TOLEDO, Ohio — More than two years after his death, Jo’Von “Dede” Porter’s spirit is still on full display in an impressive mural that spans the sidewall of Ken’s Bar and Lounge on Lagrange Street.
His music lives on in a collection of rap albums he produced before he was killed in a drive-by shooting in front of Toledo Hospital in March of 2021.
“He was very gifted naturally as a kid. He would walk around with a notebook, and I would always say, ‘why don’t you put that down?’” his mother, Abena Rowland, said, explaining that he would fill the notebook with lyrics.
Tragedy has been a frequent companion for Porter’s mother.
Her husband, Sean, died in a Norwood Avenue fire.
“In 2019, I lost my husband. That’s why Jo’Von was here. Jo’Von came back from Atlanta, just because we had just lost everything.”
Ironically, a potential windfall could come from another fire the family experienced in 2015. This one was on Palmwood Avenue, in a rental property owned by Sean. More than $12,000 from an insurance claim in that case went into the city of Toledo's fire-escrow account.
“I do recall him mentioning the escrow account before, because I said, ‘Why are you keeping that house?’ He started explaining that ‘once I get it fixed up to code and stuff, there’s money that I have in escrow.’”
How the fire-escrow account works
Toledo’s fire-escrow account currently holds about $1.5 million. If a resident has a fire and has homeowner’s insurance, their insurance company will put $2,000 into escrow for every $15,000 it pays to the homeowner. When repairs are made or the home is demolished, the homeowner is supposed to get the money back. The money is protection for the city in case the property becomes a nuisance property and the city needs to use the money to fix the issue.
But like dozens of other accounts, the city considered Abena and Sean’s property abandoned in November, saying that a team of a dozen employees could not locate the homeowners - to either return the money or confirm that repairs had been made. City council then voted to transfer the money being held in escrow for those residents into the general fund and then into the demolition fund.
However, an 11 Investigates team began knocking on the doors of Toledoans whose names were on the abandoned list, finding several residents who the city claimed it could not find. The investigation aired in February, resulting in money being returned to several residents.
“When I saw the commercial, I was like, ‘Wait a minute. I think I may have some money in there,’” Rowland said.
She has been working with Toledo City Councilman Nick Komives, but the city told us that she needs to provide a will or other document to prove that Sean intended her to have the money. A city representative also told us that all the required repairs have not been made.
She sold the home after her husband’s death. Though the city said there is obvious fire damage, that was not seen during a visit. It looked as though there was a fresh coat of paint. Windows were boarded, but a neighbor said thieves have been stealing the windows, so that was a safety measure while the current owner worked on the home. The city said Abena and the homeowner could reach a deal and split the escrow if the home passes inspection, otherwise, the money will stay “abandoned.”
Toledo property owners reaching out for refunds
After the late-February WTOL 11 investigation aired, the city was forced to pass legislation to return $37,000 of the “abandoned” money to the fire escrow account for seven homeowners. Dennis Kennedy, the city’s director of urban beautification, told council on April 11 that “we were able to identify these people and speak with them after continuous review. Those accounts should no longer be declared as abandoned but as refunds.”
He added that “six are people we reached out to and one reached out to us.” That seventh person was Mary Terrell, who 11 Investigates discovered living in the same home where she has been for more than 20 years. She wasn’t even aware of the fire escrow account, but after working together with 11 Investigates, she had her escrow money returned to her earlier this month.
As far as the other six people involved in the legislation, 11 Investigates could find no evidence that the city had reached out to any of them as Kennedy said.
One elderly woman was happy to know that money was headed her way but said, “heck no, I haven’t heard from them.”
We found two of the others on the list. One man told us that he tried for several years to get his money but was met with resistance. He said he gave up five years ago and said he had not heard from the city since then. After being told council set his money aside, he eagerly called the city – multiple times – but had not heard back by the beginning of this week.
One other family was surprised to know they had more than $10,000 set aside, but they, too, said they had not heard from the city.
A city representative jokingly replied, “we didn’t need to reach them because you already found them” when asked why the city would not tell the homeowners that money was waiting for them.
Other cities handle fire-escrow differently
Toledo is unique in northwest Ohio. While the city is legally able to declare fire escrow money abandoned after five years, we could find no other city that does the same. 11 Investigates received records from 16 cities in the area with fire escrow accounts. None transferred money into the general fund. In fact, one administrator said, “Why would we? It’s not our money.”
Some cities did take portions of the money to pay back taxes or to make repairs on the house or property.
For Abena, she’s still hopeful that she will receive her family’s money. She plans to use it to help fund her non-profit organization, Uniquely Saving Our Sons. The organization provides emotional and financial support for parents and children impacted by violence.
It was created after her son’s murder. Jo’Von’s middle name was Unique.
“My faith in God is what sustains me and why I am still here,” his mother said. “There has to be more purpose for me, and that is to help other people.”
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