Michigan Pummeled By Claims Of Racism In Water Pollution Crisis Killing Black People And Making Many Ill

January 23. 2016

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder

The local government of the U.S. city, Flint, Michigan have come under fire over a water pollution scandal in the predominantly black and lower income region. People have died and many made ill, including children, from lead poison in the local water supply. The government was woefully slow to address the issue.

Flint, Michigan 

The scandal is being accompanied by cries of racism. A headline in Rolling Stone magazine bluntly blared, "Who poisoned Flint, Michigan?" The Huffington Post wrote "How Flint's Water Got Poisonous." The New Yorker wrote "The Contempt That Poisoned Flint's Water." A quote in the New York Times opined, "If Flint were rich and mostly white, would Michigan's state government have responded more quickly and aggressively to complaints about its lead-polluted water?" Things have gotten so bad the governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, was forced to speak to the New York Times in an article proclaiming, "Michigan Governor Says Race Had No Role In Flint Water Response."

Instagram post about Flint, Michigan water crisis (Courtesy of Industry On Blast blog)

It has been my personal view for years that the federal government has stopped giving a darn about Michigan over the past decade. The government, both state and federal (national) allowed Michigan, particularly Detroit, to rot. A city full of history that has done much for America by way of the auto industry and Motown in music, has gone largely neglected. Beautiful buildings and homes bludgeoned by the financial crisis were bulldozed and turned into parks and other variants of open spaces, while two administrations in a row spent trillions on destructive wars in the Middle East (Obama Could Rebuild American Cities If...).

Photos of Flint, Michigan child sickened by lead poising, leading to hair loss and rashes (Courtesy of Industry On Blast blog)

The Judiciary Report petitioned via the site for the auto industry in Michigan to receive a federal financial bailout and months later they did, which helped them preserve jobs and stay afloat during the financial crisis caused by the Bush Administration and its negligent Laissez Faire policies. The auto industry has paid back much of the loans. However, the government still has not done enough to help a state that played an integral part in the nation's history. 

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