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Why am I still talking about Flint? My mouth has been running for 3 years nonstop.
It's been three whole years (since April 2014) that Flint, Michigan has had lead poisoned and unclean water. For a hot minute people were talking about it until everyone just stopped their donations, stopped sharing information and updates, and everything went back to normal -except for Flint.
If you don't know, the city transitioned it's water sourced from the Flint River in the 70s because of health reasons [reported fecal coliform bacteria, low dissolved oxygen levels, oils, pesticides, fertilizer, and toxic substances]. The water was and is poisonous to anyone who consumes it at what is considered the normal or everyday rate. People consuming the water have been exposed to brain damage, delayed motor skills, miscarriages, behavioral disorders, hearing problems, and delayed puberty.
Basic Facts and Timeline:
• On August 1, 2014: Flint citizens were instructed to boil water before usage because of the presence of fecal matter in the water. People have to boil water, a huge inconvenience, just to be able to drink, shower, or eat using the water. This instruction to boil the water was ended on August 20th, 2014.
• On September 5, 2014: another "boil safety" instruction by the city was given (because of positive testing for coliform bacteria [E.Coli]).
• General Motors, a car plant that doesn't really specialize in safety, even gave a statement that said the water was dangerously unclean and stoped using the water for car production.
• January 2, 2015: the city send out letters that the water is in fact dangerous (in more or less words) but is safe for the general population to consume with the exception of children, mothers to be, and the elderly.
• June 14, 2015: the water is tested and found hazardous dangerous with over 13,200 ppb levels of lead. The minimum to be found hazardous is 5,000 ppb, meaning the water doubled that amount.
• The number of children with high lead levels doubled after switching the water source to the Flint River.
• December 14, 2015: Flint declares a state of emergency.
• January 14,2015: Governor Snyder writes a letter to President Obama requesting around $55 million to get rid of the the lead pipes in the city, he is denied by the president (reason #3 as to why I don't like Obama), and instead gave the Governor $5 million for aid. As we can all imagine, $5 million is nothing for the thousands of citizens that have been without clean water and have been exposed to health risks. Nothing is fixed.
• April 20,2016: Charges are filed against Mike Glasgow, Stephen Busch, and Mike Prysby aka to me as the Greedy Musketeers.
Citizens are forced to pay water bills, which in some cases exceed $1000, if they refuse to pay for unclean water they are evicted or foreclosed. If they want to move away it should be known that it is illegal to sell a house with lead infected pipes. This would mean that they are not only forced to stay in the infected and hazardous housing, they are forced to pay a water bill for unclean water. Greedy politicians and people in power know just how to cheat humans out of their basic human rights.
How Racism Plays Into the Flint Water Crisis:
This form of racism is systematic and environmental imposed on the black population, and people of color in general, of Flint (which is the majority). I just want to know that every single chemical poisoning in America has been against people of color, specifically black people; Tuskegee Experiment, Washington DC Water Crisis, Planned Parenthood, Detroit Water Crisis...should I keep going? The problem is that the focus of these poisoning happen in the communities of people of color and sometimes the poor, white population. We are the "undesirables" in America, what other way to get rid of us other than a natural cause that can point no fingers to the suspects? Taking away the access to basic resources.
The gag is, the people in charge of the whole ordeal (governor, mayor, health department) don't know how to cover their tracks properly, which is why criminal charges are being brought out against multiple people in charge of the Water Crisis.
One of the names that we've all probably heard of, Phil Stair, stated: "n****rs who don't pay their bills," as the blame for this water crisis. But I thought that, "Race isn't a factor in the crisis!! There are white citizens too!!" It seems to me as if this official, who has since resigned, seems to share like ideals with other officials who were charged with manslaughter.
Fun Fact about Phil Stair: He is an official for the housing crisis of Flint (Land Bank). Land Bank is the largest holder of property in Flint, meaning that Phil is responsible for the displacement of black and brown people in the city of Flint. "The people are still the people," Stair said. "They fuck the houses up, and they leave and then we tear 'em down; they just go somewhere else and just fuck those houses up." Interesting.
" Well, Flint has the same problems as Detroit, fucking niggers don't pay their bills, believe me, I deal with them. I don't want to call them niggers, shit, I have, shit, I just went to Myrtle Beach, 24 guys, and I was the only white guy. I got friends, I mean, there's trash and there's people that do this. ... They just don't pay their bills."
Hm, it's interesting you say that. It seems very illogical for citizens to pay for dangerous water that they don't even use, and to contribute to the pockets of greedy white men who don't know when they're being recorded. And before we go back to the, " I hate to call them niggers...I have black friends like every other accused racist" line, let's not negate the fact that this water crisis is an attack on both people of color and the poor in order for the pockets of officials to get fatter. They took their own personal gain and in return poisoned citizens who don't have the choice of drinking from a Fiji bottle.
I'm sorry to break the news to you, but I think we all know who the target of this poisoning is, whether you believe it consciously or it sits at the back of your mind. Flint has been without clean water for 3 whole years, there are babies with growth problems, women having miscarriages, people having delayed motor skills, brain damage, and all around trouble. Pleas donate to the Flint Water Crisis or spread awareness about what's happening. This is another crime against humanity that Amerikkka has favored again.
