Social media has been on fire since Harvard announced that they were appointing former Michigan governor Rick Snyder as a senior research fellow on Friday. Using the hashtag #NoSnyderFellowship, people have expressed outrage that the school would hire someone who investigators found criminally liable for the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

In a press release, Harvard Kennedy School's Taubman Center for State and Local Government lauded Snyder, saying he would bring "significant expertise in management, public policy, and promoting civility."

In 2014, Snyder forced the city of Flint to switch their water source from Lake Huron and the Detroit River to the Flint River.The decision poisoned the water for the majority-Black town of 100,000 residents. The effects killed more than 100 people and exposed thousands of children to lead poisoning with life-altering effects.

"This appointment is a direct endorsement of Governor Snyder’s racist legacy," the Harvard Democrats wrote in a statement.

"By appointing Governor Snyder as a fellow, Harvard Kennedy School is telling its students and community members that disregard of communities of color is acceptable, that harm caused to communities of color is inconsequential, and that a legacy of racism is synonymous with a legacy of service."

Director of the Taubman Center for State and Local Government Jeffrey Liebman gushed about Snyder joining the school initially but was forced to release a statement when backlash to the move grew.

His defense of the decision to hire Snyder only made activists more livid because of how flippant and dismissive Liebman was of the concerns voiced by Flint residents.

"The abject failures of governance that caused such terrible harm to residents of Flint raise profound questions about public policy and administration, and especially about the interaction of racial injustice and public-sector decision making," he wrote to popular activist Mariame Kaba.

"When Governor Snyder is here, he will undoubtedly face hard questions from. students and others about his actions and inactions. regarding the situation in Flint, and about many other aspects of his long governorship of Michigan, just as all of. our fellows can face hard questions from students and others about what they have said and done."

The decision to switch Flint's water source was made worse by subsequent decisions from Snyder's staff. They spent nearly two years ignoring or downplaying concerns even as Flint residents complained that the water was brown, smelled strange and tasted funny. 

Thousands of kids were exposed to lead poisoning and many will suffer life-long damage from it. The switch lead to an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that officially killed about 30 people but may have killed hundreds. 

Members of Snyder's regime have been charged with crimes for their decisions related to the water crisis and Snyder was initially under investigation for criminal liability. Earlier last month, investigators seized his phone and laptop. Last week, Michigan dropped the investigation into Snyder's actions and made deals with some of the most guilty members of his staff so they all could avoid prison time.

The University of Michigan School of Public Health released a study in 2018 that indicate the Republican governor was "significantly" responsible for what happened in Flint. Furthermore, the study found that he either willfully or purposefully decided not to act when he knew people would suffer.

In a Frontline feature on Flint, reporters found malfeasance at every level of government and discovered that even when government officials knew people were getting sick and contracting diseases, they tried to cover it up and hide any evidence of their involvement.

"It is an honor to become a senior fellow at the Taubman Center for State and Local Government at the Harvard Kennedy School,” Snyder said.

“I’m excited to join the talented faculty and staff there who are on the leading edge in improving public policy, civic engagement, and innovations in state and local government. I look forward to sharing my experiences in helping take Michigan to national leadership in job creation, improved government performance, and civility.”

#NoSnyderFellowshipHarvard