FLINT, MI — Community voices react to the third time criminal charges have been dropped against seven defendants in the Flint water disaster. Charges were first dropped in 2019 by newly elected Attorney General Dana Nessel, claiming that former Special Prosecutor Todd Flood had “botched’ the case. In June, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the State could not use a one-man Grand Jury to indict the accused. Charges dismissed. This month the case was returned to Genesee County Circuit Court where Judge Elizabeth Kelly threw out the charges based on the higher court ruling.
The community is angry but not surprised at what feels like Groundhog Day as it relates to injustice for Flint. Here are a few responses:
Bishop Bernadel Jefferson: This is a slap in our face, a dog and animal’s life is valued more than a human being in Flint, MI. You can do anything to the people in Flint and there is no consequence, no accountability. The community won’t stop fighting for justice.
Melissa Mays: Do you blame Dana Nessel (Michigan Attorney General)? I do. I blame Dana Nessel because there was no reason to have fired Todd Flood (former Special Prosecutor) and his team. There’s no reason to not have worked or integrated his team with her team and have worked together . . . like the residents actually were asking her to do. Then maybe we wouldn’t be where we’re at . . . so we don’t even get our day in court, and we definitely don’t get to see Justice. Instead, here we are with nothing . . .
Vicki Marx: “I’m not really surprised that the charges were dropped. When [former Governor] Snyder appointed Judge Kelly to fill a vacant seat, I suspected she would pay him back. When she ran for election to the position, I tried to tell people that she was compromised, but as usual no one listened and here we are today . . . no one being held accountable.”
Fli-City Blackout FB: I got a problem with Kim Worthy (Wayne County Prosecutor) coming in this community trying to be the prosecutor over the water crisis. The thing is, I got a problem when you did a shame of a job with Kwame (Kilpatrick) and then you fumble the bag with Snyder!! You not going after him like you did with Kwame . . . We not going to vote for the same folks no more. Don’t come trying to run through the back door with all that nonsense when are we going to stop that stuff and still hold folks accountable, and raise up some new revolutionary leaders.
