Dear Detroit,

Have you or someone you know rented from (past or current tenant), considered renting from (prospective tenant, now or in the past), or conducted other business with Jeff Cowin?

You are invited to join a collective action for safety, public health, and accountability. It is together that we bust this BAU status quo complicity. In so doing, we show to both ourselves and each other where we stand in character and community. “Until the lion tells the story, the hunter will tell the tale” (African proverb).

Finding yourself hesitant to reach out; shrugging “Not/never my problem” or “I’ve moved on, I don’t care about my past self, or anybody else;” or feeling a bit scared? Check out the growing list of secondary sources that educate and inform this effort and might activate you, too. There is NO such thing as neutrality! To lament or protest the abuse of power by President Trump & Co. while staying silent or static on problems in closer proximity, calls one’s intention and integrity into question.

We focus on illuminating facts of public records and truths of our lived experiences, compelled in part by the media’s neglect to conduct this due diligence over 10+ years; governments’ neglect or failure to enforce the laws; and “community” complicity including various forms of support, denial, silence, and selective focus on optics rather than substantive safety and well-being of ALL residents, egregious in a context of compounding housing/economic crises.

• Jeffrey Scott Cowin owns or has owned these businesses: Greater Midtown Property Management, LLC (“not good” annual report standing); Beautiful Detroit, LLC (“not good” annual report standing); 866 Virginia Park, LLC (dissolved); 159 Virginia Park, LLC (dissolved); and 140 Virginia Park, LLC (dissolved), per LARA.

• In Brush Park, Jeff rents out 82 Alfred unlawfully w/o a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) on Vrbo, Expedia, and Trip.com, and he “co-hosted” with Zoe Bowman unlawfully on Airbnb. In Virginia Park, Jeff / Greater Midtown Property Management, LLC rents out or leases out various properties on Virginia Park Street: 159 (unlawful w/o CoC, recent blight violation fine, blight violation fine history); 866 (unlawful w/o CoC or registration, recent blight violation fines 1 & 2, blight violation fine history); 874 (unlawful w/o CoC, recent blight violation fine, blight violation fine history); and 888 (recent blight violation fine, blight violation fine history), per BSEED and City of Detroit Office of the Assessor.

• Jeff is active in the Virginia Park Block Club. Here are two maps (1 and 2) of all current property owners of Virginia Park near Second Ave and Third Ave, as you can see, the Virginia Park blocks where Jeff owns and leases out property unlawfully, per the City of Detroit.

• His real estate salesperson license as associated with City Living Detroit, LLC, is lapsed since 10/31/2012, per LARA.

• In property taxes, interests and fees, Jeff owes $26,269.19 for 620 Virginia Park (Record Card); $12,169.38 for 714 Blaine; and $49.52 for 893 W Euclid (Record Card) (total owed to Wayne County: $38,488.09), per the Wayne County Treasurer’s Office and City of Detroit Office of the Assessor. Why this matters, beyond basic business responsibility: 82 Alfred almost foreclosed in 2022; near-foreclosure is a situation of high precarity and instability which causes tenants undue extreme stress.

• In Water and Sewage fees, $15,037.67 is owed for 159 Virginia Park as of 07/11/2025; $8,127.19 is owed for 866 Virginia Park as of 07/11/2025; $1,899.63 is owed for 874 Virginia Park as of 07/11/2025; $1,468.24 is owed for 888 Virginia Park as of 06/25/2025; and $6,304.62 is owed for 82 Alfred as of 06/25/2025 (total owed to the City of Detroit: $32,837.35), per DWSD. Additionally, $3,698.55 was owed for 2431 Parker when it was owned by Jeff Cowin and Zoe Bowman, until 04/04/2024. Why this matters, beyond basic business responsibility: in leases, Greater Midtown Property Management, LLC is obligated to pay utilities including water & sewage with the rent that a tenant pays.

Relatedly, Kimberly Ross Clayson, attorney and board chair of Outlier Media, served as resident agent for Greater Midtown Property Management, LLC, from 07/18/2014 – 11/05/2023, more than five months after a former tenant had informed her of grave concerns and experiences. She served as resident agent for 866 Virginia Park, LLC, 159 Virginia Park, LLC, and 140 Virginia Park, LLC from 07/18/2014 –02/03/2017, the duration of their existences, per LARA. Clayson represented both Jeff and 866 Virginia Park, LLC in a landlord-tenant case, per the 36th District Court Register of Action. Cat Panek who worked as office manager for Greater Midtown Property Management, LLC, from 10/2017 – 01/2019, per her LinkedIn, continued to collude with Jeff as of spring 2024.

Yes (roar/sigh) there’s more. Above all: look to hear from you soon. <3 <3