MARCH 24, 2023 ON MY CORNER MEET YOUR VENDOR What the street took To my Sisters and Brothers of the street … I write this directly to you and about Us — who carry an experienced awareness of a reality that we all share. Our conversation is meant to be heard by all, so to educate and create awareness in other human beings who care. We lose all our monetary possesLarzell Washington, vendor No. 128 In one sentence, who are you? I try to be an understanding person. Where do you usually sell Groundcover News? Everywhere, but more recently, Bobcat Bonnie’s on Michigan Ave. What is your favorite thing to do in Ypsilanti? Talk to people. Why did you start selling Groundcover? I believe it was just my niche in life. Life recruited me. What words do you live by? Forgive while you are still here. Lack of forgiveness is a psychological disorder. What are you most likely to be famous for? Communicating well with people. Or bank robbery ... just joking! What's the best way to start the day? Saying “good morning.” What is a small thing that makes your day better? A nice, cold Faygo. Orange flavor. What would be the first thing you did if you won the lottery? Shop for joy! If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? A nice chef’s salad with ranch and thousand island dressing. What change would you like to see in Washtenaw County? I would like to see Washtenaw County recognize mental health more. That it is a real situation. sions, getting shoved to the street, but the struggle is in what of Us we leave on the street that we may never recover and the pain carried from losing an irreplaceable part of Us. For me, it was my most loved and trusted companion Kona, and the peace of mind from believing the system would take the necessary action. The story is so sadly common — unscrupulous landlords and a landlord-biased system. Many landlords/apartment managers of low income housing are nothing more than criminals riding the “river of bias” streaming through our authoritative system. Really, you're forever one foot out the door, often ending up in a homelessness carousel. This creates an insecurity that is painfully and possibly permanently burnt into a consciousness that may struggle with recovering from a previous ignorance of insecurity. So many people who have not had this experience do not realize they are just one step away from “one step beyond.” So, how did we get here/there from here/there? What did we (Us) lose of ourselves, how do we lose it and is there a way back, emotionally? How were you put on the street(s)? I can only imagine the countless — possibly close to infinite — ways. Each tragic story is so specific to each special human being. I say “special human being” because that human being got knocked down, taken out, and now you see that “special human being” trudging with a backpack or shoving a cart … you’re witnessing somebody of great courage attempting to get the f*** back up! We all need to respectfully ask that person their story. We all have something to learn from everybody, especially the homeless who show the greatest strength and courage, fighting a seemingly endless battle. Their story might help save your life or somebody's that you love. This battle starts day one and you soon realize the system is completely inadequate; therefore it’s a seemingly unwinnable battle. But you're watching a human being who MARKONA LOVE Groundcover vendor No. 590 knows how you're looking at them but fights on. I have seen this fight clearly since I was young, all over the world. There is an endless list of tragic ways in which some of our hearts were taken from us. How do “Homers” (the housed unaware) cope and grieve? Attend funerals, Shivas, consoling potlucks at home, vacations from work and more. Ask Homers how hard it was to cope … then ask how they would have done it if they have to shove all that pain deep down, hold their head up and drive on into the wind — work it to get it (food, heat, sleep, transportation, safety) or just give up and die! The homeless can and do come from various economic stations. Intelligence, education, or original status does not make you impervious to a “slip and fall” to the street. Some of our Ann Arbor homeless people have several jobs and are still unable to obtain permanent housing. Many of Us also volunteer, support other homeless people in need and contribute actively to our community. Many homeless people are cognizant and ultraaware of politics in order to just navigate a dysfunctional system. We (Us) have to be more informed and aware than others in order to be consistently facilitating a far more complex way of survival. Homers base their assumptions on a preconceived bias, based solely on appearance. These misconceptions support the system, pigeonholing us into a convenient place on their game board. Then we become pliable to the machine merely to become fuel for their fodder. You are now whatever they want you to be — your life becomes a loose kite with them carelessly holding the string. You hope for grace, but that's spread far and thin these days. So you reach for a belief/faith or maybe some luck from the cosmos. In the end it relies on HOPE. Hope is the edge of the cliff. To all So many people who have not had this experience do not realize they are just one step away from 'one step beyond.' of you on the streets, from the street, or on the way to the street — hold on, don’t let go — don't give up that hope, that's yours. Keep it safe and nourished. Don't let it go. Believe it or not there are other human beings who will love and care about you but, it might take awhile for someone to see you for who you truly are, a special person that needs some help and understanding — empathy, love. Everyone of us is a beautiful human being who just needs some level of help — getting it right. It's a comfortable release for the ignorant to quickly judge instead of caring with any empathy. Yes, it’s an effort. Anything worthwhile is, like an investment. Do not give up hope, ever! After putting some real time in on the street you start to lose faith in this system; it wears you down with poorly placed protocols, incompetence and just plain inaction … sometimes purposeful. We (Us) know of this, and several of Us have experienced this firsthand — some more than others, usually due to prejudice. This just beats you down, and some politicians are counting on that. It’s all figured into the design of the bills they write. This practice includes all Washington politicians, from one end of the spectrum to the other, even the ones that throw Us an occasional crumb. This is something Homers aren’t told but many of Us experience directly. And, in the same way they suppress minority rights, they then turn Us against each other to divide and conquer. Remember who is at the keyboard that are the switches of your destiny — life! Oh! Don’t forget social media — they’ve mastered it to their own, eventual self-destruction. They’ll try to shove you so far into the corner that you start dropping diamonds. This is something I experienced, and am still experiencing. If we (Us) try to help or inform others, Uncle Sam comes down on Us with no mercy, with “Maxwell’s Silver see STREET page 8 GROUNDCOVER NEWS 3 "
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