New Detroit policy helps Native American groups buy land

Zoom in: A local Indigenous group's recent struggle to buy Land Bank properties prompted the new policy, BridgeDetroit reported.

• The group, the Thečhíȟila Collective, ultimately used the new discount to buy properties for a gathering place.

State of play: The Land Bank is a government authority tasked with returning the city's vacant and blighted properties back to productive use.

Between the lines: A photo ID issued by a federally recognized American Indian tribe or Alaska Native entity is required, per the Land Bank's policy.

• The buyer also must own the discounted property for three years and follow other Land Bank rehabilitation requirements to realize the full value.

What they're saying: "We're coming up on having liberated this land very soon," Jaike SpottedWolf, founder of the Thečhíȟila Collective, told Bridge.