Following the saga of Bert’s Entertainment Complex (known to true jazz and ribs fans simply as Bert’s because if you don’t know, then, well…) is somewhat like following the path of a Charlie Parker solo through space; it never goes quite where you think it’s going to go, but once you think you’ve gotten where you thought you were headed you can’t deny it’s been quite a ride before the whole roadshow takes off again.
But the question that you really gotta ask at this point is: does Bert really know something that the rest of us don’t? Only asking because not long before the last time Bert’s place was on the auction block in July he swore he wasn’t going anywhere. He had more than a few documents detailing the numerous ways in which he claimed he had been hoodwinked, swindled and bamboozled by those shady and nefarious types who were essentially out to snatch his increasingly valuable stretch of real estate and transform it into (most likely) high end condos, apartments or something whatever luxurious and designed to be a Raid-type repellant to keep away those pesky Detroit culture types committed to the preservation of the jazz legacy/treasure that is Bert’s.
Anyway, there were most certainly those, even among Bert’s supporters, who began to shake their worried heads in resignation and defeat, accepting the inevitable fate that the fundraiser had not raised anywhere near enough funds m- nor did the Go Fund Me page – and Bert’s would soon meet its end at the auction block. But then something funny happened on the way to…
From the Detroit Free Press:
“The 33,327-square-foot building at 2727 Russell, where Bert’s has operated more 28 years, was sold at auction in July for nearly $2 million. Ryan Snoek, a consultant with Luke Investments who’s handling the sale for owners Simon Group Holdings-2727 Russell Street LLC, wasn’t immediately available for comment on why the deal fell through.”
Fell through…?
OK, so it’s true that Bert’s will once again be placed on the auction block October 26-28, once again by auction.com. But this still feels a bit like one of those rather odd events that makes your head itch. Because maybe it’s just one of those things. Yeah, maybe so. But then again I suspect some of those who laughed off all that ‘evidence’ Bert claimed he had are beginning to think maybe…of course there’s probably nothing to it because…
But maybe…
Detroit, Michigan. September 21, 2015. FICTITIOUS SHERIFF AUCTIONS AND BIDDERS, FALSIFIED LEGAL DOCUMENTS, CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FRAUD, AND PUBLIC CORRUPTION ARE JUST SOME OF THE CHARGES BEING LODGED AGAINST WAYNE COUNTY PUBLIC OFFICIALS, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, AND EMPLOYEES. A number of Wayne County homeowners as well as business property owner Bert Dearing, Jr. have jointly filed an official “Verified Complaint and Request for Criminal Investigation of Public Corruption and Foreclosure Fraud in Wayne County” with local FBI investigators. The petitioners have corroborating proof and evidence of the elaborate scheme used by foreclosing attorneys like TROTT & TROTT, ORLANS ASSOCIATES and FABRIZIO & BROOK to defraud Wayne County and other county residents out of their homes and businesses; much like the scam being played out in an effort to steal Bert’s Market Place, a well-known Detroit eatery and entertainment spot located in the heart of Detroit’s Eastern Market District.
Meanwhile, whatever happens, Bert’s lease doesn’t run out until 2017. That could prove to be a very long time.
Stay tuned…
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