According to Federal agents, the planned attack included comprehensive plans to overthrow several state governments that the arrested suspects believe were defiling the US Constitution. One of those states is Michigan, which is under Whitmer’s governance.

So far, six of the men were federally charged with conspiracy to kidnap. Seven others  associated with the militia group “Wolverine Watchmen,” were charged by the state, according to Michigan’s Attorney General, Dana Nessel.

According to reports obtained from the United States Department of Justice, a complaint was filed on Tuesday. Reports show that the individuals by the names Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris, and Brandon Caserta conspired to kidnap Whitmer from her vacation home which is located in the Western District of Michigan. Per federal law, each of the individuals faces any term of years up to life in prison if convicted of the crime. Fox, Garbin, Franks, Harris, and Caserta are all residents of Michigan while Croft is a resident of Delaware.

It is unclear whether or not their motives was in direct retaliation to Whitmer’s executive orders concerning the pandemic, but the story is still developing.

Early in March, Whitmer, a Democrat, extended a state of emergency along with other safety measures in the state of Michigan in efforts to contain the novel coronavirus and has since been the subject of ridicule among right-wing voters.

In Oakland county, Richard Beaubien, a resident of Troy, Michigan, said that the governor was “out of bounds” in extending stay-at-home orders to Michigan residents.

“She’s supposed to talk to the legislature before she executes some orders, and she is still reluctant to do that,” said Beaubien. 

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled in a split 4-3 finding that Whitmer lacked COVID-19 emergency powers to extend the executive order that she mandated Michiganders without consent from the legislature.

The court’s decision placed a significant question mark on the previous orders that Whitmer had executed in. relation to the pandemic, appearing to blank them out. At the same time, it wasn’t immediately clear what would happen next or when the supreme court’s decision would go into effect.

In response to the Michigan Supreme Court, Whitmer’s office issued a statement publicly denouncing the ruling and seeking an additional 28-day grace period to transition into the new regulations.

She described the court’s ruling as “deeply disappointing” and stressed that she disagreed with it.

“Today’s Supreme Court ruling, handed down by a narrow majority of Republican justices, is deeply disappointing, and I vehemently disagree with the court’s interpretation of the Michigan Constitution,” said Whitmer. “Right now, every state and the federal government has some form of declared emergency. With this decision, Michigan will become the sole outlier at a time when the Upper Peninsula is experiencing rates of COVID infection not seen in our state since April.” 

The statement ended with Whitmer promising Michiganders that she would not relent in her efforts to keep them safe from the deadly virus. Many Twitter users, including President Donald Trump, took to Twitter to express their thoughts on the news.

Trump, who was recently diagnosed with COVID-19 himself, praised the supreme court’s ruling and called the verdict a “BIG WIN” for Michiganders in his tweet.

His tweets were made even though Michigan went from being one of the top three coronavirus hotspots in the nation to flattening the curve under Whitmer’s executive orders. Real-time data currently shows that the current death rates and cases have skyrocketed in Michigan ever since. 

On March 23, when Whitmer first set her Stay Home, Stay Safe mandate in motion, thousands of Michiganders grew weary of the orders. Complaints ranged from individuals needing haircuts to barbers and salon owners defying orders to stay open.

Beaubien said that a haircut was one necessity that the orders deprived him.

“My hair got really long. I was trying to debate what color of ribbon to put on. I finally got a hair cut in mid-April after about three  months,”  said Beaubien.

Susan Maccoy, a hair stylist, author, and certified COVID-19 protocols expert for hair salons, said that Whitmer did the right thing.

“You can’t fix stupid,” said Maccoy of naysayers. “She was protecting the people when they wouldn’t protect themselves.”

Maccoy, who is also a salon and beauty expert, said that during the unprecedented COVID-19 times, it is imperative to have all of the protocols in place to protect the salon owners, as well as hairdressers and customers.

” Ninety percent of the cases that I opine on focus on people who didn’t follow the rules and ultimately bore the consequences,” said Maccoy.

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The rally’s attendance was limited to members of the press, a few essential workers and a COVID-19 survivor. 

That Biden is delivering his entire speech in Grand Rapids with a mask on speaks volumes more than any remarks he’s delivering, and he knows it.

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) October 2, 2020

Matt Hoffman, a grocery worker and resident of Imlay City, Michigan stood at the  podium  and urged people to vote Biden for a better America regardless of their political party. He also spoke about the impact of the pandemic on essential workers.

“I live in a small town and our community has been devastated by COVID-19 and the damage it has done to our economy,” he said.“Over these many months, there is not a day that goes by where workers like me are not putting our lives on the line.”

Across Michigan, essential workers have been at the forefront of the pandemic with very few receiving hazard pay. 

Biden’s trip to Grand Rapids, was his second visit to the state in less than a month. Before he commenced his  20 minute speech, he confirmed that he had been tested twice for COVID-19, and received negative results on both occasions. He also sent well wishes to Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, who had recently tested positive for the virus.  

“I hope that all of those fighting the virus, including the first family, rapidly recover,” said Biden.

The rally  comes on the heels of his abrasive debate session with the President. Biden, who tested negative, urged Americans to be patriotic and wear masks. 

“It’s not about being a tough guy,” he said.

Biden said that the President’s diagnosis showed the importance of taking the virus more seriously.

Trump, who tested positive for the coronavirus after months of downplaying its danger, aroused confusion in the political world and fears among his aides that his diagnosis would backfire among voters and result in a political disaster, further dampening his chances of winning.

Biden sounding like a President-in-waiting at Grand Rapids. Not since Zorro has anyone drawn so much power from wearing a mask.

— Matthew d’Ancona (@MatthewdAncona) October 2, 2020

Biden currently leads Trump in the Michigan polls by 6.7 points as of today.

The primary goal of his rally was to discuss his “Build Back Better” economic plan, and his target audience was the middle class as well as essential workers who were on the frontlines of the workforce during the pandemic. Acknowledging the turbulence of the current times, Biden urged all Americans to unite.

“This cannot be a partisan moment. It must be an American moment. We have to come together as a nation,” said Biden. “Let’s get the heck up, and remember who in God’s name we are. This is the United States of America. There is nothing beyond our capacity.”

The rally was held in Kent County which is a suburban area  and a former republican stronghold that is turning democratic because of its increasingly growing and diverse population.

During his rally, Biden touched on familiar themes of   taxes, job creation, medicare, social security, child care and the economy. He also referenced the recently released job report, acknowledging that the jobs  created were insufficient.

“I do understand that this is a scary time, an uncertain time. I understand and I see you because I see the world from Scranton Pennsylvania where I grew up. A lot like Grand Rapids,” said Biden. 

Biden addressed essential workers again and promised them an increase in their wages if he won the presidency.

“For essential workers, we are not just going to praise you, we are going to pay you,” said Biden to the audience of frontline workers.

Hamadi Baccar, a democrat  and Michigan resident  said that Biden would make good on his promise by creating jobs through his economic plan.

“Increasing the pay to $15/hr will go a long way for people to lead better lives,” said Baccar. 

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The 90-minute debate, now dubbed by millions of news consumers across the nation as the worst of its kind in American history, is receiving unprecedented press coverage for unprecedented reasons, but the question of whether the outcome of the debate swayed voters across the country remains. 

Residents of Michigan, a major swing state, had a few thoughts on the debate, the candidates and the upcoming election.

Butch Johnson, a mechanic shop owner in Grand Rapids, Michigan and a Trump supporter said that he was not swayed by the outcome of the debate. He maintained that he would still vote for Trump, his candidate of choice.

“I would choose Trump for sure,” said Johnson. “You always go with the current president. They usually know what’s best.”

Although Trump may have a solid Republican following, election results are often unpredictable and even the strongest Trump supporters know that. 

According to a recent poll carried out by the Morning Consult,  voters beleive that Biden performed  better than Trump, by 50% to 34%.

Biden supporters in Michigan took to Twitter to denounce Trump and highlight problematic aspects of his behavior during the debate.

Nothing has changed. We still have over 207,000 people dead of coronavirus. We still have a president that locks children in cages, guilty of tax evasion. One that called our military “losers and Suckers. The same President that told Proud Boys, a hate group to “Stand By”.

— Sherrie (@kitnlov1) October 2, 2020

The debate, which initially began with subtle passive aggressive comments, swiftly devolved into direct insults and personal attacks, with Trump interrupting Biden at least 128 times. This was much more than he interrupted Hilary Clinton in the first  2016 debate. 

“It would be hard not to interrupt someone when they are saying negative things about you,” said Johnson. “If you know the truth, you’ll try to defend yourself.”

According to fact-checkers at news outlets, Trump was caught in numerous peppered lies during the raucous debate.

Despite the chaos of the debate, Michiganders seemed to concede, based on recent post-debate poll reports, carried out by Public Policy Polling, that Biden had a lead over Trump.

In recent politically polarized times, when members of the left and the right don’t seem to agree on anything, just about anyone who rendered their opinion agreed that the debate was an unparalleled disaster.

Mike Hanrahan, a Michigan resident said he was disappointed that there were not more questions or answers directed at policy. 

“Although I understand the moderator’s questions and the need to ask specific questions about our current environment, it would have helped to hear responses directed at where our country is headed over the next four years and how the respective candidates would use their policies to guide our nation,” said Hanrahan.

Chris Wallace of Fox News , the debate moderator, failed at attempts to maintain the decorum of the debate. Trump continued to interrupt both he and Biden multiple times, and then made  snide remarks under his breath.

Biden’s acrid dislike for Trump came to a heightened climax when he made the now famous “Will you shut up, man?” demand of Trump.

“I think it was just disrespectful,” said Johnson. “I don’t think it was appropriate. That’s not how you treat the president of the United States.”

Although some Michiganders were unimpressed with Biden’s remark, he received support from others.

While Trump made last night’s debate about himself, @JoeBiden looked directly in the camera and spoke to the American people.

It’s made a difference with Michigan voters like Katey Morse, who regrets voting for Trump in 2016. https://t.co/hrc82dgIgr

— Michigan Democrats (@MichiganDems) September 30, 2020

Biden is set to visit Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 2. His strategy, which is to win over Republican heavy areas for the election, could significantly influence the outcome of his voter results.

The post Michigan voters debate the debate appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

These are the common feelings amplified in the minds of Michiganders in the wake of the pandemic. As teachers and students prepare to resume school, “normal” seems like a distant memory.

Sandra Gaddy, CEO of the Women’s Resource Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is also a current Executive MBA student at Grand Valley State University. She said that going back to school has been both a strange and stressful transition. 

“Although we have a small cohort, some of my classmates are not comfortable coming into the classroom,” she said. 

Gaddy said that she has had to wear masks throughout her Friday and Saturday, 8 hour classes.  Going back to school when the world is at the peak of a deadly pandemic, she said, has been a challenge.

“I don’t like to operate in fear because of my faith,” she said. “On the other hand, I also want to use wisdom in how I protect myself, my family, and my staff. It’s a tremendous amount of stress, yet my faith in God is what carries me.” 

Dr. Lisa Garvelink pauses for a quick photo break while preparing  her lessons notes for the Calvin Academy for Life Life Learning through Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Photo courtesy of Dr. Lisa Garvelink

Dr. Lisa Garvelink, an instructor who will begin teaching at the Calvin Academy for Life Life Learning through Calvin College in Grand Rapids this fall, said all her classes would be conducted on zoom.

“We were going to do it in a large auditorium and wear masks, but we changed our plans as cases kept rising,” she said. “The courses are for people who are 50 and older. A lot of my students are 70 and older, so we don’t want to put them in any health risk.” 

She said you can feel the tension around masks wearing which is mandatory in  indoor public spaces in Michigan.

“I do find that people who are so adamant about not wearing masks fall into a particular political group,” she said.

The pandemic has triggered political discord across the country, including Michigan. The unbridled politicization of mask-wearing amid the COVID-19 turmoil has also been exceedingly high. According to Garvelink, this dissonance could have dangerous effects on students. 

Rosine Hounakey, a beauty salon owner and student at Grace Christian University, also in Grand Rapids, Michigan,  said that when the pandemic first became widespread, she had to take a month off. She is the mother of three children.

“My kids were home 24/7 at that time, and when the pandemic hit, I had to stay at home for a month to normalize their schedules,” she said.

Hounakey said Covid does not scare her, but she is worried about her children. 

 “The one thing I am worried about is how to keep the kids wearing masks for over seven, eight hours,” she said. “I don’t know if that’s healthy.” 

Some schools are relying on remote learning to carry them through the pandemic. Other schools in Michigan have opted for a hybrid learning model. 

Chinedu Ikeata, an international  student pursuing a  masters degree in public health at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, said he has a lot of anxiety about the virus and his future.

“I  have this real anxiety of catching the virus in a foreign country,” he said. “When the pandemic began, there was a real possibility of potentially being sent home. “The idea of that happening terrified me.  It almost gives you a feeling of inferiority.” 

The post The new normal for school life is abnormal in Michigan appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

When clients first arrive at the salon they get their temperature taken at the door, then they fill out a form that is sent via text message on their phone, answering questions about previous travels and whereabouts during the pandemic and before taking a seat in the stylist chair, guests sanitize their hands. 

Everyone is required to wear a mask while inside the salon.

Hair stylists take similar precautions, they must clean their styling chairs from top to bottom, submerge their hair tools in disinfectant before and after each client, and change gowns out between each guest. 

Stylists are working a staggered schedule and only allow up to 10 people total in the salon at a time to minimize the spread of COVID-19. 

Nicole Joi, 29, a hair stylist at The Door Salon, where she has worked for the last eight years, said she is happy to be back since her last day on March 14.

“It feels good to touch hair again,” Joi said. 

A sign on the door of The door Salon directing people to wait and call before heading inside on the opening day, June 16th. Photo by Kyla Milberger

Nicole Joi, a hair stylist at The Door Salon poses for a portrait inside the salon before clients arrive on opening day, June 16th. Photo by Kyla Milberger

Amy Fink (my mom), a client at The Door Salon gets her temperature taken before getting her hair done on opening day, June 16th. Photo by Kyla Milberger

Amy Fink (my mom), a client of The Open Door Salon, fills out a form on her phone, answering questions about previous travels and whereabouts during the pandemic before getting her hair done on the opening day, June 16th. Photo by Kyla Milberger

Amy Fink (my mom), a client of The Open Door Salon sanitizes her hands before getting her hair done on the opening day, June 16th. Photo by Kyla Milberger

Amy Fink (my mom), a client of The open Door Salon shows me her grey hair growth before getting it colored on the opening day, June 16th. Photo by Kyla Milberger

Amy Fink (my mom), a client of The Door Salon holds her mask on her face while getting her hair colored on the opening day, June 16th. Photo by Kyla Milberger

Amy Fink (my mom), a client of The Open Door Salon holds her mask on her face while getting her hair washed on the opening day, June 16th. Photo by Kyla Milberger

Nicole Joi, a hair stylist at The door Salon sanitizes and wipes down hair washing station to prepare for the next client on the opening day, June 16th. Photo by Kyla Milberger

Amy Fink (my mom), a client of The Door Salon poses for a picture with me after getting her hair washed on the opening day, June 16th. Photo by Kyla Milberger

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Arab Americans in Dearborn from Pavement Pieces on Vimeo.

The post Rebuilding Detroit: Arab Americans in Dearborn appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

First grade students take a break from the classroom to read a story in the hallway during a bathroom break at Glazer Elementary School. Photo by Rachel Ohm

Glazer Elementary School is quiet on a Friday morning in mid-October. Upstairs, fourth graders are in the middle of the state MEAP test, and the hallways are silent. There is a new computer lab with boxes of unpacked Smartboards that are being put in classrooms. Downstairs, a classroom of first graders are eagerly raising their hands in a science class. There is another group of students sitting in a circle in the hallway while a teacher reads them a story during a bathroom break.

Glazer is one month into its new life as a charter school, one of five underperforming public schools to have been reopened as charters by the city’s Renaissance 2012 plan. The plan, developed by the school district’s emergency manager, originally called for the ambitious, and many say unrealistic, conversion of 45 failing public schools into charters, but has resulted in five new charters in the city that opened last month.

“The school is brighter. It’s a real transformation,” said Eddie Thomas, the principal at Glazer, standing in the doorway of the art room surrounded by popsicle-stick projects. “A lot of parents were excited. The kids are excited too.”

New Paradigm for Education, a non-profit charter management organization, which also operates the Detroit Edison Public School Academy, the first charter school in Michigan to be awarded the state’s Exemplary Blue Ribbon Award, took over two of the city’s worst performing public schools, Glazer Elementary and Loving Elementary School.

According to Michigan Department of Education public school rankings from the 2010-2011 school year, Glazer ranked in the bottom 10th percentile and New Loving in the bottom 14th percentile in student achievement on state tests and graduation rates.

Today, Glazer, which had been in a state of disrepair since a tornado hit the area in 1996, is something of a physical oasis in the neighborhood, complete with atrium gardens containing plants, flowers and picnic tables.

“There is a forest of bushes and trees across the street, a vacant house and next to that a drug house,” said Ralph Bland, the President and CEO of New Paradigm for Education.

“This school is a cornerstone of the neighborhood,” said Thomas, who has worked in Detroit schools for 19 years and was also the assistant principal at Michigan’s first charter school, University Prep Public School. The school is also just two blocks away from Focus: HOPE, one of Detroit’s largest providers of social services for the needy in Detroit and serves many of the families in the immediate community.

Yet not everyone is excited about the plan to open more charter schools in Detroit.

“Yes, it is an alternative to closing schools,” said Elena Herrada, a member of the Detroit Board of Education. “But it is not saving the district any money and we are still losing students to the suburbs.”

The conversion process from public to charter school has involved a lot of physical repairs to the schools and in both instances has brought in an entirely new staff to implement the New Paradigm curriculum with 90-minute math and reading blocks in the elementary schools. Six of the 14 teachers at Glazer are Teach for America Corps members.

“That’s what charter schools do,” said Herrada. “They get these young white kids from the suburbs to teach. They don’t realize that teaching in Detroit is tough. Things are hard here.”

Yet Thomas said that the dedication of his staff is one thing that makes his school stand out. When asked what he thinks makes the charter school model stand out his answer was the “passion of the teachers.”

“A majority are willing to go beyond their call of duty on a daily basis,” he said. Jason Brooks, who is the director of research at the Foundation for Education Reform and Accountability in Clifton Park, N.Y. said the charter school approach is one that other districts around the country could benefit from because charter schools can provide services that traditional public schools do not. For example, making sure kids get three meals a day and adequate rest is one of the biggest challenges to educating student populations in disadvantaged areas such as Detroit’s North End, where Detroit Edison and New Loving are located.

At Glazer, the school day ends slightly later at 3.30 but they also have after-school programs that provide dinner for students who stay. Detroit Edison, New Paradigm’s model school, is open on weekends and evenings during the school year to encourage students to have a safe place to spend their free time.

“It’s an approach that needs to be tried more frequently and something the Obama administration has been encouraging,” he said. “Disadvantaged and low-income kids need longer school days and more time in the classroom.”

According to Brooks, union laws at traditional public schools usually prohibit them from offering extended school days. He also said that because of freedom from some state regulations, charter schools are also able to adapt their curriculum to better serve student needs. Currently, New Orleans is the only city in the U.S. with more students enrolled in charter schools than traditional public schools.

“We don’t want to be New Orleans,” said Herrada. “They are losing all their money to charter schools.” She said that when charter schools open they divert district tax dollars from existing schools in exchange for minimal academic advantages.

“There are some charter schools that are failing too,” she said. “And some public schools that are very good.”

The Detroit Edison model calls for longer 90-minute math and reading classes and students who come into the school reading below their grade level or those who have fallen behind can spend time with tutors during the longer class period.

“I think the classrooms are smaller,” said Latrice Turnage, 35, who has three children at Glazer. “There is extra one-on-one attention so my son doesn’t have to be in special ed.”

Turnage says that she “lost faith in DPS” after her son, Khanyhe, who is now in second grade, passed kindergarten in a regular public school without learning to write his name.
She was concerned that he had a learning disability but when she tried to get an I.E.P. the system was so slow it took almost an entire school year. In the charter school she says he gets extra help without having to be classified as a special ed student.

“Wait three months and see if she is still happy with the charter school,” said Herrada. “When something presents itself as a simple solution, there is usually more to it.”

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