When Process Breaks Down: A Closer Look at Tax Exemption, Foreclosure, and Due Process in Lansing
- The Chronicle News
- 2 hours ago
- 9 min read
For nearly eight decades, Robinson Memorial Church has served Lansing through faith, outreach, and community care. Though the church is currently located on Lansing’s east side, the disputed property on Perry Robinson Circle was purchased by a prior church administration with the intent of building a new church facility and eventually relocating the congregation to the south-central side of the city.[1]
Today, that property sits at the center of a legal dispute raising questions about tax exemption, property classification, foreclosure, and constitutional due process. This is not simply a story about unpaid taxes. It is a story about process, and whether that process was properly followed.
A Property With History
The parcel at issue, located on Perry Robinson Circle in Lansing, Michigan, Parcel No. 33-01-05-04-203-001, has been connected to Robinson Memorial Church since December 14, 1999, when it was purchased for $450,000.[2] The property spans approximately 6.18 acres and has been classified as Commercial Vacant, a designation that became central to the City’s position that the property no longer qualified for exemption.
But Robinson Memorial Church maintains that the property was never abandoned in purpose. Pastor Michael West states his predecessor purchased property on the south-central side of town with the intention of building a new church facility and eventually relocating the congregation to the vacant property on Perry Robinson Circle. It’s also tied to ministry planning, food access work, and community-based initiatives.[3]
The Missing Middle: Between Exemption and Taxation
Documentation provided by the church indicates that Robinson Memorial Church received tax exemption approval on February 14, 2014. The approval letter stated that the exemption would remain in effect as long as the property was owned and occupied by Robinson Memorial Church.[4] That language matters.
The church says it received no formal notice that its exemption had been revoked, changed, or placed at risk after that approval. Pastor Michael A. West wrote that since the 2014 certificate, “we have not received any notification indicating a change or issue with our current exemption status.”[5]
The City’s own exemption policy also appears to require a process before exempt status is removed, including review, possible inspection, notice to the property owner, and an opportunity to respond.[6] That creates the central unanswered question: Did the City document each required step before returning the property to the tax roll?
Escalating Tax Delinquency
Tax records indicate the property accumulated delinquent balances exceeding $163,000 over multiple years, reflecting a pattern rather than a single lapse:
2020: ~$49,029
2021: ~$42,110
2022: ~$37,593
2023: ~$14,506
2024: ~$11,073
Public records trace the progression of the Perry Robinson Circle property from tax classification to enforcement, showing its designation as “Commercial – Vacant,” rising delinquent balances, and a series of foreclosure notices filed over several years.
Sources: Ingham County property and deed records
This gradual accumulation suggests a prolonged administrative and financial breakdown rather than an isolated event. Foreclosure Activity and Enforcement
Records from the Ingham County Register of Deeds confirm multiple foreclosure notices filed between 2022 and 2026. Under Michigan law, tax foreclosure follows a structured process, including:
Notice requirements
Redemption periods
Administrative hearings
However, legal filings suggest that enforcement actions were later challenged, interrupting the foreclosure process and shifting the matter into litigation.
From Tax Matter to Civil Rights Litigation
The dispute has evolved into a multi-case legal matter within the 30th Circuit Court:
Case 1 (25-001594-CZ): Filed against the Ingham County Treasurer, including a request for a temporary restraining order; now closed.
Case 2 (25-001595-CZ): Filed against the City of Lansing, raising constitutional claims; closed with prejudice.
Case 3 (25-006431-CZ): Ongoing civil action before Judge Morgan Cole.
Earlier litigation connected to the matter also appears in appellate records, including Robinson Memorial Church of God in Christ v. City of Lansing (No. 364661), which was tied to proceedings before the Michigan Tax Tribunal.
Taken together, these filings reflect an evolving legal strategy that moves beyond a property tax dispute and into broader claims involving governmental conduct, constitutional protections, and due process. [8]
Judicial Reassignment
Court records indicate that Judge Wanda Stokes initially presided over earlier proceedings before recusal and reassignment to Judge Morgan Cole. Judicial reassignment is a standard procedural action and does not imply misconduct, but reflects the evolving nature and complexity of the case.
Foreclosure Activity and Enforcement
Records and filings indicate that foreclosure-related proceedings followed the growing delinquency. Under Michigan tax foreclosure law, notice, timing, redemption, and hearing rights are not casual details. They are the backbone of the process.
The church’s position is that the property was placed at risk without meaningful notice or a fair opportunity to respond. The City’s position, according to prior public reporting, is that notice was sent and that the property did not meet the religious-use requirements under Michigan law. That disagreement is not minor. It is the case.
Attorney Background: Gregory J. Reed’s Broader Legal Frame
Robinson Memorial Church is represented by Gregory J. Reed, Esq., a Detroit-based attorney, author, cultural preservationist, and legal advocate whose career spans civil rights, intellectual property, entertainment law, tax law, and cultural legacy preservation.[9] Reed’s public biography describes work connected to major civil rights and cultural figures, including Rosa Parks, Malcolm X’s legacy, Alex Haley’s legacy, Coretta Scott King, Dr. Betty Shabazz, Nelson Mandela-related cultural work, Motown figures, and nationally significant literary and historical projects.[10]
That background matters because Reed is not approaching this case as a narrow property-tax disagreement. His framing places the matter within a broader tradition of legal challenges involving governmental accountability, unequal treatment, property rights, and procedural fairness. In this case, Reed’s argument centers on whether the City’s actions, including classification, notice, inspection, tax assessment, and enforcement, satisfied constitutional due process. The church’s filings and supporting materials allege that the City acted based on assumptions about vacancy and use rather than a complete, documented process.[11]
The Due Process Question
At the center of this case is a constitutional command rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment: the government may not deprive any person or entity of property without due process of law. The U.S. Supreme Court has consistently made clear that notice must be meaningful, not merely procedural. In Mennonite Board of Missions v. Adams, the Court held that notice by publication alone is insufficient when a party’s identity and address are reasonably ascertainable.[12] In Jones v. Flowers, the Court further required that when mailed notice is returned unclaimed, the government must take additional reasonable steps before proceeding with a tax sale.[13]
This principle has been reinforced across decades of jurisprudence, including Nelson v. City of New York and, more recently, Tyler v. Hennepin County, which renewed national scrutiny on tax foreclosure practices and affirmed that property rights remain constitutionally protected, even when taxes are owed.[14] The question in Lansing is not simply whether taxes were assessed.
It is whether the path from exemption, to taxation, to foreclosure risk complied with the constitutional requirement of notice, fairness, and an opportunity to be heard.
Conflicting Interpretations of “Use”
Michigan law exempts houses of public worship and the land on which they stand, including facilities owned by a religious society and used predominantly for religious services or religious teaching. Recent Michigan legal analysis has emphasized that ownership by a religious society alone may not be enough.
In a 2024 Court of Appeals decision involving Woodside Bible Church, the court upheld denial of an exemption where the property was not predominantly used for religious purposes.
That legal backdrop gives the City an argument: vacant or insufficiently used religious property may not qualify.
But Robinson Memorial Church’s counterargument is equally important: the property was not idle in purpose. Church materials and testimony describe the land as connected to future church development, community gardening, food access, and ministry planning.[15]
That tension, strict physical use versus broader religious and community mission use, may shape how the court views the case.
Community Impact Evidence
The Greater Lansing Food Bank confirmed that Robinson Memorial Church has been connected to community garden and food access efforts dating back years.
According to the Food Bank, these efforts supported fresh produce distribution and nutrition access for low- to moderate-income families and seniors, reaching more than 1,500 households and over 1,000 individuals annually.[16] This evidence does not resolve the legal question of tax exemption. But it complicates any claim that the property lacked a meaningful community or ministry-related function.
What Remains Unanswered
Despite extensive documentation, several critical questions remain:
When was the tax exemption formally removed, and what triggered that decision?
Was the property inspected or reviewed prior to revocation?
What notice was issued, how was it delivered, and was it sent to the correct address?
Was Robinson Memorial Church given a meaningful opportunity to respond?
Was this property treated consistently with similarly situated or nonprofit properties?
Until these questions are resolved through court records, FOIA disclosures, and official documentation, the record remains incomplete, and the due process question unresolved.
A Story Still Unfolding
This case remains active.This reporting does not presume wrongdoing. It does not assign blame. It examines the record and asks a narrower, more consequential question:
Did the process align with the law?
Because when process breaks down, the impact does not stop at a single parcel. It extends to churches, nonprofits, and communities that rely on public systems to be fair, transparent, and accountable.
In matters of property and law, details are not technicalities, they are the story.
What Comes Next
The Chronicle News will continue to report as additional information becomes available, including:
FOIA disclosures
Court proceedings and rulings
Expert analysis from legal and policy perspectives
If gaps in process exist, they warrant close examination. The question is not only what happened, but whether it happened lawfully.
When process breaks down, the impact moves beyond a single property line, into communities, into trust, and into the enduring question of who the system is built to protect.
Footnotes
[1] Pastor Michael A. West, email clarification to The Chronicle News, regarding church location and intended future relocation to Perry Robinson Circle.
[2] Ingham County parcel materials provided to The Chronicle News, Parcel No. 33-01-05-04-203-001.
[3] Affidavit of Pastor Michael West and supporting church materials.
[4] City Assessor’s Office exemption approval letter, February 14, 2014.
[5] Pastor Michael A. West, follow-up email to The Chronicle News.
[6] City of Lansing Assessor’s Office, Property Tax Exemption Policy, Jan. 1, 2025.
[7] Church-provided tax delinquency summary and supporting materials.
[8] Case summary materials provided by legal counsel to The Chronicle News.
[9] Gregory J. Reed biography materials provided by counsel and public professional profile.
[10] Gregory J. Reed public biography, about.me/gjrassoc.
[11] Affidavit of Pastor Michael West and transcript excerpts from April 8, 2025 hearing.
[12] Mennonite Board of Missions v. Adams, 462 U.S. 791 (1983).
[13] Jones v. Flowers, 547 U.S. 220 (2006).
[14] Tyler v. Hennepin County, 598 U.S. ___ (2023).
[15] Pastor affidavit, Food Bank letter, and transcript excerpts.
[16] Greater Lansing Food Bank letter regarding Robinson Memorial Community Garden, Nov. 26, 2024.
References
City of Lansing Assessor’s Office. (2025). Property Tax Exemption Policy.
FOX 47 News. (2022). Robinson Memorial Church taxed over $55,000, seeks explanation from City of Lansing.
FOX 47 News. (2025). Church and City of Lansing go to court over tax exemption status.
Justia. (2023). Robinson Memorial Church of God in Christ v. City of Lansing, Docket No. 364661.
Michigan Legislature. (n.d.). MCL 211.7s, Houses of public worship; parsonage.
Bodman PLC. (2024). Court of Appeals decision on religious property tax exemption standards.
U.S. Supreme Court. (1983). Mennonite Board of Missions v. Adams, 462 U.S. 791.
U.S. Supreme Court. (2006). Jones v. Flowers, 547 U.S. 220.
U.S. Supreme Court. (2023). Tyler v. Hennepin County, 598 U.S. ___.
Document packet: Land Heist RMC, including City policy, exemption approval, affidavit, transcript excerpts, Food Bank letter, and related correspondence.