Flint, Michigan, has gone from being the Vehicle City to Murder Capital of the world to now being known as “The Flint Water Crisis.”
I have grown up in Flint for the majority of my life and have seen it go down in the dumps and come back several times. At times, it seems like we have not be able to catch a break at all, but if you actually come to Flint and see the people, you will see that we are a group of people that never give up.
If you go through the Flint Community School District, then you know what is like to have to struggle to get the materials that you need to be able to achieve the best education you can. Flint Schools have a motto “Flint Community Schools still the best choice” or something like that. If you ask anybody that came out of that school system, they would tell you that is all a lie. The Flint Community School currently have two High Schools, eight Elementary Schools and two Stem Academies per the Flint Schools website. Each elementary school is now first grade through eighth grade, while only one high school has seventh through twelfth grade due to the International Baccalaureate Program. There used to be more High Schools, but because of all the issues going on in Flint, many students have chosen to go to other school districts. Which makes the Flint Community School Student rate go down each year.
On July 30th, Mayor Karen Weaver issued a statement saying that starting August 1st there would be no trash pickup in the city of Flint. At first the only reason that the residents got for this was “due to the circumstances.” In reality, what the issue was, is that Mayor Weaver and City Council wanted two different companies and could not agree on which one would be Flint’s city trash pick-up. After going to court due to this issue, it was finally resolved and the trash pickup resumed on Tuesday, August 2. To city residents, like myself, this makes me wonder what else the city will have to deal with because the Mayor and City Council do not agree.
The biggest issue that Flint, Michigan has been dealing with for the past couple of years is our water. It has nationally been labeled as “The Flint Water Crisis.” During the Water Crisis we have been advised to not drink or cook with the tap water. City of Flint residents were given water filters to put on their sinks, but were told that the filters would not fully help. When the Water Crisis first started and the residents were told not to drink the water, they were given free cases of water, unlimited. During the summer of 2016, the free water started to slowly go away. Residents were able to go to any fire station and get free cases of water from the National Guard, but now that is not an option for us. Many residents still take “bottled water” showers because the water is not safe to bathe in. Some people, such as myself, are allergic to the cleaning solutions that they use to filter our water. Health issues in Flint will always be a concern for city residents. This tweet from August 4, 2016 sums everything up perfectly.
I encourage each and every person to remember Flint. Never forget the struggles that we have to deal with as a city.
