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

Jul. 4th, 2014 at 4:33 PM

"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.

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chaos_by_design

Jul. 5th, 2014 03:31 am (UTC)

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

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firecat

Jul. 5th, 2014 05:08 am (UTC)

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.

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chaos_by_design

Jul. 6th, 2014 01:56 am (UTC)

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.

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