Mark Schauer
It's bad enough that the nation has abandoned Detroit, but it's even worse that Gov. Rick Snyder has apparently
washed his hands of any responsibility for it. That's an apt metaphor, considering what's
happening in the city right now.
The latest sign of Detroit’s decline came from the city’s water department, when it said in March it would begin shutting off water for up to 3,000 homes and businesses a week in an attempt to stop the utility from sliding even further into debt.
The announcement sparked outrage among activists groups, who say the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) is going after the city’s most vulnerable citizens to shore up its bottom line.
Now those groups have called on the United Nations to intervene. In a letter sent to the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation last week, local nonprofit Detroit People’s Water Board, Food and Water Watch and Canada-based Blue Planet Project pleaded for the world body to weigh in on the shut-offs.
Yes, citizens of the U.S., citizens of Michigan, have had to apply to the UN to try to get water service for the most basic functions of life. When Gov. Rick Snyder signed "emergency manager" legislation, he
said: "These new laws recognize and respect the needs of citizens and will deliver meaningful reforms to keep Michigan on the path to prosperity." Either Detroit residents aren't considered citizens by Snyder's crew, or they don't think water is a need.
Michigan needs a governor for all of its citizens. It needs Democrat Mark Schauer. Give $3 today, to help Mark Schauer take his state back for everyone there.