On Friday, July 10, the rally that began at the Spirit of Detroit statue as the “Detroit to Flint Water Justice Journey for Safe Affordable Water” concluded a portion of the ongoing water justice movement in Flint where another rally at Flint City Hall was held.
Following the rally, a delegation representing the cities of Detroit, Highland Park and Flint travelled to Lansing to deliver their message that all of Michigan is entitled to safe and affordable water.
The Detroit People’s Water Board Coalition is spearheading the movement to demand that water bills be based on income for all Michigan families and, as demanded by Flint residents, that Flint “return to the safe water of the Detroit Water Department.”
According to a press release promoting the event, “Despite Mayor Mike Duggan’s payment plan, $1 million was recently added to the effort to shut off the water to thousands of Detroit families. The increase in funding for shutoff operations is proof that the mayor’s payment plan is not working.”
The issue of water affordability in Detroit has been drawing worldwide scrutiny for more than a year when the city began water shutoffs to delinquent accounts for non-payment in March of 2014. Between March and October of 2014, Detroit’s water department shut off service to homes nearly 26,000 times. Within two days, 85 percent of the delinquencies received a partial payment.
By October there were 2,300 homes without water and the United Nations had intervened to pressure the City to cease the shutoffs, which it eventually did until May of this year when shutoff notices resumed. According to the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit water department has delivered at least 3,000 shutoff notices to households with delinquent bills since May 11, giving those customers 10 business days to make arrangements to pay their bill or have their service cut off.
In May there were nearly 65,000 delinquent residential accounts owing nearly $50 million, according to the water department. A year ago there were more than 79,000 delinquent accounts owing $42 million. The recent crackdown has reignited fears of the potential for a health crisis. However Mayor Duggan has directed the department to proceed with shutoffs against the wishes of the City Council, which passed a resolution on May 12 for a shutoff moratorium until the current financial assistance programs can be better evaluated.
From the People’s Water Board website:
“The focus is on connecting caring communities at these public events and sharing our collective concern for clean, affordable water upheld as a human right and to affirm that water is a sacred trust that should be held as a common rather than a commodity.
“Weeks ago, members of the State legislature were invited to a public hearing on water that involved testimony from these communities. Now concerned citizens will return to Lansing via bus after the Flint rally to call for clean and affordable water at the State Capitol.”
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