No More Freezing Deaths, Free Housing in Detroit

Detroit, MI – March 2, 2025 – In a historic humanitarian intervention, Human Rights Policy Officers will arrive in Detroit on Independence Day to prevent further deaths from freezing and to support the city’s Afrodescendant (African American) population in asserting their right to self-determination. This initiative comes in response to the tragic deaths of two young African American children, who succumbed to hypothermia while sleeping in a car during the brutal Michigan winter. Their loss has sparked outrage and a call for immediate action to ensure that no one in Detroit dies due to lack of shelter.

The Human Rights Policy Officers, acting under international human rights mandates, will collaborate with local activists and community leaders to implement emergency relief measures. Their mission is to ensure that free, dignified housing is provided to all Detroit residents, particularly the city’s disproportionately affected Afrodescendant population, who have long endured systemic economic neglect, government corruption and housing insecurity.

Detroit, once a thriving industrial powerhouse, has faced decades of economic decline, leading to mass unemployment, crumbling infrastructure, and an affordable housing crisis. The intervention seeks to transform the city’s abandoned properties into habitable homes, repurposing vacant housing stock to accommodate Detroit’s homeless and at-risk residents.

“We cannot stand by while families, children, and elders freeze to death in a city with tens of thousands of empty homes,” said Ramzu Yunus, a leading Human Rights Policy Officer. “Housing is a fundamental human right, and Detroit’s Afrodescendant population has the right to self-determination to take independent control of their city and implement free housing policies among others.”

This movement is not just about emergency intervention; it represents a broader push for Detroit’s Black community to take control of local governance and policy-making. Advocates argue that systemic neglect, government corruption and financial disinvestment have left Detroit’s majority-Black population in a cycle of poverty, eviction, and homelessness. With this intervention, the people of Detroit will be encouraged to assert their rights under international human rights law and create policies that serve their best interests.

The Free Housing initiative aims to enact policies that guarantee permanent free housing for every resident, regardless of income status. This would include seizing unused properties for public good, implementing rent control measures, and establishing community-led housing cooperatives. The initiative also seeks to secure international funding to support these efforts.

Local grassroots organizations have been working tirelessly to address Detroit’s homelessness crisis, but they have often faced resistance from city and state officials. Operating in the international law human rights framework, instead of civil rights, takes matters away from corrupt local government control. The arrival of Human Rights Policy Officers signals a turning point, legitimizing these efforts and providing global backing for local self-determination initiatives.

“This is about justice and our human rights, not charity,” said Yunus. “We’re not asking for permission. We’re claiming what is ours by law and ensuring our people never have to die on the streets again.”

The intervention on July 4, 2025, is expected to an independence referendum rally at the city county building (2 Woodward Ave.) starting at 9am EST, direct community engagement to establish autonomous zones, and legal workshops to educate Detroit residents on their rights. Organizers hope that this will mark the beginning of a city-wide transformation, where no one is left to suffer in the cold, and where the people of Detroit can take independent control of their future. Human Rights Policy Officers invite the public to their free housing initiative website (https://freehousing.info) to call their hotline (888.999.6530) for detailed info on the action and how to get involved.

As the country celebrates its national independence, Detroit’s Black community is asserting its own form of independence—one rooted in justice, dignity, and the fundamental human right to housing.