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"The Flint water crises was born out of
government/corporate decisions that believe
black and poor people are collateral damage
in the financial strategy to make the state of
Michigan solvent. African Americans are about
60 per cent of the population; nearly 42 per cent
of Flint residents are below the poverty line."
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In
spite of his poignant and insightful documentaries, I never saw
independent filmmaker Michael Moore as a radical or revolutionary. I
saw a progressive with a strong handle on how capitalism is killing us
all on many different levels. Then I saw his message to the public to
stop sending bottles of water and to join Flint in “revolt.”
A radical gets to the root of the problem and Moore let us know that
all the bottles shipped to Flint by the government, celebrities,
churches and other do-gooders doesn’t come close to the 20.4 million
16oz. bottles of water that Flint residents need on a daily basis to
cover drinking, cooking, washing, bathing, etc. Further, it’s a
stop-gap measure to deeper issues.
Flint is poised to be one of the greatest examples of environmental
genocide in the U.S. Political commentator Dorian Warren called it
genocide. In his public statement, Moore likened it to chemical
warfare. The city’s water supply was intentionally poisoned when a
cost-cutting decision was made by city officials to not use the water
from Lake Huron—the third largest fresh water body in the world—but to
use the toxic Flint River. The consequences will be deadly and costly.
Flint residents have been drinking and bathing in poison water since
2013. Early last year, they complained about the smell, the look and
the taste of the water. Flint officials lied and said the water had
been tested, assuring residents that it was fine. Fine for who? Black
and poor people?
The Flint water crises was born out of government/corporate decisions
that believe black and poor people are collateral damage in the
financial strategy to make the state of Michigan solvent. African
Americans are about 60 per cent of the population; nearly 42 per cent
of Flint residents are below the poverty line.
To add insult to literally injury, the utility company is still
charging residents for poison water they cannot use. They are also
being threatened with cut-offs and penalized with additional fees if
they don’t pay.
Those of us in St. Louis who organized around our local lead problem
find it gut-wrenching to see what’s happening in Flint, Michigan. We
know what’s in store for them. We shout out that lead poisoning is
irreversible.
For decades St. Louis city officials used the situation to hustle
federal dollars but never really launched an effective campaign to
eradicate lead-based paint in houses located in black, poor
neighborhoods. Some of the money was put into testing, not prevention.
By the time children were tested, it was too late for remedies. Tens of
millions of dollars later, St. Louis kids are still testing positive
for lead poisoning and our communities are reeling from the affects.
In urban areas like St. Louis, Chicago, Baltimore and Detroit, one can
trace high violence incidents among youth and high incarceration rates
to lead poisoning. Yet the prevailing narrative is that black youth are
inherently violent and prone to crime.
Lead poisoning in children affects the development of the brain leading
to low IQs, learning disabilities, poor grades, test scores and
behavior problems. Because lead is absorbed through the blood, it
quickly concentrates in bones and organs resulting in a myriad of
medical challenges and premature deaths for adults.
The human toll of the Flint water crisis is incalculable. The
costs of increased spending on health care, special education and law
enforcement will be staggering. And now the lawsuits are coming. What
will Flint’s economic and social health look like over the next 20, 30
years as the metal manifests itself in the human bodies of virtually an
entire city and the costs of short-term and long-terms mount?
Calling for the resignations of decision-makers is good but
insufficient. Criminal acts have been committed and must be treated as
such. That goes for everyone from EPA’s Susan Hedman to Governor
Snyder—and all those in between. They all must be prosecuted to the
fullest extent of the law. And if there’s no law on the books, one must
be created.
Putting together a serious brain trust of scientists, psychologists,
engineers and others to come up with solutions to the poisoning is
crucial. However, laypeople must be involved with the problem-solving
processes at every step so that they understand what’s happening and
are in agreement with the steps to rectify the crises.
I’m also down with Moore’s suggestions that the government pay for
Flint residents who want to re-locate as well as his suggestion for us
to sign every petition out there calling for accountability. We
must put fire to the feet of negligent decision-makers.
Radicals, revolutionaries and progressives must put water rights in the
context of human rights and under the banner of Black Lives Matter. The
problem is the racist policies and practices that affect our lives and
our futures.
Organizing in Flint and in our respective cities against state violence
in all of its forms must be heightened. Our communities must be
empowered to control their destiny.
If you need a “flint” to move you from outrage to action, how about
this one? When General Motors complained that the water was corroding
car parts on its assembly line, the Governor gave the company the hook
up (literally) to a special pipe system to the clean, pure water of
Lake Huron.
Clean, safe water matters. Black lives matter.
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 is published every Thursday |
Executive Editor:
David A. Love, JD |
Managing Editor:
Nancy Littlefield, MBA |
Publisher:
Peter Gamble |
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