Easy access to clean drinking water is an American privilege we seldom consider. It’s an accouterment of an industrialized society with a well-developed infrastructure.
But what if your elected officials disregard warnings and common sense and supply water that is questionable at best, toxic at the worst? Welcome to Flint, Michigan.
Flint is a city of 99,000 residents, of which 56% are African American and 41% living under the poverty line. Formerly a thriving hub of the auto industry, Flint’s decline began in the 1980s, devbolving to a perpetual state of economic desperation.
In an attempt to save money, officials decided to get city water from the Flint River. The river was filled with iron, and officials neglected to treat the water with an anti-corrosive agent, a violation of federal policy. Lead seeped into the water from the aging city pipes. For two years, Flint’s residents have been drinking toxic water while officials continuously declared the water safe.
Eventually testing found the elevated levels of lead, which proved the water unsafe for consumption. Now, Flint residents are dying of Legionnaire’s Disease and may see other ailments develop in children over time. According to CNN, anti-corrosive treatment would have cost $100 a day and would have curbed the problem.
This is not just a matter of bad government or inept leadership. This is what social injustice looks like. As Martin Luther King noted, a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
With the stroke of a pen, you too may have to wonder about what’s in your water.
I am Joe Flynn, and that is my perspective.
