City of Detroit to shut off water to 17,000 more homes

Latest

On Martin Luther King Day, Detroit Jews for Justice protests the water shutoffs in Detroit to tens of thousands of low income people.
PHOTO/VALERIE JEAN

 
Editor’s note: The comments below are from Detroit water warriors about the massive, ongoing water shutoffs in their city. They say in a few years, a third of our country will not be able to afford their water bills.
I’m Maureen Taylor with the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization (MWRO). The city of Detroit has announced the next round of water shutoffs. Seventeen thousand separate addresses are slated to have water shut off at their homes, and we have one word for that: Scandalous!
I’m Tijuana Morris, also with the MWRO. The charge or fees that administrators for the water department make are six digits, far above the average poor person. Its just not justified.
I’m Marian Kramer and I’m part of the MWRO and the Poor People’s Campaign. This is exactly what the poor people are out there doing. That is, to organize to eliminate poverty. And water is part of it. Water is gold. Water should not be privatized. It should be for the public
I’m Sylvia Orduno, with the MWRO and the People’s Water Board. The things we are talking about today, even though very drastic for Detroit residents, is happening at the state and national level, we just don’t hear much about it. In Detroit, we’ve been experiencing these types of shuts offs for at least the past 20 years. We’ve been trying to stop it with demands that there be a Water Affordability Plan based on low income, but we’re not getting the traction we need. But we know this is a growing national problem. Forecasts are that in the next few years, a third of the country will not be able to afford their water bills.
WATER IS A HUMAN RIGHT!

PT Logo collage
+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Pushing People into a Really Bad System Will End Really Badly

President Trump's executive order fuses drug use and homelessness, ignoring that homelessness can cause or exacerbate substance use because people use drugs to cope with pain. Forced institutional settings rather than housing will not help the ill or unhoused.

Chicago Resistance Speaks: ‘Until All Are Free, None Are Free’

An uprising is growing as the government tries to impose a dictatorship. Chicago resistance leaders recently offered their thoughts in public remarks made at demonstrations and press conferences.

Los Angeles Continues to Rebuild and Resist

Angelinos, suffering from the profit over people economy, continue to rebuild after the fires and to protest immigration raids, while also experiencing joy in such difficult times.

Chicago Teachers Union Says: Trump, Stay Out of Our City

Chicago Teachers Union rejects any unlawful federal occupation of their city, while welcoming federal leadership that fully funds public education, restores SNAP, and expands Medicaid to healthcare for all.

Journalist Says Why ‘I Can No Longer Work With Reuters’

A photojournalist says why it is impossible for her to maintain a relationship with Reuters "given its role in justifying and enabling the systematic assassination of 245 journalists in Gaza."

More from the People's Tribune