2 $ JULY 28, 2023 | VOLUME 14 | ISSUE 16 ASK YOUR YOUR PURCHASE BENEFITS THE VENDORS. PLEASE BUY ONLY FROM BADGED VENDORS. You've got NO mail: tips on receiving mail while homeless. Page 7 VENDOR: WHAT IS YOUR BEST NICKNAME? GARY LEVERETT #554 GROUNDCOVER NEWS AND SOLUTIONS FROM THE GROUND UP | WASHTENAW COUNTY, MICH. HOUSED: Gary Jackson, Alcoholics Anonymous and being responsible for oneself. page 4 THIS PAPER WAS BOUGHT FROM • Proposal: Housing-development accelerator • Charbonneau: Open your eyes to housing inequity. PAGE 4 @groundcovernews, include vendor name and vendor #
2 GROUNDCOVER NEWS GROUNDCOVER letter to the EDITOR Last Wednesday during our regularly scheduled lunch at Liberty Plaza, one of our guests was arrested. We were finished serving food, yes, but our community was still present and FedUp staff did all they could to stop the arrest, without success. I immediately followed up with three AAPD staff — an officer, a detective and a sergeant — all of whom have a working relationship with FedUp and an understanding that when FedUp is serving and guests are receiving services, no investigations will occur out of respect for the community and our work. How can people safely come to have their needs met if they are afraid police will go fishing in a pond? I was given the contact information of the lieutenant who is in charge of scheduling the Wednesday day shifts, and he is not responding to my requests for a meeting. It’s been three business days and two weekend days since I’ve reached out. In our past experience, police activity breeds more police activity. I am still working behind the scenes to meet with AAPD leadership about this gross misuse of power, but we need your presence with us. I was told that the man who was arrested for petty theft would be taken to the station, fingerprinted and released if there was no other warrant — meaning these officers exerted power over a community member (a non-violent community member they weren’t planning on even incarcerating) while compromising the integrity of our program and the safety of the rest of our community who no longer feel fully comfortable accessing our services. What was the point of doing that while our community members were gathered to receive services? If you’re able to come out to our free meals these next couple of weeks to observe, to hold space, and to work for justice and peace in our community, we need you. Ann Arbor Police Department, I’m willing to meet with you any time to work out an agreement that keeps our community safe and cared for. — Rev. Anna Taylor-McCants Need a Free Meal? FEDUP MINISTRIES FedUp serves good, healthy, food truck style food with dignity to communities that are food insecure and economically exploited by unjust racial and economic systems in the United States. email: info@fedupministries.org https://fedupministries.org/ Catch the Food Truck! Every Tuesday Lunch: @ Zion Lutheran Church, A2 Every Wednesday Lunch: @ Liberty Plaza, A2 @ Ypsi Transit Center Every Thursday Breakfast: @ 16 S Washington St, Ypsi 12pm-1pm God & Grub 12pm -1pm 1:30pm - 2:30pm 10 -11 am LiftUp NO QUESTIONS ASKED! YOU ARE INVITED HERE. JULY 28, 2023 CREATING OPPORTUNITY AND A VOICE FOR LOW-INCOME PEOPLE WHILE TAKING ACTION TO END HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY. 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 towards 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 Layla McMurtrie — deputy editor ISSUE CONTRIBUTORS Mohammed Al Mustapha Elizabeth Bauman Annika Burman David KE Dodge Gino Garcia Washtenaw Literacy Markona Love Mike Jones Ken Parks Anna Taylor-McCants PROOFREADERS Susan Beckett Elliot Cubit Zachary Dortzbach Anabel Sicko VOLUNTEERS Jessi Averill Loga Brown Luiza Duarte Caetano Glenn Gates Alexandra Granberg Harleen Kaur Robert Klingler Holden Pizzolato Alex Tarbet Melanie Wenzel Mary Wisgerhof Max Wisgerhof Claude VanValkenberg Navya Yagalla Emily Yao GROUNDCOVER NEWS ADVERTISING RATES 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 CONTACT US Story and photo submissions: submissions@groundcovernews.com Advertising and partnerships: contact@groundcovernews.com Office: 423 S. 4th Ave., Ann Arbor Mon-Sat, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Phone: 734-263-2098 @groundcover @groundcovernews DONATE, PITCH A STORY + LEARN MORE www.groundcovernews.org linktr.ee/groundcovernews PACKAGE PRICING 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 Give Here Learn More
JULY 28, 2023 ON MY CORNER ASK YOUR VENDOR What is your best nickname? G Junior. — Gary Leverett, #554 Big Mike. — Mike Jones, #113 T-Love. — Teresa Basham, #570 Joe Smoogums. — Joe Woods, #103 Halster. — Hal Klenk, #88 Tambito or Cuba. — Roberto Isla Caballero, #347 Ronahnonamacon. — Justen White, #543 Rubber Ducky. — Juliano Sanchez, #174 B-Man. — B-Man, #172 Chill (not Will). — Mansel Williams, #96 Pony is actually my nickname! — Pony Bush, #305 Kung Fu Panda. — Cindy Gere, #279 Fuzzy. — Ken Parks, #490 GROUNDCOVER NEWS War, peace, commodity fetish and compliance culture The goal of U.S. foreign policy is to keep and extend the United States dollar as an indispensable global financial tool. Money is created at will by those in command. The gods of wealth and power create the illusion of eternal supremacy through their human servants. Many are those who succumb to this illusion and keep their noses to the grindstone with no time or energy to look honestly at their lives. Even in this dark age of chaotic and confusing conflict, there are those who speak the truth and many who understand simple and clear when they encounter it. Both Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy warned us of the military industrial complex and the need for peace. The war machine has grown like a cancer in the commodity-fetish culture of the capitalist political economy. “The invisible hand” (market forces) control resources, labor, production and distribution in order to maximize profit. War profiteering becomes central to budget and policy decisions. Despite the worldwide desire for peace after World War II, the warmongers moved to force Hollywood to glorify war and prepare for the next one to combat communism, the eternal enemy. General Reinhardt Gehlen, Hitler’s chief of intelligence on the Eastern Front, was recruited for the Cold War. His contacts in Ukraine have received CIA support from the time the Office of Strategic Services was dissolved into the CIA (in order to focus on regime change in the USSR and stop the Chinese revolution). The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a key player in the Cold War, was created to encircle the USSR. France’s invitation included the commitment to help them regain control of Vietnam and Algeria if they joined NATO and help in this effort. The promise that NATO’s nation Join Ken Parks August 14 at the AADL! membership would not move east was part of German reunification. The fact that the promise was not put in writing is the U.S. rationale for NATO expansion and aggressive war games with nuclear weapons nearby. NATO war crimes in Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, and the de facto war in the Ukraine are now spreading to Asia as plans for war with China continue. KEN PARKS Groundcover vendor No. 490 parts, usually self and other. Identity thinking can fixate on a separate self and intensify the separation from reality. This is a violation of natural law which clarifies the interrelatedness of everything. The basic step towards freedom is to recognize ignorance and give it up. The addiction to violence and war is born from a belief in dualism, the need to be a good person facing many “bad actors.” Facing reality is a challenge which is best countered when we The endless culture of war feeds an addiction to the adrenaline rush that violence gives to many. Those who glory in violence may be wellpaid in service of the empire. The supremacist ideology which promotes settler colonialism and subsequent imperialisms is deeply rooted in pathological ego formations. The struggle for peace and freedom begins with unconditional love, which is expressed through action. The accumulation of wealth and power by any means necessary is the religion of the global “commodity fetishism” culture, sometimes called the Washington Consensus of rules-based policy. War is the center for all decision-making as the corporate state revolving door for financial interests extends the “full spectrum domination strategy” into the digital age. Information control and the demand for your time is the front line in the war of full spectrum dominance. The demand to be in compliance with bureaucratic fiats based on terms and conditions that no one fully understands takes so much of our time that we easily forget to make our own life a priority. Preparations for nuclear war lie behind the mass shootings and the violence of everyday life, as democracy is replaced by autocracy at work and play becomes sensationalized consumerism. Our addiction to self-destruction is shocking. Scientists design food that is addictive with no real attention to nutrition. The data on this violence in food production and consumption points to sharp declines in mental and physical health. The many hormone-disrupting chemicals increase the health challenges we all face. The trauma of ignorance is wedded to a belief in dualism, the error of splitting reality into two pause for a breath with each obstacle and compost the energy of dualism into the energy of completion. Reality is complete by itself, all its parts are interrelated and united. To separate anything from reality is the error of dualism. The experience of this completeness is the simplest and most elusive of experiences because it has no cause and cannot be contrived. There are moments in history — such as the Awakening of Shakyamuni under a tree and Jesus on the cross — that instill awareness and gratitude for the completeness of reality. We have many ancestors. Indigenous-centered living opens the door to a grand display of our shared heritage. We share air, water and sun as well in the blessings of interrelatedness. We are at a crossroads of history now and clear choices can be made that help us discover our true nature. When compassion, loving kindness and wisdom arise, the struggle of humankind will change course from war culture to happiness culture. Our addictions to ignorance will be composted in the best way as we learn to benefit all beings without exception, self and others seamlessly. Please visit the following sites vfpgoldenruleproject.org, annarborcoalitionagainstthewar.org annarborcommunitycommons.org for more information. The Golden Rule sailboat team will be at the Ann Arbor downtown library August 14. We are planning Water Ceremony with Beatrice Menase Kwe Jackson, one of the indigenous elders of Michigan, and the Golden Rule on the Detroit River at Milliken State Park on August 15. See the flyer to the left for more details. Let’s keep in touch! 3
4 GROUNDCOVER NEWS HOUSING JULY 28, 2023 HOUSED: Gary Jackson, Alcoholics Anonymous and being responsible for oneself Groundcover News: Tell us about your journey to housing. Gary Jackson: I was born in Detroit and raised in Belleville. I had an unmanageable life for a while. I was drinking and panhandling, being mean to people — generally just unhappy. I tore up cars. My alcoholism played a big part in my life. I worked steadily for most of my life — several different jobs — but the drinking made it unmanageable. The alcohol took a big toll. When my mother and father died in the 90s, I was lost. I’m the youngest of eleven siblings, but I couldn't rely on my brothers or sisters. We were grown; I had to fight it out on my own. I went back and forth between Detroit, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo — in and out of county jail, hospitals — thankfully never prison. I was homeless off and on last year. I stayed with my brother for some time but that didn’t work out. I had to get a foundation in my life. Most recently, I became homeless because of a bad relationship in Kalamazoo; it was not healthy for me. I’ve been in Washtenaw County since January 3 of this year. I am in my 60s and I knew I had to get it in my head that I have to quit this. I didn’t know where my life was going until I turned around and got into recovery. I started in the 80s, but I couldn't stick with it. If I had, I would have had 30 years of my life back. that. Thankfully I already had my social security card and ID because that would have added on more waiting time. I needed references and had to fill out a large application. And the whole time I had to save my money. You need to have your finances in check. I worked multiple jobs. All of that required motivation and LINDSAY CALKA Publisher I moved into Hospitality House Ypsi in January which helped me stay motivated. Hospitality House is a Catholic Worker house in Ypsilanti. It motivated me to want my own space; I wanted to be responsible for myself. I had to bite the bullet, humble myself, save my money, set goals to move on. I started to lead Alcoholics Anonymous meetings there in January, and have kept it up since. I want to show other people it works, even where I come from. I’m proud and I’m thanking God I’m staying focused. GCN: What was the biggest barrier that you faced in obtaining housing? GJ: I was afraid I would lose my life. How many chances would God give me? I used Section 8 — which required a lot of coordinating with the Robert J. Delonis Center and my caseworker. I had to have proof of my birth certificate — which I didn’t have — so I had to order a birth certificate and wait for follow through. GCN: What is an unexpected, positive thing that most people expect when transitioning into housing? GJ: First, comfort. I wasn’t out in the cold anymore, sleeping outside. That was painful for me. How much pain could I take? Being homeless was a blow to the head. Second, keeping myself clean and fresh. I don’t have to go days without washing anymore. That’s a big plus: keeping my hair combed, brushing my teeth, keeping my hygiene up. It feels good to open my closet and see clothes and shoes to choose from. GCN: What pieces of advice would you give to people who are experiencing homelessness? GJ: If it's alcohol or drugs — any addiction that’s hindering you — you’ve got to change. I’m not gonna tell you to stop, but you’ve got to change. You’ll be tired of living the way you are living. You will feel good about yourself and will be more open to help — and helping others. It’s not easy. But there is help out there. Pay for the roof over your head first. Jackson organizes the AA meetings at Solidarity Hall on Tuesdays and Fridays 6-7 p.m. Then light bills, food, whatever. But housing first. GCN: What’s next for you? GJ: Right now I’m working part time at Michigan Medicine and the Salvation Army. I’m saving my money and building my credit up. My hospital bills accumulated, but I’m working on clearing them. Also, I am working on getting a car. My goal is to keep working, saving, and move up. I can’t wait to make an even bigger step. It’s only up from here. A quick history of housing segregation in the U.S ANNIKA BURMAN Groundcover contributor Most of us grew up in segregated neighborhoods, in segregated schools, with heavily racialized life experiences. On the surface, it should not be like this since the Civil Rights Act, passed in 1964, prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or nationality. However, many of us have realized that in actuality, government policies have continued to incentivize segregation, and individual biases have made it even more difficult to create an integrated, equitable society. Many people are surprised to hear that the United States was less residentially segregated in the 1890s than it is currently. Although racism was rampant, Black people and white people were more likely to live together, interacting on a daily basis for the sake of their career and relationships. Everything changed after the Great Migration in the 1910s. Over the next six decades, six million Black Americans moved north or west in pursuit of better job prospects. These poor Black families funneled into northern cities like Chicago, New York City and Detroit en masse, scaring white families into moving out of diversifying neighborhoods. White families used multiple tactics to keep Black people from moving into their neighborhoods, such as threats of violence, actual violence and policies by newly-founded Neighborhood Improvement Associations. One of the methods Neighborhood Improvement Associations used to enforce segregation was restrictive covenants — contracts signed by homeowners promising not to sell their property to people of color; sometimes these contracts extended across multiple generations. They also would collectively buy out Black residents to force them to leave the neighborhood after already moving in, fight politically for single-family residential zoning as opposed to apartment complexes, and they would boycott real estate agents that sold to Black people in their neighborhoods. Some real estate agents also strategically profited off of “white flight” through a process called “blockbusting.” Since segregated Black neighborhoods were overcrowded, wealthier Black families were eager to move to the outer edge of these disadvantaged neighborhoods or into majority-white neighborhoods that would afford them more opportunities and safety. Blockbusters sold properties in white neighborhoods to Black families at increased prices, profiting off of their desperation to escape neighborhoods suffering from systemic disinvestment. The real estate agent would go doorto-door informing the white residents in the area that the neighborhood was about to turn over. He would point to the Black family that just moved in across the street or Black teenagers he paid to brawl publicly that morning, then make an offer to buy their house for less than it was worth. He played into racial stereotypes in every step of the process, and Black families were the ones to suffer the most from his actions. The blockbuster knew that see SEGREGATION page 10
JULY 28, 2023 DIGITAL LITERACY GROUNDCOVER NEWS 5 GET TO KNOW YDL! WHERE TO FIND US: Online at ypsilibrary.org Call us at 734-482-4110. WASHTENAW LITERACY Q: How can I tell if information I find online is accurate? A: The internet is absolutely filled with information, with millions of websites, articles, posts, and forums providing details and opinions about every subject imaginable. Wading through the google search results for any topic can leave you feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes you might even find two different sources online that contradict each other. When trying to get reliable information from the internet, it is really important to be able to tell which sources are credible, and which sources shouldn’t be trusted. One easy trick to help tell if a website is a reliable source of information is to look at the domain name of the website. If the website’s address ends in “.gov” or “.edu” there is a very high likelihood that the information found there is truthful. For a website address to end in “.gov” it has to be affiliated with a branch of the U.S. government at the federal, state, or local level. For a website to end in “.edu” it must be affiliated with a higher education institution. Because of the restrictions on their use, websites with these addresses are much more likely to contain accurate information. Another strategy you can use when sifting through the results of an internet search is to pay attention to the publisher, the author, and any sources that are referenced. If you are not familiar with the organization or website that is posting information, you should be more careful about trusting it. If the author of an article or website is someone reputable, such as a credentialed scientist or journalist, that is a good sign. If an article or website links to other sources that can also be a positive indicator of its trustworthiness. Even in those cases, it can still be a good idea to verify what you find by looking at other websites and sources of information. Try using additional internet searches to find out more about the publisher, author and claims made by online sources. It's important to keep in mind that sources can contain accurate information and still be biased. All the information contained in an article or website can be true, but other important information could be left out. This is another reason why it can be helpful to do additional research about your sources themselves. Looking at multiple sources that cover the same topic is one of the best ways to get the full scope of available information. It may go without saying, but you should be especially careful about information found on websites that have a clear agenda or that want to sell you something. Be aware that online advertisers often dress up their content to look like news articles. The top few results under Google searches are often there because businesses have paid for them to show up. Thankfully, google labels these results as “sponsored”. Avoiding sponsored content can help you find more reliable sources of information. Q: I’ve received an email telling me that several people who I went to high school with are trying to get in touch with me. I’m not sure if this is a scam or not. How can I tell if the emails I get are legitimate? A: Spam and scam emails have been around since the early years of the internet, and they remain a huge problem for email users today. Although most email services provide some form of automatic filtering, directing suspicious emails away from your inbox and into a special “spam” folder, it is always possible that some unwanted and/or nefarious emails will get through. Falling for a scam email can lead to hacked accounts, stolen money, and identity theft. To avoid those disastrous outcomes, it's crucial to remain vigilant when going through your inbox. Let's consider the suspicious email that you received, which claimed that several people from your old high school were trying to contact you. Since you are not sure if it is a scam email or not, my first piece of advice would be to avoid opening it or clicking on any links that it contains. Scam emails can’t hurt you if you never open them. If you have any suspicion that something might be a scam, it's usually best to err on the side of caution. That being said, sometimes you want to be really sure. If your former highschool classmates really are trying to get in touch, you wouldn’t want to leave them hanging. A good first step is to think about why you’re suspicious that the email might be a scam email in the first place. Ask yourself if you did anything recently that would prompt your old classmates to reach out to you. Unexpected or unsolicited emails are more likely to be scams. If you recently signed up for a mailing list at a class reunion, there is a greater chance that the email is authentic. Otherwise, it's likely to be a scam. Checking an email’s sender can also help you determine if it's legitimate or a scam. It's a good idea to check the sender's exact email address in addition to the name that shows up in your inbox. Do you know who the sender is? Scam emails are almost always sent by unfamiliar email addresses. Pay special attention to what shows up after the @ sign in the sender’s email address. If it's something unusual that’s a red flag. Once you’ve seen the sender name and email address you can do a google search asking if they are a scam. Other people might have already fallen victim to the scam and posted about it online. Keep in mind that scammers will sometimes send emails that look like see DIG-IT page 11 TO GET YOUR LIBRARY CARD: 1) Fill out the easy online form at ypsilibrary.org/library-cards. 2) Call 734-482-4110 3) Or stop by any YDL location! DON’T HAVE A DRIVER’S LICENSE? We can work with a variety of IDs to get you your card. FEATURED RESOURCE Get YDL info in your inbox! Want emails about all of YDL’s great resources and events? You can choose the categories you’re most interested in to make sure you don’t miss anything! Scan below to get started or visit ypsilibrary.org. FEATURED EVENT Document Shredding Aug 26 10am-1pm YDL-Whittaker Bring up to four copy paper boxes or grocery bags of documents per person. Staples, paper clips, and rubber bands are OK. See ypsilibrary.org/events for full list of allowed materials. Limited to residents of the City of Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township, and Superior Township. Funded in part by a Washtenaw County Waste Reduction Sponsorship.
6 GROUNDCOVER NEWS EMPLOYMENT Give it up for FedUp! question: What is your favorite thing about working or volunteering for Fed Up Ministries? And everybody had the same answer: the community they serve. I interviewed Kimberly Sells and MIKE JONES Groundcover vendor No. 113 Let’s give it up for FedUp Ministries: they’ve been putting in work throughout Washtenaw County. From Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti, they have been feeding low-income and homeless people, not only food to sustain life, but also food for thought and spiritual growth, while also providing employment and volunteering opportunities in our community. I want to give a shoutout to a few of the many wonderful people that make FedUp happen: Pastor of Zion Lutheran Church Rev. Anna Taylor-McCants, kitchen team leader Corey Fuller, volunteer Kimberly Sells, kitchen staff Todd Crawley, kitchen staff Brandy Hill, and volunteers Marissa Moore and Phil Huhn. I had a chance to talk to my friends at Liberty Plaza in downtown Ann Arbor, and I asked them all the same Marissa Moore who are college interns. Sells, who has volunteered for one year and now has finished up her internship and is a recent graduate, is moving out of state to further her career and continue to be involved in communities such as this one. Moore is now on her third week of volunteering and will be continuing for a year also. She said she enjoys interacting with the community and the environment Fed Up Ministries provides. As usual on Wednesdays, you can find the big food truck at Liberty Plaza in Ann Arbor at noon and the Ypsilanti Transit Center at 1:30pm. But now the community can also find the big food truck at the Ypsilanti Marketplace every Thursday morning at 10 a.m. for breakfast. Heads up — FedUp Ministries announced mobile showers and laundry units for those in need at the Ypsilanti Farmers Market location every Thursday morning. Come to any one of these three locations to enjoy the food, community and more. Top: Chandra takes the mic at FedUp's Thursday morning worship breakfast. Left: Two employees pull the food truck into the Ypsilanti Transit Center for Wednesday's lunch. Right: Pastor Anna (pictured right) and Shivana (pictured left) during lunch service at the YTC. JULY 28, 2023
JULY 28, 2023 HOMELESSNESS GROUNDCOVER NEWS You've got NO mail: tips on receiving mail while homeless Being able to receive mail is a blessing many take for granted. The first letter I remember writing was a handwritten one I wrote to my adoptive maternal uncle. He had immigrated to the United Arab Emirates from Sudan. I was excited to write my first letter, as it was being delivered by a traveling relative who was also going to the United Arab Emirates for work. I believe it was about my impending trip to California from Sudan. When I was a labor-seeking immigrant in Qatar, living in a workers' house populated by a multitude of African migrants with different life stories, one of those stories stuck with me and is related to this topic in a way. There was a retired Sudanese police officer working in Doha as a Public Relations Officer. He was building a house back in Sudan and supporting his kids through college. We were discussing the nostalgic feeling of receiving a letter from a loved one or family as an immigrant in a different country, before the time of emails, cell phones and text messages. Letters would only be delivered by traveling relatives or neighbors, so it was difficult; illiterate relatives would record their messages on cassette tapes. Hearing the voice of a relative was far sweeter than reading the handwritten messages. Mr. Ahmed Ali, the retired officer, talked about how important it was to receive those letters from his wife and family. He described how excited he would be to get some news, the wait for the relative to arrive, the awkward moments when he arrives from overseas but is tired and must rest, and it is rude to bombard him to unpack the letters and parcels, the care packages, the homecooked meals. The officer went on to detail how he would retrieve his letter and then, as a grown man, would climb to the roof of the house to read the letters in peace by the moonlight, so as not to be seen crying by the other housemates. I have received my fair share of letters in my life. I even thought about working for the post office; it is an awesome job, notwithstanding the nuisance of pet canines. As a homeless man, it gets very difficult to accomplish daily tasks of modern civilian life without the necessary tools. I am one of the lucky houseless people who had a valid form of ID when I became homeless, but many of my fellow houseless humans don't. Another one of these “necessary tools” is an address — required on all job applications, for deliveries of important documents and as a way to receive vital communications. As an experienced houseless individual who wishes to relate his experience to other fellow humans for the sake of convenience, I am going to detail the options available for receiving mail as a houseless individual: • For those of you who are homeless Group mailboxes at the Groundcover News office. Vendors are able to receive mail at Groundcover. Names blurred for privacy. or facing homelessness, you can utilize the address of the Delonis Center. You can sign up with the Delonis Center, and they will open a file for you there to receive mail. It is a free service, and you can check on your parcels every day. The reception staff are awesome human beings and will always accommodate your requests. Additionally, a multitude of service organizations, community and social centers, both humane and religious, will also allow you to utilize their address. • PO Box: You can sign up for one at the local post office. You will need two forms of ID, at least one with a photo. Prices vary, and you can check your mail anytime the post office is open. • General Delivery: Certain USPS offices will allow you to pick up your mail at the post office if you do not have a permanent address. • Virtual Address: These are virtual office addresses run by companies. You pay a monthly subscription or annual service fee to rent their address solely for receiving your mail. They will open and scan the contents of the mail and email them to you on a daily basis if you consent. Some of these companies like iPostal1.com and mailbox. com will charge a fee starting at 14.99 a month for 60 pieces of mail. Lastly, you can use the address of relatives or friends, but that may burden the address holder and put you in an awkward situation with your friends or family, especially if you don't want them to know that you are homeless. There are a multitude of services that houseless individuals cannot utilize due to the lack of a proper mailing address. It is part of civilian life to be able to receive, deliver and exchange ideas, information, and communication. It is disheartening that fully functioning humans miss out on opportunities because they lack an address to receive communication. In all cases, I pray for the day when we are all sheltered not only physically from the elements but also mentally and emotionally from the evils and sorrows of life. Amen. I wish that you all receive a nice piece of mail soon. Love, peace, happiness, and good karma are coming your way. I am happy that we are blessed once again. “Striving to be a better man today than I was yesterday, and a better man tomorrow than I am today.” MOHAMMED ALMUSTAPHA Groundcover contributor 7
8 GROUNDCOVER NEWS IN REVIEW Read "Outsourcing Duty: the Moral Exploitation of the American Soldier" DAVID KE DODGE Groundcover contributor Over five years ago, I wrote a book review which was published in the May 2018 issue of Groundcover News. The book reviewed in that issue is titled "What Have We Done: The Moral Injury of Our Longest Wars" by David Wood. At the time that book was written in 2016, the concept of moral injury in veterans and service personnel who are racked with guilt over things they have done in combat was just starting to receive attention by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. In his book, Mr. Wood comprehensively describes what is meant by “moral injury” and the state of the art of helping persons who suffer from moral injury. In "Outsourcing Duty," Robillard and Strawser redirect the issue of moral injury from its burden upon veterans and service personnel, to parties who, in a sense, obliviously carry guilt, which is, to my mind, greater and more shameful than that of combatants: the citizens of the nation which grooms, targets, selects, recruits, trains and sends especially vulnerable parties into combat in never-ending, gratuitous wars. The term “the one percent” has been around for some time, at least as early as the start of the Great Recession of 2008, referring to the one percent of the U.S. citizenry who control a vastly disproportionate amount of the nation’s wealth. “Outsourcing Duty” redirects its readers’ attention to another one percent: the portion of the U.S. citizenry who incur “dirty hands” on behalf of another portion who, in too large part, is indifferent to the nation’s eternal war-making. The maldistribution of the moral burdens of war creates a sense of injustice in our military personnel. This is succinctly characterized by the statement of an unknown service member who served in Iraq, which heads up chapter three of the book: “We were at war while America was at the mall.” Those of us who no longer wish to be obliviously complicit in our nation's war mongering will do well to read this book. "Outsourcing Duty" is available online at my favorite bookstore, Literati, for $38. Buy it, read it, keep it. JULY 28, 2023
JULY 28, 2023 PUZZLES GROUNDCOVER NEWS 9 Groundcover Vendor Code While Groundcover is a non-profit, and paper vendors are self-employed contractors, we still have expectations of how vendors should conduct themselves while selling and representing the paper. The following is our Vendor Code of Conduct, which every vendor reads and signs before receiving a badge and papers. We request that if you discover a vendor violating any tenets of the Code, please contact us and provide as many details as possible. Our paper and our vendors should be positively impacting our County. • Groundcover will be distributed for a voluntary donation. I agree not to ask for more than the cover price or solicit donations by any other means. • When selling Groundcover, I will always have the current biweekly issue of Groundcover available for customer purchase. • I agree not to sell additional goods or products when selling the paper or to panhandle, including panhandling with only one paper or selling past monthly issues. • I will wear and display my badge when selling papers and refrain from wearing it or other Groundcover gear when engaged in other activities. • I will only purchase the paper from Groundcover Staff and will not sell to or buy papers from other Groundcover vendors, especially vendors who have been suspended or terminated. • I agree to treat all customers, staff, and other vendors respectfully. I will not “hard sell,” threaten, harass or pressure customers, staff, or other vendors verbally or physically. • I will not sell Groundcover under the influence of drugs or alcohol. • I understand that I am not a legal employee of Groundcover but a contracted worker responsible for my own well-being and income. • I understand that my badge is property of Groundcover and will not deface it. I will present my badge when purchasing the papers. • I agree to stay off private property when selling Groundcover. • I understand to refrain from selling on public buses, federal property or stores unless there is permission from the owner. • I agree to stay at least one block away from another vendor in downtown areas. I will also abide by the Vendor Corner Policy. • I understand that Groundcover strives to be a paper that covers topics of homelessness and poverty while providing sources of income for the homeless. I will try to help in this effort and spread the word. If you would like to report a violation of the Vendor Code please email contact@groundcovernews. com or fill out the contact form on our website. Pitch a story Leave a comment Join our newsletter listserv Ask a question Fill out volunteer interest form Make a donation Visit our website ... all on the Groundcover News LinkTree!
10 GROUNDCOVER NEWS EDUCATION The students America forgot GINO GARCIA Wolverine Pathways student contributor I currently attend an alternative high school in Ypsilanti. As only 1.6% of students attend an alternative school, I have a different experience than many. I used to think of alternative schools as where the worst possible students attend school – juvie. But this common preconceived notion I had was ultimately shattered. Further adding to my rare perspective is my identity as an Asian-American student; a demographic almost non-existent in the alternative education system. Enrolled, but without particular reason, I spend most of my time feeling like a fly on the wall, just an outsider looking in. Having been there for well over a year, it has gifted me my most cherished school-related memory. That memory is one of accomplishment and joy — but not of my own personal accomplishment and joy. It was one of my first days there as I sunk into a routine of plopping down on a chair, eyes fixated on a SEGREGATION from page 4 other Black families would be trying to move into the comparatively prosperous neighborhood, so he would resell the properties to Black families for unreasonably high rates, knowing they were short on other options. Often, the real estate agent would also subdivide existing single-family homes into smaller units to make more of a net profit. The end result was merely an expansion of the poor, Black neighborhoods, with little improvement in living conditions. By the end of the 1940s, cities were incredibly segregated and racial tensions were high. World War II would be ending soon and the 16 million Americans who served in the war would be coming home. President Truman enacted a program through the Federal Housing Association to significantly subsidize the construction of suburban housing for veterans returning home — a plan that fully realized the American dream for millions of white families, increasing their generational wealth to this day. The FHA also offered a similar program that would insure home mortgages for “promising” neighborhoods. In order to determine where the new housing should be built for the best return on investment, the FHA would assign neighborhoods different colors: green and blue meant a good neighborhood, red meant bad. The catch? Neighborhoods with people of color computer screen, engrossed in schoolwork. But this was not a routine day. Commotion jolted me out of my trancelike state. I darted my eyes to find out what's happening; in front of me, a student excitedly spoke with a teacher. She proudly revealed she had just graduated, and the dozen people I shared the room with applauded her, celebrating the grand accomplishment. Joining in felt like clapping for someone I had known for a lifetime. But I didn’t know her. And I would imagine that those dozen people hadn't known her either. At the moment, we supported that student as a community despite our lack of familiarity with her, cheering for someone some of us didn't know before then — it’s why I treasure that moment still to this day. An alternative school’s provided sense of community and support could be treasurable factors to others as well. It remains an option for those going through excruciating life circumstances such as homelessness, teen parenthood and LGBTQ+ discrimination to further their education. But unfortunately, lots were almost automatically rated red and undesirable. So as white families’ real estate was being subsidized, Black families were left behind in the inner cities in divested neighborhoods. To make matters worse, the FHA’s neighborhood rankings were used by a wide range of industries, private and public, including real estate developers, real estate agents, business owners and banks, to determine whether a place was a good investment. Even wealthier Black families were less likely to be approved for mortgages, largely due to their zip code. After millions of white Americans moved to the suburbs, companies followed suit, thereby decreasing the job opportunities for Black Americans in the city. The resources they needed were leaving, but they were unable to follow. Black men could not find manufacturing jobs nearby, so many of them dropped out of the workforce. Black women started to work in the service industry to make up for the loss of income from manufacturing jobs in their communities. In many ways, this is a story of generational wealth and racial oppression. For centuries, Black families have been blocked from the same government services and funding on which white families have built their wealth. Efforts to create more affordable housing for Black families has been lackluster. Public housing, for example, was often built in isolated, undesirable neighborhoods that lacked nearby job of alternative schools across the country don't provide this type of community or safe environment. For many students, alternative schools are places they're sentenced to, not options. According to a 2017 ProPublica Survey, 29 out of the 39 State Education Departments stated that school districts retain the power to transfer students involuntarily to alternative programs due to disciplinary infractions. A staggering number of students are involuntarily sent to these schools for minor offenses and entirely fall off their educational track. Furthermore, this survey demonstrates that these transfers contribute to America’s decrease in graduation rates and academic performance. On top of that, a majority of these institutions lack the resources to offer adequate mental health support for the students sent their way. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, 47% of traditional schools had at least one social worker, whereas, for alternative schools, that number is an abysmal 26%. In every school district opportunities or social connections with people who did not surveyed, students had experienced debilitating trauma such as homelessness, poverty, the death of a loved one or gang violence; such findings remain consistent with trauma research surrounding behavior and education. From staffing issues to low budgets, these institutions lack the capability to meet the students' psychological needs. Unfortunately, this is another case of the embarrassing lack of support for the most underserved and vulnerable populations in the United States. Lacking the necessary funds to make a widespread difference, these schools struggle in a climate where public education is already underfunded enough as it is. This experience has changed my perception and opened my eyes to the pitfalls of America's education system. My time there has imparted me with an experience I hold dear while fueling my desire to bring awareness to our system’s downfall. Thus, alternative schools require an extensive revamp, noticeably because the students attending them always end up forgotten. JULY 28, 2023 live in extreme poverty. Its infrastructure was also not maintained. Still today, middle-class, educated Black families live in fundamentally different neighborhoods from white middle-class families. Even the few Black neighborhoods that managed to thrive despite the countless obstacles they faced continued to be targeted by racist policies and development. In the 1950s, for example, highways, stadiums and luxury housing were purposefully built on majority-Black neighborhoods to displace them from desirable locations. The Black residents were not paid the full value of their property, were not given a choice to stay and were not provided with equal-value housing elsewhere in the city. Today, there continues to be a lack of affordable housing. This harms low-income people, who are disproportionately people of color, but other populations also bear the consequences of a lack of diversity and working class people in their city. Before we judge someone’s living or financial situation, we should remind ourselves of the near-insurmountable obstacles that have plagued people of color for hundreds of years. It is in all of our interests to fight for more affordable housing in Ann Arbor, and to provide services to help those that our current housing market has failed. We made decisions in the past that got us into this mess, and now we must consciously make decisions that lead us out of it. PUZZLE SOLUTIONS
JULY 28, 2023 LOVE BY LOVE Love by Love: "Saving the Lost" At what point does a homeless person become completely disconnected? So disconnected that other people are only a temporary access to their necessary functionalities. They've become NUMB! Numb to dumb the blues of pain and sorrow. The glazed over look with no emotional energy, the air of surrender and for every action, it feels as if to go on is to draw energy from the very marrow of the bones holding them together — the feeling that one more confusion could break them. The view ahead may become dim and short-sighted … so much so that the near-sightedness is, “if it ain't within my grasp, then it's of no concern to me.” The will to push on is fading out of sight. Many assuredly would say I'm being far reaching on where I presume them to be — I could reply, "Have you been there?” I have been there, briefly, but enough to understand what I'm witnessing. I was one lucky SHB (special human being, pronounced “sheb”), in a cast that felt as if it was the size of a lotto draw, when an Angelic Light shined a new way for me. In the end, it was just luck that pulled me out … that a savior was there to help me: right place, right time. How do land brokers put it? Location, location, location. Then, how do the majority of 'the Lost and the Lonely' get back when they've apparently checked out? LOVE!!! We first talked about our SHBs in the article “What the Streets Took,” then continued the conversation in “Kona's Right Light” and finally started reaching deeper into questions for solutions in “Back in the Crack.” Meanwhile, the beat-down continues to disconnect the Lost. By beat-down, I refer to the summation of our previous discussions in my articles (and references), while the housing crisis and inflation are getting worse, stacking more on our SHBs. Who does or doesn't get the lucky paths? The same paths don't go the same way for everyone. Making the right choice is sometimes the wrong choice. Nobody can ever know what awaits us down that road. We are all One, the same with the exception of choices, or detours that lead us down alternate paths. Once the Lost are completely disconnected, they will start the spiral down the ‘rabbit hole.' Some never return to reality. So, the first step is to reach in and pull them out … that is all about Love and patience. They may then be able to reconnect through social services, BUT unless MARKONA LOVE Groundcover contributor the system adjusts to find a way to keep from losing them again, most of them will fall back out. Are you able to not take offense from their brash response? Can you be of no judgment, regardless of you not being able to understand their choices? Are you fully sincere? Let me forewarn you. This is a daunting and possibly dangerous task. Living on the street, you better be ready to defend yourself. The Lost are bound to be about nothing but defense. More or less, in a constant state of PTSD (fight or flight). Can you be there to support them in their new awareness? This would be a good follow-up question to how far you can go with them — this isn't just giving a peddler a dollar on the corner. This is a commitment. This is a sacrifice that Loves you back. Questions to oneself should be posed in advance of an approach of that manner. A hasty approach could merely scare somebody off and make them even more reluctant to connect. Sensitivity and patience must be the virtues when attempting to bond with someone who may feel completely broken, also probably justifiably guarded (not paranoid, necessarily). They may feel the need to feel you out, test your resolve a little, to know you’re for real. Don't take it personally. Just because you might not see light in their eyes, be assured, it's hiding in them, burning the fire to fight on. They only need a brave, compassionate hand to reach in and pull them out. That's a lot, though everything is measured in relativity. There have been many more anonymous, selfless, gifted humanitarians through history that lived and died in obscurity, than the few raised high. Real, compassionate human beings are what's needed to save our SHBs. The point being made is that, stop looking to anyone else other than you to take a pause in life to help start someone else's back up. "If you can't change the World, change yourself." [Matt Johnson] A column on compassion At what point after the 1960s did corporate America start regulating Love distribution, and when did the hippies stop giving Love — stopped saving LOVE? Oh, that's right, capitalism … "Love for Sale." Americans are programmed consumers looking to the billboards for a dictation on how they should look, feel and express themselves, followed by the rest of American society. "Conform or be cast out." Everybody is more concerned about how they appear to others than what they do to and for others. I wanna call out to our Disconnected, our Lost, but they can't hear us. They are not listening anymore. This is why I'm speaking out loud to my readers. Please my 'Loving Concerned' (what I call the ones following my message of Love and Acceptance) open your hearts and feel someone else's pain. That is Empathy. Feeling someone else's pain takes some of that person's burden. Real Love is sacrifice. Love is not used to sacrifice, it is created from within the act. This final call to action is to the ones that already live in the world of the Lost, our active SHBs can help others, help the Lost, by sharing knowledge of street and the Lost. Nobody knows more about how the Lost got lost than the homeless that are a step behind them — but hopefully getting a step forward. SHBs have already learned how to be humble, empathetic, compassionate and understanding and know better than to judge. Come on SHBs let’s bring the others back, they may end up being the one to have a hand for you when life turns. Anybody remember when there was some authenticating still to the statement “Love Thy Neighbor?” By this time in human history we shouldn't need that statement to be a Commandment — we should be in a place in our humanity where we would consider nothing less, than to know we all deserve that Love. Human beings want Love, to give Love. Giving Love is receiving Love. When you Love others, you Love yourself … So, Love the way in which you desire to be Loved. "Without a noise, without my pride, I reach out from the inside." [Peter Gabriel] This is the call to action: How do we urgently connect with these Lost/disparaged individuals that the system is aware of, but can't connect to using conventional protocol? The system's most recent solution, the Deja Vu nightmare ... "put 'em' in a Sanitarium." All the Grace to Our Lost, may they find their way back to us, more assuredly with our compassionate reach. We all should be so blessed. Sincerely, MarKona Love (with Kona) Author's Note: Kona opened my eyes on how to Love (choosing sacrifice) and how to truly witness and experience Life at its fullest, regardless of determent. She will always be the light that shines upon my path through this Cosmic Journey … and keeps me connected. I sincerely wish everyone to be so fortunate. For comments or suggestions for upcoming topics, please email me at konagod.love5@gmail.com GROUNDCOVER NEWS 11 DIG-IT from page 5 to a fake website. Thankfully, there are some ways they are from a legitimate service, like Netflix or Amazon. These emails, known as phishing emails, try to trick you into entering your login information on a fake version of the website that they claim to be from. A common phishing tactic is to tell you that your account has been canceled and that you need to login to reactivate it. If you receive an email like this, don’t click on the link in the email. Instead, use your web browser to navigate to the website in question just like you usually do. That will allow you to check if there are really any problems with your account, without being redirected that you can avoid receiving scam and spam emails in the first place. The best way to limit unwanted emails is to be really careful about where you enter your email address online. Only enter your email address on websites you totally trust. If you don't have to, try not to enter your email address at all. You can also set up a separate email account just to use when a website or service asks you for your email. Using a separate email to sign up for online accounts can help ensure that your primary email account will only receive legitimate correspondence.
12 GROUNDCOVER NEWS FOOD Roasted garlic aioli ELIZABETH BAUMAN Groundcover contributor Ingredients: 1 garlic bulb 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 6 oz jar artichoke hearts 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice 1 Tablespoon of Dijon mustard 1 cup mayonnaise Salt and pepper to taste Directions: Cut off the pointed end of the garlic bulb and place the bulb on a piece of tin foil. Drizzle with tablespoon of oil. Roast at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until soft. Remove from the oven and let cool; squeeze pulp from garlic cloves. Place in a blender with artichoke, lemon and mustard. Blend for a few seconds and JULY 28, 2023 then add mayonnaise. Blend well. Chill. Serve with fresh vegetables, blanching the veggies if needed. Support an Alternative Business Model Local - Organic - Member-Owned Your Ypsilanti source for healthy, eco-friendly food and goods INVEST BY BECOMING A MEMBER! 7 principles of Co-ops Voluntary, Democratic, Equitable, Independent, Informative, Collaborative, Community We make it affordable: Frequent Sales/Use Your Bridge card/Ask us about Double Up Food Bucks Visit us for 312 N. River St. (734) 483-1520 www.ypsifoodcoop.org unique cards and local, handmade items too $2 OFF your purchase of $15 or more One coupon per transacton Must present coupon at time of purchase IT’S SUMMER, LET’S GET GRILLIN’! $2 OFF NATURAL FOODS MARKET & DELI 216 N. FOURTH AVENUE ANN ARBOR, MI PHONE (734) 994 - 9174 • PEOPLESFOOD.COOP ANY PURCHASE OF $15 OR MORE One coupon per transaction. Must present coupon at the time of purchase. Coupon good for in-store only. No other discounts or coop cards apply. Not valid for gift cards, case purchases, beer or wine. OFFER EXPIRES 8/15/2023
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