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4 GROUNDCOVER NEWS LOCAL TO GLOBAL APRIL 17, 2026 Ann Arbor woman in midst of Iran war calls on City Council to pass a resolution MIKE JONES Groundcover vendor No. 113 It has been seven weeks since the start of the United States, Israel and Iran war. Dr. Mozhgan Savabieasfahani, an environmental toxicologist from Ann Arbor who ran for City Council in 2020, became trapped in Tehran, Iran in early March 2026, while caring for her elderly parents during intensified military conflicts. She was experiencing the conflict firsthand. Surrounded by aerial bombings near her childhood home, she reported on the situation on March 5, in a Youtube video calling for an end to the U.S. and Israeli strikes. Known for her advocacy for cutting local ties to Israel, she has spoken out against the genocide in Palestine regularly at Ann Arbor City Council Meetings. Her husband, Blaine Coleman, remained in Ann Arbor and reported her situation to local media, advocating for her safety. She and her parents were staying as safe as possible under difficult conditions as of early March 2026. Mr. Coleman addressed Ann Arbor City Council on March 16, 2026, where he gave an update on his wife’s status, and he played video on his laptop of his wife's recorded video message from Tehran calling on City Council to pass a symbolic resolution asking governments to cut off military aid to Israel. At the April 2, 2026 Ann Arbor City Council meeting, Mr. Coleman stated Dr. Savabieasfahani and her parents were still under heavy bombardment, and he continued to ask Council to pass a resolution to end military aid to Israel. Savabieasfahani said if people of the United States want Iranians to have a better life, they should stop their own government from bombing and putting sanctions on Iran. “Bombing a society like Iran is not going to force them into submission. This is an ancient culture,” she said. “This is an old, ancient people who will not submit to the force of the United States and Israel. We have dignity and we will not submit to you.” Israel has done similar damage to other places, from Palestine to Syria, Savabieasfahani said. “And we must stop them,” she said. “American taxpayers pay for Israeli genocide in Palestine. They are paying for Israel to massacre Iranian people in their country, attacking them. And this is unbearable. We must stop the Dr. Mozhgan Savabieasfahani U.S. and Israel from attacking everywhere, trying to force people to submit to their rule,” reported Mlive. The conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran began on February 28, 2026, following failed negotiations that led to U.S. and Israeli attacks. This followed a previous 12-day conflict in June 2025, and lingering high tensions from the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War. EL CENTRAL Hispanic News independent community journalism, 37 years and counting! ANNA GERSH Groundcover Board President I had the pleasure of visiting a kindred collective this past month. At 37 years young, EL CENTRAL Hispanic News is Detroit’s oldest continuously operating bilingual news resource. I recently met managing editor Robert Dewaelsche to discuss the importance of local print journalism and to learn about all the amazing ways EL CENTRAL serves its community. One of the most valuable features of EL CENTRAL is its office location. Situated right on Vernor Highway, across from the beautiful and spacious Clark Park, and around the corner from Western International High School, EL CENTRAL is perfectly placed to observe the community and — in the spirit of local journalism — ready and able to provide feedback and an accessible community platform to residents. We met at Armando’s restaurant. If you’ve ever been to Mexicantown, it’s likely someone has suggested you hit Armando’s. Since 1967 Armando’s has been serving up some of the most delicious Mexican food in the area. As we sat and talked and ate, we were joined intermittently by friends and fans alike — it seems everyone appreciates the critical importance of EL CENTRAL. Though Mr. Dewaelsche was clearly a valued community member, he and his wife, southwest Detroit native Eva Garza Dewaelsche, only took over the paper in April 2022. Before that, it had been operating under founder-publisher Delores Sanchez since it was established. Ms. Sanchez, founder of Sanchez Media, created EL CENTRAL in 1988 to “provide complete media services to and for Hispanics in Michigan.” Since its founding, EL CENTRAL has won over 50 national awards and Ms. Sanchez was the first Latina to serve on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Hispanic Publications. She still supports the paper as Director of Advertising and Sales. Mr. Dewaelsche and I discussed many things over our long and enlightening lunch, including the possibility of an EL CENTRAL-Groundcover News collab!! Stay tuned for that. One thing about being at the center of things, as EL CENTRAL is, is that when things happen, you’re right there, ready to capture truth and offer it back to the people for their consideration. As we wrapped up lunch, we walked out to find that nearly all of the students at Western High School had walked out, with their principal’s permission, to stand against the very personal experience, for this small and closely knit community, of dealing with ICE on a daily basis. We briefly spoke with Dr. Angel Garcia III, principal at Western, about the protest. He had the air of a man not exactly sure he was doing the smartest thing but buoyed by the confidence that he was definitely doing the right thing: Gersh: It's great to meet you! This is a bold decision! How’s it going out here today? Garcia: It's great. I’m not going to say I’m completely relaxed. Every kid is out here and there are a few conflicts I’m concerned about, but look — you see what’s happening. These actions have galvanized the community. Most people out here have been affected, it’s your family, it’s your friends. At that point a concerned mother approached him, interrupting the interview, and asked after her daughter. It’s an unusual way to end a school day and Dr. Garcia isn’t the only one trying to figure out the best way to think about the situation. On my way back to the car I met a group of three young ladies who were eager to share their thoughts. Elainai C.A. (11th grade); Ava L. (11th grade); and Layla A. (11th grade), all Western High students: Gersh: What made you come out to the protest today? Layla: This is a pretty big thing for our school. A couple of kids have actually gotten taken by ICE. I've had friends who were taken. It had a big mental effect on them. And it hurts seeing that, like, as a friend, and I don't see EL CENTRAL page 6 

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