Academy Award-winning director and Flint resident Michael Moore is letting the world know just how bad the water crisis is in his town, and it’s far worse than anyone could have imagined.
According to the 10 point Op-Ed posted on the director’s website, Governor Snyder was not only aware of the issue prior to any real damage being done, he assigned the General Motors plant the only connection to clean water in the city.
“A few months after Gov. Snyder removed Flint from the clean fresh water we had been drinking for decades, the brass from General Motors went to him and complained that the Flint River water was causing their car parts to corrode when being washed on the assembly line,” Moore wrote. “The governor was appalled to hear that GM property was being damaged, so he jumped through a number of hoops and quietly spent $440,000 to hook GM back up to the Lake Huron water, while keeping the rest of Flint on the Flint River water.”
In addition, Moore also claims that lead poisoning isn’t the only disease Flint residents are facing. According to reports, citizens are being exposed to Legionnaires disease which has possibly already killed 10 people in the area.
“The number of cases in Flint of Legionnaires Disease has increased tenfold since the switch to the river water,” Moore continued. “Eighty-seven people have come down with it, and at least 10 have died. In the five years before the river water, not a single person in Flint had died of Legionnaires Disease. Doctors are now discovering that another half-dozen toxins are being found in the blood of Flint’s citizens, causing concern that there are other health catastrophes which may soon come to light.”
The most shocking fact Moore revealed is residents not only have to deal with poisonous water, but also bombs. The airstrike practice, which was also green lit by Gov. Snyder and the Pentagon to utilize the dilapidated neighborhood, “used Flint for target practice. Literally.”
“Actual unannounced military exercises- – complete with live ammo and explosives — were conducted last year inside the city of Flint. The army decided to practice urban warfare on Flint, making use of the thousands of abandoned homes which they could drop bombs on. Streets with dilapidated homes had rocket-propelled grenades fired upon them. For weeks, an undisclosed number of army troops pretended Flint was Baghdad or Damascus and basically had at it. It sounded as if the city was under attack from an invading army or from terrorists. People were shocked this could be going on in their neighborhoods.”
A petition calling for the imprisonment of Governor Rick Snyder is well underway and has garnered more than 569,000 signatures.
Today [Monday, February 1] a rally was held discussing the water and overall conditions of Flint. Russell Simmons, Pastor Jamaal Bryant and many others gathered at First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church to speak about the outrage many Americans are expressing in regards to the despicable conditions they are being subjected to.
Russell Simmons stated today that efforts wouldn’t stop until new pipes are built.
“I spoke from my heart and told the people that we would not stop until new pipes are built, the poisoned kids are given real nutrition to reduce the risk of sickness later in life and the governor is arrested.”
Prior to today’s rally, Simmons spent the last few days talking to Flint residents and providing clean water. To his surprise, many residents stated the water filters they received did not work.
To read Michael Moore’s op-ed in its entirety and sign the petition, click here.
