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OCTOBER 18, 2024 | VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 22
YOUR PURCHASE BENEFITS THE VENDORS.
PLEASE BUY ONLY FROM BADGED VENDORS.
Community Mental Health and
Public Safety Millage â€” what to
know before November 5. page 4
MEET YOUR
VENDOR:
CINDY GERE
PAGE 3
GROUNDCOVER
NEWS AND SOLUTIONS FROM THE GROUND UP | WASHTENAW COUNTY, MICH.
THIS PAPER WAS BOUGHT FROM
Denise Shearer, vendor No. 485, at
the Fleetwood Diner â€” winner of
the Best Affordable Restaurant in
Washtenaw County.
â€¢ Proposal: Housing-development
accelerator
â€¢ Charbonneau: Open your eyes to
housing inequity. PAGE 4
@groundcovernews, include vendor name and vendor #
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GROUNDCOVER NEWS
GROUNDCOVER
community EVENTS
ANN ARBOR PROPOSALS A-D
DISCUSSION
Saturday, October 19, 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Washtenaw County Admin Building - 200
N Main St. in the basement
Ann Arbor voters will asked to vote on four
proposals this November 5th. All proposals
will amend the City Charter. Speakers
will share their reasons for supporting or
for not supporting these proposals.
A2 PLANNING OPEN HOUSE
Wednesday, October 23, 11 a.m.-7p.m.,
Presentations at 12:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Ann Arbor District Library: Downtown
(Multipurpose Room, lower level)
Learn and give input on the A2 Comprehensive
Plan, Downtown Area Circulation
Study and the DDA Development Plan.
HALLOWEEN DOWNTOWN
Friday, October 25, 5:30-7p.m.
Michigan Ave Library Plaza, Ypsilanti
Celebrate the Ypsilanti District Library's
annual Halloween event at the newly renovated
downtown library branch! Trick-ortreat
in the Library Plaza! Pick up sweets,
win books, play putt-putt with Putt-RRound,
and visit the "Boo"Mobile.
MOVING our MONEY from WARFARE
to HUMAN NEEDS
Saturday, October 26, 3-5 p.m.
8200 W. Outer Dr., Southfield, Detroit
Panel presentation on why cutting the
bloated military budget and spending our
tax money in the areas of jobs, healthcare,
housing, climate control and education,
would benefit ALL of us â€” no matter your
political persuasion, gender, age or
ethnicity.
GROUNDCOVER NEWS ANNUAL
OPEN MIC
Friday, November 22, 6-8 p.m.
Makeshift Gallery, 407 E Liberty St.
Join us this November in honoring Hunger
& Homelessness Awareness week at
Groundcover News' fifth open mic event!
Come listen to community members share
writing, songs poetry and stories from the
street. This is a FREE event. All are
welcome.
OCTOBER 18, 2024
letter to the EDITOR
While I share the abhorrence of the death of innocent
civilians occurring in Gaza and Lebanon, I take
issue with calling it genocide, as many articles in
Groundcover News have. The Oct. 4 article about the
UN by Mike Jones is the most recent example. Genocide
implies an extermination campaign. Israel warns
the populace in advance of their major incursions,
encouraging civilians to relocate. If their goal was
eradicating all Palestinians, they would not do so.
Israel has consistently targeted enemy leaders and
their military infrastructure.
Further, Mr. Jones blames the UN Security Council
vetoes for the continued war in Gaza, never mentioning
that Hamas has been unwilling to agree to any of
the cease-fire agreements brokered by other nations.
Israel has agreed to several.
And letâ€™s not forget that this war began when Hamas
attacked Israel. They tortured, raped and killed thousands
and took 250 hostages, many of whom are now
dead or still being held. And that Hamas continues to
intermingle its leaders and munitions with its population
centers. Hamas is engaged in a war for public
sympathy and Groundcover News writers are helping
them win it.
â€” Susan Beckett
PROVIDING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR
SELF-DETERMINED 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 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 â€” publisher
Cynthia Price â€” editor
Michelle Lardie-Guzek â€” intern
ISSUE CONTRIBUTORS
VOLUNTEERS
D.A.
Elizabeth Bauman
Jamie Cameron
Pedro Campos
Jim Clark
La Shawn Courtwright
Cindy Gere
Amelia Isacksen
Ginger Johnston
Earl Pullen
Will Shakespeare
Denise Shearer
Scoop Stevens
Felicia Wilbert
GROUNDCOVER NEWS ADVERTISING RATES
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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
Jessi Averill
Sim Bose
Zachary Dortzbach
Luiza Duarte Caetano
Jacob Fallman
Glenn Gates
Alexandra Granberg
Robert Klingler
Simone Masing
Anthony McCormick
Mary Wisgerhof
Max Wisgerhof
CONTACT US
PROOFREADERS
Kendall Artz
Susan Beckett
Elliot Cubit
Anabel Sicko
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
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×‰	Ú 7cassandra://C1wXqtVGx8YWUnPDEuGTFrsgheGKH-kx68RzG7An1A8ÍPÍ`Í€Í ×g#Ïš³ï˜©ƒ¾×‰EÚ<OCTOBER 18, 2024
ON MY CORNER
MEET YOUR VENDOR
SCOOP STEVENS
Groundcover vendor No. 638
Groundcover vendors are losing
Cindy Gere, vendor No. 279
In one sentence, who are you?
I am Dene Nation, Kaska Tribe,
Native Canadian from the Wolf Clan
Warrior. I fight for the least of us;
that is my mission.
Where do you usually sell
Groundcover? Sweetwaters coffee
shop on Ashley and Washington
from 7-10 a.m. as much as possible.
When and why did you start selling
Groundcover? I am a humanitarian
â€“ and Christ told the world,
be and do for the least of us! So I
choose to work with and be part of
the homeless as part of my mission-walk
in life.
What is your favorite thing to do
in Ann Arbor? Go to all the free
festivals and gatherings with my
friends.
What is your favorite spot in Ann
Arbor? Pink is my favorite color so
to calm down I go to the pink coffee
shop with all the roses (House of
Chimney Cakes).
What words do you live by?
I do what I can for who I can and
when I can!
What is something about you that
someone on the street wouldnâ€™t
know? I have an operatic voice.
If you could do anything for a
day, what would it be? Hang out
with real war veterans and teach
them yoga/meditation.
If you had to eat one meal for the
rest of your life, what would it
be? Moose.
What are your hobbies? Lifting
weights and dancing. I go out every
Friday to dance and party!
What change would you like to
see in Washtenaw County? A
homeless tent community for nondrug
and sober working homeless
people.
the war against aggressive panhandlers
in Ann Arbor. In the end,
Groundcover will lose this war.
Before this happens, Groundcover
should change its primary mission
from providing employment for
low-income individuals to becoming
a newspaper of enlightened
justice. This can be accomplished
by making improvements in our
freelance writing program.
African American sociologist,
educator and author W.E.B.
Dubois wanted Black people to
agitate, agitate and agitate for justice.
His nemesis, Booker T. Washington,
sought an accommodation
with whites through an emphasis
on vocational training. Vocational
training is for slaves.
Traditional liberal arts (grammar,
logic and rhetoric) are the
subjects that free people study.
Groundcover should continue its
social justice mission but should
also publish articles that teach traditional
liberal arts. This will educate
the public and nurture
freedom. It will also prevent
Groundcover from becoming just
another vocational training, dead
end for the vendors.
As the overall quality of journalism
improves in Groundcoverâ€™s
newspaper, a more sophisticated
reader base will develop that will
become investors in Groundcover
solutions. Having an article
Jamie's Choice Awards
Best Thai Food: No Thai
(Kerrytown).
Best Billiards: The 8 Ball
Saloon (downstairs from Blind
Pig or enter via alley). There may
be a cover charge.
Best Dancing: Depending on
JAMIE CAMERON
Groundcover vendor No. 612
day of the week, Necto, off Liberty.
There may be a cover and
coat check charge. It used to be
called â€œThe Nectarine
Ballroom!â€
Best Cinnamon Buns: CinnaBon
in Briarwood Mall near JC
Penney.
Best Cup of Coffee: Espresso
Royale off Main near Liberty.
Unfortunately, all locations are
now closed.
Best Seafood: The Black Pearl,
on Main St. near Liberty.
Best Book Shop for used buy
or sell: The Dawn Treader, off
Liberty in downtown.
Happy consuming!
Halloween is a real treat
What Halloween means to me is
fun and treats. Halloween means
to me a time to love God and Jesus
more. Halloween means to me
the same as Thanksgiving â€” being
thankful for all God blessed me
with. I also like to have fun on Halloween
but not with spooky things.
I like to celebrate Halloween with
beautiful, colorful things. I like to
dress up as a butterfly or a cat.
I love watching the Charlie
Brown Peanuts â€œItâ€™s the Great
Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.â€ I like to
joke that my boyfriend Richard
donâ€™t discuss politics, religion,
and the Great Pumpkin with anybody.
This is part reality, though!
Halloween also reminds me of the
movie â€œCinderella,â€ where her carriage
was a pumpkin. Halloween
reminds me of â€œThe Princess and
the Frogâ€ movie, too.
Halloween reminds me of being
DENISE SHEARER
Groundcover vendor No. 485
During Halloween time I also
like to go to farmers markets
because itâ€™s the harvest time of the
year. All the fruits and vegetables
are so colorful and pretty; they are
very delicious, too. Halloween
reminds me of candy and hot dogs
and candy apples. French fries,
too. Halloween also reminds me
of delicious popcorn â€” caramel
popcorn and buttered popcorn.
with my friends at Halloween parties.
Halloween is not just for kids,
itâ€™s for anybody at any age who
wants to have fun and enjoy treats
and enjoy the holiday. It also
reminds me of getting together
with church groups and celebrating
and getting treats.
Halloween can be celebrated in
many different ways; I enjoy them
all except spooky things. I like to
celebrate God and Jesus in every
holiday, including Halloween.
GROUNDCOVER NEWS
Groundcover News evolution path
published in Groundcover will
become a literary achievement
and many writers who submit articles
will not have them published.
In keeping with its non-profit corporation
status, these articles will
be evaluated and writers will be
compensated according to merit.
A culture of literacy that leads to
more effective civic participation
will grow out of the Groundcover
freelance writing program. Sales
will increase because of the content
of the paper and the paper
will, for the most part, sell itself.
The vendor role will be diminished
in importance but new opportunities
will become available.
3
by Denise Shearer
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GROUNDCOVER NEWS
ELECTION DAY
OCTOBER 18, 2024
Community Mental Health Public Safety Millage â€”
what to know before November 5
Nothing is certain but death and
taxes. The death part is obvious â€” if
youâ€™re a human being, you have an
expiration date. But why are taxes certain?
Because as long as you're alive
and a human being, you or someone
you know may need public services.
Public services are provided by the
people running the government
through programs and departments.
The Washtenaw County government
coordinates important services like
community mental health and public
safety. As we live in a society driven
by money, these services need to be
funded to pay employees and obtain
resources. Hence, taxes.
The Community Mental Health and
Public Safety Preservation Millage
was voted on in 2017, commenced in
2019, and is set to expire in 2026. It is
up for renewal in the upcoming general
election in order to avoid running
a special election next year.
The millage is a 1 mill tax that generates
$15 to $18 million a year for
Washtenaw County. Five to six million
dollars go to CMH, the rest goes
to public safety/the Sheriffâ€™s Office.
The Washtenaw County Sheriff's
Office provides services like animal,
boating and food/restaurant safety;
disaster response; and 911 dispatch.
CMH provides services like prevention
(early diagnosis and mental
health awareness campaigns); crisis
intervention (for people facing
mental and/or emotional stability
challenges); stabilization (programs
that support the recovery of substance
abuse and mental illness survivors
and people with barriers to
such services due to lack of resources
or homelessness); and diversion
(avoiding incarceration, ER visits and
JIM CLARK
Groundcover vendor No. 139
rehab while providing extra mental
health and substance abuse recovery
services for people in jail).
The impact of these services is measured
in the number of people helped.
There is no public impact report for
the funds allocated towards the Sheriffâ€™s
Office. The impact of Washtenaw
County Community Mental Health
services in 2023 are as follows:
â€¢ Substance abuse call line was
answered approximately 250 times
per month
â€¢ The CARES team served 2.4 times
more people that year than before the
millage
â€¢ The CMH crisis team visited 2,628
crisis calls in person
â€¢ Served over 2,200 children and
young adults
â€¢ Provided over 300 hours of
psychiatry
â€¢ Created more than 10 programs
for the Washtenaw Intermediate
School District
â€¢ Found emergency shelter for over
250 individuals
â€¢ Provided over 800 people with
support services such as therapy and
case management
â€¢ Created a co-response team with
a mental health professional and a
deputy who responded to over 540
emergency calls
An additional service that the millage
would have provided for is the
Crisis Stabilization Center, which is
not currently open.
Advocates have long been calling
for accountability both in terms of
individual programs the millage
funds, and particularly regarding the
portion of the funds that go to public
safety activities. Though there is
reporting to involved agencies, the
general public is often kept in the
dark. Preceding the June 5 Board of
Commissioners vote to restore and
renew the millage on the November 5
general election ballot, the BOC
passed an ordinance to create a
Public Safety Millage Advisory Committee
(MAC) that will provide oversight
over the majority funds allocated
to the Sheriffâ€™s Office. More details
regarding this ordinance can be
reviewed in the May 17, 2024 edition
of Groundcover News.
Even with advisory committees, the
public is unhappy with expenditure
accountability. Kat Layton, LLMSW
is a community-centric social worker
and a former employee of Community
Mental Health. When asked for
the most important thing for voters to
know about the millage renewal, she
had this to say: â€œI was an employee at
Washtenaw County Community
Mental Health from February 2022 to
December 2022. During my short
time there, it became evident that the
Crisis Stabilization Center at 750
Towner was no longer operational
due to staffing issues, shortly after its
opening in June 2020. I later noticed,
reviewing meeting materials from the
Millage Advisory Committee (MAC),
that despite this, funds from the
Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation
Millage continued to be allocated
to this center.
â€œAfter noting this financial spending,
it is concerning to see taxpayer money
being allocated to a service that is no
longer operational, especially when
pressing needs within our community
could benefit from these resources
and the purposes of the millage funds
are intended for these resources. I
want to inquire why our millage funds
have been directed to a crisis stabilization
center over the last two years
without providing that service.
â€œDuring the 8/12/24 MAC meeting,
CMH administrators acknowledged
that the line item labeled â€˜Crisis Stabilization
Centerâ€™ visible on the
bi-monthly and yearly financial
reports was allocated to the renovation
of the 750 Towner facility, which
does not seem in alignment with the
original appropriation of these funds
and millage monies. CMH administrators
stated this location was being
â€˜built upâ€™ for transfer to another CMH
department rather than being utilized
for the Crisis Stabilization
Center services as initially intended.
This raises significant concerns, considering
that millage funds, derived
from taxpayer contributions, were
allocated to support public safety and
mental health services.â€
Questions
about
openness/
accountability are important, because
if the millage is renewed, citizens
should be able to monitor the associated
expenditures. This includes
whether funds are appropriated to
re-establish the Crisis Stabilization
Center which, in addition to an emergency
shelter based in Ypsi, is a
greatly needed resource.
No matter who wins, don't forget the Americans!
I wrote this article to draw out information
from people who are economically
challenged or poor. I interviewed
five people about issues related to
public policy and the election, and this
is what they offered. Some said they
are going to vote, and some said they
will not, and some said that they are
not yet 100% sure. They shared different
perspectives on and about the current
political climate in this year 2024.
Overall it was agreed to by all five
interviewees that the policies are far
from resolved. If the individual presidential
candidates, former president
LA SHAWN COURTWRIGHT
Groundcover vendor No. 56
Donald J. Trump or Vice President
Kamala D. Harris, and the embodiment
of the political parties that must
agree, forget the purpose as they argue
and finger-point at one another, they
are forgetting about the American
people. Many of these people are the
backbone of major industries as the
labor force, and the other veins and
arteries that support the vast array of
billionaires and those who possess
generational wealth, while they are
undervalued â€” not even human, just
a poor person.
As a result, the information gathered
from the poor results in policies that
cause even more harm and wrong-doing.
Policy-makers imply that the
wealthy could really, actually benefit
by modeling and utilizing the data that
they've collected. The only thing that's
apparent is that these â€œbenefitsâ€ always
backfire on the poor. I'm going to refer
to the commenters as Person A-E so
that you don't know their real names.
That should not matter. They want to
just briefly comment on the issues and
be open about their views and
experience.
Person A talks a little about how
having monthly food stamp benefits
see BENEFITS page 11 ïƒ†
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ELECTION DAY
Voting while homeless: accessible,
yet unequal
AMELIA ISACKSEN AND
GINGER JOHNSTON
U-M student contributors
The 2024 presidential election is an
extremely close race by all polling
numbers, with the Silver Bulletin by
data journalist Nate Silver predicting
just a 2% lead for Vice President
Kamala Harris over former President
Donald Trump. While the foundations
of U.S. democracy include the
right to vote as an important vehicle
for citizens to self-govern, a tight
election makes each vote all the
more important. With every vote
counting, the votes of people experiencing
homelessness become even
more critical.
As of 2016, the voting rate of
low-income individuals was 46%,
compared with a rate of 67% for
people with incomes above twice
the poverty line, according to a study
done by Columbia University. As of
2020, US News reports that only 1 in
10 people experiencing homelessness
casts their vote. The Detroit
Press writes that â€œmany barriers to
voting among those facing homelessness
include misconceptions.â€
People who are experiencing homelessness
as well as the general public
may not know that people without a
permanent address can legally vote,
or what kind of identification is
needed to cast their ballots.
The voices, votes and opinions of
low-income voters and those experiencing
homelessness in Washtenaw
County are more important
than ever given the continuing reality
of a lack of affordable housing;
specifically the lack of political and
public will to better fund low-income
housing. The Washtenaw
Housing Alliance found that â€œIn
Washtenaw County, the standard
cost (Fair Market Rent or FMR) of a
two-bedroom apartment can be
$1,471/month, a monthly rate more
expensive than 98% of the state.â€
When faced with issues such as these,
voting empowers citizens to advocate
for the change they want to see
through political participation.
The role of the Michigan Secretary
of State is to ensure free and fair
access to voting. Local election officials
who manage the voting process
are trying to educate people experiencing
homelessness about voting
and the voting process. Grace Bartley,
a member of the Washtenaw
Chapter of the League of Women
Voters works to clear up these
misconceptions.
â€œItâ€™s more about making sure that
people are registered [to vote], and
letting people know that registering
is a thing they can do,â€ Bartley said.
â€œThe League of Women Voters also
comes out with a Voting Guide of
information which is pretty cool,
weâ€™re going to start distributing it.â€
Bartley is correct, as any citizen
over the age of 18 not currently serving
time for a felony conviction can
vote in the state of Michigan, including
those experiencing homelessness.
People can register without a
house or apartment address by using
a street corner, shelter, or park as
their place of residence. With a state
ID, one can register online. Another
option includes bringing a letter
from a public assistance program or
shelter to the township clerkâ€™s office
for proof of residence.
Additionally, when prompted for
an ID at the polls, individuals can
request to fill out a statement that
they do not have a photo ID. By casting
their votes, those experiencing
homelessness offer a valuable and
often marginalized perspective on
candidates and their platforms, from
the local to the national level.
Trudy Hughes, a League of Women
Voters member, argues that a major
barrier between homeless people
and voting is feeling isolated and
irrelevant to their government. â€œI
think there is a lack of connection to
the elected officials to feel that they
are making a difference in their life,â€
Hughes said. â€œItâ€™s that barrier of not
feeling like their vote is going to
make a difference.â€
Many similar organizations are
working to spread information about
available options for voters experiencing
homelessness. For example,
the Michigan Secretary of State's
Office has partnered with the Michigan
Coalition Against Homelessness
to educate voters and offer
registration clinics. Locally, the Shelter
Association of Washtenaw County
here in Ann Arbor offers assistance
with voter registration.
On September 21 from 2:30 to 4:30
p.m., the SAWC hosted an event at
the Delonis Center in which attendees
could learn about their right to
vote. On the first floor, there was
lunch provided, along with representatives
from Ambassadors from
Voting Access for All Coalition to
provide information on early voting,
absentee voting, and more as a
person experiencing homelessness.
On the second floor, attendees had
the opportunity to meet privately
with a representative from the
League of Women Voters to check
their registration status. The SAWC
is putting on another event in October
to register clients to vote.
However, regardless of how pure
the intentions were going into the
event, it was clear that voting was
not high on unhoused peopleâ€™s priority
list. Most people in attendance
buzzed past voting workers on their
way to get lunch provided by the
shelter, as they simply needed to eat.
After witnessing what people experiencing
homelessness go through
on a day-to-day basis, it seemed silly
to think that those who were struggling
to find a place to sleep at night
or their next meal would care about
an election, especially since a lot of
these people feel they have been
excluded in the policies and agenda
of our government.
Also in attendance was Gail Summerhill,
the founder of â€˜Ypsi, Can I
Share?,â€™ a program dedicated to
equalizing information for those
excluded by our government, that is
specifically for people of color and
impoverished individuals. Summerhill
was disappointed in the event.
She felt it was sick to expect homeless
people to step up and vote while
our government continually ignores
their needs at the local and national
level.
â€œPeople who are at the lowest
places in their life are not thinking
about voting because their basic
needs are not being met,â€ Summerhill
said. â€œIf you havenâ€™t done anything
but suppress these people
what do you expect from them?â€
As we move forward as a democratic
country it is crucial to equalize
voting and to ensure accessibility to
all citizens. Voting is the foundation
of our country, and the heart of
every citizenâ€™s inherent voice in our
democracy, so we must continue to
break down the barriers for the marginalized
voices of the people experiencing
homelessness and work to
equalize voting accessibility. As we
look at this yearsâ€™ close election, the
mobilization of such a large voting
block could very well make the difference
between candidates.
Still, while we must not expect the
silenced to jump at the opportunity
to vote, it is important that these
communities know that they have
an opportunity, and a choice, to
exercise their democratic right.
GROUNDCOVER NEWS
5
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GROUNDCOVER NEWS
CHOICE AWARDS
Photo credit: Stella Lansill
OCTOBER 18, 2024
A2 downtown coffee shop extravaganza!
CINDY GERE
Groundcover vendor No. 279
In the past two years we have seen
an explosion of coffee houses across
Ann Arbor. What I find very intriguing
is that each coffee shop does not just
serve coffee but has its signature features
â€” whether it be happy fairy
doors or the connection to the
L.G.B.T.Q community. Each coffee
shop is not just a coffee shop; they are
meetups, gatherings, social events and
meeting locations.
Coffee plays a huge role in the morning;
the ritual of pulling oneself out of
bed is like crossing the Grand Canyon
each morning. But one thing most
people can agree on is the very first
tasty sip that brings one back to life. As
I walked around town I realized that
ten years ago coffee was but a ghost of
its current self. Only a handful of coffeeshops
existed then: Espresso Royale,
Starbucks and Sweetwaters, not to
mention Cloverleaf and the Fleetwood
Diner. What we have now is amazing
because you donâ€™t need to get off your
route to find a coffee shop. The coffee
shop will pop up wherever you now
walk. Yippy! What an amazing convenience.
I will now list many of the
coffee shops by what makes each most
agreeable.
Bitty & Beauâ€™s was founded by the
Wright family in honor of their two
children Bitty and Beau who have
Down Syndrome. It changes the way
people see other people.
Just opened, the Moka & Co. is a
wonderful specialty Yemeni coffee
shop. Yemeni owned and operated,
this coffee shop came about through
family tradition from Yemen. The
grandparents wanted to bring to America
the delightful full taste of sun-dried,
no-pesticides, all-natural coffee with a
touch of cardamon spice called smoky
spice blend with a full homemade
flavor.
Cahoots has a wonderful, modern,
quiet atmosphere with high ceilings
and abstract paintings. It is an L.G.B.T.Q
friendly and gender-neutral space.
This coffee shop is a co-working space
and has a great backroom area for large
events
like group meetings and
gatherings.
House of Chimney Cake is a very
child-friendly atmosphere covered in
the delightful color pink (my personal
favorite) with wonderful pink roses and
a happy photo of angel wings. These
yummy ice cream delights and milkshakes
and sherbet with no milk hit the
spot everytime.
Hyperion is a very strong customer
interaction community. Here, many
have become friends. In part because
the shop is so small. Hyperion has a
direct relationship with the farmers
and ethically-sourced coffee. Right in
your cup.
At Roos Roast, the staff are super
friendly and extremely helpful. The
other point is the warm atmosphere
and very agreeable location (close to
Groundcover and the bus station). If
you want to see good artwork on display,
Roos Roast is the place to go. My
personal fave is the Miss Pac-Man table.
Sweetwaters is a long-established
coffeehouse; they recently celebrated
their 30 year anniversary. Kids come to
Sweetwaters to see the fairy door display
by Jonathan B. Wright at the Ashley
and Washington location. There are
still fairy doors around Ann Arbor to
hunt and see. Place a token for the fairy
who lives there and don't forget to
make a wish every time. The artworks
on the wall are for sale all year long.
There is a wonderful meeting area in
the back for business and groups. For
the furry friends there are happy pup
cups (whipped cream), yum yum!
Le Bon Macaron is a wonderful
French-inspired cafe that has a large
variety of colorful tasty macarons â€”
pina colada, violet and rose are on the
menu. All syrups are made in-house
with Italian and French sodas. Their
white spring atmosphere with chandelier
lighting is so quaint .
At Cannelle, the outdoor seating
area brings on a truly tropical sensation.
You will feel total relaxation as
you step inside. Supermodern soft
music greets you for a quiet study area.
Cannelle is known for its large variety
of pastries and yum yum eclairs, and
amazing smells. Vendor Cuba tells us
itâ€™s the best espresso coffee around. Mr.
Cuba says it can't be beat!
At Toastiques, live plants greet each
customer in a warm modern atmosphere
with a down-home feeling and
happy smiles. This coffee is ethically
sourced from Ethiopia and the chocolate
is from Brazil. My fave is the health
boosters shots which are great during
the cold season, along with good
soups and sandwiches.
Cinnaholic â€” Make your own yum
yum cinnamon bun creation with a
large variety of toppings to choose
from! The smells are to die for â€” come
get a taste of happy today!
Bakehouse48 has the largest variety
of tasty cupcakes with seasonal ones as
well. They are very kid friendly and they
offer sandwiches, donuts, cookies and
bagels, but by far the most fun are the
tiny mouth-watering mini baby cupcakes
that everyone loves.
Shinola Cafe is very quiet with a calm
atmosphere and a speakeasy vibe. With
low light and a comfortable setting and
wonderful work spaces for being on a
laptop, they offer a single origin espresso
with a large variety of music.
The popular cafe Argus Farm Stop
offers a one-stop shop for a seven-daya-week
hyperlocal farmers market. The
relaxed mood makes a great meetup
location for family and friends. They
are a consignment model (70% of the
sale of goods and food go to the producer).
Very down-home atmosphere.
Downtown Home and Garden is the
location for the truly cheapest coffee in
town; it has a warm homey atmosphere
and don't forget happy puppy treats!
Dunkinâ€™ is brand new to the scene on
Liberty: tasty donuts with cute happy
donut holes!! A second location is to
open on the corner of William and
State Street very soon.
That concludes 16 shops for your
delight. Take a tour of the shops and try
out new tasty treats. You never know
what you will find that will change your
mind and become a new favorite â€¦
YUM YUM!
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://JEqkfStZINgNvtUzg1fl5NyB6eRHGzzxCTj6RrGQjOUÍ[Í`Í€Í ×g#Ïš³ï˜©ƒÂ×‰EÚúOCTOBER 18, 2024
CHOICE AWARDS
Best Affordable Restaurant:
FLEETWOOD DINER
GROUNDCOVER NEWS
7
Best Place to Hear
Live Music:
ZIGGY'S
Best Nonprofit / Grassroots Org:
GROUNDCOVER NEWS
Best Dispensary:
BLOOM CITY CLUB
BEST MURAL:
Mary Thiefels and
Danijel Matanic
Best Hot, Free Meal:
PEGGY'S PANCAKE
BREAKFAST* (see page 12)
Best Cup of Coffee:
GROUNDCOVER
NEWS OFFICE!
Best Public Park:
FROG ISLAND
Best Free Daytime Activity:
BBQ IN THE PARK
Most Supportive
Faith Community:
ST. ANDREW'S
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
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GROUNDCOVER NEWS
HERITAGE
The theme for this yearâ€™s celebration
of Hispanic and Latino heritage history
month is â€œPioneers of Change:
Shaping the Future Together.â€
For a long time, Hispanic and Latino
Americans have celebrated their cultural
heritage and history in California,
Texas and other regions of the country.
In the late 1960s, U.S. President
Lyndon B. Johnson signed a federal
law which initiated Hispanic Heritage
Week. It became a national celebration
which was observed in every state, city
and town in America. In the 1980s, U.S.
President Ronald W. Reagan signed
legislation which changed the weeklong
celebration to a month-long celebration
(September 15 to October 15).
In Washtenaw County, the Hispanic
and Latinx Heritage month is celebrated
in many public schools, colleges
and universities. It is also
celebrated in city halls, county buildings,
churches and some workplaces.
At the University of Michigan, the
Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs
and the Office of Academic Multicultural
Initiatives work with groups of
students, staff and faculty to design
programs and schedule events which
capture the interest of the campus and
off-campus communities. "The Michigan
Daily" student newspaper publishes
lists of events from September
to October and beyond. At Eastern
Michigan University, events which celebrate
Hispanic and Latino heritage
are posted in the Universityâ€™s student
newspaper, â€œThe Eastern Echo.â€
Across the nation, there are celebrations
in public institutions such as
libraries and the Smithsonian Museums.
They feature guest speakers and
some motif of cultural expressions
which include art, movies, music, salsa
dancing, cultural foods and story-telling,
to mention a few. More recently,
Hollywood actors and comedians of
Hispanic and Latino ancestry have
started to challenge the younger population
to learn more about
their
Latino history. They want the young
folks to appreciate the sacrifices made
by â€œthe pioneers of change.â€
Actor and comedian John Leguizamo
said that young Hispanic and
Latino Americans should take pride in
the ancient civilizations of the Mayans,
the Aztecs, the Incas, Olmecs and
other indigenous peoples of
Meso-America. Young Hispanic and
Latino Americans are also reminded
that they will inherit the future, and
that they have the responsibilility to
work hard and use todayâ€™s technology
to help shape the future of their community
and their nation. They are
challenged to make meaningful contributions
to American society, just as
their parents, their grandparents and
WILL SHAKESPEARE
Groundcover vendor No. 258
their great-grandparents have done
over many generations.
This is a presidential election year.
Presidential candidates of the two
major parties, Democrat and Republican,
are campaigning for all ethnic
votes, including the Latino vote. With
rapid demographic transition, Americans
of Hispanic and Latino ancestry
have gained enormous political power.
The U.S. census records show that in
1960, Americans who identified as Hispanic
or Latino were 6.7 million and
accounted for about 6.5% of the
national population. Today, it is estimated
that the population of Hispanic
and Latino Americans is about 67.5
million and they account for about
19.7% of the national population.
Approximately 66% of the Hispanic
and Latino population in America are
eligible to vote. Their votes can make
a difference in presidential, congressional,
gubernatorial and down-ballot
elections in November. Recent poll
data show a tight race between the
Republican and Democratic nominees
for president. The Latino vote will
be vital in the battleground states,
especially Arizona and Nevada.
The Smithsonian Institution in
Washington D.C. now has a National
Museum of the American Latino. The
museum curators want Americans to
celebrate the achievements and contributions
of Hispanic and Latino
Americans in all fields of human
endeavors.
However, it is also important to
embrace the civic knowledge and historiography
of the Hispanic or Latino
American experience. What are the
costs and consequences of the Spanish
colonization of Latin America and
the Caribbean? What happened after
the Spanish-American war? Why did
Spanish Texas declare independence
from Mexico and opt to join the Union?
What caused the Mexican-American
war? Why was the border changed in
1848? Who benefitted from the boundary
change? Who lost territories and
population?
Educational Consultant E.D. Hirsch
wrote the bestseller, â€œCultural Literacy:
What Every American Needs to Know.â€
He implores every American, including
Latino Americans, to open up our
minds and make a commitment to a
lifetime of learning and reflection.
When we learn, we can boldly and
courageously engage in conversations,
dialogues and debates on a wide range
of topics. If we are able to answer the
questions outlined before, we may
begin to maximize our cultural literacy,
harness our multicultural excellence
and make members of our Latino
community very proud. Gracias
Amigo! Gracias Amiga!
Finally, I asked six Latino Americans
from Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti how
they celebrate Hispanic and Latino
Heritage Month. They started their
answers with extra spicy Mexican or
Caribbean food, some drinks, some
music and some dancing. Most of
them prefer house parties and two of
them would like to celebrate at the
Frita Batidos restaurant in downtown
Ann Arbor.
Right: Activist and civil rights
leader Cesar Chavez worked
with the famous Dolores
Huerta to organize farm workers
in California for fair wages
and working conditions.
Above: Supreme Court Justice
Sonya Sotomayor is the first
Latina American to become a
member of SCOTUS. She grew
up in a public housing neighborhood
of New York City and graduated
from Yale Law School.
OCTOBER 18, 2024
Celebrating 2024 National Hispanic Heritage Month
Left: Salma Hayek is a famous
Oscar-nominated Mexican American
actress in Hollywood. Her
movie credits include "Bandidas,"
"Wild Wild West" and
"Only Fools Rush In." She once
said that Hispanic representation
improved when she arrived
in Hollywood.
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://0f8CzAwp6RNzLxrgZAjqRqNc6pcRhRG4NqrMJbOnIgYÍSÝÍ`Í€Í ×g#Ïš³ï˜©ƒÄ×‰EÚ–OCTOBER 18, 2024
PUZZLES
GROUNDCOVER NEWS
COME FLY WITH ME
Peter A. Collins
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.
â€¢ Groundcover will be a voluntary
purchase. I agree not to ask for
more than the cover price or solicit
donations by any other means.
â€¢ When selling Groundcover, I
will always have the current
biweekly issue of Groundcover
available for customer purchase.
â€¢ 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.
â€¢ I will wear and display my badge
when selling papers and refrain from
wearing it or other Groundcover gear
when engaged in other activities.
â€¢ 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.
â€¢ I agree to treat all customers,
staff, and other vendors respectfully.
I will not â€œhard sell,â€ threaten,
harass or pressure customers,
staff, or other vendors verbally or
physically.
â€¢ I will not sell Groundcover
under the influence of drugs or
alcohol.
â€¢ I understand that I am not a legal
employee of Groundcover but a contracted
worker responsible for my
own well-being and income.
â€¢ I understand that my badge is
property of Groundcover and will
not deface it. I will present my
badge when purchasing the papers.
â€¢ I agree to stay off private property
when selling Groundcover.
â€¢ I understand to refrain from
selling on public buses, federal
property or stores unless there is
permission from the owner.
â€¢ I agree to stay at least one block
away from another vendor in downtown
areas. I will also abide by the
Vendor Corner Policy.
â€¢ 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.
ACROSS
1. Picket line defier
5.___-Lorraine (French region)
11. Proust's "Remembrance of
Things ___â€
15. Headlight?
16. Do over, as a backsplash
17. Shakespeare's river
18. Grand story
19. "The Eras Tour" star
21. Pulitzer-winning poet of 1987
23. Don't change a thing
24. "The Addams Family" cousin
25. Coffee, in slang
26. 65-Across that dines on stinging
insects
28. Drop of water?
30. Animal's coat
31. Bridge bid, for short
32. Biting pest
33. Biblical giant
36. Queue after Q
37. "All I Wanna Do" singer
40. What makes fat fast?
43. Hinders
44. "Last one ___ a rotten egg!"
48. Noses, informally
50. Store window posting: Abbr.
51. It might get stuck in a corner
52. Starbucks staffers
54. Cry of disgust
56. Scotland's longest river
57. Triangular sail
58. 2009 inductee in the Skateboarding
Hall of Fame
60. "Pirates of the Caribbean" hero
62. Jai ___
63. Fit to be drafted
64. Big lizard
65. What can be found at the ends of
19-, 21-, 37-, 58-, and 60-Across bird
66. Fellow
67. More intense
68. Understands
DOWN
1. Western hero
2. Lansing, for instance
3. Somewhat
4. ___ Raton, Florida
5. "Star Wars" droid, affectionately
6. Depart
7. Eye woe
8. Feel under the weather
9. It might be decided by a nose
10. Mysterious
11. Fruit with a reduplicative name
12. Earhart or Lindbergh
13. Starts to melt
14. Big bang letters
20. Prefix with -scope
22. Vinyl spinners
26. Intensifies
27. Go bad
29. ___ Cruces, New Mexico
30. Philadelphia icers
33. Ruby, for one
34. "Oliver!" setting
35. ___-80 (classic computer)
38. Angry cats' sounds
39. Comical quality
40. Decline
41. Shipping channel
42. Crusades combatant
45. Portman of "Black Swan"
46. "You don't have to tell me"
47. 2001 Antonio Banderas film
49. Red-wrapped candy bar
51. Bashful
53. Lukewarm
54. Legendary pioneer Daniel
55. Sadat of Egypt
58. Word with sand or speed
59. Montreal Canadiens' nickname
60. Go for a leisurely run
61. Feel awful about
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GROUNDCOVER NEWS
HALLOWEEN POETRY
Tricks are not treats
D.A
Groundcover contributor
There is no treat
In being dehumanized
The trick is to put
It in whereas it is the equal of
Wearing a disguise.
Iâ€™m not spooked by it
Itâ€™s so obvious
Open your eyes
Peek-a-boo!!
Letâ€™s all come to civil
Agreements
Iâ€™d like to say
For this
Weâ€™re more wise
PUZZLE SOLUTIONS
The Reaper
EARL PULLEN
Groundcover contributor
As the reaper calls in the dead of the
night
All you can do is run in flight
To catch your breath
Or though it seems
The reaper comes in your dreams
And in the dead of the night
You hear the screams
Of witches and goblins
Or so it seems
In the dead of night
Youâ€™ll hear their screams
When you wake up
It's only a dream.
Mirror
PEDRO CAMPOS
Groundcover vendor No. 652
OCTOBER 18, 2024
Veja
O espelho
Olha
A cada um
De um modo
Look
The mirror
Glances at
Each of us
In a certain way
-
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HALLOWEEN
Truth or Lies: The Golden Halloween
It was October 30,1998; Martus was
sitting around the bonfire. It was his
first bonfire party at his grandparentsâ€™
estate; he had just inherited the estate
earlier that year. He was sitting by the
fire drinking wine with his neighbors
and friends, reminiscing on all the stories
his grandpa used to tell him. The
main story on his mind was how they
would light the lanterns the night
before Halloween. It was to honor the
men who worked in the mountains
during the gold mine era. A crew of over
50 men were trapped during a sudden
earthquake. Martus was proud that he
had kept his grandfatherâ€™s tradition.
After the party settled down, several
people were asleep around the fire.
When he woke up, the fire was still blazing,
but the lanterns were out. He could
not understand how they were not lit.
He didnâ€™t hesitate relighting them.
However, the first one blew out as he lit
the second one. He looked down the
path at each lantern; they started flickering
on and off. Martus thought someone
had walked past him, feeling a
warm breeze. He decided not to light
the lanterns again. Walking away,
Martus turned back and all the lanterns
were lit. While entering the house, he
noticed a pattern of lights without lanterns.
He walked into the path of lights,
looking around to see where the pattern
of lights would lead him.
FELICIA WILBERT
Groundcover vendor No. 234
He stood in the hallway. The bathroom
door opened up suddenly â€” he
jumped nervously! It was his friend Fernando
stumbling out of the bathroom.
He was so relieved to see Fernando.
Martus decided to return to the bonfire
with his friends. Several people had
awakened and they were again telling
spooky stories of Halloween.
After his guests had left, Martus
cleaned up in the kitchen. Sweeping
the floor he noticed a pattern of lights
once again. This time the lights were
moving back and forth. They were
quarter size blinking lights. He stopped
then walked over to them. The lights
moved, he moved forward, they moved
again, he moved again, then he
stopped! The lights stopped blinking.
Suddenly his grandpaâ€™s picture fell off
the wall in the living room. He went to
see what it was. He picked up the
picture and noticed lights all over it. He
dropped the picture and the lights disappeared.
Martus picked it up and
hung it quickly.
He sat down on the sofa, spooked.
Did he really see the lights on his grandpaâ€˜s
picture? Martusâ€™ throat got dry and
his body started shaking. He felt someone
tapping him on the back of his right
shoulder. Martus turned around to see
who had touched him. He only saw
blinking lights on the floor, and heard
footsteps! The lights moved. He jumped
up and decided he was going to follow
them again. This time he wouldn't give
up. The thought of his friends laughing
eased the tension in his neck.
The footsteps started again; frightened,
he continued to follow the lights.
The light shone on the wall outside of
his grandfather's bedroom. He heard a
tapping sound on the wall down to the
floor. He shouted, â€œYou can come out
now! The prank is over. The joke is on
you!â€ A few minutes passed, no one
came out. The sound got louder. His
heart started beating faster. He walked
over to the wall to see what the lights
were shining on. Glancing up and
down the wall, looking towards the
floor. He noticed a sparkle and glimmer;
peeking between the floor and the
wall. It was a small hole that wasnâ€™t
noticeable the day before. The tapping
got louder, the hole got bigger, the glare
became brighter! He wanted to run but
could not move. He was so afraid he
passed out.
Hours later, when he awakened, it
was nighttime. He jumped up, thinking
about how he was supposed to attend
a Halloween party with his friends.
Reaching to turn the lights on he
dropped a gold coin from his hand. He
looked down to see where he had
dropped it. The coin rolled over into the
hole on the floor. As Martus reached to
retrieve it, the hole got even bigger. The
glare was so bright he decided to get a
hammer and chisel.
Finally, he took the hammer to pound
a bigger hole in the floor. The glare was
so bright he forgot to cut the lights on.
Skeptical, he put his hand in the hole
grabbing at whatever he touched. He
pulled his hand out of the hole. Looking
into his hand, he saw small gold nuggets.
He jumped up and cut the light on.
There was gold everywhere in the hole.
When he excavated the hole, he
found a note from his grandpa that said,
â€œMy only grandchild, take this wealth
and build houses. The gold is from 1829.
My great grandpa left it for me â€” now
itâ€™s yours. Love you, Grandpa.â€
Author's note: Please forgive me for
not showing up. I encountered family
difficulties that couldnâ€™t be avoided.
Truth or Lies Mystery Lane: "Winter"
published June 14, 2024 was true.
GROUNDCOVER NEWS
11
ïƒ† BENEFITS from page 4
eases the pull on your almost non-existent
budget (earned incomes/
unearned/both). Then as you mature
in your earned wages/income, the
food stamp program snatches the rug
right back from under you â€” then
you are back at square one again or
worse off than when you began. So
this benefit is needed and necessary.
Its weaning function is ultimately
counterproductive.
Person B said that what good is a
higher minimum wage when as soon
as wages increase, the prices of everything
else does, too. It is like a hamster
running fast in that big circle
wheel. Moving quickly, constantly
getting nowhere. It only then serves
as an illusion of what progress should
look like. Person B is self-employed
and doesnâ€™t tell anyone what they do.
Person Câ€™s observations on healthcare
are this: There are major areas of
healthcare that would lose considerable
profits if the government were to
focus on providing oral health care
thatâ€™s affordable or free, or mandated
dental practice coverage in health
insurance policies. Chewing your
food right is important to overall
health. And a dentist can tell a lot
about a personâ€™s health by their oral
examination. Great research on aging
and disease has been done and
proven. Prevention is the best and
most effective medicine. The patient
must be able to trust the provider. For
instance, this person may be a smoker
or not be a smoker. (If I canâ€™t trust you
then I wonâ€™t be honest with you.)
If you prevent the ill, you don't or
won't need the pill. This in itself
would incept the beginning of eliminating
expensive and unaffordable
prescription costs for seniors, our
children in the future, and for those
who may now require it here and
around the world.
Person D says that everyone alive
deserves to have a variety of nutritional
dietary options. Why eat
healthy when one small apple or
orange is $1 apiece? That's about 200
pieces of fruit for 30 days utilizing
food stamps for a family. Some
people get less than that. Nutrition
and rest are essential to overall function.
Especially during the primary
years of a child's life. It is right to help
other children who are hungry to
have food, but what about when your
neighbor's child or your own child
right here in the United States is
starving? Where are the billions for
them, for us? So I guess crime and
hunger go hand in hand, Mr. Trump.
No one in their right mind can believe
that causing poverty wonâ€™t challenge
basic survival. No one has your
number and is awaiting your call or
action.
Person E: The child tax credit is a
good thing if they can model and
re-implement that program. You can
barely earn enough while working
long hard hours away from your child
to simply provide nutritional meals.
That doesnâ€™t even begin to address
who will offer safe, effective and
essential components of child care
that is also affordable.
The consensus when it came to the
tax and budget part of the issues:
there were chuckles, giddy grins and
smiles on the faces of the interviewees.
This is their persnickety response
â€” we don't have any income to report
and we already know our budget â€”
scrape by on what's left, barely
nothing!
exp. 01/31/2025
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GROUNDCOVER NEWS
FOOD
Kale apple slaw
ELIZABETH BAUMAN
Groundcover contributor
Ingriedients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Â½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp minced shallot
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 loosely packed cups shredded kale
(we like curly kale)
1 medium sweet, crisp apple (such
as Honeycrisp), sliced into thin
matchsticks
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, finely
chopped
Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together
the oil, vinegar, shallot, mustard,
garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the kale,
OCTOBER 18, 2024
apple, and parsley and toss to coat
with the dressing. Taste and adjust,
adding more salt to taste or olive oil
for richness.
Chill and serve. A great fall salad.
From page 7, "Community Choice Awards":
Peggy Lynch notes that Mercy House also holds a variety of
MISSION-sponsored nonprofit meetings at the house on Saturdays.
Delicious food for everyone.
Fresh ingredients for fall comfort meals.
$5 OFF
NATURAL FOODS MARKET
216 N. FOURTH AVENUE ANN ARBOR, MI
PHONE (734) 994 - 9174 â€¢ PEOPLESFOOD.COOP
ANY PURCHASE OF
$30 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
11/15/2024
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