׉?ׁB!בCטFFu׉׉ 7cassandra://AlfWiw7NNO0rpY5fQ7BUc3uMHLFV9GBbG5i7rW06qDQ`׉ 7cassandra://7BN-7AqJ7Uox_iRw_M2tGQvfAfeaGTs1FGvL88zFbhs͕}`h׉ 7cassandra://g4sThWzWTADQdt63efkW6nZmU2VVbxG5oORneBBlkjQ3`fi%me*טFu׈}\׈Efi$me*׉E2 $ JUNE 14, 2024 | VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 13 YOUR PURCHASE BENEFITS THE VENDORS. PLEASE BUY ONLY FROM BADGED VENDORS. A tale of two shelters. page 6 MEET YOUR VENDOR: DENISE SHEARER PAGE 3 GROUNDCOVER NEWS AND SOLUTIONS FROM THE GROUND UP | WASHTENAW COUNTY, MICH. Association Football Club shows Ann Arbor that everyone belongs in “the beautiful game.” page 7 AFC-AA women's coach Kevin Taylor gives his team advice before the start of the second half in a 3-1 victory over the Cleveland Force, May 24. THIS PAPER WAS BOUGHT FROM • Proposal: Housing-development accelerator • Charbonneau: Open your eyes to housing inequity. PAGE 4 @groundcovernews, include vendor name and vendor # ׉ 7cassandra://g4sThWzWTADQdt63efkW6nZmU2VVbxG5oORneBBlkjQ3`fi$me*fi$me* בCט u׉׉ 7cassandra://A98B5nGuFELtoDZKDQbmjgjfWZtxdFBbT6xeSTkDz4of`I׉ 7cassandra://8E8M8vB9T8rbOtUKthb1wdlxb6rW-so6v48tRaPqDBA7`׉ 7cassandra://J30jiz94ihOQpWEat_kXMNVcHSW_0hSZCekc47pRkYYP`fi%me*נfi%me*Ł9׉Hhttp://www.groundcovernews.orgGׁ ׁ rנfi%me*ہ9׉H http://linktr.ee/groundcovernewsGׁ ׁ rנfi%me+ 9ׁH"mailto:contact@groundcovernews.comׁ ׁ Јנfi%me+d!9ׁH&mailto:submissions@groundcovernews.comׁ ׁ Јנfi%me+ށ9ׁH http://linktr.ee/groundcovernewsׁ ׁ Јנfi%me+Ɂ9ׁHhttp://www.groundcovernews.orgׁ ׁ Ј׉Ea2 GROUNDCOVER NEWS GROUNDCOVER 2024 VISUAL ARTS CONTEST GROUNDCOVER NEWS STAFF This summer, Groundcover News is not limiting our arts activities to the weekend of the Ann Arbor Art Fair. The first ever Groundcover News Visual Arts Contest is officially live, and we need your help determining the popular winners! We accepted art submissions from homeless/low-income artists in four categories: photo, drawing, painting and mixed media. There will be two winners per category: a juried winner ($250 cash prize) and winner by popular vote ($200 cash prize). Photography submissions are featured in this issue of Groundcover, along with a QR code that leads to the online ballot. Our June 28, July 12 and July 26 issues will feature drawing, painting and mixed media, respectively. Readers can vote for all categories at the same time. Just look for the colorful frame insignia on the cover of the next three issues. For the next eight weeks, Groundcover readers are encouraged to follow along with the contest by buying consecutive issues of Groundcover News, visiting the gallery displays at the AADL and Makeshift Gallery, and voting for your favorite pieces — online or in-person. Popular vote will be calculated based on online votes and in-person gallery votes combined. One vote per individual. The panel of judges choosing the jury winners is composed of artists representing different facets of the Washtenaw County arts scene: T’onna Clemmons, Barry Chattillion, Denali Gere and Ria Daugherty. These judges were hand selected by the production committee because of their arts expertise and committment to community! Special thanks to the Ann Arbor Art Center, the Ann Arbor District Library, the Makeshift Gallery artists and donors for making this possible. TIMELINE OF EVENTS June 20 - July 22: All submitted artwork will be on display at the Ann Arbor District Library downtown branch. In-person voting open. July 24 - September 1: All submitted artwork will be on display at the Makeshift Gallery at 407 E Liberty St. in downtown Ann Arbor. In-person voting open. Sunday, July 28, 12-2 p.m: We will launch the Makeshift showcase with musical performances, coffee, snacks and words from the artists. August 5: Online and in-person voting closes. August 9: Winners announced. Follow @groundcovernews on Instagram and Facebook to follow arts contest programming throughout the summer! JUNE 14, 2024 PROVIDING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR SELFDETERMINED 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 toward 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 Hanan Husein — intern ISSUE CONTRIBUTORS Elizabeth Bauman Jim Clark La Shawn Courtwright Robbie February Hosea Hill Mike Jones Tabitha Ludwig James Manning Earl Pullen Jane Reilly Felicia Wilbert 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 $900.00 Dimensions (W x H in inches) 5 X 3 or 2.5 X 6.5 5 X 4 5 X 6.25 5 X 13 or 10.25 X 6.5 10.25 X 13 PROOFREADERS Susan Beckett Elliot Cubit Zachary Dortzbach Anabel Sicko VOLUNTEERS Jane Atkins Jessi Averill Glenn Gates Alexandra Granberg Robert Klingler Simone Masing Emily Paras Caelan Saunders Melanie Wenzel Mary Wisgerhof Max Wisgerhof Emily Yao Office: 423 S. 4th Ave., Ann Arbor Mon-Sat, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Phone: 734-263-2098 @groundcover @groundcovernews DONATE, LISTEN TO A STORY + LEARN MORE www.groundcovernews.org linktr.ee/groundcovernews PACKAGE PRICING Three Months/Six Issues: 15% off Six Months/Twelve Issues: 25% off Full Year/Twenty-four Issues: 35% off Only run for two weeks/one issue: 40% off Additional 20% discount for money saving coupons CONTACT US Story and photo submissions: submissions@groundcovernews.com Advertising and partnerships: contact@groundcovernews.com ׉ 7cassandra://J30jiz94ihOQpWEat_kXMNVcHSW_0hSZCekc47pRkYYP`fi$me*׉EJUNE 14, 2024 ON MY CORNER MEET YOUR VENDOR Truth or lies: Winter A warm soul with a radiating Denise Shearer, vendor No. 485 Where do you usually sell Groundcover News? On Main Street in front of Your Media Exchange that sells DVDs, CDs and tapes and media stuff. When and why did you start selling Groundcover News? A couple of years ago I think. And I wanted to help myself and help the community and have my own money. What is your favorite thing to do in Ann Arbor? I like to sell Groundcover, I like to go to Sonic Lunch and I like to look at artwork. What is the best thing about selling Groundcover? I help myself and the community at the same time. I get to earn my own money which is something that helps everybody. If you could do anything for a day, what would it be? Go to Frankenmuth. If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Hot dogs and chicken noodle soup. What is your superpower? I like to walk. What are your hobbies? Writing and drawing and coloring. What changes would you like to see in Washtenaw County? People not being rude, and better customer service. What would be the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery? Buy some clothes. What song do you have completely memorized? Joy to the World, the Christmas song. smile. I would always see this young lady rolling in her chair down the street when my truck broke down and I started walking to get around. Every time I saw her in the street, she was either rolling in the same direction I was walking or rolling towards me. I often wondered, where did she live? How far did she travel going to Walmart? I would think inside of my head that she is a strong young lady. I know she can’t walk. Her chair is raised in the air, and her legs are stretched out. However, she never let her circumstances hold her down. You could see the resilience in her. Winter would always wave her hand and smile. One particular day I was getting off work and driving with my son in the car. I saw her sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. I pulled over and spoke to her because she was on my block. Now I could find out where she lives. My son asked her if she needed any help. Winter said her battery was dead. She just FELICIA WILBERT Groundcover vendor No. 234 needed to be pushed over one hump in the sidewalk. I parked my car. Me and my son got out to assist her. As we started pushing, her 16-year-old daughter came to help. Winter started telling us how she had five days to move. I asked her why and what happened. She said that her apartment was not handicap-equipped; how she cannot get up and down the stairs in her apartment. When she got a lawyer from legal aid, they informed her she had been served an eviction and had to move out in five days. I looked at her chair. The left tire was ripped almost into shreds. I wondered how the chair was rolling. I asked her if Medicaid would give her a new chair. Winter said she had gotten the chair when she was living in Kentucky. Here in Alabama, Medicaid would not replace her chair or fix it. Her daughter was pushing with my son. The chair hit the hump and she flipped over! With all the strength we could muster, the three of us picked her up and put her back on her chair. She was embarrassed, however I assured her there was no need to be embarrassed. I explained to her that we are all here to help one another. We continued pushing her home. The sidewalk was cracked up and missing pieces. There was only a makeshift kind of ramp covering the broken sidewalk so she could roll into the house — the house that is not handicap-equipped for her chair or her. After meeting Winter, I could only feel sorrow and shame. Is the world we live in so greedy and uncaring that people really have to live like this? GROUNDCOVER NEWS 3 Six years since my world was shattered TABITHA LUDWIG Groundcover vendor No. 360 How am I doing just six short/ long years after my sister's murder? I can honestly say I am handling it a lot better. But am I completely better? No, of course not. I know I will never be completely over it. I think about my sister every single day. I sit and find myself wondering, what would she be doing right now if she was still here? I completely believe her ghost is always with me. I still hate Carla Cole for taking my sister, my best friend, my mom, my protector, away from me. I hate that my sister is gone. But I have a necklace with her ashes inside of it, so I will always have a piece of her. I was able to go to her grave site and see her this year on her birthday. So even though the days are getting better (to be able to cope) that don't mean I don't think of my beautiful sister every day. I try my best not to dwell over what happened because she can't rest in peace if I'm constantly dwelling over what happend. I only listen to songs for her once in a while. And only allow myself to cry about it once in a while. I know I can't change what happened even though I would in a heartbeat if I could. I can't, so I do my best to let my big sister rest in peace. Even though I am technically older now, Crystal, you will always be my big sister. I wish I could see her just one more time. Talk to her again and hear her voice. But I can't. So here is a letter to my sister: To Crystal, I miss you so much, big sissy. I wish you was here. I want so bad to talk to you and hear your voice again. I really hope there is really a heaven. And that you are so happy up there with Grandpa and Grandma and Auntie and Katie B. And everyone else. Please keep dancing in the sky and don't ever stop. Keep an eye over me. Don't get mad at me when I make mistakes and know that I am always thinking of you. I would give anything just to spend another day with you. Know that I love you with all my heart. You was taken way too soon. But I Crystal and Tabitha know that you're not in pain anymore. And you're now able to look over all of us that you love and care about and be our angel. And I just know that is what you're doing. You was the best big sissy I could have ever asked for. I don't want to ever think of what I would have been without you. Thank you for always being there for me when I needed you the most. I love you and I miss you so much. I know you're looking down and very proud of me right now. You will forever be missed. Please rest in peace, I miss your whole face. Love, Your little sister, Tabitha. fi$me*fi$me* בCט u׉׉ 7cassandra://AEpmSWtJdMFrAYFPg27UrLOKBhDPq_HRzzCy2x2c-vE