Perspectives: Flint Residents Are Being Asked To Trust A Government That Betrayed Them
Editorials focus on the crisis of trust among Flint residents as the state cuts off its bottled water program.
The Detroit News:
Flint Water Is Safe But Trust Lacking
As Flint moves on from its water crisis, residents still lack faith in elected leaders who didn’t do enough to prevent lead from poisoning the city’s water supply back in 2014. For months now, however, the water has registered normal lead levels and families can drink their water without fear. (4/15)
The Washington Post:
I Am A Flint Resident. I Am Done Paying For Water That Is Not Safe.
About a week ago, I was having a bad day. My neck was killing me, I had a migraine, my WiFi was down, and I had spent over an hour working with customer service to resolve the issue. Drained, I decided to wash my dishes, eat some lunch and take a nap. I went to the kitchen sink, flicked the switch on my PUR water filter and turned on the faucet. Nothing came out. My water had been shut off. (Tunde Olaniran, 4/16)
Mother Jones:
Officials Say Flint’s Water Is Safe. Residents Say It’s Not. Scientists Say It’s Complicated.
Four years ago, the city of Flint changed its water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Almost immediately, foul-smelling, discolored water began coming out of city taps. For almost two years, the mostly low-income and black residents were left to cook, drink, and bathe in water that was contaminated with lead. The crisis led to criminal charges leveled at more than a dozen state and city officials, thousands of children with dangerous levels of lead in their bloodstreams, and the collapse of confidence between residents and their government. Now, at the fourth anniversary of the water crisis, state and city officials say the crisis has ended and Flint’s water is safe to drink. But residents aren’t buying it. (Nathalie Baptiste, 4/16)
