GRETCHEN HAMMOND

In the early morning of August 30, 2013, Rudy and Rennie North were enjoying breakfast in their Las Vegas home when there was a knock at the door.
Expecting their daughter Julie Belshe and her children, the Norths were instead confronted by a woman who called herself an “Officer of the Court”. Under the threat of imprisonment, she had them forcibly removed and assumed complete control over their lives.
In 2019, journalist Gretchen Hammond discovered thousands of such victims in Detroit, Michigan. As with the Norths, their homes, possessions, savings, and basic human rights and freedoms were taken from them by a judge, without a trial.
Julie launched a desperate battle for her parents’ freedom. Gretchen fought to uncover the unchecked and corrupt legal system that had similarly left countless numbers of innocents abandoned in nursing homes against their will.
What took place became the biggest and most infamous case of abuse and exploitation in Nevada history, and a tragic secret Michigan would do anything to protect.
American Unpeople is a tragic true story and journalistic deep dive into a system that can suddenly turn anyone’s life into a terrifying dystopia.