Water shutoffs: Taking matters into our own hands

DETROIT, MI — It was early in the morning of July 14, 2014. I was making coffee and thinking about my day. I heard something outside. I walked to the window and looked outside. Two men were getting out of a big red Homrich (demolition company) truck. They were unloading a water key.
Alarmed that I was about to get my water cut off, I grabbed my phone and camera and rushed outside. I started taking pictures and documenting the scene.  I said in a loud voice, “You are not going to shut me off today! Call the cops if ya’ want!” I reached my water access point and stood there. Refusing to move, my heart racing, I wondered, what next?
The worker with the key in his hand threw up his arms and said “ok.” He loaded the water key back on to the truck and headed across the street to shut off my neighbor’s water. Then they shut off another neighbor’s water. They moved their way down the block . . . one after the other, shutting off water for most of my neighborhood. It was the most horrific thing I had ever experienced.
I ran down the street begging, “Please stop . . .  please don’t do this. I will stand with you. Workers must stand against injustice!” They ignored me. When they were done, only a few houses in a three-block radius were left with water, including mine.
I updated my Facebook status that Homrich had shut off most of my neighborhood’s water. People from every organization in Detroit responded. We went door to door delivering water and finding out what people needed to survive. We found out quickly that spreading germs was a main concern. Bleach, baby wipes, hand sanitizers and hot food were in need. We cooked big pots of community soup for everyone to eat. I immediately saw glimpses of a beloved community emerge from the devastation. During the next weeks, I got to know my neighbors. All of us were shocked by what happened, but not broken by it. We decided to fight.
In a small huddle on my porch, it was decided  that a march and community meeting were in order. Never again would any entity be able to just roll through the ‘hood and cut people off of water. Community resistance hubs would be created all over the city. We had five days to plan. This was a massive undertaking of creating flyers, doing door-to-door community outreach, finding food, and securing childcare for my children so I could organize. Nobody slept.
One hundred community members and activists took to the streets to demand an end to the water shutoffs! In a powerful united voice we chanted, “Water is a human right: by any means necessary, we will fight! We ate an amazing meal provided by Wobbly Kitchen, Detroit, and talked about the next steps to demand the Water Affordability Act. We told our stories of struggle and talked about affirming our own power. We affirmed that the power was in this room — it was never in Detroit’s unelected Emergency Manager’s hands. This is what love looks like.
Contact Detroit Coalition against Tar Sands for more information at 313-704-5150.