Commentary: How COVID has changed us, and what it means for East Village Magazine
By Paul Rozycki It’s been two years. March 10, 2020. That was the day when Michigan saw its first two COVID cases. Ironically, it was also an election day, and the beginning of the widespread shutdown of much public activity in the state. Within days, colleges and K-12 schools were closed to in-person learning. Bars, restaurants, gyms, and factories shut down, and emergency restrictions were imposed on many public gatherings in the...
Profile: “What if he had opened his eyes?” Kelsey Ronan on grief, healing, breaking a curse in “Chevy in the Hole”
By Jan Worth-Nelson Twelve years ago, Kelsey Ronan found her longtime partner Bryan dead of a heroin overdose in their Flint apartment. Out of what she describes as an onslaught of grief, anger, loss, and finally, a hard-won, unsentimental hope, the novel Chevy in the Hole was born. For Ronan, the book emerged from one poignant question: “What would have happened if Bryan had opened his eyes” instead of dying. She has...
American democracy is facing serious threats. Let’s make sure it survives.
By Paul Rozycki “The ship of democracy, which has weathered all storms, may sink through the mutiny of those on board.” -Grover Cleveland “While democracy in the long run is the most stable form of government, in the short run, it is among the most fragile”. -Madeleine Albright Democracy isn’t easy. It’s not easy to make it work well. And it’s not easy to keep it. In our place and time in history, we assume that democracy is the best...
Guest Commentary: Thanks for the early Christmas gift – air pollutants and toxins
By Ted Zahrfeld Thank you for the early Christmas “gift,” Governor, Michigan “EGLE” Director, Genesee Township Zoning, and Ajax CEO, of allowing a polluting asphalt plant in our poorest Flint neighborhood. This “gift” will bring and keep on giving air pollutants, toxins, and odors to the surrounding low-income predominately Black community as it operates in years to come. Yes, Flint, there are indeed four Grinch Santa Clauses:...
Opinion: A new offense – water settlement objections denied by federal judge
By Rev. Deborah D Conrad A new offense has insulted Flint this week, in the form of a court ruling — this time from District Judge Judith Levy. At issue was the Flint Water Settlement, the financial compensation for the residents of this city of 90,000 poisoned by state action in 2014, finally acknowledged in 2015, and yet to be reconciled. People died. Pregnant people miscarried. Children experienced neurological damage — the...
Commentary: Looking back and looking ahead — Will 2022 be better than 2021?
By Paul Rozycki Looking back This past year was supposed to be the year when we put the COVID pandemic, the 2020 election, and the turmoil in the Flint city council behind us. So far only one of those three things might be true, and even that remains to be seen. The Jan. 6 insurrection and the inauguration After the 2020 election, the year began with traditional plans for the formal certification and inauguration of the new...
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