JUNE 27: York Food And Drink, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Ann Arbor’s Generosity Knows No Bounds!

What an afternoon!

Our host Tommy York invited us to “invade” the outdoor garden of his very special eatery (and drinkery) on this hot summer’s day, and where guests such as Johanna Epstein, Julie Falbaum, and her husband Peter rose to the occasion, helping Chuck and Marjorie organize tables and distribute umbrellas to provide shade from the scorching sun; set up a book-signing station; locate a mic and amplifier; and jerry-rig a microphone stand from a music stand. Then, we were off to the races.

After my presentation and reading — while more than a few listeners availed themselves of Tommy’s fine grub and craft beer — we had an animated Q&A that proved once again that across the nation, folks are hungry to learn more about this complex issue. They know on some level that what they are hearing in the mainstream media is not the truth. They believe in facts and they want answers.

Here’s a brief snapshot:

The construction contractor, whose company had been compromised, he stated, ever since Inauguration Day 2017. He struggled to maintain a full crew of skilled craftsmen until Venezuelan builders found their way to Michigan in the last few years. He credits the Biden administration with this change. Though he voted for Trump in 2016, he did not in 2020, and will not again. 

The US Army veteran, who served on the heavily militarized 38th parallel of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Informed by this first-hand experience of border violence, he bemoaned the increasing militarization of the US-Mexico borderlands. He was shocked to learn — and he was not alone — that the US Border Industrial Complex is not limited to the southwest but subsumes the whole of Michigan as well.

Special, special thanks, again, to our compadres from Witness at the Border, Chuck Keiffer and Marjorie Seifert, for making this gathering happen. I was super touched, too, to see our hosts in Ann Arbor, State Rep Jennifer Conlin, her husband Daniel Rivkin, and their delightful daughter Florence among the crowd. 

One person who stumbled on the event by surprise, a University of Michigan professor, says she may use Crossing the Line in her spring semester course curricula and/or have me come to speak, meaning the Ann Arbor love promises to keep on giving. Fingers Crossed!!