Ep. 39: No Car Wash at Asylum Lake and Other Stories

We begin our program by playing back some important speeches from the "No Car Wash at Asylum Lake" protest that happened over the weekend at Arcadia Park. For the second time in less than five years 'Drive N Shine' was attempting to buy up land to build a new wash at the corner of Stadium and Drake- far too close for comfort to the Asylum Lake preserve. We look at how area residents have organized in the past to protect our green spaces and at the science behind what a potential disaster a car wash near Asylum Lake could be. UPDATE: For now, the city has taken rezoning the area off the table following public outcry.

 

We then look at a binding agreement coming from the Allegan County GOP asking its members to pledge to a laundry list of far-right peccadilloes and rhetoric. We scrutinize the document and talk about how national fascist propaganda has local consequences.

 

Looking eastward we look at an article from LeftVoice about how the graduate student union at University of Michigan is striking for themselves and the community, and the various levers of repression the university is throwing- from police intervention to trying to divide the working class at the university against itself.

 

SOURCES/ FURTHER READING

'Our Walden Pond is Threatened': Citizens want to protect lake preserve from development

https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/04/our-walden-pond-is-threatened-citizens-want-to-protect-lake-preserve-from-development.html

 

Kalamazoo pulls properties near lake preserve off rezoning list after public outcry

https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/04/kalamazoo-pulls-properties-near-lake-preserve-off-rezoning-list-after-public-outcry.html

 

Allegan County GOP Document

https://www.facebook.com/alleganspeakup/posts/pfbid02zHri4qEVe3UBi2CeH6HatLWV4MX83RjCcTPcyuTs4nJ1PRSgXdkgVAwUoASk9HKzl

 

Michigan's Clean Slate Law Goes Into Effect

https://wwmt.com/news/local/michigan-clean-slate-law-expunges-old-criminal-records-crime-free-state-police-courts-convictions

 

University of Michigan Graduate Student Strike Continues in the Face of Increasing Retaliation

https://www.leftvoice.org/university-of-michigan-graduate-student-strike-continues-in-the-face-of-increasing-retaliation/

 

R.I.P. Harry Belafonte

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/4/25/harry_belafonte_legendary_singer_actor_activist

 

Recorded Live at 89.1 WIDR on April 25th, 2023

Background Music by Quantum Fleek