Jesse Jackson calls Flint a “disaster zone,” says city has been betrayed
Speaking in Flint a day after federal emergency declared, Jackson compared city to Selma, Ala. in civil rights era
Rev. Jesse Jackson said on Sunday that Flint, Michigan is a "disaster zone" and could be the next epicenter in the fight for economic and social equality as the city struggles through a crisis with lead-contaminated drinking water.
Speaking at a church rally in Flint a day after President Obama declared a federal emergency, the prominent civil rights leader compared the city to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, places where the civil rights movement in the 1960s unfolded.
"The people of Flint have been betrayed," he said. "This is the time for us to make a bigger statement than we have made in a long time. You can never tell when the spirit will strike and then it's time for everyone to move."
Flint, about 60 miles northwest of Detroit, returned to using that city's water supply in October after tests found elevated levels of lead in the water and in the blood of some children. Lead contamination can cause brain damage and other health problems when ingested.
Obama declared an emergency in Michigan on Saturday and ordered federal aid for state and local response efforts in Genesee County, where Flint, a city of just under 100,000 residents, is located.
The financially strapped city, where a majority of residents are African American, was under control of a state-appointed emergency manager when it switched its source of tap water from Detroit's system to the nearby Flint River in April 2014 in an effort to save money.
"We have been treated like we don't matter because we are from Flint," said Melissa Mays, a member of the Coalition for Clean Water during the rally. "It's our job to stand up and say, 'No, we're done. We're not going to put up with this anymore.'"
Republican Governor Rick Snyder has apologized for the state's handling of the crisis as calls for him to resign have grown louder over the last week.
The more corrosive water from the Flint River leached lead from the city pipes more than Detroit water did, leading Jesse Jackson Calls Flint a “Disaster Zone” | Al Jazeera America:
Big Education Ape: Flint water crisis: Michigan attorney general to investigate - CNN.com http://bit.ly/1P4s5Tg
Big Education Ape: A timeline of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan - The Washington Post http://bit.ly/1QdqVne
Big Education Ape: Emergency for Democracy: Unelected Manager Who Caused Flint Water Crisis Now Runs Detroit School... http://bit.ly/1ZDJgQy
Big Education Ape: CURMUDGUCATION: Meritocracy, Democracy, and Darnell Earley http://bit.ly/1ZDJuqC
Big Education Ape: The Truth About Flint, Water, and Oppression – from LaMar Lemmons | Poetic Justice http://bit.ly/1liD8dB
Big Education Ape: Detroit Teachers Want You to See These Disturbing Photos of Their Toxic Schools http://bit.ly/1n5ASrd
Big Education Ape: Obama Declares Emergency for Michigan City's Water http://bit.ly/1nrFPet
