NOVEMBER 14, 2025 ON MY CORNER MEET YOUR VENDOR Bakari Bomani, vendor No. 685 In one sentence, who are you? I’m someone who cares about social justice and exposing and removing corruption. Where do you usually sell GCN? South Main St. and East Liberty St. When and why did you start selling Groundcover? Mike Jones introduced me to Groundcover a couple weeks ago. What is your favorite thing to do in Ann Arbor? Research at the library. What is your favorite spot in Ann Arbor? Groundcover headquarters. What words do you live by? You’ve got to earn respect to get respect. What is something about you that someone on the street wouldn’t know? I love mixed martial arts. What’s the best thing about selling Groundcover? Interacting with the diverse and dynamic individuals. If you could do anything for a day, what would it be? Spend time with loved ones and friends. If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? A nice smoothie with fish and fries. What is your superpower? Reading energy. If you had a warning label, what would yours say? Proceed with caution: If you come to me with love, you’re going to get love. If you come with hate, I might reflect the same hate to you. What was your first job? McDonald's. What are your hobbies? Meditation and working out. What change would you like to see in Washtenaw County? I would like people to look and see each other as human beings instead of all these different categories. What would be the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery? Move into a nice house and buy myself a nice suit. What is one song you have memorized? "Me Against the World" by Tupac What is the most impressive thing you know how to do? Critical thinking. What is your pet peeve? Individuals that feed off corruption and are full of greed. GROUNDCOVER NEWS The greatest sage to ever walk on the Earth’s crust TOMMY SPAGHETTI Groundcover vendor No. 669 The edges of my vision are blurry but the middle is clear. I am on a tree-lined street walking towards Alan Haber’s (and Odile’s) house. It has been far too long since I have seen them, so I step forward with determination. The colors abound in their autumnal splendor. Normally the U.S. Treasury reserves their money for the likenesses of war criminals and Indian killers i.e. Lincoln, Jackson, Eisenhower etc., so imagine my surprise when I spot a dancer on the reverse side of a commemorative quarter. Dancer? Upon closer scrutiny I see that it is a rendering of Maya Angelou, the poet laureate of the 1990s. In 2006 I was an hourly wage worker at Oakland University’s food court. It was evening when I heard a loud voice introduce Maya Angelou. Maya, apparently, was invited by the college to speak to the student body. The convocation center was adjacent to the food court. Blocked by walls and large refrigerators I could not see but hear. This is what she said. “When I was a child I was sexually abused by a family member. When I told on him he was murdered. I didn’t speak for five years because I believed my words had power. During my education I excelled at learning foreign languages … “As an unwed pregnant mother standing in NYC watching the United Nations being constructed, I did not know that 20 years later I would be working there as a foreign language interpreter … I am not telling you this in order to brag about myself. I am relaying to you stories from my life.” Almost as if to complete my previous night’s dream (italics above), I am inside Alan’s house. After he hugs me, I reach into my pocket. Grabbing the Maya Angelou quarter, I present it to Alan. “Can you tell who that is?” Alan peers at it intensely. “It’s Maya Angelou,” I tell him, relieving him of further study. Alan’s reply: "I met Maya Angelou. It was the fall of 1960 or the spring of 1961 in NYC. SDS had two groups meeting. Beyer Russ of the Socialist Democrats and Tom Kahn of the Youth Progressive Socialist Maya Angelou League invited me up to an apartment and Maya Angelou was there and the guy who sang the Banana Boat Song ... Harry Belafonte Jr." PERSONAL NOTES: 1. Don’t despair. He gained his power using Diamonds and Clubs but we’re gonna trump Trump by using Hearts and Spades. 2. If Stormy Daniels kept her mouth shut (regarding DT’s sexploits) she would have been attorney general today instead of Pam Bondi. 3. “Hunger” by Knut Hamsen was a best-selling book in the 20th century. It was so profound that it changed the way nations regarded food. Governments supply free food vouchers to their citizens because it reduces crime. Take away the bridge cards and watch the windows break. Silent bullying on the bus WAYNE S. Groundcover vendor No. 615 Well looky here, Wayne S. has a new term to introduce to a certain segment of the bus riding public: Silent bullying! What’s this you ask? It’s the look that someone gives you when they're taking up two seats while you have none. Let’s take a look at what’s happening here. Okay, you pay your fare. You’re entitled to a seat right? So you’re looking around for a seat you just paid for. This is where the silent bullying starts. The first move is to sit on the aisle seat and keep your eyes on the floor hoping no one notices you. These people will usually grudgingly give up the seat they are not entitled to. Next we have the ones who are trying to play the victim by bringing their canes and walker and filling up the seat next to them, which they are also not entitled to! Why? They did not pay for two seats and a person who was forced to stand did pay for a seat. Here is the dilemma: just what are we going to do about it? Answer, answers, and more answers. Yes? Let’s have some back and forth here. I want to hear from you folks! We all are aware of a real need to accommodate people who require assistive devices, and we as a society are responsible for their safety and we are aware of their needs and have no problem meeting these needs! I’m also aware that some of these handicapped people find an easier way to scam and I repeat that this is only done by a minority of people. But even this causes ripples in the system. So let’s start a conversation. I’ve been doing an informal survey with people on the bus about how they feel about this — if they have noticed it and what they think we should do about it. I also have been asking bus drivers if they find it to be a problem and what they would like done about it. We will continue to be a service to the public and to the bus drivers to come to some resolution. I would love to hear from you! Please send your thoughts to submissions@groundcovernews.com. 3
4 Publizr Home