Detroit scrappers have appeared in the short documentary "Dismantling Detroit" and in the fictional AMC show "Low Winter Sun."
They're almost legendary: Entrepreneurial on one hand, and thieves on the other, leeches that suck life out of the city and help contribute to decay and malfunctioning street lights. They scavenge for metals and sell the bounty to scrap yards.
On Wednesday, after much encouragement, and despite a pushback from scrap yard lobbyists, state lawmakers in both the House and Senate passed legislation that will make it tougher for scrappers to sell stolen metals to scrap yards.
“This is the first step toward reducing blight in my community,” said state Rep. David Nathan, D-Detroit, according to Kathleen Gray of the Detroit Free Press. “I’d like to put those copper thieves on notice right now that we’re hot on their trail.”
The Senate rejected a clause in the House bill that would have required scrappers to wait three days before getting payment for three items most commonly stolen: copper wire, catalytic converters and air conditioning units, the Freep reported. Instead, they agreed to require that any payments for items in excess of $25 be mailed to the seller at an established address, not a post office box.
The Freep reported that the legislation would also allow for the creation of a database of people selling to scrap yards.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who had been pushing for the legislation, applauded the Lansing lawmakers and said in a statement emailed to media outlets Wednesday night:
"Today's passage of HB 4593 is great news for Detroit and every other community that has struggled with the issue of illegal scrappers. Not only does it create an important paper trail for law enforcement, it removes many of the incentives, such as immediate cash payment, that have made it all too easy for scrappers to profit from the dismantling of our city."
