Many people don’t realize this, but the Flint water crisis says more about our country than we would like to believe. If American’s can’t even have clean water, what’s next?
According to CNN, Flint, Michigan is a city where 41.2% of residents live below the poverty line. Not only that, but the majority of the population is African American. This isn’t OK. In America, we have this problem where minorities get stuck without basic human rights, like water, and since people in these communities live under the poverty line, their human rights become compromised because they're unable to move away or change their situation.
Why do we continue to let things like this happen? People in Flint are living without clean. Water. Clean water! Why are more people not infuriated about this??
More facts coming at you about their water that is sure to make you cringe: “Historically, the water in the Flint River downstream of Flint has been of poor quality, and was severely degraded during the 1970s, due to "the presence of fecal coliform bacteria, low dissolved oxygen, plant nutrients, oils, and toxic substances.” This is a direct quote from CNN that states there is presence of fecal coliform bacteria. Do any of you know how repulsive this is?
The water simply wasn’t being properly treated, and it still isn’t. The worst part is that we have continued to let this happen. We have just let people live like this.
Even more so, there has been high amounts of lead in the water which leads to all kinds of negative side effects, such as behavioral problems and impaired cognitive functions.
As of June 2017 there have been charges against several state officials for involuntary manslaughter, which is a huge break for Flint. So, why do I still mention this crisis then? I’ll tell you.
If we allowed this crisis to continue to happen for around 40 years just because this was a lower income area, and people seemed not to care as much, then what’s next? This wouldn’t have been an issue in Miami or Beverly Hills where rich people live. What else is happening right under our noses because the government simply doesn’t care about those less fortunate? We need some serious justice for Americans. We can’t allow things like the Flint Water Crisis to happen anymore. We need change.
