2 GROUNDCOVER NEWS OPINION JULY 12, 2024 Hear Me Out: the SCOTUS Grants Pass v. Johnson decision is a declaration of war People experiencing homelessness survive by sleeping in tents and alleys and bushes. Sleep and safe shelter are second to food and water, which means homeless people are literally barely hanging on to their lives. And now the United States Supreme Court has said it is okay to further punish people for trying to survive homelessness. In the case City of Grants Pass, Ore. v. Johnson, the Supreme Court was asked to determine if punishing homeless people for trespassing is cruel and unusual, per the U.S. Constitution. This June, they decided it is not: the Constitution does not protect the homeless from arrest or financial penalties — even though our economic JIM CLARK Groundcover vendor No. 139 and penal system put them there. Our lives as Americans are 100% built around and governed by our economic system. For those close to the bottom, the grind is getting some kind of job then entering an endless cycle of going to work and paying bills. The bills include some of the very things that support life — food and shelter specifically. Without these things, survival is impossible. The life-support things are commodified, so the only access you have to them is with money. Meaning if you don’t work in the system, you don’t get to live in the system. America is a pay-to-play country, and by play we mean survive. In America, you must be part of the economic system or you will die a slow death. Americans die every day from malnutrition, exposure to the elements, critical mental illnesses and from the violence of surviving on the street. And now, additionally, being homeless is a criminal act in America. The prevailing attitude towards people experiencing homelessness in our country is that it was their fault, due to some moral failing like “laziness,” and they could get out of their situation if they wanted to do so. The fact of the matter is, every homeless person I’ve met wants to get out of poverty. What people don’t realize is how hard that is in a capitalist system. In our system, one has to compete to survive. But the playing field is not even. To begin, most people need a cell phone and a car to get a job. Both cost money. You also need to be able to interview and prove you can make it to work. You also need to be clean see GRANTS PASS page 4 PROVIDING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR SELFDETERMINED INDIVIDUALS IMPACTED BY POVERTY, PRODUCING A STREET NEWSPAPER THAT GIVES A PLATFORM TO UNDERREPRESENTED VOICES IN WASHTENAW COUNTY, PROMOTING AN ACTION TO BUILD A JUST, CARING AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETY. Groundcover News, a 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in April 2010 as a means to empower lowincome persons to make the transitions from homeless to housed, and from jobless to employed. Vendors purchase each copy of our regular editions of Groundcover News at our office for 50 cents. This money goes toward production costs. Vendors work selling the paper on the street for $2, keeping all income and tips from each sale. Street papers like Groundcover News exist in cities all over the United States, as well as in more than 40 other countries, in an effort to raise awareness of the plight of homeless people and combat the increase in poverty. Our paper is a proud member of the International Network of Street Papers. STAFF Lindsay Calka — publisher Cynthia Price — editor Hanan Husein — intern ISSUE CONTRIBUTORS Jim Clark Misti Davis Luiza Duarte Caetano Amanda Gale Cindy Gere Alexandra Granberg Robbie February Hosea Hill Jane Reilly Wayne Sparks PROOFREADERS CONTACT US Susan Beckett Elliot Cubit Zachary Dortzbach Anabel Sicko VOLUNTEERS Jane Atkins Jessi Averill Glenn Gates Alexandra Granberg Jacob Fallman Robert Klingler Simone Masing Emily Paras Melanie Wenzel Mary Wisgerhof Max Wisgerhof Emily Yao Story and photo submissions: submissions@groundcovernews.com Advertising and partnerships: contact@groundcovernews.com Office: 423 S. 4th Ave., Ann Arbor Mon-Sat, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Phone: 734-263-2098 @groundcover @groundcovernews DONATE, LISTEN TO A STORY + LEARN MORE www.groundcovernews.org linktr.ee/groundcovernews GROUNDCOVER NEWS ADVERTISING RATES PACKAGE PRICING Size 1/8 1/6 1/4 1/2 full page Black/White $110.00 $145.00 $200.00 $375.00 $650.00 Color $150.00 $200.00 $265.00 $500.00 $900.00 Dimensions (W x H in inches) 5 X 3 or 2.5 X 6.5 5 X 4 5 X 6.25 5 X 13 or 10.25 X 6.5 10.25 X 13 Three Months/Six Issues: 15% off Six Months/Twelve Issues: 25% off Full Year/Twenty-four Issues: 35% off Only run for two weeks/one issue: 40% off Additional 20% discount for money saving coupons
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