VOL. 40 | ISSUE 24 | MARCH 18–24, 2020
etroit arts, D d te up rr te in s ha s ru vi The corona kly, too e e -w lt a l a c lo r u and yes, yo — g in in d t, n e m entertain
By Lee DeVito
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NEWS & VIEWS Feedback Dave Rotter: I’m “let’s pick up a Metro Times and figure out what we are doing tonight, old.” I’ve been looking forward to Wednesdays at noon for my MT fix for decades now. Congrats to the Metro Times on 40 years of strengthening and unifying our alternative arts community. Keep up the good work, and cheers! Ray Gray: The copy of the Metro Times featuring a cover story about my long struggle for freedom (Jan. 29, issue No. 17) was very well received, not only by Barbe and I, but well wishers and supporters. Thank you to all the staff who assisted in making it successfully pos-
sible. As a result, a reputable law firm has agreed to look into my case, we’re praying they accept the task of moving it forward. From the all of me thank you staff again and again. The struggle continues. We received a number of comments in response to last week’s obituary for burlesque star Lottie the Body by freelancer Kianga J. Moore. Karen Gemus: Wow! I use to see Lottie dance at BoMacs jazz club — so many great memories.
Vol. 40 | Issue 24 | March 18-24, 2020
News & Views
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NEWS & VIEWS
Words of wisdom from Detroit’s Celebrity Car Wash.
LEE DEVITO
Cancel culture
The coronavirus has interrupted Detroit arts, entertainment, dining — and yes, your local alt-weekly, too By Lee DeVito
The spread of COVID-19 —
the potentially deadly coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, has infected more than 175,049 people worldwide, and killed more than 6,706 in what the World Health Organization has declared to be a pandemic — has drastically disrupted daily life around the world. cials are urging people to practice “social distancing,” a strategy that slows down the spread of the virus by limiting contact between people. Many governments, including Michi-
have also been canceled. Restaurants, cafes, coffeehouses, bars, clubs, movie theaters, performance venues, gyms, recreation centers, indoor sports facilities, spas, and casinos are all closed. Giant corporations like the Big Three and Quicken Loans have told their employees to work from home if possible, while other companies have been forced to lay workers off. The impact of the virus could have an effect on the global economy at a level not seen since the 2008 Great Recession.
Suffice it to say, we don’t know what’s going to happen here in Detroit. We’re hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. gan’s, have o cially banned gatherings of 250 people or more, and people are being encouraged to avoid unnecessary travel. On Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for people to avoid groups of 50 or more. That means school is canceled for now, as are concerts, professional sports, and political rallies (and during an election year, to boot). The Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, the Marche du Nain Rouge, and the Hash Bash
This means Detroit’s arts, culture, entertainment, and dining scenes are in trouble — but there are things you can do to help. For example, you can buy gift cards from your favorite restaurants so you can patronize them when it’s safe to be in large groups again. Many restaurants, like the recently reopened Kuzzo’s Chicken and Wa es on the Avenue of Fashion, are offering carry out options where they’ll walk the food out to your car so you can avoid the crowd.
If you do go out, be sure to tip extra to compensate for the loss of revenue. Unfortunately, gift cards don’t necessarily help servers or bartenders, who depend on tips. If you know servers who work at spots you frequent, consider asking them for their Venmo or PayPal to send them some cash. If there are musicians or artists you
support, consider buying merch, like records or T-shirts. We’re told some local promoters are planning fundraiser concerts that will be livestreamed online, and we expect other artists to figure out other ways to get creative. As you can imagine, for a scrappy alt-weekly whose revenue comes primarily from ads from events, bars, and restaurants, and whose content is primarily geared toward things to do in and around Detroit each week, this is massively disruptive for us here at Metro Times, too. If you’re reading this in our print edition, you might notice this issue is far lighter than usual, as pages for ads for events were pulled and stories tied to events that have since been canceled were scrapped. In eattle, where the first . . cases of coronavirus were detected, The Stranger temporarily laid off 1 employees and suspended its print issues. It’s the first time the alt weekly hasn’t been printed in nearly 30 years. u ce it to say, we don’t know what’s going to happen here in Detroit. We’re hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. To be honest, we’re not even sure if there will be an issue next week. If you’re a business that’s still open, we hope you consider buying an ad in Metro Times. Your ad will go a long way in helping us weather this pandemic, so we can continue to keep metro Detroit informed during this di cult and confusing time. One thing we do know from covering Detroit’s arts and culture scene is that Detroiters are resilient and resourceful. We’re used to getting by with what we have, and helping others in the community when they need it. Somehow, we’re all going to get through this.
Metro Retro
Looking back on 40 years of MT As we count down to our 40th anniversary in October, we’ve been revisiting our archives to highlight Metro Times stories that resonate in 2020. 30 years ago in Metro Times: Former Creem editor Dave Marsh, writing in his Rock & Roll Confidential column, recounts what record producer Jon Landau said when Motown’s Holland-DozierHolland were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He praised the songwriting team for creating beautiful “moments,” like a moment in September 1966
when he and his best friend pulled off the side of the road at a.m. to listen in awe to “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” by the Four Tops on the radio, and “Diana Ross, at her very greatest, communicating the struggle between hopeless obsession and greatest dignified determination that is the essence of ‘You Keep Me angin’ n.’ And topping it off with that incredibly tough, And there’s nothing I can do about it.’” What was happening: Jesus & Mary Chain at the Latin Quarter
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NEWS & VIEWS Going viral
Michigan grapples with testing shortage, school closures, and other massive disruptions as coronavirus cases increase By Steve Neavling
What a difference a day makes. In a 24 hour span, Michigan o cials and businesses have taken enormous steps to uell the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, from closing all public and private schools to canceling concerts, sporting events, and other large gatherings. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the first two positive cases of coronavirus in Michigan on Tuesday, March 10. We are taking every step we can to mitigate the spread of the virus and keep Michiganders safe,” Whitmer said in a news release. I have declared a state of emergency to harness all of our resources across state government to slow the spread of the virus and protect families. It’s crucial that all Michiganders continue to take preventative measures to lower their risk, and to share this information with their friends, family, and co workers.” By Thursday evening, the state had 12 confirmed cases and acknowledged it may run out of test kits as the coronavirus spreads. As we start finding more cases, there’s a possibility that we will run out of tests,” r. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health in Michigan, said at a press conference Thursday night. It’s incredibly important that the federal government keeps up with that demand.” As of Monday, the number of positive cases reached , and Khaldun said the state only has the capacity to test 11 people a day. A vast majority of sick people are not being tested. There is evidence of community spread, and our lab testing data does not give us the full picture of what is going on,” Khaldun said during a press conference Sunday. The state has confirmed positive cases in Wayne, akland, Macomb, t. Clair, Ingham, Kent, Monroe, Montcalm, t. Clair, Bay, Charlevoix, ttawa and Washtenaw counties. Most cases are in Wayne and akland counties.
With limited testing, health officials fear the coronavirus is far more widespread than reported and has the potential to infect millions of people across the country. In Ohio, a top health o cial estimated that more than 100,000 people in the state, which borders Michigan, have coronavirus. Whitmer isn’t taking any chances, and on Thursday night ordered the closure of all public and private schools through at least April . “This is a necessary step to protect our kids, our families, and our overall public health,” Whitmer said in a news release. I know this will be a tough time, but we’re doing this to keep the most people we can safe.” chool closures can be very disruptive, especially in lower income districts. For some students, school is their only source of a warm meal or running water. In addition, many parents don’t have jobs with paid time off or the extra money to afford a babysitter for an extended period of time. But studies show that keeping children home is an effective way to reduce the severity of outbreaks. n Wednesday, Whitmer called for the cancellation of events of more than 100 people. n Friday, Whitmer ramped up the precautions, ordering an o cial ban on all gatherings of 2 0 or more people. And on Monday, Whitmer ordered all bars and dine in restaurants to close. The latest came after t. atrick’s ay revelers ignored warnings and packed
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared a state of emergency to curb the spread of the coronavirus. COURTESY PHOTO
bars throughout Michigan over the weekend. iolating the ban is a misdemeanor offense. This disease is a challenge unlike any we’ve seen in our lifetimes. Fighting it will create significant but temporary changes to our daily lives,” Whitmer said unday. This is about saving lives.” On Sunday, Michigan Attorney eneral ana Nessel said that she had no evidence that bars had violated the order banning gatherings of 2 0 or more people. But she pledged to enforce the law as health o cials warn that the coronavirus is expected to get far worse. No one wants a shutdown of the food and beverage industry, but no one wants the coronavirus,” Nessel told reporters. Nessel said bars that violate state mandates risk closure and losing their alcohol licenses. We are prepared to enforce the law,” she said. All in person prison visitations have also been banned. The executive order exempts some gatherings, like industrial or manufacturing work, mass transit, and grocery stores. ospitals across the state are bracing for more cases. n Thursday evening, Beaumont ealth alerted o cials that it is temporarily halting respiratory
virus panel testing due to a shortage of reagents” that will be needed to test for coronavirus. We determined that having the ability to perform an in house C I 19 test is valuable to our patients and health care providers, and the benefit exceeds the risk of not being able to perform respiratory virus panel testing in the interim,” Beaumont doctors said in a bulletin obtained by Metro Times. n Thursday, Michigan lawmakers approved 2 million in funding to combat the coronavirus. I expect us to find more cases of this disease, and I expect there to be community spread,” Khaldun said. While we do not need to panic, this is very serious and everyone needs to do their part to prevent the spread of this disease.” In etroit, o cials announced they will restore water to thousands of homes and offer a moratorium on residential water shutoffs so that households can wash their hands and help prevent the spread of the virus. More than ,000 homes were without running water because of delin uent bills. esidents whose water has been shut off are asked to call 1 9727 to get service restored. Lee DeVito contributed to this report.
Reported cases have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death. The following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure: • Fever • Cough • Shortness of breath
ately. Emergency warning signs include: • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest • Bluish lips or face This list is not all-encompassing; consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.
If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19, get medical attention immedi-
Health officials recommend taking the following steps to prevent the spread of
the coronavirus: • Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds • Avoid close contact with sick people • Stay home if you’re sick • Cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze • Wear a face mask if you’re sick • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces More information is available at michigan. gov/coronavirus and cdc.gov/coronavirus.
What is the COVID-19 coronavirus?
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NEWS & VIEWS
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Informed Dissent
The buck stops elsewhere By Jeffrey C. Billman
In six words on Friday afternoon, Donald Trump summed up not only his team’s botched handling of the coronavirus outbreak, but also his approach to the presidency generally: “I don’t take responsibility at all.” Surrounded by corporate execs, Trump used the Rose Garden press conference to (finally) declare a national emergency. Mostly, however, the event was designed to assure Wall Street that the White ouse had (finally) gotten its act together. It had the desired effect the market rallied. Then on Sunday, the Fed announced that it was cutting its benchmark rate to zero, and Dow futures cratered. The market giveth, the market taketh away. Naturally, Trump’s passing the buck was rooted in mendacity. He said he had inherited unspecified rules, regulations, and specifications from a different time” that hindered his ability to ramp up coronavirus testing, which wasn’t true. Trump then disclaimed his administration’s decision to disband the National Security Council team respon-
sible for global pandemics: “And when you say me, I didn’t do it. We have a group of people. … You say we did that. I don’t know anything about it.” Trump isn’t responsible for the fact that the coronavirus is here. There’s nothing he or any other president could have done to stop that from happening. But as the number of COVID-19 cases rises over the next several weeks — probably significantly, possibly exponentially — he will bear responsibility for thousands of avoidable deaths. The president is in over his head, his administration is flailing, and Trump can’t bluster his way out of a pandemic like he has so many self-made crises. As I write this on Monday morning — two months after the first confirmed American case, on January 21 — the U.S. has tested about 38,000 people for coronavirus, with about 3,500 positives. Of those, 65 have died. That’s a fatality rate of 1. percent for comparison, the seasonal flu’s mortality rate is below 0.1 percent. The good news is, we’re testing a lot
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more people now. As of Friday, we’d only tested about 20,000, meaning we nearly doubled the count over the weekend. The bad news is, as of Friday, we’d only tested 20,000 people! On February 25, the U.S. had tested just 426 people. outh Korea’s first case was confirmed just a day before America’s was. By Friday, it had tested 250,000 people. Rigorous testing and rapid processing have enabled the South Koreans to isolate people with the virus, treat them early, and detect outbreaks as they emerge. The U.S.’s failure stemmed from both bureaucratic bungling and the administration’s ineptitude. The result was that there weren’t enough tests, so tests were rationed. In the last week, I’ve corresponded with a half-dozen people in my home state of North Carolina who were symptomatic but couldn’t get tested. One had just come back from Spain, which is now on a coronavirus lockdown. (On Saturday, after a week of trying, she finally got tested at an urgent care clinic she’ll get the results
later this week.) Another had returned from New ork City with flu like symptoms and tested negative for the flu. Another had been to a conference in Baltimore, where an attendee had been diagnosed with COVID-19. But there was also a lack of urgency that came straight from the top. From the crisis’s earliest days, Trump — desperate to keep the numbers of sick low and fearful of spooking the markets and harming his re-election — downplayed the seriousness of the situation, assuring Americans that the coronavirus was no big deal, and it would all be over soon. Those are weeks we’ll never get back. It’s not just that we’ll never know how many coronavirus cases slipped under the radar — perhaps nine or 10 times the o cial count — and how many people are spreading the virus without knowing it. It’s that we lost our chance to contain emerging clusters and isolate and treat people with the virus early on. Also, with more information about how COVID-19 was spreading, we could’ve proactively implemented social distancing. So instead of containing the virus, the U.S. is on track to replicate the disaster in Italy, where cases are doubling every week, hospitals are running out of ICU beds, and deaths are spiking. Here’s another thing: Trump’s dismissiveness, echoed by the right-wing media, has turned the coronavirus into a partisan issue. In an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll this weekend, whereas 60 percent of voters believe the crisis will get worse, only 40 percent of Republicans think so. Given that Trump’s base disproportionately comprises older people who are more susceptible to COVID-19, the Trump-fueled idea that the coronavirus has been overhyped could pose a real threat to public health. No president could have stopped the coronavirus. But a more trusted one, a more prepared one — one who didn’t spend his first term dismantling the government expertise he now needs — could have offered the country clear and steady direction in di cult times. But through his dissembling and disinformation, Trump has consistently made a bad situation worse, and this crisis has made manifestly clear how illequipped he is for the job he holds. The coronavirus has made life difficult for independent media. You can help keep Informed Dissent viable by contributing to patreon.com/jeffreycbillman.
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Taking on
WELLPATH
S
truggling with a slew of invisible wounds, Brad LaFuze returned home to
Michigan a decade ago after serving two tours of duty as a combat infantryman in Iraq. The blast from an improvised explosive device had inflicted a traumatic
brain injury and left him battling epilepsy. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), severe anxiety, depression, drug addiction, and alcoholism are all
problems he’s also struggled with since coming back from the war.
Along with the maladies came a long list of drugs his doctors at the Veteran’s Administration prescribed to help keep him functioning. Then, last year, he was suddenly forced to endure the terror of life without the medicines he must take to hold his demons at bay. The ordeal began in January, when, while driving on an icy road, he lost control of the vehicle and slid into an oncoming semi-truck. The passenger in the car, his father-in-law, was killed. Because Mr. LaFuze’s license had previously been suspended, he was charged with a misdemeanor driving offense. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced
to a 60-day stint in western Michigan’s Grand Traverse County Jail. He considers himself lucky to have survived what came next. According to a federal class action lawsuit filed last Thursday morning in the Eastern District of Michigan, Mr. LaFuze, 36, was denied access to nearly all his medications once he entered the jail. He was allowed to continue taking a drug that keeps his epileptic seizures in check, but access to everything else — drugs needed to control his PTSD, anxiety, depression, and nightmares — was cut off, cold turkey. The lawsuit places blame for the denial on Wellpath LLC, the for profit
By Curt Guyette
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company that contracts to provide medical services to Grand Traverse County Jail. ffectively, Wellpath’s policy is to cut patients with mental illness off their psychotropic medications first and ask questions later, in violation of clearly established constitutional rights and its common law duties,” the lawsuit alleges. Wellpath representatives did not return our calls for comment. Typically the company does not comment on active litigation. In October, Wellpath’s Elaine Kaiser told Grand Traverse County commissioners that the company follows the
Lawsuit targets billion-dollar company making life-anddeath medical decisions in Michigan jails best medical practices, Interlochen Public Radio previously reported, quoting the company representative saying: “We take pride in what we do, we’re here to represent the inmate, to give them the best care that they possibly can have. We want them walking out the door better than (when) they walked in.” The company — which bills itself as “the premier provider of localized, high-quality, compassionate care to vulnerable patients in challenging clinical environments” — and its various components has formed a massive footprint in Michigan. Wellpath, which is owned by the Hedge fund HIG Capital, has contracts with correctional facilities in at least 25 Michigan counties, including Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne. As a result, thousands of jail inmates across the state are forced to rely on Wellpath for their healthcare needs. Wellpath was created in 2018 when HIG merged two other of its companies, Correct Care Solutions (CCS) and Correctional Medical Group Companies. It is an incredibly lucrative business. In 2018, a business publication in CCS’s hometown of Nashville, Tenn., reported that, prior to the merger, CCS SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
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FEATURE ‘I was thinking about suicide a lot, but kept fighting the demons inside my head.’
generated about $1.5 billion in revenue annually. But the name CCS, especially, also carried a lot of baggage; prior to becoming Wellpath, it was sued at least 1,395 times in federal court. Included in that count are a number of lawsuits related to problems at the Macomb County Jail, where, according to records obtained through ACLU of Michigan F IA re uests, CC first contracted to oversee medical and psychiatric care in September 2011. Since then, various media have reported the deaths of at least 20 inmates at the Macomb Jail.
Bodies piling up in Macomb County
Of all the recent Macomb County Jail deaths spotlighted by the media, none have been more gruesome than the fate suffered by avid tojcevski, whose case has received international attention. Jailed for failing to pay a 772 tra c fine, Mr. tojcevski, , began serving what was supposed to be a 30-day sentence in July 2014. A longtime addict, he’d been receiving medical treatment — including methadone — for his chronic substance abuse problems. But, once behind bars in a facility where CCS contractors provided the medical care, access to that medication was cut off. The results were horrific. Over the course of 17 days, Mr. tojcevski experienced seizures and hallucinations. Unable to eat, he lost 0 pounds. As he lay naked on the floor of his cell, curled up and convulsing, video cameras captured his last, brutal days. A subsequent FBI investigation, which resulted in no charges being filed, determined that he received no medical attention at all during the final 4 hours of his life. CC Medical irector Lawrence Sherman contended that Mr. tojcevski was faking seizures” in order to trick staff into providing him with meds, according to records contained in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Mr. tojcevski’s estate by the Macomb County law firm Ihrie ’Brien. An autopsy performed by the Macomb County Medical xaminer determined that Mr. tojcevski died of acute withdrawal from Benzodiazepine, Methadone, and opiate medications, as well as dehydration and seizures. In 2015 a federal lawsuit alleging that Mr. tojcevski’s constitutional rights were violated was filed against Macomb County heriff Anthony Wickersham, a host of jail personnel, Correct Care Solutions, and various medical personnel connected to the company.
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Brad LaFuze.
The case is still winding its way through the court system. Among other things, to prevail in such cases, plaintiffs must prove defendants acted with what the law considers to be deliberate indifference.” Federal courts have determined that neither mere disagreement with a prison doctor’s medical judgment nor medical malpractice are enough to establish a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which provides protection against cruel and unusual punishment. To win a case, or to even get to the point where a judge will allow a civil action to move forward in the process, the point that must be proved is what the courts have described as the reckless disregard of a substantial risk of serious harm.” xperts say it is an extremely di cult hurdle to clear.
Forced to battle demons
In the case of Mr. LaFuze, he says Wellpath’s alleged decision to deprive
COURTESY OF BRAD LAFUZE
him of medication set him on a harrowing, potentially life-threatening emotional roller coaster” ride that left him severely traumatized. art of the time, he explains, it took all of his will to keep from attacking his fellow inmates. Because of all my anxiety, and my cell being so loud, I literally just wanted to knock somebody out,” he says. e says he also struggled to keep from hurting himself I was thinking about suicide a lot, but kept fighting the demons inside my head,” he says. Concern about the effect his suicide would have on his three children, and daily phone conversations with his wife, who offered constant emotional support, helped him hold on. But it was a torturous experience. I’d lay on my bunk with a blanket wrapped around my head, just trying to block everything out,” he says. espite his obvious distress, Mr. LaFuze was told it would take three weeks
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FEATURE before he could visit with a “psyche nurse” and receive a mental health evaluation that would possibly allow him to start receiving his psychotropic medications, according to the lawsuit. Given what’s transpired at the Grand Traverse jail the past few years, he’s lucky to have survived at all. “Grand Traverse County has seen two inmate suicides under the company’s [Wellpath/CCS] watch — Alan Halloway in 2017 and Marilyn Palmer in early 2018 — along with more than 51 attempts between 2011 and 2018,” according to The Record Eagle, a newspaper in Traverse City. “Both deaths yielded settlements from county taxpayerfunded coffers.” In both cases only the county, not Wellpath/CCS, was sued. In the newest court action, however, Wellpath is the sole defendant in what is intended to be a class action lawsuit. A main goal is systemic change, says Matthew Z. Robb, one of the Detroit attorneys working on the case for the law firm Liddle ubin, .C. “We are concerned about the damage that is being done pursuant to Wellpath’s policies everywhere in the State of Michigan, and we believe that its standardized corporate policies — not merely isolated mistakes at the local level — are the driving force behind people being cut off of their psyche meds,” says Mr. Robb. “Our lawsuit seeks not only compensation for the victims of Wellpath’s policies, but also a change in Wellpath’s corporate policies to ensure that mental health care is treated as the serious public health issue that it is. “A class action is the best vehicle to ensure that Wellpath not only compensates the victims, but also changes the very policies that are causing people to be systematically cut off from their prescribed meds.” In Mr. LaFuze’s case, after a week without access to most of his meds, he was suddenly, without ever being evaluated by a specialist, allowed to begin taking them, according to the lawsuit. He later found out that his sister had been advocating on his behalf with jail o cials.
Denial of care: More allegations
Cheryl Hall, 64, is the second named plaintiff in the lawsuit just filed in federal court. In a strange turn of events, she is also an in law of Mr. LaFuze. Like him, she has a host of medical and psychological problems, including high blood pressure, asthma, insomnia,
Cheryl Hall (above) and her son, Greg Hall (above right).
severe depression, and anxiety. In February 2019, she learned an arrest warrant on embezzlement charges had been issued for her and went into hiding. Knowing her mental health had been deteriorating, and fearing she might harm herself, her son Greg Hall, a Traverse City business owner, tracked down her location, contacted police, and directed them to her. “It is not easy to turn your mother in to the police, but I thought doing so would help protect her, presuming jail would be the safest environment for her to be in,” says Mr. Hall. “That was before I learned how much of a threat being in jail would pose her.” As soon as police took his mother into custody, Mr. Hall searched her car, where he found a suicide note and her various medication bottles and pills strewn about. By that time, she was being booked into the jail, which Mr. Hall immediately contacted to inform officials of his mother’s apparent suicide attempt. “I was very clear about the danger she
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COURTESY OF GREG HALL
was in,” says Mr. Hall. Despite the emphatic warning, Ms. Hall allegedly received no immediate medical attention. “I know that to be true because I was able to obtain her records from the jail,” says Mr. Hall. “There’s no record of her vitals being taken at that point, or that she even talked with a nurse.” Following his mother’s arrest and his search of her car, Mr. Hall immediately collected her medications, including both the blood pressure pills and the psychotropic drugs she’d been prescribed, and delivered them in person to the jail. According to the lawsuit, he handed them directly to a Wellpath nurse. However, it is alleged that Ms. Hall never received the vital medications. Within days her blood pressure and heart rate began to soar, resulting in her being rushed to a local hospital for treatment. Mr. Hall attributes what’s described in the lawsuit as a “lifethreatening” crisis to both a lack of blood pressure medicine and the added
stress created by denying his mother the psychotropic medications sorely needed to help keep her calm. After her hospitalization, Ms. Hall was first released to a 10 day in patient treatment program and then allowed to remain free on bond while awaiting trial in June 2019. During the interim, to ensure his mother’s life would not again be imperiled by the denial of her medications, he contacted her personal physician. Anticipating that she would be convicted, Mr. Hall had the doctor write the jail, telling them exactly what medications she needed to take. The letter, says Mr. all, specifically pointed out that if she did not receive them, it would be detrimental to her physical and mental health. He says he also had several meetings with jail o cials and Wellpath personnel to discuss the medical treatment his mother would receive in the likelihood she would again be incarcerated. “I wanted to do everything possible to ensure what happened to her the first time she was locked up didn’t happen again,” he explains. In June, following a guilty plea, Ms. Hall was sentenced to a prison term of 14 months to 10 years and taken back into custody. Prior to her transfer to the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Washtenaw County, she was again locked up in the Grand Traverse County Jail. “Within 30 minutes of her being booked back into the jail, she was calling me on the phone saying she was again being denied her medication,” claims Mr. Hall. e struggles to find the right words to describe his reaction to that news. I guess I’d say flabbergasted,” he says. “And outraged.” He says he immediately faxed Grand Traverse County heriff Thomas J. Bensley, demanding that the harmful and discriminatory policies and practices be stopped immediately. Within a day, before any further action could be taken, Ms. Hall was transferred to Huron Valley to begin serving her sentence.
Determined to force change
Determined to help make sure other prisoners unlucky to be locked up in the Grand Traverse County Jail didn’t experience the same sort of life-
threatening denial of care he says his mother did, Mr. Hall began contacting members of the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners and other o cials to raise their level of awareness of problems at the jail and prompt them to take corrective measures. “Initially I was assured by several of the commissioners that they would look into it,” he says. “I really wanted to work within the system and resolve things amicably. After a couple of months of being promised action and nothing happening, I decided to take the issue public.” As a first step, he created the Facebook page “Abuse at the Grand Traverse County Jail” last September. The intent, he says, is to generate public pressure in an attempt to force o cials to address what he considers to be obvious flaws with the jail’s medical care — problems with both the sheriff’s oversight as well as with Wellpath and its policies and practices. esponse to the Facebook page has been overwhelming. It is constantly being updated with posts about problems at the jail in particular, articles from elsewhere exposing other issues with Wellpath around the country, and horror stories about other for profit companies providing health care for incarcerated people. Now, because he has power of attorney for his mother, he’s worked with the lawyers from Liddle & Dubin, PC as they prepared the just filed class action lawsuit. In a very real sense, though, Mr. Hall thinks there is a bigger picture at play here. “This isn’t just a legal issue,” he says. “It is a moral issue. And it’s not just about what happened to my mom, or to Brad. It’s not just one or two people falling through the cracks. The system itself is flawed, and it needs to be changed.” As he wrote when he launched the Facebook page “We must stop inmate suicides. We must stop inmates getting denied basic medical care … People in jail deserve to ‘do the time for their crime’ but they do not deserve to be abused or killed while doing it.”
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD HEALTH TO EVERYONE. WE LOVE YOU!
Wednesday, March 18th Happy Birthday Daniel and Donny! Saturday, March 21st Happy Birthday, Tatiana! Sunday, March 22nd Happy Birthday, Ariel! Tuesday, March 24th Happy Birthday, Dena!
NO LIVE MUSIC FOR THE REST OF MARCH
If you or someone you know was incarcerated in a Michigan County Jail and was denied psychotropic medications by Wellpath, more information is available at ldclassaction.com. Curt Guyette is editor at large for the ACLU of Michigan.
metrotimes.com | March 18-24, 2020
17
FOOD
Pollo guisado.
TOM PERKINS
Pupusas, the El Salvadorian way By Tom Perkins
I asked Buena Fe co-owner
Jose Barrientos why Salvadorian pupusas are a little different from those I’ve tried at Honduran spots in Detroit. At Buena Fe, they’re noticeably lighter, I told him. e uickly clarified an important point with a slight smile upusas were invented in El Salvador. Not that how ondurans do them is wrong — but pupusas were invented in El Salvador.” Barrientos is, of course, alvadorian, and there’s some pride in his statement. We’ll avoid the argument of which nation makes them better, but, regardless of their country of origin, pupusas are thick corn tortillas filled with savory meats, cheese, and or beans. The masa packages are fried in oil and are traditionally topped with a crunchy, pickled cabbage slaw called curtido that’s composed of shredded cabbage, carrots, oregano, and onions that soak in apple cider vinegar or are fermented. The pupusas seem to be a bit lighter at Buena Fe, and that’s a good thing. They can be filled with beans, cheese, pumpkin, salty pork rinds, or loroco, an edible, green flower common in Central
America. The restaurant, which fries its pupusas in a small space on Nine Mile oad in ak ark — just over the border from Ferndale — is the area’s only pupusa maker. Jose and his wife, aneth, took over the restaurant about a year ago. aneth cooks while Jose manages the front of the house, when he isn’t driving a truck for his other job. The pair moved here from l alvador around 20 years ago, and aneth ran the kitchen in a Farmington ills restaurant for 1 years. aneth’s repertoire isn’t limited to pupusas. As a matter of personal preference, I would start with the simple pollo a la plancha, a thin piece of chicken that Buena Fe chars after marinating in a super flavorful sauce, which, if I had to guess, is some mix of orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, and plenty of oregano and salt. This is an early contender for the top 10 plates of the year list. Also excellent is the panes rellenos. Have you ever tried a Salvadorian chicken stew sandwich It’s even more sloppy than it sounds — probably worth going at this one with a fork —
18 March 18-24, 2020 | metrotimes.com
but that’s more than made up with its taste. The package consists of soft, crusty bread stuffed with chicken stew composed of several chicken thighs on the bone that are soaked in a pi uant, aromatic packed, sofrito based sauce. The bird sits atop curtido, tomatoes, cucumber, radish, lettuce, and mayo. If you don’t want your chicken stew in sandwich form, the pollo guisado is alvadorian chicken stew in plate form Buena Fe’s sopa de gallina is effectively a giant bowl of fried chicken soup, or hen soup,” as it’s billed. The crispy fried hen is served on the side with a mound of rice, and it should be pulled apart and placed in the broth. erving it on the side helps preserve the chicken’s texture and flavor. The bowl holds glistening broth filled with big pieces of carrot, yucca, onion, and zucchini. The tamales come wrapped in deep green banana leaf, and the corn dough is thicker than those of Mexican tamales. This is a comfort food, as it’s filled with chicken, potatoes, and green beans. Mix and mash that with the tomato sauce and curtido served on the side.
Buena Fe 10116 W. Nine Mile Rd., Oak Park 248-677-3222 mexicanrestaurantoakpark. com Handicap accessible $2.25-$14.95 11:30 a.m.- 9 p.m. daily
Buena Fe offers rotating specials, and aneth serves breakfast all day with alvadorian plates like pupusas alongside eggs or loroco. The horchata is packed with cinnamon, and the Kolashampan, a Salvadorian pop, is so packed with corn syrup that it’s a good dessert. Buena Fe’s menu is split among Mexican and alvadorian dishes. We only tried the alvadorian dishes, but Jose says that it’s wise from a business standpoint for the restaurant to offer both — most people in southern akland County aren’t familiar with alvadorian food. Fortunately for akland County, Buena Fe is a fine way to get ac uainted.
metrotimes.com | March 18-24, 2020
19
CULTURE
Betty Gilpin as Crystal in The Hunt.
PATTI PERRET/UNIVERSAL
The hunters become the hunted By Corey Hall
With a news cycle that’s become
a constantly churning miasma of scandal and calamity, you’ve no doubt forgotten the mini shit tornado of faux outrage that accompanied The Hunt last fall — a swirl of fake controversy that led to the film being shifted into the cinematic dumping ground of late winter before anyone had even seen it. The premise, wherein wicked liberal elites round up some blue-collar MAGA fans to use as living target practice, caused right-wing radio and cable news fatheads, Reddit threads, and even the Twitter Troll in Chief to blow a gasket and demand revenge against all lefty Hollywood weirdos. Universal blinked and temporarily shelved the flick, though in retrospect they probably should’ve just tossed it into the recycling bin. On the surface, this is a barely passable remix of the survival horror formula. But screenwriters Damon Lindelof (Lost, Watchmen) and Nick Cuse have laden it with so much pain-
fully obvious and pointedly ridiculous political talking points that they’ve rendered it a flabby parody that fancies itself a sleek satire. The setup, with snooty progressives making a game out of slaughtering working-class “deplorables,” is basically an inverse of the theme of The Purge franchise (where religious reactionaries control society), but it’s never as smart a take as the glib filmmakers think it is. The portrait of NPR-listening, caviar-eating, social-justice warriors as bloodthirsty monsters involves tragic leaps of logic and is undercut by their prey being not relatable humans, but essentially redneck stereotypes of gunloving heartland morons. The concept is basically like a nasty internet comment thread, but armed to the teeth with assault rifles and explosives, which sounds more fun on the page than it is up on the screen. After a particularly gory bit of business on a private jet, the movie gets rolling, with 12 seemingly ran-
20 March 18-24, 2020 | metrotimes.com
dom people, clad in trucker hats, bad tattoos, and excess flannel, wake up in a field, ball gagged and confused. There’s a few familiar faces in the mix of cannon fodder, like Emma Roberts as a bottle-blonde Tomi Lahren clone, and Ike Barinholtz as a lumpy Second Amendment enthusiast from Staten Island. The movie gleefully burns through cast members, offering up a string of potential heroes, only to see their heads explode in a red mist or their limbs scattered by a landmine. In one absurdly gory sequence, a poor soul gets impaled, blown up, and impaled again before calling one of her fellow victims a snowflake” for hesitating to finish her off. After roughly 30 minutes of fake-outs and carnage, the movie settles on Betty Gilpin (Glee) as Crystal, a rental-car clerk turned prototypical “Last Girl” who has the grit, moxie, and smarts to take the fight back to her shadowy predators. She also has super heroic combat skills, explained away with one line of dialogue, which ualifies as rich character development in this shallow script. The precious little backstory we do get for her makes Crystal the only remotely likable player in the game, and Gilpin herself makes for an appealing heroine, drawling her way through snarky blow off lines with charm and ably handling the fight choreography.
The Hunt Rated: R Run-time: 89 minutes She’s so good, in fact, that you long to see her in a better vehicle, one that isn’t busy tripping over its own ideas while trying to make a point. The “in your face” tone of the action works against the comedy, which is mostly flat, only sporadically hitting the target. In one mildly amusing bit, a couple of graying hippies argue over cultural sensitivity and the appropriate nomenclature to use to refer to a minority group, while standing over the corpses of strangers they just murdered. I also giggled when bulky character actor Ethan Suplee (My Name Is Earl), playing a paranoid, tin-foil-hat Alex Jones-style conspiracist, declares, “I have a podcast, I know things!” Far too often, the gags flop, and the desire to depict only the most extreme attitudes of right and left creates a grotesque lampoon of both ideologies. Perhaps Lindelof and company were attempting to be evenhanded in spreading the blame around for our currently toxic politics, but good satire needs to pick sides and, excuse the pun, stick to its guns.
metrotimes.com | March 18-24, 2020
21
CULTURE Higher Ground
Adventures in biosecurity at a high-tech marijuana growing facility By Larry Gabriel
It seemed like an instructive moment for where the world we’re living in is headed. “We take biosecurity very seriously, so I need you to walk through this foot bath,” says Joel Ruggiero, chief horticultural o cer for C Industries. “Please rub your feet on the bristles and dry them on this carpet.” He gestures toward a row of showers to our left. The entire staff is re uired to shower in and wear scrubs when they go into the grow,” he says. “They have to put on a pair of shoes, as well. Every time they leave this facility and return, they need to re-shower and scrub in. Fortunately, today we’ll just wear a couple of suits and some shoe covers.” He hands me a lightweight set of coveralls made from some kind of gauzy, breathable material, and a pair of shoe covers made from the same stuff. They were the kind you see doctors and detectives wear on TV shows when they don’t want to contaminate an area. There were face masks in a box by the door. Later, after walking through an area that resembled an air lock on a spaceship, I switch to a lab coat and safety glasses. All of this seems like it could have something to do with operating business during this coronavirus pandemic. However, it’s just business as usual at the Cloud Cover Cannabis growing facility in Webberville, where biosecurity is apparently a top concern. No dragging foreign materials into the marijuana growing area, where top uality bouti ue plants are grown. Nothing that will change the strictly regulated environment that produces them. Things are looking good for the folks at Cloud Cover these days. They got their facility up and running in November and recently announced their first crop harvest. Cloud Cover products should be popping up in 22 March 18-24, 2020 | metrotimes.com
locations across the state, including their own igh rofile locations. Last weekend was the grand opening of their igh rofile bouti ue medical and recreational cannabis shop in Ann Arbor, joining their medical locations in Detroit and Grant. That’s in addition to their ,000 s uare foot growing facility in Oregon. “We produce very high-end cannabis flower there,” says Ankur ungta, C of C Industries, the parent company of igh rofile and Cloud Cover. We’ve actually gone into that market and done pretty well, meaning we’ve got market share. We’re in 200 stores and we have a profitable business.” I toured the Webberville grow last week. The 0,000 s uare foot facility was built from the ground up on two acres of land not far off I 9 . While the size is larger than any grow I’ve seen — 70 varieties are housed and grown there — the owners aren’t impressed with the size. They cite places up to 1 0,000 s uare feet going up across the country. With the millions of dollars of investor money they’ve garnered, the goal seems to be to make their mark with a bouti ue approach to branding — growing known strains, as well as their own proprietary genetics — one of which is called 99 easons. That and other Cloud Cover Cannabis products should be popping up in stores as we speak. Certainly there will be Cloud Cover flowers and s, one of which is called “diamonds” and appear as small crystals, at the igh rofile locations. Rungta says only two or three labs in Michigan have the e uipment and capability to make diamonds, and theirs is one of them. It’s a big deal in cannabis-growing circles because the genetics of your plants are extremely important, followed by growing conditions. And, apparently, cleanliness is an important feature everywhere marijuana is grown in Michigan. ne of the first things almost anyone ever says to me about their facility is “see how clean it is.” People contact me and ask me to come over and see how clean it is. Ruggiero follows suit, saying his biggest challenge is keeping everything clean. “The biggest deal is keeping these facilities clean,” he says. Cleanliness is the key to having clean product at the end, and if you’re not maintaining your cleaning standard you’re going to have issues with testing.” Apparently, testing standards in Michigan are more stringent than in regon, or anyplace else. ne difference is that Michigan tests for heavy
metrotimes.com | March 18-24, 2020
23
CULTURE
Ankur Rungta and Joel Ruggiero of C3 Industries.
metals, which is not done in Oregon. By the way, one thing that Rungta expects for the Michigan market — based on his Oregon experience — is that the high prices we’re looking at here will go down as more product enters the pipeline. “I think you’re going to see the pricing come down now from some of these crazy peaks of the past couple of months,” says Rungta. “Pricing is going to come down here in the near future. ... In Oregon, they’ve got great weed for $6 a gram, $8 a gram, $10 a gram, top shelf at $14.” I toured the whole place from the computerized master control area, which maintains the temperature and humidity of the space. It controls the watering cycles and the light cycles. I saw the growing rooms where the mother plants from which cuttings for clones are made. There’s the clone room, the room where they’re planted in pots, the hardening room where they adapt to high-intensity light, the vegetative growth rooms, the buds rooms, the drying area, the trimming area, the packaging area. That’s a lot of space, and it doesn’t even include the lab, which is a separate license with a separate space and its own entrance unless you go through the air lock. That’s where the butane extraction process takes place and footlong rectangular sheets of shatter are produced. Chief chemist Kat Lawrence
24 March 18-24, 2020 | metrotimes.com
LARRY GABRIEL
also produces a THC-A crystalline product called diamonds. THCA diamonds can be up to 99.9 percent THC and are the most potent product on the market. I witnessed the last step in the process, where the material is put in a centrifuge to separate the last liquids from the crystalline chunks. “We’re producing diamonds — THCA crystals,” says Rungta. “It’s a long, hard process that uses very specialized equipment. Only two or three places in Michigan are making them.” It’s all very high tech and filled with proprietary information. I was told several things that I was also told are off the record. And there’s more coming. The company is still putting together a massive kitchen for creating edibles down the line, as well as building more facilities. One thing that I found curious is that in the midst of all this high-end technology, all of this scientific e uipment and the millions of dollars that brought it together, they hang flowers out to dry on plastic coat hangers. They’re still trimming buds by hand with scissors. That’s the most tedious, backbreaking, eye-straining part of producing marijuana flower, and they haven’t found an easier way to do it and maintain the integrity of the flower itself. Maybe there’s something to this boutique brand thing. In the end, it’s a hands-on enterprise.
metrotimes.com | March 18-24, 2020
25
Savage Love
CULTURE
By Dan Savage
DEAR READERS: I live in Seattle, the U.S. epicenter of the novel coronavirus epidemic, with my family. A lot of my readers wrote this week to wish us well. We are fine — scared, but fine — washing our hands compulsively and staying close to home. I’m going to keep churning out the column and recording my podcast, while being careful to maintain a safe social distance from the tech-savvy, at risk youth. I’m hoping the column and podcast are welcome distractions. Please take care of yourselves, take care of the people around you, and wash your damn hands.
him. ou’ve known your FWB for only five months, it’s true, and other five months or less friends don’t rate hearing it from you personally. But you aren’t fucking your other five months or-less friends. A little more consideration for your feelings is — or should be — one of the benefits.
Q:
Q:
I’m wondering if you know of a word that describes the fetish of getting off from talking dirty. I ve searched a lot, and I can t find a label for this kink or fetish. While googling around, I did learn some ne terms, like katoptronophilia being aroused by having se in front of mirrors and pubephilia being aroused by pubic hair , but I can t seem to find one that describes my kink. Dirty Talker
A : I’m old enough to remember when
people who needed to feel a strong emotional connection before they wanted to fuck someone got by without a word or a pride flag of their very own. They just said, “I’m someone who needs to feel a strong emotional connection before wanting to fuck someone.” But now they can say, I’m a demisexual,” a five syllable, vaguely scientific sounding term that first popped up in an online forum in 2006. Unfortunately, when someone says, I’m a demisexual,” the usual response is, What’s that ” And then the demisexual has to say, “I’m someone who needs to feel a strong emotional connection before wanting to fuck someone.” o leading with I’m a demisexual” seems like a waste of time to me. But it does extend the amount of time the speaker gets to talk about him/her/themselves … and who doesn’t love talking about themselves? Anyway, DT, you’re someone who enjoys dirty talk. There isn’t a special term (or pride flag) for you that I could find — I did a little half hearted googling myself — and I don’t think you need one. ou can get by with I’m someone who enjoys dirty talk.”
Q:
y ife and I have been married for a little over t o years. We both have demanding jobs, but she admits to being a orkaholic and spends almost every night on the couch ans ering emails
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
and binge atching Bravo. I ve resorted to getting high most nights to cover up for the fact that I m very unhappy. Despite being over orked, she s started a side hustle selling skin care products to her friends, most of hom she rarely sees in person. Bottom line I didn t sign up for this. I m beyond bored and ant to travel and e plore. But she refuses to give up the side hustle and dial back her ork or her drinking. We both earn comfortable salaries, and e don t need the e tra income. Would I be justified in leaving because of her ne found hobby Basically ver edundant nrichment
A:
ide hustle or no, B , you aren’t happy, and that’s reason enough to leave. And while you won’t (or shouldn’t) be doing much traveling anytime soon, you can find a lawyer, search for a new apartment, and initiate divorce proceedings while your wife sits on the couch answering work emails and pushing skin care products to her friends. I would typically encourage someone in your shoes to risk telling the truth before walking out — you’re unhappy, you’re bored, you don’t want to live like this anymore — but it sounds like your mind is made up. So use your time at home over the next couple of weeks to make your escape plan.
Q:
I m a young hite oman, and my last boyfriend, a Black man, left me t o eeks ago. ver since, I have been masturbating only hile thinking about Black guys. y uestion is Do I have a thing for Black guys no I ve accepted that our relationship is over, but it as really intense. I feel disgusting after I masturbate, because it feels gross and not respectful to ard my e
26 March 18-24, 2020 | metrotimes.com
someho . What do you think Desperately orny or Black
en
A : Masturbate about whatever the
fuck turns you on, FBM, and if you’re worried someone would find your masturbatory fantasies disrespectful … don t tell that person about your masturbatory fantasies. I suppose it’s possible you have a thing” for Black guys now. (What’s that thing they say Actually, let’s not say it.) nless you are treating Black guys as objects and not people, or you fetishize Blackness in a way that makes Black sex partners feel degraded (in unsexy, nonconsensual ways) or used (in ways they don’t wish to be used), don’t waste your time worrying about your fantasies. Worry about your actions.
Q:
I m a year old oman in a long term cohabitating relationship ith a man. We opened our relationship about si months ago, and it s going very ell and e both have WBs. y primary partner and I are going to be getting engaged soon, and I m ondering hat my responsibility is to my WB of five months. Do I make a special effort to tell him about the engagement on the phone or in person, like I plan to tell family members and close friends r is it okay if he finds out via social media like other people I ve kno n for only five months or less ould y getting engaged or married on t prevent me from remaining his WB. Wanna Be thical
A:
olden rule this shit, WB If your FWB got engaged, would you want to find out via social media or would you want him to tell you personally? I’m guessing you’d rather hear it from
I used to live in a college to n. While there, I hooked up ith a gorgeous guy. e had an ama ing smile, a nice body, and the most perfect natural dick I ve ever seen. Can e please stop saying uncut It s so disgustingly plastic surgery ish. We hooked up a couple times, and he as so much fun. couple of years later, in another to n, he sho ed up out of the blue at my ne job. It as a k ard at first, but it got better over the couple of years e orked together. I al ays anted to just sneak him into the bathroom and give him another blo job. e still lives in the same to n, and I ant to message him to see if he s up for some more fun. We haven t spoken in years and last I heard, he as still not out. I ant to message him, but I m ondering hether there s a time limit to reconnecting ith someone uck, man, he as so hot, and his natural, big, veiny dick as maybe the most perfect cock I ve ever seen. Big l Dick
A:
eeing as you haven’t spoken to this man in years, B , I’m going to assume you no longer work together. And seeing as you hooked up more than once back in that college town, I’m going to assume he liked your blow jobs. And seeing as there’s a worldwide pandemic on, and seeing as life is short, and seeing as dick is delicious, I’m going to give you the K to send this guy a message. ocial media has made it possible for people to reach out to first loves, exes, and old hookups. And so long as the reacher outer is respectful, has reason to believe their message won’t tear open old wounds, and instantly takes no” for an answer (and no response no), there’s nothing wrong with reaching out. And while social distancing protocols will prevent you from sucking that gorgeous natural dick anytime soon, B , who doesn’t need something to look forward to right now n the Lovecast, love drugs! o therapeutic are they isten at savagelovecast.com. uestions mail savagelove.net. ollo Dan on T itter fakedansavage.
metrotimes.com | March 18-24, 2020
27
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metrotimes.com | March 18-24, 2020
29
CULTURE
So you probably heard, we are All closed....going to try to start a Gusoline Alley ‘Book Club’ with drinks.... we’ll get back with you.
TIME FOR SELF REFLECTION
Horoscopes By Cal Garrison
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 You’re at a huge turning point. It looks to me like some things have run their course, and what’s next is floating around in the ethers. You have yet to let go of whatever you’ve been doing up till now. There are decisions to make. Part of you is afraid to release the past and move on. Between your $$ issues and the fact that more than a few people rely on you, following your bliss doesn’t seem to be doable. At the same time, your higher self knows that it’s time to break free. Consider the virtues of riding two horses at once for as long as it takes to get the new show up and running.
LEO: July 21 – August 20 It’s easy to get complacent. You’ve got no reason to want to change any of this. At the same time, you know you’re half asleep. For a long time it’s been clear to you that even though life couldn’t be better, something is calling your spirit elsewhere. If you know where that is, any opportunity to go there will show you how much it costs us to settle in or settle down. The spirit of adventure and the idea that there’s nothing left for you to learn from your current situation will bring you to the point where, when it’s time to take the big leap, you won’t think twice about going for it.
SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 21 – Dec. 20 All your hard work is paying off. This is a watershed moment that will spill over and impact your life on multiple levels. In many cases, it’s not just about outer stuff your mind and heart are ready to wrap themselves around a host of new possibilities. Everything about this paints this time in your life as the foundation upon which your future stands. Those closest to you could turn out to be quite surprised by what the changes in you will require of them. tay tuned give them a chance to get into alignment with this because they too will have to step into a bigger pair of shoes.
TAURUS: April 21 – May 20 You can’t believe how freaky things are starting to look in your neck of the woods. There are days when you wonder if you can count on anything anymore. Searching for some semblance of truth has led you all over the map and taken you far enough into yourself to reckon with things that you never thought you’d have to see. Whatever you’ve culled from your experience has blessed you with a wealth of compassion that most of us can only emulate. The heart that is bigger than China is about to go beyond the pale. For better or worse, do your best to keep it open.
VIRGO: August 21 – Sept. 20 Things are in a state of suspension. It’s one of those times when “you can’t do this until you’ve finished that.” There’s also a sense that what happens next is out of your hands. Maybe so, but at times like this, one has to wonder if what we never expected is about to open the way to things that are way more interesting and exciting than what we thought would lead us to our heart’s desire. There are still precautions to take, and big needs to respect your health. If you remain open, shut off the Nazi in your head, and wait on the will of heaven, life will open up like a flower.
CAPRICORN: Dec. 21 – Jan. 20 The push to make it big competes with the fear that you can’t. With everything to suggest that the latter is all in your mind, you are the only one who can change it. You’re in no mood to hear my helpful hints and thoughtful platitudes, but I can tell you that newness and change will arrive the minute you release your doubts. The part of you that wants to make a difference is ready to shift into a different and totally sincere gear. Everything hinges on authenticity. Fakery, greed, and the issues that ignite the ego when we forget that none of this is about us need to be left behind.
LIBRA: Sept. 21 – Oct. 20 Things go up and down. Like everyone else, you have to figure out how to handle your life and deal with your private issues at the same time. Part of you is stuck on the idea that you’re at the mercy of your past, when in fact you’re a bright light who’s bigger than all of it. Making plans to bring everything together is where it’s at right now. You are not alone. There’s more than one ally who is 100% there for you. As you consider your options, take it slow and easy, lose the notion that you’re shoveling shit against the tide and embrace the idea that God wants you to succeed
AQUARIUS: Jan. 21 – Feb. 20 You’re on the right track, and you have the right idea. At this point, any limitations that you face relate to the fact that you don’t know enough about who and what you’re dealing with. You are also subject to your own blind spots. In order to move along your chosen path, it would be good if you could search outside the box for information and figure out how to get your fixed ideas out of the way. This path that you’re on is about to take you where no one has gone before. Don’t let the limitations of your personality — and the tendency to think too much — block your ability to see the light.
SCORPIO: Oct. 21 – Nov. 20 Making allowances for people comes with knowing where they’ve been. You can’t call them to task for things they aren’t entirely conscious of. At the same time, living with the stuff their lack of awareness stirs up is a huge nuisance. As far as that goes, codependence takes its toll and you’ve just about had it. My advice? Keep the level of understanding high enough to know when it’s time to just say no,” notice how they deal with it when you stop nursing their weaknesses, and as soon as you can, do everyone a big favor and let them grow up and deal with themselves.
PISCES: Feb. 21 – March 20 Figuring out how to handle things on your own will get easier. Up till now, more than enough support has been the name of the game. If it hasn’t already, what you’ve gotten used to is about to disappear and give you a chance to see that there’s a huge amount of satisfaction in handling things independently. The more you embrace this, the easier life will go. As the next few weeks unfold, you’ll get the gist of this. Resist the temptation to stay tied to anyone’s apron strings. Something brand-new will come out of this. Pull yourself together and get into it.
GEMINI: May 21 – June 20 You’re one of those people who can handle pretty much anything, but the last few years have put you through the ringer. The hard part of too much change and too many external pressures comes from the way those things either harden the heart or eclipse it, out of necessity. There’s no way to diminish the impact of what’s going on in your world at the moment. Advice is useless in an arena where the spirit is learning all of its deepest and most intense lessons. The good news is, as long as you can keep holding space for the truth, this experience has all the makings of a rebirth. CANCER: June 21 – July 20 After removing the mask that made it so easy to be whoever you thought you were, the façade is down and you’re bringing more of yourself to your life. For many of you, opening up to a broader expression of self has shown you that you’re much stronger and much deeper than you’ve ever given yourself credit for. A big weight has lifted, and you’re learning how to live according to more natural cycles and rhythms. This change has brought you closer to your loved ones, and it’s made the whole act of living more fluid and fulfilling than it’s been in a long time.
30 March 18-24, 2020 | metrotimes.com
metrotimes.com | March 18-24, 2020
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