Prosecutors charged former Governor Rick Snyder for “willful neglect of duty” for his role in the Flint water crisis, which led to death and poisoning of that city’s population after a Snyder-appointed emergency manager tried to save money by switching the source of the city’s water to the Flint River.
The charges, revealed in an online court record, are misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The charges are groundbreaking: No governor or former governor in Michigan’s 184-year history had been charged with crimes related to their time in that office, according to the state archivist….
The alleged offense date is April 25, 2014, when a Snyder-appointed emergency manager who was running the struggling, majority Black city carried out a money-saving decision to use the Flint River for water while a regional pipeline from Lake Huron was under construction.
The corrosive water, however, was not treated properly and released lead from old plumbing into homes in one of the worst manmade environmental disasters in U.S. history.
Despite desperate pleas from residents holding jugs of discolored, skunky water, the Snyder administration took no significant action until a doctor reported elevated lead levels in children about 18 months later….
Authorities counted at least 90 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Genesee County, including 12 deaths. Some experts found there was not enough chlorine in the water-treatment system to control legionella bacteria, which can trigger a severe form of pneumonia when spread through misting and cooling systems.
The disaster made Flint a national symbol of government dereliction, with residents forced to line up for bottled water and parents fearing their children had suffered permanent harm. Lead can damage the brain and nervous system and cause learning and behavior problems. The crisis was highlighted as an example of environmental injustice and racism.
The people of Michigan voted to repeal the Emergency Manager Law, but the Michgan Legislature voted to defy the will of the people and reinstated the Law. The emergency manager and the legislature also share the blame for this fiasco.
Rachel Maddow did some excellent research and commentary in the Flint water problem; and started the session saying that the loss of democracy via the Republican party jumped into action at that point in our history.
For us in education, we can see the movement also. Though it’s slower, it occurs when state level Republicans “insert” reformers into local politics, or just try to quash the power of school boards, or to eliminate them altogether. It won’t make the news like Flint did, but it’s the same migration of power away from the people and towards a particular political viewpoint. CBK
Mostly White Crowd Roars at Donald Trump’s Joke About Flint Water Crisis
By Tommy Christopher
Sep 15th, 2016, 8:56 am
Hours after visiting the poisoned-water-devastated city of Flint, Michigan, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was knocking ’em dead with a joke about the water crisis that has permanently damaged the health of thousands of children. Speaking to a crowd in Canton, Ohio, Trump made the following observation about the water crisis in Flint:It used to be, think of this, is this true? It used to be cars were made in Flint, and you couldn’t drink the water in Mexico. Now, the cars are made in Mexico, and you can’t drink the water in Flint! (crowd roars) Oh, I hate to say it, but it’s true. I can say it to you folks.
Trump’s visit to Flint was marked by an interruption by the pastor of a black church, who cut Trump off to warn him against giving a political speech at an apolitical event. He made a similar comment to the one above while at the church, but with notably different delivery and reception.
Trump later attacked the pastor on Fox and Friends.
Cable news has been playing various clips from Trump’s Canton rally, but for some reason, this joke has not been among them (Fox News ran it to tease a segment about the auto industry). That would probably still hold true if Hillary Clinton made a joke about, say, toxic coal ash poisoning children in Kentucky. We already know what would happen if someone called the people who laughed at that joke “deplorable.”
Flint is in the process of repiping its water supply. It is a massive undertaking. Many of our cities have the same problem of lead leaching into the water or industrial waste getting into the water supply. When Biden talks about a need for infrastructure, our cities’ water supply is in desperate need of an upgrade. https://www.businessinsider.com/cities-worst-tap-water-us-2019-3
Up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Really! That’s all!
Snyder should have been found guilty of murder for every citizen that died because of his criminal leadership for each and every death in one trial after another.
Qualified immunity has been used to shield people in government that cause physical harm too often. The U.S. EPA also shares in the blame for the harm done; I hope that they don’t escape with no consequences.
It is good that the news media have covered the lead exposure, but the news media have not done a good job covering the Legionnaire’s fatalities due to people inhaling the water droplets when doing things such as taking a shower when Flint was not using the corrosion inhibitor. The lead is bad, but the Legionnaire’s fatalities are even worse.
When all the K-12 schools that have not had in person classes re-open, hopefully the stagnant water in the plumbing will be flushed out. The stagnant water that has sat in the water pipes for a long time are likely to be unsafe due to lead, Legionella and other things.
Ah, nostalgia! It seems like just yesterday Biden was proudly accepting Rick Snyder’s endorsement….
You really hate Biden, don’t you?
It seems like just yesterday (or 10 days ago) that Rick Snyder issued a joint statement with Gov. Whitmer condemning the Jan 6. violence in the capitol and yet progressive politicians did not condemn Rick Snyder for saying that the neo-Nazi pro-Trump invaders are bad. They did not condemn Gov. Whitmer for joining with Snyder to condemn the violent Trump supporters.
If anything, you would think this person would praise democrats for pursuing charges against Snyder despite his endorsement. Trump supporters hate Biden and the democrats a lot more than they love democracy and truth and justice. I hope this person does not feel that way as well.