"Speedy Detroit Blight Removal Could Be Endangering Residents"

"Speed before safety.

Contractors in Detroit were under so much pressure to knock down thousands of abandoned properties that they cut corners, mishandled deadly asbestos at dozens of sites, and, in two cases, appeared to falsify inspection reports, according to documents the Free Press obtained under the state Freedom of Information Act.

One employee of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality blamed city officials, saying that at a meeting they acknowledged putting 'production over compliance' with asbestos regulations."

Jennifer Dixon and Joe Guillen report for the Detroit Free Press August 6, 2017.