Detroit Woman Forced To Share Home With Intruder

This story may hit a little too close to home for some of our Detroit readers...

Fox News recently reported on the unfortunate tale of Heidi Peterson – a historic homeowner in Detroit's Boston-Edison District.

After being out of her home for a year, she returned to a overwhelming surprise a couple of weeks ago.

A squatter – documented all over the house as Missionary-Tracey Elaine Blair, a 'write-in candidate for president', she claims – was dwelling in Peterson's home. The squatter had been busy too: she completely remodeled the home. She had changed the locks, replaced the older appliances, reworked the plumbing, put a lien on the house, and even added a personal stylistic touch of her own; new curtains.

*Squatter Tracey Elaine Blaire, image courtesy of NYDailyNews.com

According to neighbors, the woman had been living in Peterson's house for at least a few months before Peterson moved back in with her baby daughter.

Peterson told reporters she had to vacate the building back in February of 2011 because of boiler complications. She took all of her personal items including books and writings, but left the furniture inside the house.

Prior to vacating her house, Peterson leased the house to tenants in 2010 – including this alleged squatter – but she said she evicted everyone once the house was deemed unsafe to live in.

Peterson told Fox, “I thought if the house is not safe, how can I come here with my child? There's an issue with that. But should I lose my house to a squatter because I don't have rights to my property or should I fight to get it back?... I don't know what the capabilities are. We're afraid of her mindset of entitlement.”

*Peterson, image courtesy of NYDailyNews.com

Peterson feels trapped because she spent all her money on the house itself and doesn't have money to stay elsewhere until this matter is resolved. For now, the two women will have to find a way to live together along with Peterson's one-year-old daughter, according to the law.

In defense, the squatter assured reporters that she has a lease and is not squatting at all. Undisclosed sources told Fox that the woman who took over Peterson's home filed paperwork within the city claiming that the property had been abandoned.

This brings up a lot of important factors to consider. For example, where do we draw the line between “trespasser” and “squatter”? Why is one illegal while one is perfectly legal? Secondly, this shows how the notion of entitlement is poisoning our nation and intruding on the rights of those who work hard for their homes, money, and other possessions.

How bad will it get before we experience a serious paradigm shift? How will we ever be be able to overcome this debilitating entitlement trend?...

*Update: As of October 17, 2012, news reports have indicated that the squatter has moved out of Peterson's home... for now, at least. She has also said she plans to remove all of her possessions from the home in the near future.

Peterson isn't convinced. She told Fox, "My thoughts are that this is not the first time that she's moving out, so what's going to stop her from coming back?"

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