i only heard about this 2 months ago. its been 3 years????
Remember this started because Snyder switched Flint from a freshwater mountain lake to the polluted Flint River simply to allow his wife’s company to use the lake for bottling instead. This is a manufactured crisis of corruption and capitalism.
Also remember that the pipes corroded because they refused to pay for the chemical used to make the water less acidic.
Remember that when the first E. coli outbreak from the water popped up, the city hall was given water coolers by the state, free of charge, all while denying that the water could be unsafe to drink.
Remember that, despite having a huge budget surplus and a “rainy day fund,” set aside that could easily cover the cost of relocating the residents by buying their houses/paying their debt, or could cover a large chunk of the cost of replacing the pipes, the state has decided to continue to only put in the minimal amount of effort.
Remember that flint is majority POC, majority impoverished, and is still being faced with crippling water bills from the Detroit water supply company, where they are often charged $50 a month just to use the service, on top of the cost of their water bill.
Remember that there will now be an entire generation of children who will now be damaged by lead poisoning and damage from the multitude of neurotoxins.
Remember that this is what privatized natural resources looks like. Remember that these people are being punished for having the audacity to dare to be poor in an economy that won’t let them be anything but.
At every level, this has not been a mistake.
The State and City are most upset that people know its happening and are resisting nation-wide.
But if we lose focus they lose even the small amount of aid they’ve managed to get.
This is how they do it. It’s a siege on the public empathy. Eventually we become numb to the problem and despair. Or something bigger happens.
Every single Australian person who is outraged at the police (and entire societal) brutality against black people in the US that’s currently in the headlines needs to put the same amount of energy into learning about the VERY SAME brutality that’s used here in Australia to oppress Indigenous Australians.
Every single Australian, whether in Australia or overseas, born in Australia or born overseas, needs to put the onus on themselves to EDUCATE, INFORM and TALK ABOUT the institutional violence black Australians face.
White Australia has:
Warning. These links may contain the names and images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now deceased.
Refused Indigenous people treatment from the Royal Flying Doctor Service in preference of less in need white people (‘Ray Martin: The Great Divide’, SBS)
minimised and attempted to erase the historical importance of Aboriginal Australians, including that Indigenous Australians may be the earliest humans on the planet
Be outraged at Ferguson. Be outraged about Tamir Rice. Be outraged at ALL the black deaths due to police brutality and institutionalised racism in the USA.
But ALSO be OUTRAGED at the same treatment shown to Indigenous Australians here in this country.
My problem with a lot of dudes is the fact that their idea of conversation is automatically “let’s debate” when most of the time I just wanted to share ideas and get to know a person. I feel like they want to somehow “win” the conversation and I’m sitting there just like… I didn’t sign up for this debate class
women actually think that real life is their personal blog lmao.
yeah lol it’s totally ridiculous to expect to be spoken to like an equal instead of being steamrolled by someone lol i’m so fucking silly aren’t i
men actually think that real life is their high school debate class lmao
