On this edition of Your Call, we're speaking with activists in Flint, Michigan about the recent $600 million water crisis settlement. Nearly 80 percent of the funds will be distributed to those who were children during the 2014 and 2015 crisis.
Activists say $600 million is not enough when you factor in long-term health effects, including potential brain and nervous system damage. They are calling for government officials to be criminally indicted. Six years later, many residents are still using cases and cases of bottled water to cook and clean. Where does the fight for justice go from here?
Guests:
Dr. Pamela Pugh, vice president of the Michigan State Board of Education and Flint's first and only Chief Public Health Advisor from October 2016 to 2019
Sandra Smith Jones, executive director at the R. L. Jones Community Outreach Center
Claudia Perkins-Milton, a water warrior with the Democracy Defense League and the first African American woman in the region to hold the highest position as a union representative for the Delphi Corporation
Web Resources:
The New York Times, Kathleen Gray: Most of $600 Million Settlement in Flint Water Crisis Will Go to Children
PBS FRONTLINE / Flint Beat, Jiquanda Johnson & Abby Ellis: Michigan Reaches $600M Settlement in Flint Water Crisis Case