Latest manifestation of the new Jim Crow: a city without water

[firecat]

"Bill and Hillary Clinton were up to their ears in more than $10 million worth of legal debt at the end of Clinton’s tenure as president. Donald Trump was bailed out of four bankruptcies. But Detroit residents are having a basic human right – the access to water – cancelled for being late on bills of $150....residents with delinquent water bills are losing their water while prominent Detroit corporations with much larger delinquent water bills are being left alone. The Palmer Park Golf Club owes $200,000. Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings, owes DWSD $80,000. Ford Field owes $55,000."

http://detroitwaterbrigade.org/apartheid-detroit-water-corporations-people/

I don't understand how this even BEGINS to be legal. I am living in a very different world than I thought.

Comments

[zeborah]

I saw something about people being arrested for protesting it. I thought, cynically, "At least in prison they'll have water." I was wrong.

[jesse_the_k]

The only possible positive in Detroit's current situation is it could be a hotbed of anarchism and change. If people can wash their hands and stuff. Aiiiiii!

[silveradept]

Ah, yet another aspect of the handpicked unelected dictatorship that is the "emergency financial manager", where one white man holds all power over black people because other white men said he could.

It's not legal, but the people with standing to challenge it are finding themselves on defense against the power of the State.

[the_siobhan]

I was talking about this issue last night and this morning the BF pointed me to this;

http://canadians.org/blog/council-canadians-organize-water-convoy-detroit

[firecat]

I heard about that. Pretty weird world when Canada has to send humanitarian aid to the US. But I'm glad you've got our backs.

[flarenut]

Interestingly enough, reports say they haven't gone after any of the bigger deadbeats, some of whom owe hundreds of thousands of dollars.

And what's really the kicker for me is that apparently (because of the financial crisis and the even further hollowing out of the city) water rates keep climbing. So someone who owes $150 today might have not owed anything a few years ago after paying the same dollar amount.

[firecat]

Yep and yep. Pretty horrible.

[chaos-by-design.livejournal.com]

Whoa. Why does water cost so much in Detroit? I don't even get a water bill. What the hell?

[firecat]

It's really complicated but the upshot is that Detroit is being sold to corporations who have no interest in doing the work that is what governments are for (providing infrastructure services to all citizens). They seem to have thought they could get away with this in Detroit now because it's in trouble financially and most of the residents are poor and black. I hope that there is enough outrage about it that it can be stopped, or else the rest of the country's infrastructure is up for grabs.

[chaos-by-design.livejournal.com]

I didn't know that could even be done. That is so fucked and Ayn Randian, it's unbelievable. Though I've heard of other really undemocratic things being done in other poor, black Michigan towns, so maybe I shouldn't be too surprised.

I hope that there is enough outrage about it that it can be stopped, or else the rest of the country's infrastructure is up for grabs.

Yeah, it's terrifying that it could happen anywhere.

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

the guardian has a very good piece on the whole mess: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/true-north/2014/jun/25/detroits-water-war-a-tap-shut-off-that-could-impact-300000-people