Women protest Bradenton’s ‘abusive’ public housing chief, accused of misbehavior for years
Women are coming together to speak out against Bradenton’s public housing leader, who they say is making their lives harder.
The Housing Authority of the City of Bradenton, led by executive director Ellis Mitchell Jr., issues constant fines and citations, tenants say. Those fines add up quickly and prevent struggling families from being able to pay their rent, leading to eviction.
Now, tenants are calling for Mitchell to be removed from his position. In 2018, the Bradenton Herald reported on Mitchell’s alleged treatment of the housing authority’s tenants. At the time, residents said they lived in fear.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development launched its own investigation in 2020, which determined that Mitchell and his staff were “combative and abusive” in their messages to residents. HUD’s review also found that Mitchell evicted residents more often than usual.
Mitchell still holds his position as the leader of Bradenton’s public housing authority, and his attitude toward them hasn’t changed, residents say. In a protest staged outside the housing authority’s office Wednesday evening, residents demanded a change in leadership.
“I actually regret leaving the place where I used to pay full rent,” said April Washington, a 30-year-old single mother with two children. “(Mitchell) makes you feel low as heck for being in this program.”
“(Mitchell) treats everyone there like he’s the master of the plantation and we’re the slaves. We may not be filling people’s pockets, but we are human beings,” said Barbara Thompson, who has lived in public housing for 11 years.
Speaking with the Herald on Wednesday afternoon, Mitchell denied the accusations leveled against him, saying his staff works to follow the lease agreement that tenants must sign to live there. Instead, Mitchell said the complaints stemmed from a handful of unhappy tenants who “caused problems for the housing authority.”
“All we ask our families to do is abide by the lease,” Mitchell said. “If a family is getting multiple violations, maybe the problem is with the family and not the fines.”
“I have 123 families here. Eighty-five percent of those families don’t have concerns,” he added when asked about residents who said they were terrified of his leadership. “Everywhere you go, you’re going to find someone who’s unhappy. We have regulations that people have to abide by. We don’t target anyone. That’s absolutely not true.”
Bradenton’s public housing tenants allege harassment
Public housing, which is supported by the federal government, is meant to assist low-income families with a place to stay. Subsidized rents, ranging anywhere from $0 to $500 a month, give residents an opportunity to get back on their feet. Instead, documents show how tenants say Mitchell has weaponized the rules to make their lives harder.
Residents say they’re consistently hit with fines and fees when staff find any minor violations, including improper use of the driveway, dirty dishes in their sink, or toys left outside. Once those fines are added to their accounts, residents accuse Mitchell of making up reasons not to accept their rent payments. Several evictions have followed the same pattern, they say.
Miscommunication from the housing authority’s staff led to an eviction notice against her, said Nairobys Toledo, one of the residents quoted in the Herald’s previous reporting.
“I called them asking for them to tell me what I owe because I didn’t want to skip out on them, but they had already taken the case to court. They wanted $3,000, so I paid it, no issue. It’s paid and I still got evicted,” Toledo said. “I lost all my possessions, clothes, pictures of my kids and everything.”
Alveona Collymore, who moved out of the Housing Authority of Bradenton in February after eight years, recalled being charged for an electrical problem in her home. Maintenance workers never completed the repair, she said.
“That program is supposed to be a stepping stone, but they don’t do anything to help people. They just harass them until we can’t focus on anything other than keeping a roof over our heads,” Collymore said.
Another former tenant, Shambria Scott, remembered how excited she was to learn about a chance to stay in public housing. With five kids, she hoped to spend her time there saving up money to become a homeowner.
“I was trying to buy a house. I didn’t want to remain there forever. I was trying to get a home, but I just couldn’t get on track with him,” said Scott, who was evicted from her home in Dec. 2020.
Instead of being able to use Bradenton’s public housing as an opportunity to better their lives, residents often feel trapped in a situation where their voices aren’t being heard. In interviews with the Bradenton Herald, several residents said they live in fear of receiving Mitchell’s next violation.
Without serious action from the housing authority’s board or the Bradenton City Council, residents don’t believe Mitchell’s behavior will change.
“The more they brush it under the rug and let it go, the stronger he feels. He drives around like a prison guard with control over their lives. He’s dictating their lives. That’s a prison for them,” said Shavonda Griffin, an advocate working on behalf of the public housing tenants.
“Most of these young ladies, once they get in, they’re trying to figure out how the hell to get out of it,” she added.
According to the latest U.S. Census data, the vast majority of the Housing Authority of Bradenton’s households are led by women.
“Ellis Mitchell is horrible. He doesn’t know how to talk to women,” said Washington, who has lived in public housing since 2017. “I don’t even talk to him face-to-face anymore.”
Tenant protest demands change of leadership
Aiming to raise awareness and voice their concerns with Mitchell, a group of six former and current tenants joined together Wednesday evening to lead a protest outside of the housing authority’s office. They chanted and marched through the rain before stopping to criticize Mitchell, who was in the process of removing the belongings from someone’s home as part of eviction.
“Rain, hail, sleet or snow. Ellis Mitchell has got to go,” they chanted.
Five people sit on the housing authority board, with direct oversight over Mitchell’s job performance. One of them, Jason Kraft, is a resident commissioner who lives in public housing with the rest of the tenants. Demonstrators also stopped outside of Kraft’s home, yelling and demanding that he step up and listen to their complaints.
In a bizarre interaction with residents, Kraft stepped outside holding a copy of a book containing famous American documents, such as the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Kraft began reading from the book while residents shouted and asked him to hold Mitchell accountable.
“What have you done for residents? How have you helped us?” Collymore asked.
Speaking with the Herald, Kraft said Wednesday’s demonstration wasn’t enough to prove the allegations against Mitchell. He also cast doubt on the federal report that substantiated Mitchell’s “combative and abusive” communication with residents, arguing that he needed to know the name of the agent who prepared it.
“Who made that report? Who validated it? What agent? I need to know that,” Kraft said. “I need to know what they saw and then made a claim with.”
Despite residents repeating that they wanted Kraft to take action and replace Mitchell, he claimed that the tenants didn’t provide him with any action steps to take.
“I can only help. I cannot rescue,” Kraft said. “I’m going back inside my house without a solution.”
Bradenton suggests housing authority changes
In recent months, residents have voiced their concerns to city officials. While the Housing Authority of Bradenton is a separate entity, the Bradenton City Council makes appointments to the Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners.
Speaking during a public meeting earlier this month, city leaders hinted at their displeasure with the officials who oversee the housing authority. The city attorney has begun researching the possibility of expanding the board and appointing additional members in order to enact change.
“We’re trying to get some board members that will step up and hold them accountable. That board hired and fires that executive director. That board needs to be held accountable for what happens to their staff and the executive director,” Mayor Gene Brown said. “I believe we’re starting to see a difference of attitude.”
“Whatever we can do to fix this is necessary. Expanding the board is a good idea,” added Councilman Patrick Roff. “We should make sure we have people who are really interested in serving the citizens. That would be a very good step.”
Some of the complaints have merit, according to Bradenton Police Chief Melanie Bevan. She told city officials in a recent public meeting that officers have investigated several of the complaints, but they’re unable to act on them because they are civil matters.
“We have received a lot of calls, a lot of issues. What I can say is we do see a problem with that facility,” Bevan said, referring to the Housing Authority of Bradenton. “There are a lot of single mothers and families out there struggling, but it does wind up being a civil issue. They have filed reports and we are engaged with them. My heart feels for them often.”
Current and former tenants say they’re committed to raising awareness about the ongoing situation at the Housing Authority of the City of Bradenton until new leadership is in place.
“They need to get rid of him and find someone who’s really going to be there to support those people,” said Collymore.
“I will always fight for the tenants there because of how (Mitchell) did me,” Toledo added. “I’ll see them again, and they’ll hear about me again because what’s going on there is not right.”
Have you also experienced issues with the Housing Authority of the City of Bradenton? We want to hear from you. Call reporter Ryan Callihan at (941) 745-7095 or send an email to rcallihan@bradenton.com.
This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 1:25 PM.
