Introduction The restaurant industry stands at the frontlines of a new labor movement. A recent report reveals that the highest concentration of strikes in recent years has come from the food service sector. From fast food counters to fine dining kitchens, workers are rising up.…
There was a solidarity noise demo at the Washtenaw County Adult & Child jails on Juneteenth to show solidarity with the prisoners there, who are disproportionately Black and working class. Abolitionist, Anarchist, and Communist demonstrators marched around the two jails for two hours drumming and…
In early March, What’s Left Ypsi got the chance to speak extensively with former employee of Beal Properties, Wendy Alfaro-Cruz. What’s Left Ypsi: What was your role at Beal properties? Wendy Alfaro-Cruz: At first I was a front desk person, and then… I was front…
Frequent Management Handover Leads to Poor Outcomes for Residents Due to the housing shortage in Washtenaw County, many residents – including myself – settle for deplorable living conditions. I have made 108 Washtenaw in Ypsilanti my home for over four years, during which property management…
Michigan attorney general Dana Nessel, a self-styled progressive who has attempted to build a reputation opposing Donald Trump’s authoritarianism, now exposes her own hypocrisy by weaponizing the legal system to suppress pro-Palestine protesters. Her refusal to drop the politically motivated charges against students and activists…
The Ypsilanti-based landlord Stewart Beal has been called a ‘nightmare’ and ‘slumlord’ by alleged current, former, and prospective tenants. The Ypsilanti Tenants Union released a list of ‘Beal Properties Horror Stories’ in 2023. Now, Stewart has begun a case against an Ypsilanti community member in…
Editor’s Note: Desiraé Simmons is a core member of What’s Left Ypsi, and had nothing to do with the production of this article. Article synopsis: Analysis of recall campaign donors reveals a carpetbagging campaign funded by landlords, Republican donors, and an influential Ann Arbor lobbyist.…
***UPDATE: A PREVIOUS VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE ADVERTISED ANOTHER PROTEST OUTSIDE PRIME+PROPER FOR JANUARY 6 2024. THE ORGANIZERS OF THAT PROTEST HAVE INFORMED US THAT THAT PROTEST HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE*** On New Years Eve, while people in the U.S. celebrated with fireworks,…
NIGHT ONE On November 7, 2023, Ypsilanti city council passed a resolution in resounding support for the plight of the Palestinian people–making Ypsi one of the first cities in the country to do so. The resolution was modeled after one passed two weeks previously by…
My name is Shihab Jackson, from Ann Arbor, MI. I was recently charged with five felonies carrying a total of 19 years in prison for felon in possession of a firearm and resisting arrest. I accept full accountability for all my actions and am not…
Shortly after Hamtramck, MI, Dearborn, MI, Richmond, CA, and Providence, RI passed similar resolutions: Ypsilanti, MI becomes one of the first cities in the U.S. to be in solidarity with Palestinians City Council unanimously approved a city resolution calling for ceasefire, lifting of the siege,…
This is the story of my friend Shihab Jackson. It’s also a story about Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit. Two men: a felon and a prosecutor. Both are on trial. Let’s begin on November 3rd, 2020. It’s Election Day. Outside Temple Beth Emeth, a 29-year-old…
LANSING, MI — A group of activists from Sunrise Ann Arbor and associated organizations gathered outside of AF Group this Friday afternoon to protest the insurance company’s contract with the unpopular Cop City project. Accident Fund provides workers’ compensation insurance to Cop City, a proposal…
On April 20th, organizers with Detroit Will Breathe, the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, the movement to Stop the Expansion of Camp Grayling, the School of Environment and Sustainability, and Defend Affordable Ypsi, joined with striking members of the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) at the University…
On April 20th, organizers with Detroit Will Breathe, the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, the movement to Stop the Expansion of Camp Grayling, the School of Environment and Sustainability, and Defend Affordable Ypsi, joined with striking members of the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) at the University…
The Dastardly Kids may not be youngins anymore, but their 2023 double 7” release Delinquent harnesses the raw energy bursting out of their tracks from a decade earlier. Staying close to their Ypsilanti upbringing, the two artists linked up with prolific Detroit producer Omar S…
“STOP CAMP GRAYLING” Protesters disrupted a University of Michigan career fair yesterday, in solidarity with the movement to Stop Camp Grayling. A number of military, police, and surveillance recruiters gathered in a western hall of the Michigan Union when anonymous members from the crowd suddenly…
Just past nightfall on Saturday 1/28 a crowd of 50 to 100 gathered on Eisenhower Parkway, near the 777 building in south Ann Arbor, to protest the police murder in Atlanta of a beloved forest defender known as Tortugita. Many in the crowd wore black from head to toe in mourning; signs commemorating Tortugita and decrying police violence were visible…
On November 17, 2022, negotiations between the University of Michigan and the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) kicked off with a bang. Over 400 graduate workers and community allies rallied and marched to the bargaining room, where they watched as GEO members put forth a platform…
D’Real Graham and Tyler Weston started the open-air porch pantry earlier in the pandemic when increased food scarcity and social distancing made it a clever solution to these intersecting challenges. Of course, neither of these things have gone away—quite the opposite—Food Gatherers reports more scarcity…
Dear friends, comrades, and enemies, We’ve reached the official end of the 2022 Amber Fellows race to become the mayor of Ypsilanti, Michigan. Amber will not be our next mayor this time around: Nicole Brown gets that designation. Our campaign was victorious nonetheless–due to your…
My name is Izzy Johnson, and I’m an artist and musician based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I’ve been living with inflammatory bowel disease (due to Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis*) for over 20 years and a permanent ileostomy for about four years. At age 33, I…
Find resources, flyers, stickers, and more at plancpills.org Where to get pills online Plan C Pills PlanCPills.org/guide Find a brick and mortar clinic**Don’t rely entirely on Google to find a clinic! I Need an A Ineedana.org Abortion Finder AbortionFinder.orgNational Abortion Federation prochoice.org Cyber security info Digital…
*This article has been updated to include more information* Ypsilanti Township does not have a police department; the washtenaw county sheriff’s office (WCSO) is the primary police department patrolling the township. The township, in conjunction with the WCSO, is currently considering installing 60 to 70…
The cosmic storm rages on, with the conjunction of Mars, Uranus, and the North Node in Taurus at 7:53pm. This transit will be felt as a shock on a global scale, with lasting murmurings – but there are so flourishes of nice vibes from venus…
“My mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars” – Romeo (Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet) The astrological event that we’ve been eyeing all year with foreboding has begun and will continue to unfold over the next two weeks. With the planets moving like…
Well well well… Looks like local conservatives are attempting to throw a stick in the spokes of progress yet again. A few weeks ago, housing advocates in the city celebrated a historic victory. Two landmark affordable housing developments got the green light by city council:…
EDIT: This article has been updated after the two Community Benefits Agreements discussed were approved by Ypsilanti City Council during the meeting of 6/21/22. The last few paragraphs did not appear in the original article. The title has also been changed; the original title was…
We can all take a deep breath, avert our gaze, and rest easy. Washtenaw County now has a progressive prosecutor—Eli Savit, whose platform claims that (1) coercive plea bargaining, (2) over-prosecution, (3) prolonged pre-trial detentions, (4) aggressive prosecution of drug possession charges, and (5) racial…
Ypsilanti Township is currently holding an election that will end on August 3, 2021. There are 4 millages on the ballot: Fire protection, prevention, rescue services, and equipment reserves, which is expected to generate an estimated revenue of $4,625,417.00 in the first year. Police protection,…
