The City's Last Major Parcel Has an Encampment, a $33M Debt, and a Groundbreaking — All at Once
On the same day Ypsilanti celebrated the Youth Arts Alliance groundbreaking at 326 E. Michigan, the land the city transferred free, declared blighted to unlock county grants, and paid a city-contracted firm to brand — a February 2025 vacate notice remains unenforceable a block and a half west on Water Street, where an active encampment has produced reports of sexual assault and children in the woods.
$1.2 Million to Stop Crime. Crime Went Up 56%.
The county's largest violence intervention grant went to a group led by a convicted murderer and a registered sex offender. The IRS revoked its nonprofit status. The county kept paying. · Read the full story →
The Vote That's Been Tabled Since October
Resolution 240 failed 3-3 in October 2024. Council Member King is now calling for removal. The math hasn't changed. Tuesday night, it might.
The Woman Who Demanded Accountability for the China Trip Is Running Against the Mayor Who Was On It
October 17, 2017: Amber Fellows stood at the public comment microphone and asked why staff hadn't been fired. Nicole Brown was on the plane. They now vote together on the same council. Fellows filed for mayor April 20.
The Same Names Keep Appearing.
That's Not a Coincidence. That's a System.
Ypsilanti's accountability failures don't happen in isolation. They happen within a documented network of overlapping institutional affiliations — elected officials, nonprofit leaders, political operatives, and appointed commissioners whose relationships The Ypsilantian has traced through public records, campaign finance filings, council minutes, and IRS documents. The network map (interactive version coming) documents every confirmed connection.
The Encampment Resolution. Again.
Resolution 240 failed 3-3 in October 2024. Peeler happened in January 2026. King and Brown visited the encampment in May 2026. King called for removal on June 3: "It's our responsibility. It's our land." Reports of sexual assault, children in the woods, and fires at the encampment are documented.
The question Tuesday June 16 is whether the vote math has changed. King (YES) and McLean (almost certainly YES) are two. Brown visited with King — hard to vote no. If Brown votes yes: three. Wilcoxen is the swing. Simmons will almost certainly vote no. Fellows likely follows Simmons ideologically.
The Ypsilantian will have a reporter in chambers Tuesday June 16. The Ypsilantian has documented the full context of every vote cast on this issue since October 2024 and every condition at the encampment since the February 2025 vacate notice.
Brown vs. Fellows: The Rematch Nobody Fully Understands Yet
In 2022, Brown won the mayoral race 76%. Fellows lost. Four years later, Fellows — now a sitting Ward 3 council member — filed to run against Brown on April 20, the day before the deadline. In 2017, Fellows stood at the public comment microphone and demanded staff be fired over a China trip Brown was on. They have voted together on $1 million spending packages. The 2026 mayoral race is the accountability story nobody else is covering.
Three Incumbents. Three Primary Challengers. One Appointed Seat.
45 active requests across Ypsilanti City, Washtenaw County, WCSO, and Washtenaw Prosecutor's Office. Full FOIA log in the publication archive.
Who We Are and Why We Exist
The Ypsilantian is an independent watchdog publication covering Ypsilanti and Washtenaw County, Michigan. We are named after M.T. Woodruff's original Ypsilantian, established in 1879.
We have no advertisers. We accept no paid placements. We are not affiliated with any political party, candidate, or organization. We follow documented public records, we file FOIAs, and we cover what the other outlets don't.
Our publisher is a longtime Ypsilanti south side resident. Our research director specializes in FOIA and public records. Our work is grounded in the documented record — council minutes, court filings, IRS documents, and first-person field coverage.
The publication you're reading is a preview. The full Ypsilantian launches Tuesday, June 17, 2026 — the night of the encampment vote.
Know Something We Should Know?
Ypsilanti residents, business owners, city employees, and former officials: if you have documents, records, or firsthand knowledge of conduct that belongs on the public record, contact us.
We protect sources. We verify before publishing. We give every subject named in a story the opportunity to respond.