Mark Maynard | 2015 | November

The desperate need for affordable housing in Ann Arbor, the story of the black history mural that brought the community together, and nudity on the radio… on episode 32 of the Saturday Six Pack

By Mark | November 12, 2015

Every episode of the Saturday Six Pack, toward the end, devolves into chaos. It’s been that way since we first started the show. We begin each episode with the best of intentions, but, somewhere along the line, things start to careen off in a direction that would wouldn’t have thought possible just a few hours earlier. Sometimes it’s because we’ve opened one beer too many, and sometimes it’s because, despite our efforts to keep the the insanity of Ypsilanti outside, it finds its way into the AM 1700 studio. And that’s what happened this past episode, when a young man came in, took a seat, and promptly began disrobing…

Before we get to that, though, I’d like to talk about our first guests, all of whom had the decency to remained clothed through their segment… For the entire first hour, after kicking things off with a song by Minus9, we talked about affordable housing with Ann Arbor City Council’s Chuck Warpehoski, the former Director of the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development Mary Jo Callan, Avalon Housing’s Michael Appel, and Brett Lenart, who, as deputy director of Washtenaw County’s Housing and Community Infrastructure department, worked on the drafting of the 2015 Affordable Housing and Economic Equity Analysis which informed much of our conversation.

While our conversation, for the most part, centered around the growing need for affordable housing in Ann Arbor, we covered a lot of ground over the course of the hour. We discussed the perception that Ann Arbor doesn’t need affordable housing, “because that’s what Ypsilanti is for,” and what might happen in something significant isn’t done soon to create more balance across the County. We talked about consultant Rob Krupica’s recommendation that, over the next 20 years, 3,139 “non-student affordable rental units” be built in Ann Arbor and Pittsfield Township, while, at the same time, policies be enacted to increase demand for housing in Ypsilanti (both City and Township) that would draw an additional 4,178 “college educated” households. (By doing this, Krupica said, we might be able to avoid the financial collapse in Ypsilanti, which would in turn negatively impact the rest of the County.) And we talked about what might happen if action isn’t taken, and Ypsilanti’s poverty level rises above 30%. We also discussed what efforts were already underway in Ann Arbor to help address the growing economic segregation we’re seeing as a community. (Our’s is now the 8th most economically segregated region in the entire United States.) My guests and I discussed the 50-unit affordable housing development that’s been proposed on Platt Road, the community uproar against it, and what it might mean for the future of the County if 50 units can’t be built in Ann Arbor when over 3,000 are needed. We talked about the history of Avalon Housing, and the lessons that they’ve learned after 20 years in the business of providing affordable housing in Ann Arbor. And we discussed the possibility of enacting laws that would require developers in Ann Arbor to build a certain number of affordable apartments for every so many luxury units that are built. There was a lot more, but my hope is that’s enough to get you interested enough to listen… Here, clockwise from the top left, are Michael, Mary Jo, Brett and Chuck.

[If you would like to listen to episode thirty-two of The Saturday Six Pack, you can either download it from iTunes or scroll the bottom of the page, where you’ll find the Soundcloud file embedded.]

Then, during the 7:00 hour, we talked with Ypsi Community Schools art teacher Lynne Settles, local historian Matt Siegfried, an Ypsi High student by the name of Paris, and Jackson-based artist Douglas Jones, who, along with several dozen YCS students, just created a new mural commemorating the life and accomplishments of HP Jacobs, a runaway slave from Alabama who made his way to Ypsilanti, became a janitor at what is now Eastern Michigan University, and then went on to found both a church and a school for black children here, before heading back south for several years after the Civil War, where he served in the Mississippi State Senate, helped found what is now Jackson State University, and, at the age of 65, become a doctor. [below: The HP Jacobs mural on the side of Currie’s barbershop, at 432 Harriet Street.]

My guests and I discussed the amazing life of HP Jacobs, and why it is that, while everyone in town seems to know about the successful black inventor Elijah McCoy, few seem to know him. [Siegfried suggests that we know about McCoy because he was a black man who “made it” in a white man’s word, whereas Jacobs had been successful in creating a strong and independent black world.] We discussed how the mural came to be, and the impact the project had on those young people who helped to create it. We talked about the need for projects like this, which give young people a voice in their community, and the possibility that we could see more murals like it in the near future. And Lynne, who just began teaching in the district, gave us her impression of Ypsi’s kids. [She likes them quite a bit.]… Here, clockwise from the top left, are Lynne, Matt, Douglas and Paris.

Finally, at 7:30, reporter Tom Perkins came by to talk about his his role as local muckraker and how it sometime interferes with his love of pickle-making. Sadly, though, halfway through our conversation, just as things were starting to get heated between us, the door of the studio swung open, and our lives were changed forever…

Colin Moorhouse, the editor of the zine Ypsi Underground, stepped into the studio. I didn’t make much of it at first, as he’s stopped by the studio before to drop off copies of his zine, but, this time, he took a seat and just sat there, looking at us…

I can’t remember when exactly it occurred to me that he’d begun taking off his clothes. I think maybe Tom and I were beginning to talk about his recent article on the toxicity of Water Street, when, out of the corner of my eye, I caught Colin beginning to unbutton his shirt. And that’s when things started to move in slow motion for me, as it dawned on me what was happening…

Here are Colin and Tom, just hanging out and chatting with me. [My favorite line of the night had to be when Conlin said, “My face is up here, Tom,” to Perkins.]

Shortly after the following photo was taken, we heard a police siren approaching, and Colin ran into the night, while the rest of us got to work disinfecting the studio furniture with bleach. [Colin had sat nude in multiple chairs over the course of the 15 minutes or so that he was with us, drinking beer, and talking about the new issue of his zine, which, not surprisingly, is full of nudity. [It even contains a full-color photo of his cult leader’s taint.]]

Oh, and our favorite prank caller, The Who Guy, phoned in after a long absence… Or at least someone called in claiming to be him. Either way, it was wonderful.

Thanks, as always, to AM 1700 for hosting the show, Kate de Fuccio for documenting everything with her camera, and Brian Robb for running the board, making sure the bills paid, and insuring that the toilet paper and bleach stays stocked.

If you like this episode, check out our archive of past shows at iTunes. And do please leave a review if you have the time, OK? It’s nice to know that people are listening, and, unless you call in, that’s pretty much the only way we know.

Now, if you haven’t already, please listen for yourself, and experience the magic firsthand.

Posted in Art and Culture, History, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Tagged affordable housing, Affordable Housing and Economic Equity Analysis, art, Avalon Housing, black history, Brett Lenart, Chuck Warpehoski, Colin Moorhouse, Douglas Jones, economic segregation, Elijah McCoy, HP Jacobs, Lynne Settles, Mary Jo Callan, Matt Siegfried, Michael Appel, Minus9, murals, nudity, Platt Road, public art, public nudity, Rob Krupicka, The Who Guy, Tom Perkins, Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development, YCS, Ypsi Underground, Ypsilanti Community Schools | 27 Comments

With all due respect to our nation’s veterans, I’m celebrating Armistice Day

By Mark | November 11, 2015

I don’t dislike the military. I think we, as a nation, spend far too much on it, and I think that we’d ultimately be better served by investing a great deal of that money on education, alternative energy research and any number of other things instead, but, in general, I don’t have an issue with the military. I’m proud of my grandfathers’ service during WWII, and I acknowledge the fact that, had my father not served during the Vietnam War, and learned a trade, I might never have gone to college, or, for that matter, left rural Kentucky. With that said, though, I’m in agreement with Kurt Vonnegut on the subject of Veterans’ Day. Here, for those of you who have never read his brilliant novel Breakfast of Champions, is a clip.

…I will come to a time in my backwards trip when November eleventh, accidentally my birthday, was a sacred day called Armistice Day. When I was a boy, and when Dwayne Hoover was a boy, all the people of all the nations which had fought in the First World War were silent during the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of Armistice Day, which was the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

It was during that minute in nineteen hundred and eighteen, that millions upon millions of human beings stopped butchering one another. I have talked to old men who were on battlefields during that minute. They have told me in one way or another that the sudden silence was the Voice of God. So we still have among us some men who can remember when God spoke clearly to mankind.

Armistice Day has become Veterans’ Day. Armistice Day was sacred. Veterans’ Day is not.

So I will throw Veterans’ Day over my shoulder. Armistice Day I will keep. I don’t want to throw away any sacred things…

I know times change, and references to WWI no longer carry the same significance they may have in the past, but it seems to me that the world could use a holiday dedicated to the absence of war. Which, again, isn’t to say that our men in women in uniform aren’t deserving of respect. They are. The sacrifices they make are enormous. But, with that said, might it not be more meaningful to acknowledge their service with a celebration of peace, rather than a Veterans’ Day sale at the local strip mall and a discounted meal at Hooters?

[The above post first appeared on this site a few yeas ago, but, as very few people liked it or commented, I thought that I’d try again.]

Posted in Other, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged 1918, Armistice Day, Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut, military, military budget, veterans, Veterans' Day, war, WWI, WWII | 33 Comments

Our primary platform for communicating our most deeply-held religious beliefs should be fast food packaging

By Mark | November 10, 2015

“I just ate at McDonalds and I’m absolutely beside myself. I’m so upset that I can barely type. Do you know that nowhere on the packaging for their Filet ‘O Fish does it mention that Jesus Christ died for our sins upon a cross? It doesn’t even mention that he was known to have enjoyed the occasional fish sandwich. Can you believe that? Who would have thought that it would come to this… that we’d be living in an America where our most beloved fast food chains aren’t aggressively co-branding with our Lord and Savior.”

Seriously, I just don’t get the whole “We should boycott Starbucks because they aren’t honoring our religion on their disposable coffee cups” thing. It just makes no sense to me. I can see how the inverse might be true. I can see how I might be livid if a corporation sought to commercially exploit my religion by putting certain things on their coffee cups, napkins, burger wrappers, and the like. But I can’t for the life of me imagine being upset that a large corporation chose not to incorporate elements of my religion right there, alongside their logo and the obligatory warning about how hot coffee, if not handled properly, can burn right through your pants and eat away at the flesh of your thighs… Is that what religion has become in America? Instead of worrying about the hungry and the homeless, are we really spending our time debating the prominence of our “brand” on a coffee cup? It would be hilariously funny, if it weren’t so damned sad.

Yesterday Donald Trump got big applause from Christians when he called for people to boycott Starbucks and that’s what Christians are talking about today… instead of the fact that, on the very same day, Trump also said that American wages are too high. And I think that kind of gets at the crux of it.

What the fuck kind of world are we living in where Christians are more upset about coffee cup messaging than the fact that more Americans than ever are slipping into poverty?

We Americans are really stupid. We’re easily distracted. And, when it comes right down to it, all we really care about is ourselves. We don’t give a shit about the poor, regardless of what Jesus might have said. We’d much rather spend our time focusing on Starbucks, demanding that they validate our decision to profess Christianity.

So, yeah, let’s focus on fast food packaging, and how it can be used to disseminate Christian gospel. Clearly that’s what Jesus would have wanted… I know it’s not in the Bible, but I’m sure that, if he were around today, he’d want his followers focussing on increasing brand awareness, instead of clothing and feeding the poor… If he were to come back today, the well-armed JC, I’m sure, would say, “The important thing is that you feel validated. You need to feel good about yourselves. You are, after all, the chosen people. And there’s nothing wrong with acknowledging and celebrating that. The poor will always be with us. We can’t help that. But we can do a better job of staking out our claim on mass culture. So, here’s what I want you to do. Go out to your local tavern and demand that they etch my face on their chalices.” [I’m picturing him delivering this sermon like Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross.]

[interesting fact: Of all the things on the McDonald’s menu, Jesus probably would have liked the Filet O’ Fish best… Fish is the first thing he ate after having risen from the dead. I would have thought, after having been brought back to life, food would have been the last thing on his mind, but apparently he was famished. So, like a bear waking up after having hibernated through the winter, the first thing Jesus did after leaving his cave was go looking for food. Coming across some of his followers, he asked them what they had. And, when they told him, he asked for a piece broiled fish and some honeycomb, which he then proceeded to eat in front of them (Luke 24:42 and 43). And, when he finished, he ascended to heaven… And, forget what I said before. I think that story would make a great addition to the Fillet ‘O Fish box.]

Posted in Marketing, Religious Extremism, Uncategorized | Tagged brand identity, brand jamming, branding, broiled fish, Christianity, Christians under attack, coffee, cups, Donald Trump, fast food, filet 'o fish, fish, Glengarry Glen Ross, honeycomb, Jesus, logos, McDonalds, packaging, paper cups, resurrection, war on Christmas, What Would Jesus Eat? | 31 Comments

Ann Arbor City Council’s Chuck Warpehoski, acknowledging the discrepancy between Ypsi and Ann Arbor schools, says he’ll begin donating to the Ypsi Community Schools Foundation

By Mark | November 10, 2015

On this past weekend’s edition of The Saturday Six Pack, during a discussion on the growing economic divide betweeen Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, Avalon Housing’s Michael Appel brought up the idea of merging the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti school districts. This, he said, echoing the findings of the County’s recently issued report on affordable housing and economic equity, would both help to stabilize Ypsilanti’s economy and go a long way toward reversing the negative trend we’re seeing with regard to social mobility among our poorest citizens. While I don’t recall whether or not Ann Arbor City Council’s Chuck Warpehoski, who was also on the show that evening, agreed with Appel on the idea of a merger, he was clearly sympathetic to the plight of Ypsi’s youth. And, last night, he took to Facebook not only to make his feelings known, but to pledge his financial supports. [Thanks, Chuck.] Here’s hoping that others follow his example.

[For information on how to join Chuck, and give to the Ypsi Community Schools Foundation, click here.]

Posted in Ann Arbor, Civil Liberties, Education, The Saturday Six Pack, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Tagged affordable housing, Affordable Housing and Economic Equity Analysis, Chuck Warpehoski, economic equity, education reform, inequality, Michael Appel, Nancy Shore, public education, social mobility, Ypsilanti Community Schools, Ypsilanti Community Schools Foundation | 28 Comments

Michigan ranks dead last in accountability and transparency according to new nationwide study

By Mark | November 9, 2015

According to a report just issued by The Center for Public Integrity, Michigan not only receives a failing grade when it comes to accountability and transparency, but, according to the data, we’re less accountable and transparent than every other state in the entire union. Following is a clip from their report on Michigan, followed by The Center for Public Integrity’s detailed breakdown of Michigan’s performance across over a dozen different categories.

In November 2013, Michigan lawmakers revealed the lengths to which they’d go to maintain the state’s secret system of funding election campaign activities.

A Senate committee was meeting in the Capitol to discuss and approve a bill that would double the maximum amount that individuals could contribute to legislative, executive and judicial candidates. The senators were told that the higher limits were unnecessary because 99 percent of Michiganians never give the maximum amount.

Then something puzzling happened. In a rare move, the legislators called a recess midway through the session. A lobbyist in the audience who was friendly with the committee chairman, it was later learned, received an urgent phone call warning that Secretary of State Ruth Johnson had just announced new administrative rules requiring the disclosure of campaign donors in all circumstances.

When the committee reconvened, an amendment was hastily attached to the legislation, which would override Johnson’s decision and preserve Michigan’s “dark money” campaign practices. House and Senate approval of the bill soon followed, as did Gov. Rick Snyder’s signature.

“We don’t have full public disclosure and it’s not because good people failed to do the right thing, it’s because those bastards did the wrong thing. It was a hostile action,” said Rich Robinson, the state’s top campaign watchdog at the nonpartisan Michigan Campaign Finance Network. “And the fruits of those actions were tens of millions of dollars of undisclosed campaign cash.”

The shadowy aspects of Michigan’s money-driven politics serve as a key reason why the state ranks last among the 50 states with a grade of F and a numerical score of 51 out of 100 from the State Integrity Investigation, a data-driven assessment of state government transparency and accountability by the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity. Michigan received an F in 10 of the 13 categories of government operations that were examined.

The first State Integrity report, released in 2012, gave Michigan a similar score – 58, an F, though the state ranked 44th that time. The two scores are not directly comparable, however, due to changes made to improve and update the project and its methodology…

And here’s how we ranked, category by category.

[Click here for The Center for Public Integrity’s methodology.]

I can’t say that I’m surprised, seeing as how we live in a state where our elected officials knowingly give us lead-contaminated water to drink, but I’d like to think that perhaps, just maybe, we’ve come to a point where we finally stand up and fight back. How many of these studies do we need to see before we actually do something about it?

For what it’s worth, Ann Arbor’s State Rep, Jeff Irwin, took to social media to say the following after reading the report referenced above. “Together with my Democratic colleagues,” he said, “I’ve been pushing to increase transparency and improve our ethics laws. Now, a national report comes out showing that Michigan has the weakest ethics laws in the nation. We’ll continue to push for better financial and campaign finance disclosure. The public deserves to know who is behind the dark money dominating our campaigns. We’ll continue to push for rules to end ‘pay to play’ in state contracts by prohibiting campaign contributors from gaining large government contracts. And, we’ll continue to try slowing the revolving door between the legislature and the lobby corps.” Wonderful intentions, to be sure, but what can really be accomplished while the Republican majority is in place? As Irwin himself asks, “Will we find partners for this important work to improve Michigan’s ethics laws?” …The answer, as we all know, is “No.”