CITY OF YPSILANTI :WHO DECIDES WHICH RESIDENTIAL TREES COME DOWN?

Several weeks ago I came home to my Normal Park Neighborhood house to find that several trees on our pretty tree lined street were marked with a big scarlet letter. The marking on the trees signify that the trees are to be cut down. Two of the these red marked trees happened to be in our front yard. Admittedly, one of these trees did look a bit ill, but the other one, a big giant maple tree, a tree that had been a favorite of my son and daughter since they were toddlers, looked perfectly healthy.Yet, that healthy looking tree was marked with the dreaded scarlet letter also.

Sure enough, a week or two later the trees were cut down. Naturally, after the two trees were cut down I went over to the two stumps to inspect them. As you look at our house, the stump on the left does look a little rotten. However, the stump on the right looks perfectly healthy to me, at least as healthy as a tree stump can possibly look. Now, I'm no tree expert, but I did, however, interview a tree expert about her opinion on the two stumps and whether she thought both trees needed to be cut down.

I should mention that our tree expert, Carolyn Leadley, is my sister in law who is an urban farmer in the city of Detroit. Carolyn has an undergrad degree in plant ecology from the University of Michigan, and a grad certificate in urban farming from Michigan State University.

I asked Carolyn to look at our two tree stumps in the front yard and give her opinion as whether the trees needed to be cut down. Carolyn said the one stump did look diseased, rotten and showed signs of decay, possibly from ants. She thought it was time for that tree to come down. However, she thought that the other tree looked perfectly healthy, and trimming the branches would have been more appropriate, and less costly.

I recently reached out to the Ypsilanti Dept of Public Works, specifically Stan Kirton who is the Director of Public Works. In an email I asked Stan how the decision process works and who makes the decisions regarding which residential trees should be cut down. I also asked what credentials they had. As of yet, he has not responded to me.

It appears that many residents of Ypsilanti are also curious as to how decisions are made regarding our residential trees. A response from the Ypsilanti Dept of Public Works would be greatly appreciated.

Jeff Brown
Editor/Publisher
Purple Walrus Press.

The two tree stumps in our front yard. Photo Purple Walrus Press.

WHAT IS WITH ALL THE SCHMUTZ (LITTER) BEHIND ESTABROOK ELEMENTARY IN YPSILANTI?

Early Saturday morning I was informed by an Ypsilanti resident that there was trash piling up behind Estabrook Elementary here in Ypsilanti. Shortly after receiving the message there was a post on a neighborhood fb page from the resident who had informed me earlier that stated the information given to me.

Around 10:00 am Saturday, I went over to Estabrook to see for myself how much trash was over there behind the school and on the playground. Sure enough, the area directly behind the school was contained a good amount of schmutz or what is more commonly referred to as litter or trash, as well as a old ratty falling apart and tipped over soccer goal post. Geez. It did look pretty lousy back there directly behind the school building. That is where kids hang out and play during recess, right? Why has the play ground area been allowed to look like, well, crap. Estabrook Elementary is a neighborhood public school. Our children should not have to play where there is scattered litter. I think this reflects poorly on the school.that no one with the school or school system has bothered to clean up back there.

The last I heard, a group of Normal Park Neighborhood residents were heading over to the school to pick up the garbage because they care about the children and the play area at the school. Kudos to these residents. The question is, why should neighborhood residents be the ones to pick up the garbage?

Jeff Brown
Editor/Publisher
Purple Walrus Press.

The playground area behind Estabrook Elementary in Ypsilanti. Photo Purple Walrus Press.

DIOXANE PLUME : DEQ IN CONFIDENTIAL NEGOTIATION W/ GELMAN IS UNACCEPTABLE

A town hall meeting was held in Ann Arbor Thursday regarding the ever lingering reality of the dioxane plume that has been creeping underneath the Ann Arbor region for years. Many residents in Ann Arbor, as well as Ypsilanti are understandably very concerned about dioxane plume. Apparently, many who attended Wednesdays town hall left disappointed and frustrated from the responses made by DEQ Deputy Director Bob Wagner who spoke at the event. To summarize, and or, paraphrase quotes from Wagner that were reported Friday in an mlive article Wagner said, in regard to dioxane clean up, that before a decision by the DEQ will be made they need to see accumulate more information. Further, as reported in mlive, and I'm paraphrasing, the state of Michigan is currently holding discussions that are private with Gelman Sciences.

First, a little background on the dioxane plume. Several months ago Purple Walrus Press did a story  relating to, at the time, new information on the plume. In spring of 2016 I wrote about a Wayne State Professor Larry Lemke who had stated earlier in the week to mlive that, "As far as 1.4 dioxane transport to the Huron River, it's probably already there, and it's going to persist for many years to come." Lemke is a hydro geologist and director of the Environmental Science program at Wayne State. Sounds like a smart guy to me.

Here is what I learned after doing a bit of research on the matter at hand. From 1966 to 1986 Gelman services used a solvent called dioxane 1,4 at its Scio Township location on Wagner Road. It was used in the manufacture of medical filters. Waste water containing the chemical was stored in unlined lagoons which are kind of like storage ponds for liquids. From what I have read these storage ponds or lagoons are supposed to be lined with clay and some other type of line. Over time the dioxane basically leaked into the ground soil and began to spread. That is where the story began.

What is dioxane? According the the EPA technology transfer Network Air toxins website ( A mouth full) "1,4 dioxane is used as a solvent. Acute inhalation exposure to high levels of 1,4 dioxane has caused vertigo, drowsiness, headache, anorexia, and irritation to eyes, nose, throat and lungs in humans.Damage to the liver and kidneys has been observed in rats chronically exposed in the drinking water." This information is all from the EPA website mentioned above,

As far as the DEQ stating that it needs more information before deciding how to handle the cleanup, that is an unacceptable response. It also sounds familiar. Of course, I'm talking about my hometown of Flint. Snyder, the State of Michigan, and all of the powers that be continually said they "needed more information" before acting on and addressing the on going water crisis. Equally unacceptable is the fact that the State of Michigan is holding PRIVATE  talks with Gelman Sciences. This is an issue of public health. Private discussions? This sounds disconcerting to residents of the area.

Many people left the dioxane plume town hall in Ann Arbor unsatisfied and rightfully so. Residents of the Ann Arbor/ Ypsilanti area deserve more answers.

Jeff Brown
Editor/Publisher
Purple Walrus Press

The Huron River. Ypsilanti, MI. Photo Purple Walrus Press.

FORMER BLACK PANTHER EDDIE CONWAY ON BEING SET UP BY COINTELPRO

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party. Let me say that I have much respect for the Black Panther Party. In my opinion the Black Panthers did many wonderful and positive things for the community in the 1960's and 70's.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of listening to former Black Panther Eddie Conway speak on the program Democracy Now. Eddie Conway was a Black Panther Party leader in Baltimore during the late 1960's. It is important to point out that during that same period there existed an, in my opinion, heinous FBI program called COINTELPRO. COINTELPRO stands for counter intelligence program. Let me tell you, this COINTEL program was no good and nasty in a big way. The goal of the nasty and corrupt COINTELPRO program was to surviel, infiltrate, discredit and disrupt domestic political organizations, particularly the Black Panther Party.

Eddie Conway was convicted of killing a police officer in Maryland during a shoot out between police and Black Panther members. Conway states that others were involved in the shoot out and that he was convicted illegally. Conway then spent 12 years in prison. Eventually, there was a determination that he, as well as other Panthers, had been tried illegally in Maryland. Incredibly, and this is mind boggling, it took another 32 years for him to win his release from prison. Conway was finally released in 2014. There are other former Black Panther Party members still in prison as political prisoners, probably illegally.

It is important to note that the Black Panther Party's ten point program was full of positive goals and ideas that were based on the betterment of the community in many urban areas in this country. The Black Panthers created many wonderful community and social programs like free breakfast for children and free health clinics.

I am glad I had the opportunity to hear Eddie Conway speak on Democracy Now. I am also glad that in the early 70's COINTEL was exposed as corrupt and found to have infringed on the rights of so many U.S. citizens.

Jeff Brown
Editor/Publisher
Purple Walrus Press.

Black Panthers. Photo wikipedia.org

SEXUAL ASSAULT WORKSHOP AT YPSILANTI PUBLIC LIBRARY THOUGHT PROVOKING / POWERFUL

A sexual assault workshop was held at the downtown Ypsilanti Public Library Monday evening and it was sobering, moving, and powerful.Nine people were attendance. The event was facilitated by the president of the local chapter of NOW ( National Organization for Women) Cheryl Farmer.

The workshop began with the showing of the documentary "The Hunting Ground" which spells out in no uncertain terms the risk of rape the exists on college campuses throughout the country today. The film was extremely powerful. Everyone should see it.

The documentary film was followed by an open discussion about the incidences of rape at colleges and universities and what can be done to prevent sexual assault. Taking part in the workshop and discussion was Eastern Michigan University Title 9 coordinator Melody Werner. Melody said that. and I'm paraphrasing, she thinks that EMU is handling the issue of sexual assault on campus in a progressive and positive way. As an EMU alum I'm glad to hear that.

Everyone needs to see the powerfully enlightening documentary, The Hunting Ground."

Jeff Brown
Editor/Publisher
Purple Walrus Press.

Cheryl Farmer of  NOW. Photo Purple Walrus Press.