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4 GROUNDCOVER NEWS HOMELESSNESS ALEXANDRA GRANBERG Groundcover contributor August 9, at around 9 a.m., a car driver ran over and severely injured Gordie on the intersection of Michigan Avenue and South Grove Street in Ypsilanti. Gordie was on his bike, crossing Michigan Ave on the sidewalk. The driver was turning out of South Grove onto Michigan Ave. Jill, Gordie’s wife, who was right behind him, bent down under the car to find Gordie with one of the front tires pushed against his chest. She stood up and yelled at the driver to back up. The driver slowly backed away from Gordie, and got out of the car to see the damage. Without asking if the man he had just run over was okay, the driver then called an ambulance. Gordie got up and started walking around in circles, delirious from the pain and breathing weirdly, according to Jill and Mikey, a friend and witness I spoke to for this article. Soon after, one of his lungs collapsed. Still he was able to walk himself to the ambulance once it arrived. Police were the first to respond. They only took Gordie’s first name, then spoke to Jill. When the cops asked Jill for an address she told them they had none — she and Gordie are currently homeless and staying in a tent. Upon hearing this, the cops stopped taking notes. They handed Jill a business card and a case number without further questions for her or Gordie. Gordie does not know who the driver was, nor did he get the names of the cops. No pictures were taken at the scene. The ambulance driver told Jill she was not allowed to ride in the ambulance with her husband according to protocol. Hit and walk? When he hit Gordie, the driver was past the stop sign and on his phone, according to Mikey. Both Gordie and Mikey say they saw the cops talking to the driver before letting him go without so much as a ticket. Before leaving the scene, the cops informed Gordie that he had been in the wrong for biking against traffic on the sidewalk, and told him to get a lawyer. According to Michigan traffic law, cyclists can ride on sidewalks unless restricted by a local ordinance. And when using the sidewalk legally a cyclist has all the same rights as a pedestrian. Under an applicable Ypsilanti ordinance, sidewalk cycling is allowed in all city parts except “in any business district of the city.” Which areas are included in the “business district” is not defined in the text. Nor is it made clear after a surprising amount of research, including digging through city documents with the help of a former city planner. Steve Wilcoxen, Mayor Pro Tem and Council liaison to the Ypsilanti Non-Motorized Advisory Committee, seems just as confused by the wording. He tells me the term is not a zoning classification. However the area which makes up “the center” of Ypsilanti ends a block before Grove Street on Michigan Ave. Wilcoxen also said “police officers are fairly ignorant about bicycle laws,” and that “many people ride on the sidewalk SEPTEMBER 8, 2023 Driver runs over homeless cyclist, cops take no action there.” There is no bike lane on that stretch of Michigan Ave. Broken, breathing Gordie walked away with a broken collarbone, a number of fractures on his ribs and a punctured lung. He spent a week in the hospital. When I talked to him on the phone he sounded tired but under the circumstances upbeat: “I’m still breathing.” It was the first time he told the story to anyone beside his peers. Two weeks after the incident no authority had yet contacted Gordie or Jill. No law enforcement representative has asked for Gordie’s statement. Despite the physical and psychological trauma — the 43-year-old now has trouble sleeping and freezes at the sight of a car — Gordie said it could be worse: “It could have been a kid biking down that road.” Still, he said, “I feel this would be handled differently had it been someone of higher standing than myself.” Groundcover News will follow the development of this case. Delonis is deteriorating D.A. Groundcover contributor I'm writing this article believing that we are more than what is becoming of human services organizations. The principles of a thriving, productive transitional facility is to promote health, well-being and tend to individual goals for clients whose only commonality is the lack of sustainable housing. Those are people who are at risk of harm, scrutiny and dejection of the human spirit. I can believe that the clients may have similarities, yet bear varied needs. By grouping individuals as a whole, they are turning a blind eye to the fact that people may be beaten by self harm — whether it is intentional or not. They should not need to continue to experience hopelessness at a homeless persons' shelter. After not being able to utilize the services of a particular homeless persons' shelter, I am untrusting about any shelter now. I have no trust in what the Robert J. Delonis Center is now. I guess some call it a refuge. As a woman enduring a brain injury, I have been verbally assaulted by men on the premises of the "shelter." As a result of speaking up about my rights being openly violated, staff have blocked access to their facilities and protection. They've witnessed me being physically assaulted in front of the "shelter" in the middle of the night. Four staff members came down to the entrance door to the "shelter" and instructed me to leave the property. Not one of them asked if I was alright. Once again, promoting safety was not their priority. The employees should always keep in mind their positions as people who are employed as human services workers that have an ethic. They have an oath to uphold — that they will promote safety, humanity, and fairness — wherever they may be at the time of your encounter with them, all human beings on the property of the "shelter." Until recently, I had never slept in front of the shelter or on the street. It is the most dangerous, vulnerable place for a person of any gender to sleep. A so-called "female" staff member made me sleep outside in March in freezing weather because I have a brain injury and use a walker. She wrongfully demanded that I leave the women's (4th) floor at 7:30 a.m., whereas it is the rule and standard that everyone is expected to leave the 4th floor at 8 a.m. At 7:30 a.m, I gathered what I could, went to the first (main) floor to wash and dress. As I was washing myself, the male on duty, the first floor receptionist, kept busting into the bathroom without knocking or using any verbal alerts. As I stood half-naked trying to take care of my hygiene, he demanded that I hurry up and get out. No one can wash themselves, fully dress, and brush their teeth in ten minutes. Especially an individual who has a brain injury who requires an aide. I am going to level down. Because there are genuine, devoted staff members who exhibit a neutral character. Yet, some will not speak up about the fraternizing that goes on between some of the staff and clients. There is no modesty in some of the apparel that most of the female staff comes to work dressed in. I would realize as a human services employee that wearing coochie-cutter shorts to work is a distraction to some people and not professional attire. Whether it is a male or female, I believe that it would come to mind that you are not at home. You are at the "shelter" to reveal available community resources, not your personal goods. People need enlightenment, hope — not another false rollercoaster ride. When people know they have choices and the ability to overcome their issues, that is the most wonderful gift you can offer anyone. Landlords’ unreasonable requirements are a way to reject people that are low income. It is ridiculous and reckless to only rent to individuals whose income is higher than $6,000 a month. It is a form of concealing that they are discriminating against you for being poor. It is a method of accelerating gentrification and prolonging time spent in shelters or on the street. Why not care for others with righteous works? As you are lifting one up, you may also be lifting yourself up. Let your work be a true reflection of what you are supposed to do. It takes all of us to make things go right. Offer people literacy programs, mental health services, job-skills training and show people how to effectively fill out a job application and learn creative resume-writing skills. Make sure clients are being proactive in searching for housing prospects. When we ensure individual clients that they are empowered and they can believe in themselves, this is a start to building community and independence!

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