Julia Aikens wiped the tears from her eyes and her voice wavered as she addressed the personal impact of the tax foreclosure crisis that continues to rock Detroit and Wayne County even as the total number of foreclosures has dropped this year. Aikens, a 67-year-old with an annual Social Security income of less than $ 13,000 and a home on Detroit's east side, is one of seven homeowners listed as plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against Wayne County Treasurer Eric Sabree, Wayne County, the City of Detroit and the Detroit Citizens Review Board.
