My stepmother's mother took this opportunity to steal my keys while I was sleeping, lock me out of the apartment, and then threaten to smash my electronics if I did not move everything of mine out immediately.

Lastly, not just anyone has the funds to buy a hotel, so thats not going to work either, I feel that you have some interest in the hotel business and you lobby against it because you feel threatened that there might be a better option out there than your hotel.

We are now being threatened with a lawsuit after close if we do not oblige them.

They have also threatened to sue. 

For about $100/month, I no longer have to listen to angry neighbors saying "told you absentee landlords ruin the neighborhood", town threatening fines and more inspections, listen to stories on broken mowers.

Threatening eviction or starting eviction over these small issues seems rash.Instead, I would email them or mail them, since you have time, and explain their calculation errors, what they still owe for rent, and what they need to do to get their s/d back.

Hi Michael,I see gentrification, in some areas, and some areas I would not go into day or night.I doubt D-Town will come back to level of Chicago or Austin in our lifetimes because I do not see the high paying large scale multi-multi employer base in the area.There seems to be money to be made there in the non-life threatening areas though, and with the local "Rah Rah" for the area that will probably continue as the dangerous element is driven out by higher costs (where they are going is important too, because dangerous areas seem to be on the move now).In addition to real estate, I see money to made there in (good affordable) startup restaurants, and franchises in super safe walkable areas such as McDonald's or Starbucks (because these franchises seem to work everywhere).Detroit still suffers from city government issues and it's reputation as the Murder Capital.Though I'm not a commercial building investor, I think 4 story or lower (the lower the better) commercial buildings (store/restaurant) that can be bought cheap and refurbished to current standards (providing you can get commercial contractors to go there and work), then held and rented seems like a decent prospect.

They threatened my mother with a knife.

I had a problematic tenant who was late on rent threaten to call code enforcement on me, to which I was able to say “please do if you have any concerns”.

The only one I see being significantly threatened is the Patent/Copy right protection overseas.