On April 25, 2014, the city of Flint switched its water supply from the easterly portion of Lake Michigan to the Flint River, a disastrous transition that would soon become known as the Flint water crisis. 1,000 days later, residents are still unable to drink the lead-contaminated water.
In his State of the State address on Tuesday, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said, "we've made progress, but our work is not done." During the hour-long speech, Snyder spent only two minutes talking about the crisis, focusing mostly on the more than 600 lead pipes that have been replaced in Flint. This was seen by many as a direct slight to the gravity of the issue. Michigan League for Public Policy CEO, Gilda Jacobs told the Detroit Free Press that she thought the speech was "light on Flint," which "continues to be a huge human debacle that we need to pay attention to."
Hours ahead of Snyder’s address, a number of Flint residents gathered to demonstrate nearby the front steps of the Capitol. “We’re just here to let Rick Snyder know we’re not going to back down, we’re not going to let up the pressure on him, until we get justice,” Flint resident Lisia Williams told the Detroit Free Press. In the meantime, Flint residents are still paying utilities for water that they can’t drink.
If you'd like to support Flint residents through this crisis, visit sites like wateryoufightingfor.com and helpforflint.com, or try this list of resources we compiled a few months ago.
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