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East VillageMagazine

Cover: Carillon bells at Kettering

Vol. LIV No. 12Founder

EditorManaging Editor

Copy EditorReporters

Columnists

Business ManagerAd Sales

Éminence GrisePhotographer

Poet

December 2016Gary P. Custer

Jan Worth-NelsonNic CusterDanielle WardKayla ChappellNic CusterJan Worth-NelsonMegan OckertRobert R. ThomasJan Worth-NelsonTeddy RobertsonPaul RozyckiRobert R. ThomasCasey CusterAndrew KeastTed NelsonEdwin D. CusterGrayce Scholt

We all thought it would be over afterNov. 8. Almost everyone expected Hillaryto win by a close, but decent margin. Shehad a half dozen ways she could win theElectoral College. Trump barely had one.Yet after the shock and dismay of this

unprecedented and vicious campaign, weare still reeling from the results. It may take years to assess the full

impact and implications of the 2016 cam-paign, but there are at least 10 thingsworth examining as we look back at thescarred and scorched political landscapeof the past year. Obviously, the dominant figure this

year has been Donald Trump. Almost noone thought he had the slightest chance ofwinning either the Republican nominationor the November election. In his wake,there is much to be resolved and morethan a few questions. Here are a few forstarters:• Electoral College: For the second

time in 16 years, and the fifth time in ourhistory, the Electoral College has chosenthe person who finished second in thepopular vote. At the moment, Hillary’spopular vote margin is approaching 2 mil-lion votes. Are these two recent failures asign that it’s time to revisit this old andodd way of electing presidents?• Presidential Campaigns: Donald

Trump broke almost every traditionalrule of presidential campaigns----andwon. Based on past history he shouldhave lost because of his endless insults,his lack of a campaign organization, thefact that Hillary outspent him, his fail-ure to win any of the debates, and hiscomplete lack of governmental experi-ence. Just one of those should havedestroyed any other candidate. Are allthe ‘old rules’ of the game gone forev-er? What will the new rules of politicalcampaigns look like?• White Working Class: With his

angry appeal to the white working class,has Trump awakened a sleeping giant, oris this the last hurrah of a passing genera-tion, and a backlash against an emergingand changing America that is rising in thenew century? • Campaign Promises: After only a

few weeks, Trump has retracted or modi-fied a long list of his campaign promisesand threats — erasing the Affordable CareAct, denying climate change, imprisoning

Hillary, building a wall with Mexico, get-ting rid of lobbyists and banning allMuslims. Thankfully, he has stepped backfrom these, but what will he really do, andwhat will it mean for his ardent support-ers?• A Presidential Trump: For the week

following the election, Trump acted“presidential” in his acceptance speechand tried to reach out to “unite allAmericans.” But, within days he waspicking fights on Twitter with the casts ofboth “Hamilton” and “Saturday NightLive.” Can the “presidential Trump” lastmore than a few days? How will he reactto something more threatening than aBroadway play or a comedy show skit?• Fake News: This has been the “fake

news” election, where blatantly and inten-tionally false stories often garnered morereaders and internet hits than legitimatenews sources. In an age where editors andreporters are being forced out, and news-papers are shrinking, will we realize howcritical a role they play? And whateverflaws one might find in the mainstreammedia, they are immensely more reliablethan random tweets or Facebook postingsfrom anonymous sources. When themedia has been the target of many ofTrump’s attacks, how will a free pressmanage in the hostile environment nowdeveloping? • Uniting the Nation: Is there any

hope that Trump will be able to unite thenation when he appoints alt-rightspokespersons such as Steve Bannon toWhite House positions? Will Trump bewilling to denounce the racists, whitenationalists, and wanna-be Nazis thathave emerged as part of his movement?Will he be able, and willing, to rein in thealt-right fringe that has been energized byTrump’s victory? Is there any seriouschance that he can heal the breach with allthose he had offended in the last 18months? • Political Parties: What will the

Republican and Democratic parties look likein the future? Will Democrats be able to regainthe title of “The Party of the Working Man”and remain the party of minorities? WillRepublicans remain the party of big business ifTrump pursues his protectionist policy? Will itremain a conservative party? Do BernieSanders Democrats and Republican Trump

CommentaryPost-mortem on the 2016 election:

a “Top Ten” list of questionsBy Paul Rozycki

(Continued on Page 5.)

© 2016 East Village Magazine

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Photo of the Month: Wreaths for the season at St. Paul’s Episcopal

Pierce Park, millage details, Crim education plans topics at CCNABy Nic Custer

(Continued on Page 5.)

Photograph by Edwin D. Custer

A proposal has emerged for reuse of thelong-vacant Pierce Golf Course, CityAdministrator Sylvester Jones told theCollege Cultural Neighborhood Association(CCNA) at its November meeting. Jones also addressed Kearsley Manor

residents’ concerns about a rental inspec-tion fee issue with their landlord.Other business at the meeting included

details on the safety millage results, a reporton a Crim Fitness Foundation communityeducation initiative and an overview ofneighborhood real estate prices. Regarding the golf course, Jones told

members the city has been trying to makepartnerships with like-minded organizationswho can reuse vacant public facilities. He saidthe city received a proposal from Gear Up 2Lead for the Pierce Community Center andGolf Course, but he did not offer any details. He said because it seemed Gear Up 2 Lead

had not yet explained their plans to the neigh-borhood, city officials did not want to pro-ceed without hearing public comment.“We believe it’s important the residents

have some dialogue with this group beforethe city makes its decision,” Jones said.He said he would invite the organization’s

leadership to the January CCNA meeting topresent their idea for leasing the space. Thatwould allow the city to hear residents’ feed-back before moving forward. Jones said he also will determine whether

the organization has the necessary resources

to manage the facility so the city will nolonger have to pay for mowing, plowing andutility costs. “If they don’t, we don’t want toenter into a partnership with them,” he said. He said Gear Up 2 Lead was the only organ-

ization to submit a proposal for the site to thecity so far. The organization offered to lease thevacant community center for $1 per month.The city may ask for a larger lease amount ifthe proposal is accepted, Jones said. Kearsley Manor inspection fee upset

clarifiedAndy Everman questioned Jones about

letters Kearsley Manor residents receivedfrom their landlord stating the city is charg-ing each resident a $5 inspection fee. Jonesexplained it appeared the property owner istrying to get out of paying his rental inspec-tion fees by claiming the city is asking thetenants to pay the cost themselves. “Kearsley Manor had not paid their rental

inspection since 2009,” Jones said. “Thisgentleman has been raising the rent at thisfacility but has not been paying for the rentalinspection since 2009. And so his way ofgetting out of it is to say, ‘the city of Flint isasking me to do this.’ The city of Flint is notasking him to do it,” Jones clarified. Jones said rental inspections hadn’t been a

priority under the Emergency FinancialManagers. Earlier that day, Mayor KarenWeaver visited Kearsley Manor to speak withresidents directly and called the propertyowner, who lives in Arizona. Jones said she let

the owner know the city is holding him respon-sible for the rental inspection fee and not thetenants. Jones said the rental inspection price isbased on the number of units in a property.Millage approval means more firefighters,

reopening Station 8He also announced that because city resi-

dents voted to renew a public safety millagein early November, the Flint Fire Departmentwill be eligible to receive a federal SAFERgrant to hire 33 firefighters and reopen theStation 8 firehouse on Atherton Road.Flint Fire Chief Raymond Barton said he

appreciated the community support for thepublic safety millage renewal. He said fund-ing generated by the millage renewal madethe difference in whether additional federalfunds were available. The fire department willbe able to reopen Station 8 instead of havingto close Station 3 and lay off several firefight-ers, which would have occurred if the millageand grant funds were unavailable. Barton saidthis will allow firefighters to respond to firesmore quickly because they can fully staff firetrucks and will have the minimum four fire-fighters required on site to immediately enterburning structures instead of a three-personfire truck crew waiting for additional backup.Crim Foundation to bolster Pierce“community center” approach

In other news, Kyle Peppin, Crim FitnessFoundation’s Pierce Creative Arts Elementarycommunity school director, told membersCrim has partnered with Flint Community

5

Schools to provide supplemental educationprograms for students in all 11 Flint schools. Peppin said the program will include

extracurricular programs for both children andadults at Pierce Elementary, which allows it tofunction more like a community center. A Crim adult runners’ club is set to be the

first program for adults at the school, butPeppin said the foundation also wants to hearwhat residents would like to see. He distributeda survey asking for other suggestions. He saida DM Burr security officer will be present at thebuilding whenever programs are occurring. Because arts have been cut from the

schools, the Crim Foundation is also look-ing for volunteers to help teach teach artclasses, Peppin said.The survey also mentioned volunteer

opportunities for residents to help youth ineducation, sports, mentoring, safe pathwaysto school or for neighborhood cleanups. Peppin said the foundation, like the city

of Flint, is interested in working with theformer Pierce Golf Club and would wel-come suggestions for reuse of that site. Hepointed out that in 2014, Crim used the golfcourse for a 3-mile “steeplechase” cross-country race. More information on thecommunity education initiative is at flint-communityed.org. More information aboutPierce Elementary is available from Peppinat 516-1171 or at kpeppin@crim.org. CCNA “distressed homes” down,

sales prices upRealtor Mark Fisher reported 28 houses are

for sale in the neighborhood. This number wastypical since inventory rises and sales decreasein early winter. He said only one house for saleis considered distressed – that is, either a shortsale or foreclosure. This is the lowest numberof distressed homes for sale in the neighbor-hood since before 2008. Fisher has been track-ing home sales’ price per square foot since2013. The current average is $37 per squarefoot, which has risen from an average of $18per square foot in 2013. Fisher said the watercrisis has not slowed down sales in the neigh-borhood and all houses attempting to get amortgage have their water tested anyway. Hesaid he has not seen many homes for sale thathave high lead levels.The group will meet next at 7 p.m. Jan.

19, 2017 at MCC’s RTC auditorium.

EVM Managing Editor Nic Custer can bereached at niceastvillage@gmail.com

... CCNA(Continued from Page 4.)

... Post-mortem(Continued from Page 3.)supporters have anything in common?• Local Campaigns: On the local

level, one of the strangest things was howquiet campaigns were for everything butthe presidential contest. Most of the can-didates for countywide offices were unop-posed, and campaigning and competitionfor many of the other offices were surpris-ingly limited. In a typical election year,every street corner is littered with a forestof yard signs. This year there were rela-tively few. Was this simply a reaction tothe distracting national election, or a signof deep frustration (or satisfaction) withour local leaders?• Flint Water Crisis: One key question

is the effect of Trump’s election on Flint

and its water crisis. Mayor Weaver cameout strong for Hillary and raised the Flintwater issue at the Democratic NationalConvention quite effectively. Will thathurt her, and Flint, when the Republicanscome to the White House in January? Orwill Trump’s move to rebuild our infra-structure include money for Flint’s waterlines? Will he be willing to work withGovernor Snyder and Detroit MayorDuggan?

In the end, these are most likely onlythe first of many questions that we willhave over the next four years. Theanswers may be as unpredictable as thiselection.

Political columnist Paul Rozycki can bereached at paul.rozycki@mcc.edu

WORDS MATTERTRUTH MATTERSSUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM

If the past three years have taught us anything, it’s thatFLINT MATTERS. Our voices matter. Our neighborhoods matter.We know what it feels like to be lied to. We know what it feels liketo be betrayed. We also know what it feels like to be heard andunderstood, to find common ground for assuring safe drinkingwater, good schools, safe neighborhoods, vibrant arts. Please helpour devoted team of volunteer writers beholden to no one but you,our readers and neighbors, keep telling the truths that matter.

Jan Worth-Nelson, Editor, East Village Magazine

Donations to EVM aretax deductible.

Go toeastvillagemagazine.org

for easy giving.

Your tax deductible checkcan be mailed to:

East Village Magazine720 E. 2nd StreetFlint, MI 48503

6

A $570,000 grant from the PepsiCoFoundation was put to work last month withthe launch of two Food Bank-managed com-munity “help centers” aimed at continuingrecovery efforts from the Flint water crisis.In a chilly parking lot under sunny skies

at Bethel United Methodist Church, officialsfrom PepsiCo, along with city officials andcommunity leaders, celebrated the collabo-ration that brings two trucks, supplies ofbottled water, food and fresh produce, per-sonal care items, nutritional service, andphysical and mental health services.The two centers are at Bethel, 1309 N.

Ballenger, and at Greater Holy TempleCOGIC, 6702 N. Dort Hwy.Hours of the centers are 10 a.m. to 4:30

p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdaysand 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesdays.“The water in Flint still isn’t safe to

drink without a filter,” Flint Mayor KarenWeaver noted, while thanking PepsiCo forits donation. “This water crisis is much big-ger than Flint can handle alone. But withhelp from our government and communityorganizations, we will emerge from thisstronger and better than before.”In addition to the food and water sup-

plies, PepsiCo has provided employees probono through the PepsiCorps program toconsult with local nonprofits about logisticsand warehousing, assessing residents’ needsand efficient ways to store and deliver goodsand services.The grant also includes $225,000 to sup-

ply nutritious meals for Flint school chil-dren. Much attention in the water crisis hasfocused on child nutrition, based on evi-dence that some foods can provide “leadmitigation” to those poisoned.Tony West, PepsiCo general counsel and

executive vice president of public policy andgovernmental affairs, who also serves as pres-ident of the PepsiCo Foundation, said “Weconsider Flint part of the PepsiCo family,” not-ing that the company employs about 150 Flintresidents and neighbors and over 3,000 peoplestatewide in bottling and distribution centers.“We recognize if our communities don’t

succeed, we don’t succeed,” he said.The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan

will manage the help centers. Other part-ners in the program include the MichiganDepartment of Health and HumanServices, the Charles Stewart MottFoundation, the United Way of GeneseeCounty, Genesee Health Systems, and GSTMichigan Works.The Food Bank has been a key player in

relief and recovery efforts during the watercrisis, distributing more than 26 million bot-tles of water and more than 120 truckloads oflead-mitigating foods to Flint residents,according to a press release provided at thelaunch. The Food Bank also reports it has pro-

PepsiCo grant funds Food Bank-managed community help centersBy Jan Worth-Nelson

vided 464,104 meals rich in lead-mitigatingnutrients to the Genesee Intermediate SchoolDistrict’s Head Start program. Statewide, theFood Bank has distributed over 25 millionpounds of food yearly through a network of415 partner agencies in 22 counties.William Kerr, president of the Food

Bank, praised how a network of over 75agencies in the city of Flint, along with“the trust of the community of Flint itself”had galvanized around the recovery effortsand in particular, the development of thehelp centers. “So many groups – UnitedWay, Genesee Health Systems, the State ofMichigan – everybody came togetheraround the idea.“In my 22 years, this is one of the great-

est collaborations I’ve ever seen in the cityof Flint,” Kerr said.And he expressed gratitude for the fund-

ing support of the PepsiCo response. “Thehelp centers are a testament to the resilientstrength of Flint,” he said. “The past yearhas been extremely difficult, yet communi-ty leaders and residents continue to work

together to move forward and recover.”Among those millions of bottles of water

flooding into Flint have been PepsiCo’sAquafina brand. Asked about the source ofthat water, considering Flint residents’ con-cerns about their water quality, a PepsiCospokeswoman confirmed Aquafina comesfrom “municipal water sources, regulated bythe EPA” – technically the same as Flint’swater before the lead debacle – in essence,from the same sources as tap water.She added that Aquafina goes through a

trademarked purification process known asHydRo-7, which includes “reverse osmosisand other filtering and purification methodsto remove things like chlorides, salts andother substances that can affect a water’staste,” according to an Aquafina website.The PepsiCo grant to Flint includes

about $50,000 for “recycling education andsupport” in the Flint schools, the spokes-woman said.

EVM Editor Jan Worth-Nelson can bereached at janworth1118@gmail.com.

WHAT DO YOU WANT?Starting with the next issue, East Village Magazine will be introducingsome new writers and new features. What stories would you like usto tell? What issues would you like us to deal with? For now, pleaseemail us your ideas at eastvillage@sbcglobal.net. Next month we’lloffer a survey to be completed by mail or online.

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Montessori classroom offers new learning options for Flint public schoolsBy Jan Worth-Nelson

Can a classroom that allows students tolearn at their own pace, help one another,and follow their natural curiosities, actual-ly work in a public school system?And could such a teaching approach

enrich options for Flint students and helpconvince reluctant parents to bring theirchildren back to the public schools? A group of Flint-area parents fervently

believe the answer to both questions is“yes.”Due to their efforts and a receptive

superintendent of schools, a kinder-garten/first grade Montessori classroomhas been established within the FlintCommunity School (FCS) district. The pilot class, launched in the 2016-17

school year, meets in a room the districtprovided at Durant-Tuuri-Mott ElementarySchool. Its 13 students are supervised byteacher Michele Stinson and UM-Flint stu-dent teacher Amanda Ling. The Montessorisystem limits the student-teacher ratio to17-1.

Free to all Flint studentsThe parents’ group and the district hope

the idea will catch on with other parentsand teachers and already plan to add a sec-ond Montessori classroom next fall. Theyare “actively recruiting” now for 2017-2018. What’s unusual about the FCS/Montessori

arrangement is that participating in the class-room is tuition-free and open to all kids in theFlint district, according to Vivian Kao, a col-lege professor, resident of the CollegeCultural neighborhood since 2015, and oneof the parents on the organizing committee.“Usually, Montessori programs are in

private schools, and they have a reputationfor being for ‘high income, high-middleclass white suburban’ kids – they can beexpensive. But this is available for anyFlint student,” just like any of the othereducational opportunities in the district,she noted. Based on the work and ideas of early

20th century Italian educator MariaMontessori, the Montessori system,according to materials provided forprospective parents by program leaders, isa way of teaching in which students • “learn at their own pace and have free-

dom within limits• learn from each other in multi-age

classrooms• learn with hands-on materials, moving

from concrete to abstract concepts and• learn by following their natural

curiosities.” Kao said in a Montessori classroom stu-

dents don’t sit in desks and are not all fac-ing forward in rows as in a traditionalclassroom. The Montessori classroom isdesigned with different zones – with sup-

plies students can work on set up on lowshelves so students can get them downthemselves.There is always a “peace corner,” she

said, where kids go to read or just to sit andbe calm. But it’s not everybody sitting bythemselves. They can get up wheneverthey want and they don’t have to ask to goto the bathroom, she said.Critiques have emerged over the

decades about the Montessori system as ina 2012 Atlantic magazine feature, “TheGreat Montessori Schism”: it is too “indi-vidual,” its materials limit creativity, it hasnot kept up with evolving cognitive theory– but the Flint Montessori parents say theybelieve the program has proven flexibleand most of all want their children and anyothers in the district to have the choice. Superintendent Bilal Tawwab, in an

email to East Village Magazine, agreed. “Flint Community Schools recognizes thatfamilies want and need a variety of high-quality options for their children, as onesize does not fit all,” he wrote. “That iswhy we are so pleased to add theMontessori program.”Elizabeth Jordan, a parent who spear-

headed the initiative and now coordinatesmeetings and communications, said feed-back about the program from families sofar has been “overwhelmingly positive,and the teacher is truly excited to work in aMontessori classroom.”

Following an Okemos modelKao said the Flint effort is modeled after a

similar program in the Okemos schools,where the district added one Montessorigrade level a year and now has moved into itsown building – a formerly closed one. The Okemos findings so far suggest that

Montessori students do just as well or bet-ter than students in regular classes inrequired state standardized tests, Kao said. While test results are politically and

educationally promising, there can be someadjustments in adapting Montessori withina regular school system, and the parentsknow they will have to make compromis-es. For instance, the Flint Montessori stu-dents wear uniforms just like all other Flintpublic school students and report cardshave to be devised to mediate between theMontessori system, which does not assigngrades, and a more traditional approach. There also are adjustments for the kids

themselves, which is one of the reasons theparents’ group hopes the program willeventually be available for higher grades.“For kids who get used to taking respon-

sibility for their own learning in aMontessori preschool, transitioning to atraditional school environment can be jar-ring – sitting at a desk and doing assignedwork does not fit every kid (or a lot of

adults!),” Jordan said. She added the pilot program this year

attracted students from “across Flint andbeyond – including those who previouslylooked to private and charter schools.”

A “real Flint gem”“No one else in the county offers this

kind of public Montessori elementary pro-gram, so Flint has a real gem,” she said.For the inaugural group of parents, the

stakes are high in having a public schoolMontessori option. Their hopes for theexpansion of the Montessori option are notjust about the pedagogy itself or about theirchildren alone, but about trying to helpsave public education in Flint.Because of the way the state funds pub-

lic education, paying districts “by thehead,” parents who choose to take theirkids out of the public system seeking dif-ferent educational options end up short-changing public school funding while try-ing to do the best for their kids, Kao noted.The state pays school districts about$7,000 per student per year.“The system the state has created is one

in which you either choose your child oryour community – and that’s ridiculous. Inreality the money each of our kids bringsinto the district helps all the students, notjust our own.”Kao and her husband Ben Pauli, a

Kettering social science professor, see par-allels between the emergency managerphenomenon and the way public schoolsare squeezed in cities like Flint. For “shrinking cities” like Flint, Kao

and Pauli contend, the result of the statefunding system compounds a city’s strug-gles, reducing resources to districts thatneed it most and forcing the public schoolsto compete with others.“Public schools should not have to

advertise for students,” Kao said. Funding from Welch FoundationStart-up costs for a batch of standardized

Montessori materials – what students canchoose from to work on – were covered bya grant from the Welch Foundation. Thefoundation also is paying for the Montessoriteacher training and certification. Montessori teachers in the public school

system must be double-certified – both bythe state and by the Montessori system,Kao stated. Jordan said the Flint Community School

district “has reaffirmed to us their support(Continued on Page 11.)

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Flint water not likely cause of shigella outbreak: CDC officialsBy Jan Worth-Nelson

An outbreak of shigella bacteria inGenesee and Saginaw counties over the pasteight months does not appear to have beencaused by Flint’s drinking water system, ateam of researchers from the Centers forDisease Control (CDC) and Prevention toldthe Flint Recovery Group (FRG) by phonein a recent presentation at City Hall.A total of 180 cases of the highly-contagious

disease, called shigellosis, which can causesevere abdominal discomfort and bloody diar-rhea, have been confirmed since March — 129in Genesee County and 51 in Saginaw County,according to Jevon McFadden, a medical epi-demiologist with CDC's Career EpidemiologyField Officer Program. The disease primarily struck children

locally—with 51percent of thoseafflicted 9 yearsold or younger. Atotal of 26 percentwere younger than5.

McFadden saidthe outbreak hadpeaked in June andJuly and has sub-

sided dramatically since, with no new casesreported since Oct. 31.The CDC team came to Flint in early

October to work with the state Departmentof Health and Human Services and theGenesee County Health Department toinvestigate the outbreak. They have been interviewing members of

households where people got sick, collectingand testing bacteria samples and mappingwhere illnesses have occurred “to see if thereis a link between water quality issues, likewater main breaks and low chlorine levels and

the people who got sick,” McFadden said.He said the interview portion of the work

is finished, and that results still are comingin on the lab testing and mapping.However, Paul McClung, an epidemic

intelligence service officer with the CDC’sWaterborne Disease Prevention Branch,offered three “initial conclusions” from thework completed so far.First, shigella does not appear to be

spreading through a drinking water sys-tem — a concern vital to Flint residentsuneasy about the dangers of the system inlight of the water crisis.The researchers reported that “almost all of

the people from Flint who got sick (90 percent)drank only bottled water.” In fact, 65 percent ofFlint residents who contracted the diseasedrank only bottled water to brush their teeth.“Because so few of these people were

consuming water from the drinking watersystem, it is likely they became infectedwith Shigella bacteria from a source otherthan the water,” the researchers stated.Also, the people who got sick did not

share a common drinking water source, sug-gesting water use is not likely to be a com-mon link between people who got sick.They used water from multiple differentdrinking water systems, and more than 15percent used water from private wells.Second, shigella bacteria appear to be

spreading in the community from personto person – particularly the young. A totalof 59 percent of those who got sick eitherwore diapers, changed diapers, or cameinto contact with a person wearing diapersin the week before they became ill.“This suggests the bacteria could have

been passed from the feces (poop) of sickchildren to their siblings, friends or care-

givers – one of the most common waysshigella bacteria spread in a community.”The researchers said their data suggests

the outbreak did not seem to originate froma single source, such as a restaurant, drink-ing water system, or swimming pool.Third, the outbreak is slowing down,

with no new cases reported so far inNovember. Nonetheless, the researchers strongly

urged continuing prevention efforts, in par-ticular “good hand washing.” A handout provided at the meeting

emphasized frequent hand washing withsoap and water after using the toilet orchanging diapers, before preparing foodor eating, and after blowing your nose,coughing or sneezing.The conclusions presented to the FRG

also were summarized in a memo signed byDr. Michael Beach from the CDC, alongwith Dr. Eden Wells from the MichiganDepartment of Health and Human Servicesand Dr. Gary Johnson from the GeneseeCounty Health Department.In a follow-up email, McFadden added that

the CDC’s Career Epidemiology Field OfficerProgram “assigns experienced CDC epidemi-ologists to field sites in response to requestsfrom state and local health departments,”and is one of the forms of assistance that CDCprovides. The focus of field assignees likeMcFadden and his team, he said, is on “build-ing epidemiologic capacity within state andlocal health departments for responding to avariety of public health emergencies, includingoutbreaks like the shigellosis one in Saginawand Genesee Counties.”

EVM Editor Jan Worth-Nelson can bereached at janworth1118@gmail.com.

CDC's Dr. JevonMcFadden

9

CASPER survey: Flint residents report physical, behavioral woesBy Megan Ockert

Residents of many Flint households havebeen experiencing worsening of their behav-ioral health, including trouble concentrating,signs of depression and increased anxiety orstress since the Flint water crisis began,according to a recent survey of 182 random-ly selected residences conducted by a consor-tium of local, state and federal health offi-cials. The survey was carried out as a

Community Assessment for Public HealthEmergency Response, commonly referred toas CASPER. It was requested by theMichigan Department of Health and HumanServices (MDHHS) on behalf of the FlintCommunity Resilience Group, Data & GapAnalysis Workgroup, from the Centers forDisease Control (CDC) to assist in recoveryefforts. Results of the community assessment

were announced in early November.The CASPER assessment found that

65.6% of surveyed households, includingadults 21 or older, reported at least one ormore new or worsening behavioral healthconcerns since the crisis began. The study also found that households con-

taining younger family members have beennegatively affected, with 54.3% of Flinthouseholds with residents younger than 21reporting they have experienced one or morebehavioral health concerns. The assessment asked Flint residents to

answer questions related to their physical andbehavioral health and how each has beenaffected by the water crisis, which had beenbrewing since the 2014 water changeover butexploded into local and national attention inOctober, 2015. On April 25, 2014, the city of Flint

changed the municipal water source from theDetroit-supplied Lake Huron water to theFlint River. The switch in the water sourceresulted in the corrosion of water pipes andleaching of lead and other contaminants intothe city’s drinking water. In succeedingmonths, hundreds of children and adultsshowed increased levels of lead, a toxinextremely dangerous to humans, in theirblood. The surveyors found that nearly half of

household representatives reported somephysical health concerns. The most commonwere skin irritation or rashes, which prompt-ed an investigation by the MDHHS in con-junction with the CDC and the Agency forToxic Substances and Disease Registry(ATSDR) in February.

Fatigue, nausea, aches and painsIn addition to rashes, residents reported

symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, forgetful-ness, and muscle aches and pains since thewater crisis began.Surveys were conducted in mid-May.

Fifteen teams of two went door-to-door to

randomly selected homes throughout Flint. The Centers for Disease Control provided

interview teams with a three-hour trainingbefore they interviewed 182 households.As stated on www.cdc.gov, a CASPER is

“an epidemiologic technique designed to pro-vide quick and low-cost household-basedinformation about a specific community.”Major areas of study included self-report-

ed household and individual behavioralhealth concerns for adults and children sincethe crisis began; household access to behav-ioral health services; self-reported physicalhealth concerns; water-related resource needsand barriers to resources; and the effective-ness of the communication from relevantgovernment and community agencies withthe community.

Data helps recovery planningPatricia Reynolds, an epidemiologist for

the Genesee County Health System, stressedthe importance of the CASPER assessment.She said, “This survey will help give us adeeper understanding of what the communi-ty requires and will help us determine howbest to ensure that those needs are fulfilled.”One tool that the Genesee County Health

System made available to Flint residents isMyFlintStrong.com. Announced in August,this interactive website offers a platform forteaching people how to overcome trauma andstress often associated with events like theFlint water crisis.“What we’ve learned over the years in

emergency response and recovery is that allcrises are unique, yet have common elements– including increased behavioral healthneeds,” said Dr. Nicole Lurie, assistant secre-tary for preparedness and response with theU.S. Department of Health and HumanServices. Lurie has been the team leader forthe federal government’s response to the Flintwater crisis.According to their report, investigators

also conducted water-quality tests by takingwater samples from 170 homes in Flintwhere people reported rashes. Investigatorswere unable to determine if the lead in thewater caused the residents to develop rashes. However, the ATSDR cautions that there

are limitations to their findings because thesamples for the survey were all taken at a sin-gle time from each household, and waterquality and concentration of metals canchange over time. It is possible that a sub-stance was present in the water at the time theparticipants’ rashes began but was no longerin the water at the time of testing. Director Nick Lyon of the MDHHS, said,

“We are committed to continuing our effortsto help residents connect with the behavioraland physical health resources that are rightfor them. With the right support, information,and collaboration, we can continue toimprove the short- and long-term health out-

comes in Flint.” Results of the CASPER study are contin-

uing to help guide ongoing recovery efforts inFlint. The National Disaster Distress Hotlineremains open 24/7, and crisis counseling alsois being offered in addition to other actionsthat have been taken to address the emergingbehavioral health concerns since the watercrisis.

Prevention screeningBecause children are more susceptible

than adults to the adverse effects of leadexposure due to hand-to-mouth actions, high-er physiological uptake rates, and developingbiological systems, particular attention isbeing placed on their behavioral health serv-ices, including prevention screening andearly intervention for children and youth.Infant mental health and home-based servic-es are also being offered.To aid the city of Flint, the MDHHS

received a $500,000 emergency responsegrant from the Substance Abuse and MentalHealth Services Administration (SAMSA)that went toward hiring outreach workersfrom the Flint community to provide crisissupport for underserved adults via a MobileMental Health Unit. In an earlier interview with East Village

Magazine, Elizabeth Burtch, Genesee HealthSystem supervisor, stated the elderly are par-ticularly affected by the water crisis becausetheir limited mobility and isolation can causethem to “miss out” on new developmentspertaining to the water crisis and informationabout available resources.The funding will also expand current

behavioral health services to all affectedadults in Flint and educate Flint residentsabout services and support available tothem as well as where to go to receive thoseservices. In addition, the grant will helpemploy more personnel to provide servicessuch as lead testing, treatment and outreach.As stated on michigan.gov, federal, state

and local partners will continue to providebehavioral health services to the Flint com-munity, and will use the findings of the FlintCASPER to support these efforts. To viewthe full CASPER assessment, visitwww.http://www.michigan.gov/flintwater/0,6092,7-345-76930--,00.html. For more infor-mation regarding the resources available inFlint, visit www.michigan.gov/flintwater. Lurie assured Flint residents that “fed-

eral agencies have been working with thestate and community to meet these needs”identified in the study. An overview ofthe federal response to the crisis can befound at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016 under Flint water crisisrecovery.

EVM staff writer Megan Ockert can bereached at ockertma@gmail.com.

10

Longtime community landmark Woodside Church up for saleBy Jan Worth-Nelson

Woodside Church, designed by interna-tionally-known Finnish architect EeroSaarinen and built by his brother-in-lawRobert F. Swanson in 1952, has been putup for sale by the congregation, whovoted on it at an Oct. 30 congregationalmeeting.A press release issued Tuesday said the

congregation is beginning its search for anew home and “expects to invest itselfmore deeply in what the church stands for.”Rev. Dr. Deborah Conrad, senior min-

ister of the College Cultural neighborhoodlandmark since February, 2014, said theaction was “a first step toward establish-ing a new home and focusing its effortsand resources on the needs of the broadercommunity.” The church is located at

1509 E. Court St.She characterized

the congregation'sdecision as occurringin “a time of growth,”bringing in 15 newmembers just lastmonth. She noted thechurch has long beenknown for its “pro-gressive theology andsocial activism.”Karen Eaton, the

congregation’s moderator – the equivalentof a president of a congregation – said, “Ithas been a wonderful home for manyyears; but, with a heritage of over 160years dedicated to social justice, we mustensure our resources can be fully devotedto our mission.”Donald Harbin, a College Cultural

neighborhood resident and member ofWoodside since 1994 with his wifeElizabeth Perkins-Harbin, served on acommittee that spent the last year pursuingoptions for the church.“As a group we concluded that the only

option for the church to survive was todownsize and sell the beautiful buildingthat we all love. ‘Mission over mansion’ aswe like to say,” Harbin said.The church currently has about 120

members and an attendance of about 70 onSundays, Conrad said – considered a “sta-ble small congregation” in denominationalcircles.Noting that the structure was originally

designed for a congregation of 600 ormore, Harbin said building maintenance,utilities and general expenses “were con-suming a large portion of finances on oursmall congregation, forcing our mission totake a back seat throughout the year.”“As a congregation we hope to remain

in the city center,” Harbin wrote, “but ourpath is yet to unfold.”“Liz and I are both architecture freaks,”

he added, “so we will miss the calm feelingthat we get at services held in the sanctu-ary. We hope that whoever buys the build-ing will maintain the integrity of the archi-tecture, but there are no guarantees. In theend the people are the church and we lovethe people of Woodside Church.”The congregation first assembled itself

in 1837, according to a historical marker inthe church’s front yard. According todetails provided this week by the church,the congregation coalesced in the 1850s. Itfirst met in the courthouse and then in asmall room over what was known as “theScotch store” on Saginaw Street.The Court Street location was the con-

gregation’s third of what was originallyknown as the First Baptist Church of Flint.The first official building was at the cornerof First Avenue and Lyon Street; the sec-ond, at the corner of Beach and Secondstreets.After the 1952 move to the current

building, the congregation opted to join theCongregational Christian Church denomi-nation, and in 1961 changed its name toWoodside Church. It is a member of twodenominations – the United Church ofChrist and the American Baptist Churchand still bears the legal name of “FirstBaptist Church.”Woodside was a stop on the

Underground Railroad during the CivilWar; an advocate for fair housing, civilrights, and an end to Jim Crow in the1950s. In recent years the congregationhas “ruffled feathers,” Conrad said, “overits welcome of people who are gay, les-

bian, bisexual and transgender” and act-ing as “a catalyst for examination of poli-cies of mass incarceration, poverty andwater rights.”“Woodside will never abandon our

brothers and sisters most likely to be mar-ginalized and targeted by oppressive socialpolicies and politics,” Conrad said.“We have been very at home in the CCN

– this isn’t us trying to get out of the neigh-borhood,” she noted in a follow-up inter-view. “We have a mission that we careabout. Caring for a building has requiredtoo much attention, and caring for the mis-sion has taken a backseat. We realized wecould do more. This is partly about settingfinancial priorities and partly about thepassion of our folks and how the churchhas changed.”“We are merely selling a building,”

Conrad said. “We are not losing our voice.We will continue to be the church.”

East Village Magazine photographerand board president Edwin D. Custer, along-time resident, homeowner, investorand neighborhood activist in Central Parknear Woodside, has taken many photos ofthe landmark, consistently noted as one ofthe most architecturally important build-ings in Flint.For Custer, the building means more

than its famous architect.“Woodside Church holds a special

meaning for me,” Custer said. “In myyouth in the 1950s it was the place Gary(Custer, Ed’s brother and late long-timepublisher of EVM) and I were baptized

(Continued on Page 11.)

Deborah Conrad,Woodside minister

since 2014

11

shattering time interfere with the love ofmy life?How dare the greedy billionaires disre-

spect the real struggles of our lives, of themeaning we are trying to make, the catas-trophes always menacing the vulnerable,the hard-won peace of mornings togetherin cafés and workplaces and homes wherepeople can be with whomever they love,the serenity of evenings in fading light in aworld we are trying to save?There’s a storm front on the horizon that

threatens all I love and believe in, all mylife and work has stood for. Chief amongthose beliefs is freedom of the press, abedrock American commitment to the pur-suit of truth upon which the man about tobe president has spit and repeatedlyscorned.And so here I am, an outraged old

woman motivated by anger and fear, readyto make my words get back their mojo,ready to tell Flint truths to whatever forcesdare to betray our values and our future.Buckle up. I’m ready to fight.

EVM Editor Jan Worth-Nelson can bereached at janworth1118@gmail.com.

... Buckle up(Continued from Page 12.)

(full immersion), attended services and theyouth group classes, had sock hops in thebasement, where I sang (poorly) in thechoir, and where I fell asleep during everycandlelit Christmas Eve service with mymom poking me to stay awake.”In reporting on their decision, church

leaders quoted one of the church’s pastorsfrom the 1940s, Rev. Dr. Franklin Elmer,who said, “Woodside is not a spectatorchurch. For those who do not wish tobecome involved in the difficult issuesconfronting our contemporary world, or forthose who do not wish to be disturbedabout their own condition or the generalstate of the world, this is an impossiblechurch.“Participation means more than attend-

ing worship services,” Elmer said. “Itmeans joining in on the adventurous andexciting process of life itself.”Conrad said the congregation has “no

idea yet of where we’re going to go – noclue yet. A lot of people are very emotion-ally involved about where. We’re going tomake sure the congregation is reallyinvolved – it's just the beginning of theprocess. We’re going to work together andwork it out.”Conrad said the conversation about

moving has been ongoing for years.“Unlike other 160-year-old congrega-

tions, because of our history, we’re notbound to a place,” she said.When Conrad came to Woodside two

and a half years ago, she said it was notlong before it became clear a move was“something we were going to tackle ... theprocess for us has been a really healthyone.”“We are not dying,” she said. Rather, she

said, the congregation is devoted to theconcept of “tikkun olam,” a Hebrew phrasefor “world repair.”She noted the growing effect of the mil-

lenial generation, who, she said, “care agreat deal about social justice and the com-mon good instead of the common purseserving institutions. They are trying tomake the world better.”“Woodside has this mindset more than

any other church I’ve ever served,” shesaid.

EVM Editor Jan Worth-Nelson can bereached at janworth1118@gmail.com.

... Woodside(Continued from Page 10.)

of having multiple high-quality optionsavailable for families.FCS Superintendent Tawwab noted,

“Early education is the foundation to a suc-cessful school career, laying the buildingblocks youngsters need to grow intellectu-ally and socially. This is another option forfamilies that will prepare children for suc-cess in our classrooms and, more impor-tantly, in their lives.”According to Kao, the parents’ group

hopes that while the program is beginingwith one kindergarten/first grade class, itwill grow considerably in the next fewyears.Jordan said, “The long-term vision for

the program is that we will have a publicMontessori program through at least mid-dle school, and that we add grades eachyear and classes as needed to accommo-date the level of demand.”Interested parents are invited to attend the

Montessori group meetings at 4 p.m. thethird Friday of every month in the library ofDurant-Tuuri-Mott Elementary. To qualifyfor next year’s kindergarten class, studentsmust turn five by Dec. 1, 2017.For more information or for enrollment

call (810) 760-1232 or email KeionaMurphy, kmurphy@flintschools.org.

EVM Editor Jan Worth-Nelson can bereached at janworth1118@gmail.com.

... Montessori(Continued from Page 7.)

Editing Services. Eagle Eye Editing andProofreading Services provides top-notch copy edit-ing and proofreading for your writing needs by apublished author and East Village Magazine copyeditor and proofreader. Prices depend on the type ofproject and number of pages. Contact Danielle E.Ward at eagleeyeediting@danielleelyse.com.One- and two-bedroom apartments for rent. Clean,partially furnished, all bills paid except electricity.Walking distance to UM-Flint and Mott CommunityCollege. 810-235-0021.Three-bedroom townhouse for lease. Hardwoodfloors, refrigerator, range, 1½ baths, laundry, off-streetparking. In the center of it all on cul-de-sac Avon nearKearsley St. Walk three blocks or less to UM-F, MCC,Cultural Center, downtown. References and credit checkrequested. On-site management. $595 a month plus util-ities. E-mail: ecuster@sbcglobal.net or write: ApartmentBox 9, 720 E. Second St., Flint MI 48503.

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Editor’s Note: This poem, while writtenafter 9/11, seems appropriate now as well.We welcome this first appearance in ourpages by Ted Nelson, the Éminence Griseof EVM.

I AM AN AMERICANBy Ted Nelson

I am an American.I am born and bred of

rebels and revolutionaries.My heart pumps the blood of freedom.

I believe in the human familyand I believe in love.I am of all faiths.

I am an American.I am a work in progress.

I believe that liberty and justicefor all is a good idea ... and as difficult

as it is noble. Yet I persevere.And it is always

a struggle.

I am an American.I shed tears for the dead

and salute the living brave.And then I reach out to my neighbors

and we unleash the most powerfulforce on earth: one nation,

indivisible ...

(Continued on Page 11.)12

Village LifeBuckle up for the pursuit of truth

By Jan Worth-Nelson

LIV:12 (643 issues, 6,435 pages)

There’s a room in our house I can’t gointo right now.It’s the den, a formerly beloved room

we’ve always nestled into, a small paneledhideaway with almost all the books I ownpiled onto floor to ceiling shelves.It’s the room where my husband and I

finally got up, stiff with tension and grow-ing dread, from the chairs where we’d satstunned as the outcome became more andmore clear, the room where we grabbedhold of each other and I cried and said, “Ican’t believe this is happening to our coun-try.”It’s the room we were in, more and more

horrified, until about 1:30 a.m. Nov. 8,when the world, our world, changed forev-er.An editor, as my critics have pointed

out, is supposed to be impartial. But thiscolumn – a place for personal reflectionson the news, is not impartial about its coremessage: I am worried about the future of“truth.” So I begin by saying, the staff ofEast Village Magazine and I are devotingourselves more diligently than ever to ourmission: a fact-based pursuit of the truth.It’s our job.

On our inside pages, we strive to bringyou impartial fact-based coverage aboutour city and our many neighborhoods.When it’s marked as a column or com-

mentary, as in this “Village Life” featureI’ve been writing for the last 10 years,there’s a somewhat different intent: todescribe the effects of events, the conse-quences of facts, on our hearts and mindsand daily lives – sometimes through thefeelings of the writer. Sometimes, ofcourse, the truth shows up most vividly inemotion. That is where this columnbegins.It’s no secret what I think about, feel

about, the president-elect. I’ve outedmyself right on this page and receivedfeedback – both angry and supportive – inresponse. I am sorry about those who wereoffended by my views, and I am sorry forthem now, too, because I’m pretty surethey will not be happy with the presidentthey get, or the cons they have fallen for. Many of the man’s supporters had a

right to petition the government for aredress of grievances, grievances that arelegitimate, complicated and borne out ofpolitical obstructionism and neglect. Buttheir mesmerizing messenger, a depravedand bullying figurehead, will not providethem that relief.And I’m thunderously sorry about all

the rest of us, plunged into despair andwondering how our future suddenlybecame so impenetrably dark.This is a holiday season so we’re sup-

posed to be spreading tidings of great joy.Instead, we are passionately instructingeach other about how to prepare for thecoming fights – for justice, for the rights ofthe oppressed, for science, for education,for the possibilities of peace, for dignity,for honor, for the survival of our 240-year-old experiment of the people, by the peo-ple, for the people. For the Earth, this gor-geous blue dot rotating, astonishinglyverdant and increasingly imperiled, in theuniverse.And not least, powerfully not least, for

freedom of the press. The president-elect’scasual disdain for the facts, for the FourthEstate, his cavalier dismissal of the

Constitution, as if it really doesn’t apply tohim, are among the scariest elements of hisrise to power.I’ve been so depressed I can hardly will

a single sentence out of my fingertips ontothis screen. Words stick in my cranium justbehind my furrowed forehead like a bag ofblack stones, useless and ludicrously inad-equate. My mind’s craving for gracefulsyntax seems antiquated and futile, ques-tions of grace and clarity mocked by thecountry’s decision to side with lies andugliness. When I start a sentence I keepforgetting how I wanted it to end. I used tothink the pen was mightier than the sword,but nobody uses pens anymore and it’s notthe sword that dogs us now – it’s manipu-lated pixels and corruption delivered withsuch blithe audacity over and over thatfinally nobody seems to care or know howto stop it.What’s remarkable about all this is that I

am not alone.Almost all my wrenching life troughs

have been personal – the result of my ownscrew-ups, delusions, self-inflicted damageand detours. My individual travails, almosttediously commonplace and clichéd.This, on the contrary, is a national nerv-

ous breakdown, a pernicious plague ofclinical depression, in which I am only onetiny fulminating molecule. It’s what onewriter, Jeffrey Gillenkirk of Alternet, calls“The New PTSD: Post-Trump StressDisorder.” It’s a real phenomenon.People are digging into the drawers of

their bedside table to see if there’s anyXanax left on that old prescription.Nobody’s sleeping right. One friend saidshe woke up the morning after the electionwith a flareup of shingles. Somebodystayed in bed three days. Somebody ate awhole box of chocolates. Somebody founda bottle of Schnapps in a cupboard after thewhiskey was gone. Somebody packed apipe with indica and talked and talked witha table of other mourners till 4 a.m.Somebody called in sick. Somebody criedevery day for a week. Nobody’s got anylibido to speak of. It would be funny if itwasn’t so desperate and dreadful and withno end in sight. Calls to suicide hotlines insome parts of the country, Gillenkirkreports, have jumped 30%.My husband and I started fighting. We

are on the same side, understand. So howdid the country’s dysfunction worm its wayinto our bedroom, our just-before-sleepsweet nothings turned sour with acrimonyover old slights? Why was I suddenly out-raged by his table manners or his war withthe fat backyard squirrels?How dare the dystopian politics of this

Grayce Scholt is a retired English professor fromMott College who wrote art reviews for the FlintJournal. Her book of poetry, Bang! Go All thePorch Swings, is available online from Amazon. Apersonal narrative of the poet’s life in Europe in theearly 1950s, Vienna, Only You, is available atgscholt09@comcast.net. The author’s new book ofpoems, Night Song, is available from FriesenPress (www.friesenpress.com) and Amazon.

AVALANCHEby Grayce Scholt

When it beginsit’s onlya slight shift of sound,a murmur that can almost soothe,that drifts through dreams.We sleep

But all the whilethe mountain we believedwas solid rock, is quiveringquaking as the lethal massbegins its dip, its slidecrushing boulderspounding our most cherishedpeaks that we believedwere strong and firm the eternal alps, into pebbles,crumbsembalmedin ice.

Amendment I. Congress shallmake no law respecting an estab-lishment of religion, or prohibit-ing the free exercise thereof; orabridging the freedom of speech,or of the press; or the right of thepeople peaceably to assemble,and to petition the governmentfor a redress of grievances.