Bed bugs, roaches, no heat plague filthy apartment complex

HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. (WJBK) - The men and women who live at an apartment in Highland Park have some seriously undesirable roommates.

On top of the bed bugs and roaches, the heat went out - and they're being warned not to go to extreme measures to warm it up.

Mark Stewart says he's got one thing that works.

"All we got is lights."

But the lights show everything that's wrong with the Woodford Apartments on Farris Street in Highland Parks. 

"I have to get rid of all my clothes, I got to get rid of all my furniture," he said the problem will make your skin crawl. "Bedbugs."

We saw them. They were on the kitchen table, the wall, and in his freezer. But even that's not the only problem.

"I'm freezing to death in my own house," Stewart said. 

But if Stewart, aka Smokey, wanted to use his oven as a last resort, he can't - there's a sign on the door that says don't use your stove to heat your apartment.

"Why not say, don't need heat. "

Smokey has lived in the filthy building for 10 years. He pays his $540 each month for rent but when he went to complain, he was told to get out.

FOX 2 tried to talk to the landlord - but he slammed the door in our face.

Minister Malik Shabazz organized a protest over the living conditions here. Even he couldn't talk to the landlord.

"It's a human rights violation. Every human being has a right to shelter fit for human beings," Shabazz said. "People can't control of the heat - it's winter."

Technically, Smokey's lease was up in January of this year. He did get a notice to quit - which is the start to get him out - but he's still in the apartment. The landlord would have to take him to court to get him out. 

Even though the landlord wouldn't talk to us, a sign out front gave us some kind of a statement: there are apartments for lease in his building.

The minister and a number of tenants will take their complaints to the Highland Park city Council meeting on Monday night.