School’s in session, Queen Bey just made 35 and Apple released its new wireless earphone design. Every day there’s something new. But has everyone forgotten about the Flint water crisis?
You have to realize that when the media stops reporting on an issue, it doesn’t mean there’s been a resolution or that the problem has disappeared.
For those of you who forgot what happened, here’s a quick recap: Michigan took over Flint’s budget, and the governor appointed an emergency financial manager who cut the money that paid Detroit for filtered water. As an alternative, the city began using Flint River water. But the state refused to purchase an anti-corrosion agent for $100 a day, which would have made the water drinkable. In May 2014, houses began getting dirty water, which was later tested and found to have high levels of lead in it.
Now, years later, Michigan’s governor and multiple other state officials are facing lawsuits.
According to CNN, additional charges were brought against six state employees in July for attempting to conceal warning signs of lead poison.
And do people even know Louisiana has it’s own water crisis happening in St. Joseph?
According to The News Star, residents have been dealing with low quality water for several years. The water color ranges from light yellow to muddy brown.
I wouldn’t call it a coincidence that, according the U.S. Census Bureau, 77.4 percent of St. Joseph’s population is African-American, and 33.3 percent of the town’s nearly 1,200 residents live below the poverty line — similar to Flint.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 56.6 percent of Flint’s roughly 98,000 residents are African-American. With 41.6 percent of its population living below the poverty line, Flint is one of the poorest cities in the nation.
You can’t honestly think that an extremely poor, majority — black city has coincidentally been without clean water for the past two years.
Studies are showing something that will hopefully get everyone’s attention.
The Huffington Post says, “Back in the 1920s, before wider use of lead in gasoline, water pipes were a primary source of exposure. Feigenbaum and Muller compiled historical information on pipe materials in 545 cities from 1921 to 1936, and after controlling for a variety of demographic factors, found that ‘cities that used lead pipes had between 14 and 36 percent higher homicide rates than cities that did not.’”
In other words, the lead leaking into water from water pipes has proven to have a direct correlation to a higher crime rate.
I highly doubt they’d downgrade Portland’s water supply to save on the city budget. If they did, it wouldn’t take the city over two years to resolve the issue — but that’s besides the point.
Years down the road, when Flint has a rocketing crime rate, no one will be able to use the infamous excuses of “daddy issues” or the number of recipients on welfare. The only thing you’ll be able to blame is the state government’s neglect.
Some Americans are quick to label African-Americans criminals, but some state governments are literally forcing them into these roles.
The neglect of these cities seems like another ploy to minimize the growth of the black community, just like the war on drugs was.
If St. Joseph and Flint’s water crises don’t open your eyes to the nation’s racial inequality, then you’re not trying to open them.
Clarke Perkins is a 20-year-old political science junior from New Orleans, LA.