June, 13 2017, 01:30pm EDT
![Progress Michigan](https://assets.rbl.ms/32012619/origin.jpg)
Message in a Bottle: Flint Sending Out More Than an SOS
1,000+ “You Owe Me” letters from Flint residents delivered to Snyder, Schuette
LANSING, Michigan
It's been 1,145 days since the Flint Water Crisis was forced onto the community by a Snyder administration-appointed emergency manager. Today, dozens of residents delivered 1,145 -- one for each day since the crisis began -- "You Owe Me" messages in empty water bottles to Governor Rick Snyder and Attorney General Bill Schuette in Lansing.
"We're sending out a message to Snyder, Schuette and all statewide elected officials: you owe us for the damage done to our bodies, our families, our community, and our sense of security," said Nayyirah Shariff, director of Flint Rising. "It's been over three years since the water crisis was forced on our community by this administration and it's time the people of Flint got what they are owed. We still cannot safely drink the water without a filter, peoples' homes are being taken because we refuse to pay for poison, there are growing health problems, and it's pretty clear the people in Lansing are no longer listening or concerned about the mess they created."
Flint Rising canvassers gathered the letters from residents over the last year, and volunteers assisted in putting each message into empty water bottles for delivery to Lansing. The 1,145 bottles represent each day of the Flint Water Crisis.
The "You Owe Me" letters go far beyond financial issues. People's families have been harmed and folks feel they are owed more than can ever be repaid.
"There is no amount of money that can fix the damage you have done to my children," wrote Amanda Roark and Dennis Rizzo.
Some examples of excerpts from the "You Owe Me" letters include:
- Paying for contaminated water
- Being afraid of taking showers and doing the dishes
- Hospital bills
- Damaged appliances from corrosive water
- Trust in elected officials
"The Flint Water Crisis might seem like old news to Snyder, Calley, and Schuette, but it is still a daily reality for everyone in our community," Shariff continued. "In Flint, we've leaned on one another for support and hope. We'll get through this together. However, it would be a welcome change for this administration and other elected officials to step up, read what residents have put to paper, and actually make some change for the city."
Since the crisis began, Flint Rising has been advocating for a set of simple, yet holistic demands: Reimburse residents water bills dating back to when the crisis began and ensure water is free until it is deemed safe, fix all of the pipes in Flint, and provide wraparound education and health services for residents.
Progress Michigan aims to provide a strong credible voice that holds public officials and government accountable, assists in the promotion of progressive ideas and uses state-of-the-art web based new media to creatively build grassroots support for progressive ideas.
LATEST NEWS
BREAKING: Biden to 'Stand Down'; Endorses Kamala Harris
' I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year'
Jul 21, 2024
Breaking News...more to come
UPDATE : In response to President Biden’s announcement that he is no longer seeking reelection, MoveOn Political Action Executive Director Rahna Epting released the following statement:
“President Joe Biden‘s legacy is defined by defeating Donald Trump, restoring our nation’s commitment to our democracy, and delivering one of the most impressive domestic policy agendas in modern history. Just like he did in 2020, President Biden is making a tremendous personal sacrifice to preserve our democracy, putting the interest of the American people first, and he has the gratitude of our nation and our millions of members.
“Vice President Harris is tested and respected, and her voice is critically important at this moment. MoveOn and our members have her back and believe that those who share our commitment to winning this election and protecting our futures will do everything in their power to lift her up and stop Trump in his tracks.
MoveOn is more driven than ever to unifying the anti-Trump coalition and defeating Donald Trump and extremist MAGA Republicans once again in 2024. We are all in on electing Kamala Harris and Democrats to the U.S. House and Senate and we look forward to engaging our members and surge voters across the country to rise up and make their voices heard this fall.”
President Joe Biden has made the decision to not run for president. Read his just released statement below.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Israeli Military Strikes Claim Lives of 64 Individuals in a Single Day
'When is enough? When will the war ever end?'
Jul 21, 2024
The local Health Ministry says at least 64 people were killed and 105 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours. Many victims are still under the rubble and on roads, with civil defense crews not able to reach them, it adds.
The Israeli military has launched numerous deadly strikes focused on the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, including the targeting of multiple UN-run schools housing displaced people.
Nuseirat residents described living in constant fear of being bombed and a deteriorating humanitarian situation.
“The situation is scary,” said Rahma Abu Hajjaj, a 39-year-old mother of five from Nuserirat. “There are no warnings, there are no alarms when homes are bombed, we are hiding all the time and we do not know why they are targeting these homes.”
"We hear the sounds of explosions in Nuseirat and we see the smoke rising from here in Deir Al-Balah, the last refuge you can say and we are being terrorized by the feeling tanks may roll here," Tamer Aburakan, a resident of Gaza City, told
Reuters.
"Where should we go next? The entire Gaza Strip is under fire, and we are being hunted like deer in a forest. When is enough? When will the war ever end?" he said via a chat app.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to travel to the US on Monday. Netanyahu is expected to meet with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday afternoon. The next day, he is due to address a joint session of US Congress.
Thousands of people are expected to protest against the visit of Netanyahu for whom the top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is seeking an arrest warrant for war crimes.
At least 38,983 Palestinians have been killed and 89,727 others injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, Gaza's health ministry said on Sunday, including the 64 people killed in the last 24 hours.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Israel Bombs Yemen Saturday in Escalation with Houthis
The attack came a day after the Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Tel Aviv
Jul 20, 2024
Houthi-run media say Israeli air strikes Saturday targeted oil storage facilities in the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah and that there are an unspecified number of fatalities and injuries.
The attack came a day after the Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Tel Aviv that killed one person and struck just yards from a U.S. Embassy branch office.
Israel’s air strikes will not stop the Houthi's military operations in support of the Palestinian people, Houthi political bureau member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said in a post on X, warning they will instead increase until the war in Gaza ends. “The Zionist entity will pay the price for targeting civilian facilities, and we will meet escalation with escalation,” al-Bukhaiti wrote.
Military and political analyst Elijah Magnier told Al Jazeera, “Is this going to change the course of action of a non-state actor that is motivated to support the people of Gaza? Certainly not,” Magnier said. “They’ve been given a perfect reason to increase the attacks. We have not seen the end of it – far from it,” he said.
In another post on X, the Houthis’ spokesman, Mohammed Abdulsalam, called the Israeli air strikes “a brutal Israeli aggression against Yemen that aims to deepen people’s suffering and to pressure Yemen to stop supporting Gaza.” Abdulsalam called the attack an Israeli “dream that will not come true. We affirm that this brutal aggression will only increase the determination of the Yemeni people and their valiant armed forces to be steadfast and to continue their support for Gaza. The Yemeni people are able to face all challenges for the sake of victory for oppressed Palestine and the people of Gaza, whose cause is the most just on earth.”
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular