicle., 1943-12-11
Bitten



spartmen, at 1907 Brewster which
Is q constant fire hazard: or the
crowding OF twelve children ana
two adults into five condemned
rooms at 1887 Watson street plus
hundreds Of other cases. and you
have part OF the picture of De-
troit's housing problem which is
growing more acute daily
And little is being done about this
dangerously serious problem in
spite OF the fact that these housing
conditions seriously impair the
health o. hundreds Of war workers
breed disease and have been de-
clared tho base causes ot recent
racial conflict in Detroit
Case Number One
Az S66e Hastings street. this re-
porter talked with Mrs. James
winsnt whose husband was in
Quoted into the service last August
Weary from sitting up night pro-
tecting her children from rats
which sent one child 10 Ctildren's
hospital. and nursing her oldest
child - six-yesr-old Naomi - who
has been kept out o! school because
OF serious cold contracted in the
poorly ventilated vermin infested
shack. Mrs. Winan; told how Cd
after her ll-mon;h-old bsby was
bitten by 4 huge rat she attempted
20 keep the pests out by stopping
I'D rat holes with bottles and rags.
q, the landlord had reused 10
make even minor repairs on the
place and 90 the landlords order
ing her 20 vacate the premises last
week when She withheld the 500
month rent until he at least made
enough repairs 20 keep the rats out.
Last September. Mrs Winant said.
The Childron'S hospital reported the
place 10 the Board OF Health after
treating her child for rat bites
There has been no investigation by
the Board OF Health. and she has
been unable 10 find place 70 move
her children in the little time she
has from taking care OF them. Il
just sit Up nights throwing things
at rats and when 60 TO sleep ]
leave the lights burning" the young
mother said I've looked for place
10 live but have had no success. and
] have 10 write 10 my husband in
the army because / know he. is still
worried over our condition"
Case Number Two
Up at 36l5 Rivard. Mrs. Martin
johnson stood beside a kitchen sink
which had been stopped up for
weeks. From this sink came an un-
pleasant odor which. mingled with
the stencil from a garbage recep-
tacle beside the lean-to shack. al
most drives the family outside even
on cold days. AT least five families
use this garbage dump and refuse
collected over period OF weeks
was running over the top into the
alley. creating a nasty mess after
an all-night rain.
or the four small children. three
have been hospitalized in the past
year. and one was treated for pncu-
monia at Children hospital last
April The lean-to consists Of four
rooms; two up and two down.
No provision are made for heating
the upstairs rooms. and two stoves
in the small kitchen provide heat
for The entire quarters-creating a
constant fire hazard. '.-,
For this shack-which the Board
of Health has declared unfit for
human habitation, and which the
court more than year ago ordered
the landlord 10 repair-the John
sons pay $3.50 a month rent. The
kitchen sink is stopped up the year
round. and the entire water sys-
tem--including the makeshitt toilet
lis frozen throughout the winter.
In this place the Johnson's are at
tempting to bring up four small
children whose little voices
wheezed as they tried to make
friends with the reporter. Rats al
most as big as the baby" Mrs