DETROIT — Three massive hearings drew thousands to Cobo Center earlier this week as people facing foreclosure for not paying property taxes attempted to convince the Wayne County Treasurer’s office to not foreclose on their properties.

Treasurer Raymond Wojtowicz is required by law to foreclose on those who haven’t paid their taxes for at least three years. The hearings are usually done in court but about 42,000 parcles of property are delinquent according to local reports compared with 26,000 last year. 

On the first day many of those who packed Cobo were elderly residents or those below the poverty line. 

Wojotowicz said he didn’t want their property and instead wanted the people to continue owning it and paying taxes. 

Deputy Treasurer David Szymanski said that he wanted people to come in and talk to his office, noting the programs and plans that can help stave off foreclosures. State law sets the delinquent tax rate at 18% a year which cannot be changed by Wojtowicz’s office.