I couldn't be more proud of Davison student broadcasters for getting out in front of this story, taking the time to tell it thoroughly, using highly professional editing, and exemplifying what journalism is supposed to be about: informing the public. Congratulations on being selected for the 2016 Ecologos Film Festival's 2016 Water Docs Festival in Toronto along with other well earned attention this story has earned DTV!
I live in Flint... this is so informative for those not living here, thanks for including the history and chain of events in chronological order that illustrates what the citizens of Flint must now live with!
Jennifer here. I have seen all those bottles of water off those skids and even I do not have one iota of convincing that Flint's water is safe. Even now it's STILL UNSAFE! Besides, why did ANYONE much less the City of Flint make the switch in the first place? Just one teeny tiny look at that gauge at Flint's water plant and my heart fell to my feet. It was too much for me at that point when those bastards turned that gauge on.
Dr. Attisha, and the true help Flint, Michigan is receiving I thank you. All of our children are effected now. The damage is irreversible to our children, nothing is going to be done to change this tragedy in the years to come, so we must UNITE together people to fix our problem.
This situation is the responsibility of the government. It's truly indicative of how little importance the government is placing on the well-being of the poor and lower classes.
As a parent of one of the students involved in DTV I am very proud of the job all the students did on this documentary. It's great to see top notch student reporting on such an important issue.
I'm so proud of DTV for doing this. This is right in our backyards and a lot of us have friends in flint that use flint water, this is a very serious thing for us. It's one thing to read and hear about it in the news, its even worse when its your friends and family who drink this murky water.
Good work DTV!! Very informative and well put together. I hope you will continue to follow this catastophe and produce an update after there are some real measures taken to correct the situation. Hopefully, that will happen while you are still high school students!!
I grew up in Flint, and went to Freeman for K-5th grade. It's been about 10 years since I've been back, but I still have many friends that live there and are raising their children there. This breaks my heart and makes me angry that this problem and Flint citizens can be ignored for so long. We can bring clean drinking water and an internet connection to people who live in mud huts in 3rd world countries, but neglect our own. It's a shame... a sad, sad, sad shame. We need to get our priorities straight. Smh. :-(
EXCELLENT journalism on this video DTV News. This video should be considered "the" source on this matter currently...then I learned that you're students. Double EXCELLENT.
With the technology that we have today, absolutely no one should have to go without clean water. Great job on the video DTV, you guys done really good. Our prayers are with all you all in Flint that your water situation is taken care of soon. We are hoping for the best outcome from here in southeast Kentucky.
Great video. These are the types of issues that should flood mainstream media. Everyone needs to flood the Attorney General's website requesting further investigation and criminal action be taken. This is horrible and very saddening to know that this has happened in any state in the U.S.
Once again, a government official in this video utters a direct lie that the City of Detroit cut Flint off from Detroit water. In fact, the Emergency Manager of Flint sent a letter to the Detroit Department of Water terminating the supply of Detroit water.
Bob Rolander The "mind" is a construct rooted in the material of the brain. Materialism doesn't at all deny the value of human beings; on the contrary it rejects ideological constructs which deny human beings the material abundance possible in the world through rational organization of material productive forces.
+Bock Turner I do believe reports state that the municipal water dept. operated their facility using the DEQ's guide line. Also, ultimately the state DEQ is regulated at the federal level. So shouldn't the Feds be indicted too?
Awesome reporting by students! Thank you all for the tons of info you gathered. I would charge your Governor for allowing this to happen and for allowing it to go on for so long! He needs to sit in jail for as long as these people have had to put up with the problems from start to finish.
As Usual, DTV knocks it out of the park! WELL DONE students of AMAZING TEACHER/MENTOR, Randy! This is why DTV is the benchmark for High School Broadcasting! We are hot on your tail guys!! Mr. N GBHTV
Come on guys. You don't honestly believe they didn't know what they were doing - do you? Do you think they were drinking the water? Or the people they care about?
U guys did an awesome job on this short film-its very informative. Filled with fact we're not getting from the main media~ I look forward 2 u'r next expose : )
This Is horrific!. It seems to be a deliberate, systematic effort to depopulate the area for some other plan to enable corporate enrichment- maybe the sale of the land to begin a fracking ?
+MrSlicer2424 I don't know why the other repliers think snap on water filters don't filter lead, but they are wrong. However, the effectiveness of different water filters at removing lead varies. If you want to know if your purifier is certified for lead reduction, see info.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU/
DTV News, - Recognized by Michigan Association of Broadcasters...Watch and see why. (Davison High in Davison, MI a suburb of Flint) Thanks to all the students.
TIck Tick Tick water lines are a ticking time bomb throughout the country. This crisis should have never happened the water lines should have been changed out over the 50 years that we have known they were dangers to people. This switch just opened up the hornets’ nest and proved that people need to wake up and demand that ALL CITIES need to DEMAND their water lines be replaced along with you need to review the lines to your home that are your responsibility and the lines in your home.
+OffReich 1 In this case, however, the problem was made far worse by the actions of the state government. The mayor etc had all their power to decide things like where the city gets its water removed by the state government. The state then forced the city to change water supplies to one that would cause lead to leach out of the pipes. It is the lack of action plus action that made the problem seen in Flint. Money was put above the health of the citizens. Let a few minor drug offenders go and put those who made this decision into those cells.
+Pandora Wallace I see a ticking time bomb too. Plumbing in all homes over 50 years old will likely need to be inspected and replaced and this event will set the precedent. How will this effect home sales now that the prime interest rate has been increased as well? When people lose their homes, they will not be able to be resold without updated plumbing. Who will do this? The buyer or some contractor for the bank owned properties? Probably neither. The homes will sit empty. The banks will need bailouts and taxpayers will foot the bill AGAIN. I'm just speculating based off of your comment in which you pose valid points. Thank you.
jessie SX In most cases, the lead doesn't leach into the water. If the pipes scale up with lime, the lead isn't coming out of the metal. If the water is acid, the lead does come out.
When you guys asked the old mayor if he drinks Flint water he says " oh yes, me and my family drink it", he was lien, he know good darn and well he was not still drinking Flint water. I thought that was funny.
+Fred Tarasevicius~ Yes I read they were/are billed $90 to $150 a month for this putried water, many have shut off notices, have been told it is safe to bath in etc.. many children have been getting increasingly sick-tested positive for high levels of lead in their system. After a Federal EPA Investigation started a few days ago, the State officials began helping Genesee County-Flint by bringing in bottled water to drink, declared the situation an Emergency.. :(
+Fred Tarasevicius Yes YES, can you believe it? City of Flint still wants my $150.00 per month even though we do not use it, cannot use it, will not use it to even give to my dogs or to my garden. City and state governments have provided cheap, ineffective temporary water filters. The FREE water we use, is given to use by various water give-aways at area churches and county appointed locations. Large amounts of clean drinking water are donated by generous, private individuals and NOW by the government. I asked why should we have to pay for water we do NOT use, no answers, just a warning: If you do not pay, you are shut off and then your home is technically considered an uninhabitable and are not allowed to live there according to Genesee Health Code laws. Now, aint that about a bish?? SMDH!! So sick from all of this, I hate that so many people are sick and dying, Flints dear children, who had the misfortune of drinking/bathing in it~~the damage is extensive (Lead Poisoning) and it is PERMANENT!!! FYI, Never Ever ,TRUST your so called government officials. We were straight up lied to, from the top #GOVERNORSNYDER right on down to Flint City Officials~~An investigation is now underway. Big Deal, teflon political figures will not be implicated, instead some poor S.O.B. will have to take the fall. Payed off most likely, by those with large checkbooks and small, tiny, rotted, and cold hearts. Last one out of Flint, please, hit the lights. I am a lifelong resident, born here, raised my family here and I thought I would surely die here, of natural causes. If I don't leave now, that last part will not be of my choosing. Heartbroken in Flint, Michigan. Kim M.
jusrayne Thanks for your kind words. I just came from the Fire Station near my home so I could get some water, They allow 1 case per day. My family uses that before afternoon is up, lol, I tellem' "you gotta slow down on that" because no one is sure how long it will last (Supplies) and they did give us a new filter for our faucet, a newer model that really works. I appreciate Flint is trying to help, but there are so many other issues that need addressing, I pray they can get to these vitally important issues before anyone else dies. Just incredibly sad and worrysome. I hope you jusrayne have a great day!! :) Kim M.
This is a very professional documentary about very troubling facts in regard to primary means of the people like in this case water. You people need to spread this and refer to not just this video, also connect it to some webpage to it offering hard paperfacts and links to hard paperfacts. Then make sure addresses get out via flyers, facebook, local newsagencies, actvist groups, as much as possible. Thank you DTV, for offering us very responsible and thoroughly covered news, this is quality journalism as journalism should be, to inform the people. Keep it going, high five and good luck!-)
That third student, the one who interviews the mayor has an AMAZING reporter voice. At first I thought they were using professional footage until they showed his face. Wow. These kids are all great, but he seems destined for TV or radio.
Great video, very well produced and lots of info. I would correct the description though: "Families in Flint have been suffering for months without the necessity of clean water." Families have not been suffering without the necessity of clean water: On the contrary- they have been suffering WITH the necessity of clean water.
its sad you know ... my childhood home has become something from mad max i moved out 7 years ago . im thankful that i have family that helped me move out of state . yet i still feel sad because i will never move there ever again . but ill stay a few days cause i still have close friends that live there and have hopes they will move soon .
My Name is Stephen Merritt. We are driving thousands of bottles of water to Flint Michigan this Saturday. Where can we deliver the water to the people?
Words cannot express how pissed off I Am Why is Flint the only city in the US not to have a corrosive water pipe plan? My heart felt prayers and tears go out the families and their children's health in Flint Mi Godspeed heal this government blunder we need a miracle....Amen
Now my question is with all this extra bottled water in Flint, where's all the plastic going to be dumped at once all the bottles are empty? I hope Flint recycles because if all those extra water bottles end up in the city dump, that's going to suck as well.
+Abonanno24601 *"Fun" fact: last week scientists have shown that the OCEANS NOW HAVE JUST AS MUCH PLASTIC AS FISH.* Next year there will be MORE plastic than fish in the oceans. But sure let's keep ignoring how futile and fatal capitalism is.
Thank you for such an informative report (I think its the most thorough one on RUclips regarding this crisis (I especially appreciated the timeline and rationale for decisions made). I was born and raised about half an hour from Flint (Saginaw, another city that was once thriving and is now in ruins). I am certain that the people making the decisions just didn't care about the people of that community and that is such a shame. Also, I GUARANTEE that someone higher up (one or more of the key decision makers) has a bunch of stock in the private water companies and they are personally BENEFITTING from this disaster! Also, another guarantee: whomever made the "cost saving" decision received some kind of financial reward for "saving the city money" in the short term (greed is usually a motive in most of these sick decisions. By the time the s**t hits the fan that person is long gone and P A I D).
I'm from the government and I'm here to help. Why you don't want big government, because most of us can't elect the best candidate. We vote for the ones who promise to do the most for us, which is the person who is going to do the most to us.
Detroit water offered to lower their price to match them. I believe they only wanted to privatize the water utility so they had to force the change to force the sale. I would like to know if hydro fracking chemicals could cause any of these changes. Especially since wall street just divested their oil stocks and have been massively investing in fresh water. Could they be moving the market because they know the toxic level our environment is going to reach?
Such a sad state in 2016 that this is what some Americans are having to deal with. A great story but with a sad ending, the damage has already been done. All the best to the families of Flint.
Well people, I gotta tell ya, nobody here buys a house with lead pipes, or at least deals are made where they get replaced immediately. Most everybody knows it is a bad thing to have in your house, no matter the water source. So this is an issue with the owners as well. Just like aluminum wiring. Why does it cost $8 for 5gal of water? You pay more for water than gasoline down there?! And why did they lie if they spent 3 million dollars to fix an issue but got nowhere? You can buy an RO system for the city for that. Very weird situation that.
you got the switch wrong -- DWSD wanted to continue to provide water to Flint, and the EM chose to not use Detroit water... it wasn't that they got kicked off and had to find a new source for their water.
I am a master plumber in Mi and have been to Flint several times. The sad thing is most these people on here are pretty poor and now have an excuse to blame someone when the truth is the piping in most these houses they live is where a lot of lead is being leached into the system. Also most of these houses have lead paint and old windows that have a lot of lead but they wont pay to have that removed. I'm not saying that they shouldn't fix the problem and there is blame to go around but Flint people started this by first they stopped paying their water bills because Detroit was charging too much so Flint acted to help but this backfired obviously and all along still no revenue coming in because people were not paying at this point rightfully so. Its a bad cycle that even a big portion of people living in Flint contributed too but now want everyone in MI to pay to fix. All copper piping before only a few years ago in the whole country has lead being used to solder it. Stop blowing it up like all the city pipes are all lead. This should have been a local issue but because Flint ran out of money the Gov had to step in and now people like Hillary Clinton tries to use it to get votes. Sad Sad Sad. Get it fixed and move on. Good luck Flint I hope all the best. Pay your taxes and bills and maybe things will be upgraded. This is why the "rich neighborhoods" don't have these issue because people pay into the system, simple as that. Its not like anyone is trying to pick on poor people.
I really hope people stop taking drinking water for granted now. I'm a water researcher in Ontario, and I constantly get waved off when I tell about my research. Especially when I have to tell about sewage.
it is a shame that the public just waves off critical issues so could I ask a question do you think the water supply will run out eventually with all that is happening in the world?
Mya J Honestly, I'm more concerned about how dirty our water's getting than the amount of drinking water we have left. There's a lot of drinking water sources, but our sewage and manure's making it really dirty.
im not far from flint and what i will say is this disgusting crisis was caused because the selfserving government wanted to save money. I speak as a person who has been a victim of lead poisoning It happened when I was 5 years old the speech center of my brain stopped growing while other parts continued to grow so i had speech problems and later anxiety disorder. if it could happen to me it could happen to anyone my prayers go out to the folks sending water and supplies America needs to get its shit togather. were a 2nd world Cronie Capitalist bubble
the emergency manager is doing a bad job.... divert funds from other resources that are not a human necessity. If the population is not healthy, the situation will NEVER turn around.
+Andrew Wong It's going to take BILLIONS of federal funds now. Because they have corroded pipes thanks to the untreated river water that made it's way though the pipes for a year. Even though they have since switched back to Lake Huron water the pipes are already damaged beyond repair and are still leaking large amounts of lead today. So now they will have to replace ALL of the city pipes home and commercial building pipes. That is extremely expensive. Much more expensive than the cost of renting water from Detroit and then there is the compensation due to all the children and adults who have life long brain damage and other illnesses as a result. It is a mess!
We got manufacturing jobs, toxins from manufacture were poured everyplace, everything got contaminated. Jobs moved elsewhere, contamination remained. This is classic human short-termism. ETA: the lead wasn't coming from the rivers, it was in the pipes, which were corroded because Cheap Flint decided not to obey the law and treat the water to reduce corrosion.
I too live in Michigan White Lake In a red zone were they test the water ever 6 months They say the say its ok to drink but it eats pipes and fixtures? The township knows about this and does nothing about it. In a meeting with Mike Kowall he said he would look into it. That was years ago and now he is a Senator. Still living in a red zone. The state will not help at all please help us Thanks,
The state government should plead for help via multi stage water filtration systems given to affected customers for free. Lead can be reduced, if the PROPER filter types and mediums are used...I dont get how it can be such a huge issue in $$ for our government to assist with this.
Hey kids, I've been doing video since your parents were in diapers. May I offer my compliments. No it's not Frontline, there are some technical issues (color correction , audio etc ) and other nitpicks but I would be an ass pointing them out. You guys did an incredible and lucid report. Nice graphics, b-roll, good shot composition, and more. If I was your teacher you'd all get A+ grades.
There are so many long-term dangers to consumption of bottled water. My hope is that there is an increase of donation of filtration systems instead and an overhaul in infrastructure.
tell the entire truth about the Detroit contract if you were paying your bills like you should have been paying them to Detroit there would have been no termination of any contract. THE Residents of Flint we're paying their water bills 20xs over, now how come during that time the person who was in charge of paying the city bill was not paid in Detroit like they should have been getting paid?
Detroit didn't cancel their contract! In fact they offered them a discounted price! It is all about fracking! You can't use water with fluoride in it for fracking and the flint river water had no fluoride in it...see the connection ?
I have two questions: 1) What is the definition of clean and safe drinking water? (In other words, what are the limits of metals, bacteria, etc.?) and 2) Do we as Americans consider it a right for all citizens to have clean water piped to our kitchen sinks? (Or do we consider it a privilege based on local geography?) I ask because there are people out in the country who aren't connected to city water and sanitation infrastructure at all.
I couldn't be more proud of Davison student broadcasters for getting out in front of this story, taking the time to tell it thoroughly, using highly professional editing, and exemplifying what journalism is supposed to be about: informing the public. Congratulations on being selected for the 2016 Ecologos Film Festival's 2016 Water Docs Festival in Toronto along with other well earned attention this story has earned DTV!
Not only is this the better journalism than all the Detroit media outlets, it's leaps and bounds better. Thank you for sharing this story with us.
I agree
I watch Detroit news for fun
Michael Moore sent me here! Excellent reporting by these students. Really, very well done!
its been so long since ive seen any actual journalism .. good job!
I live in Flint... this is so informative for those not living here, thanks for including the history and chain of events in chronological order that illustrates what the citizens of Flint must now live with!
Jennifer here. I have seen all those bottles of water off those skids and even I do not have one iota of convincing that Flint's water is safe. Even now it's STILL UNSAFE! Besides, why did ANYONE much less the City of Flint make the switch in the first place? Just one teeny tiny look at that gauge at Flint's water plant and my heart fell to my feet. It was too much for me at that point when those bastards turned that gauge on.
Dr. Attisha, and the true help Flint, Michigan is receiving I thank you. All of our children are effected now. The damage is irreversible to our children, nothing is going to be done to change this tragedy in the years to come, so we must UNITE together people to fix our problem.
This situation is the responsibility of the government. It's truly indicative of how little importance the government is placing on the well-being of the poor and lower classes.
So proud to be a part of this group.
As a parent of one of the students involved in DTV I am very proud of the job all the students did on this documentary. It's great to see top notch student reporting on such an important issue.
4 years later, nothing has changed
Nice job. Such a sad story. Clearly the future of Flint is in better hands than the present.
I'm so proud of DTV for doing this. This is right in our backyards and a lot of us have friends in flint that use flint water, this is a very serious thing for us. It's one thing to read and hear about it in the news, its even worse when its your friends and family who drink this murky water.
Good work DTV!! Very informative and well put together. I hope you will continue to follow this catastophe and produce an update after there are some real measures taken to correct the situation. Hopefully, that will happen while you are still high school students!!
I grew up in Flint, and went to Freeman for K-5th grade. It's been about 10 years since I've been back, but I still have many friends that live there and are raising their children there. This breaks my heart and makes me angry that this problem and Flint citizens can be ignored for so long. We can bring clean drinking water and an internet connection to people who live in mud huts in 3rd world countries, but neglect our own. It's a shame... a sad, sad, sad shame. We need to get our priorities straight. Smh. :-(
EXCELLENT journalism on this video DTV News. This video should be considered "the" source on this matter currently...then I learned that you're students. Double EXCELLENT.
With the technology that we have today, absolutely no one should have to go without clean water. Great job on the video DTV, you guys done really good. Our prayers are with all you all in Flint that your water situation is taken care of soon. We are hoping for the best outcome from here in southeast Kentucky.
life in jail for those in charge.
Great video. These are the types of issues that should flood mainstream media. Everyone needs to flood the Attorney General's website requesting further investigation and criminal action be taken. This is horrible and very saddening to know that this has happened in any state in the U.S.
Thank you for the info broadcast
Shared to Google+
Great work on this story DTV.
Once again, a government official in this video utters a direct lie that the City of Detroit cut Flint off from Detroit water. In fact, the Emergency Manager of Flint sent a letter to the Detroit Department of Water terminating the supply of Detroit water.
+LTrotsky 21st Century *Once again: Materialism fails.*
Bob Rolander Materialism - yes I don't think you actually know what that term means.
+LTrotsky 21st Century The Emergency Manager should be held accountable!
*****
Combating racism by becoming racist is stupid.
Bob Rolander The "mind" is a construct rooted in the material of the brain. Materialism doesn't at all deny the value of human beings; on the contrary it rejects ideological constructs which deny human beings the material abundance possible in the world through rational organization of material productive forces.
My heart goes out to you Flint Michigan. Thank you Michael Moore for tweeting this excellent Flint high school produced news program! #ArrestGovSnyder
Great coverage, very informative, will be praying for these people. Thanks for sharing!
I am glad they managed to finish the documentary before the lead had irreversibly damaged their film-making skills.
Excellent reporting students!!!
I want all who took part in this water incident in govt to be REPLACED.
*arrested
How about indicted
+Bock Turner I do believe reports state that the municipal water dept. operated their facility using the DEQ's guide line. Also, ultimately the state DEQ is regulated at the federal level. So shouldn't the Feds be indicted too?
+Bock Turner **prosecuted.*
+Codeinefiend Yes
These news anchors are priceless. Matthew Smith's hand gestures sold the story.
Great job guys. Good sound. Great editing and a lot of useful information. Looking forward to more from Flynt.
Very informative. Thank you.
great reporting. thanks.
This is going to be a historic piece. Good job guys.
Awesome reporting by students! Thank you all for the tons of info you gathered. I would charge your Governor for allowing this to happen and for allowing it to go on for so long! He needs to sit in jail for as long as these people have had to put up with the problems from start to finish.
As Usual, DTV knocks it out of the park! WELL DONE students of AMAZING TEACHER/MENTOR, Randy!
This is why DTV is the benchmark for High School Broadcasting!
We are hot on your tail guys!!
Mr. N
GBHTV
Come on guys. You don't honestly believe they didn't know what they were doing - do you? Do you think they were drinking the water? Or the people they care about?
U guys did an awesome job on this short film-its very informative. Filled with fact we're not getting from the main media~
I look forward 2 u'r next expose : )
Mr. Mayor, the residents of Flint are not customers...they're fellow citizens. This is why you can't run a government like a business.
Great report on a horrific story.
Congratulations to DTV students on an excellent report. Proud to be a former Cardinal staff member.
This Is horrific!. It seems to be a deliberate, systematic effort to depopulate the area for some other plan to enable corporate enrichment- maybe the sale of the land to begin a fracking ?
Good report, nice work
Do the snap on water filters really work for lead?
no
+MrSlicer2424 I don't know why the other repliers think snap on water filters don't filter lead, but they are wrong. However, the effectiveness of different water filters at removing lead varies. If you want to know if your purifier is certified for lead reduction, see info.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU/
This is excellent. Kudos to those students, future documentarians and journalists for sure.
Great doc and info!
DTV News, - Recognized by Michigan Association of Broadcasters...Watch and see why. (Davison High in Davison, MI a suburb of Flint) Thanks to all the students.
TIck Tick Tick water lines are a ticking time bomb throughout the country. This crisis should have never happened the water lines should have been changed out over the 50 years that we have known they were dangers to people. This switch just opened up the hornets’ nest and proved that people need to wake up and demand that ALL CITIES need to DEMAND their water lines be replaced along with you need to review the lines to your home that are your responsibility and the lines in your home.
America infracstructure need to be upgrade Congress won t pass the bill .
+OffReich 1 In this case, however, the problem was made far worse by the actions of the state government. The mayor etc had all their power to decide things like where the city gets its water removed by the state government. The state then forced the city to change water supplies to one that would cause lead to leach out of the pipes. It is the lack of action plus action that made the problem seen in Flint. Money was put above the health of the citizens. Let a few minor drug offenders go and put those who made this decision into those cells.
+Pandora Wallace
I see a ticking time bomb too. Plumbing in all homes over 50 years old will likely need to be inspected and replaced and this event will set the precedent. How will this effect home sales now that the prime interest rate has been increased as well? When people lose their homes, they will not be able to be resold without updated plumbing. Who will do this? The buyer or some contractor for the bank owned properties? Probably neither. The homes will sit empty. The banks will need bailouts and taxpayers will foot the bill AGAIN.
I'm just speculating based off of your comment in which you pose valid points. Thank you.
jessie SX
In most cases, the lead doesn't leach into the water. If the pipes scale up with lime, the lead isn't coming out of the metal. If the water is acid, the lead does come out.
+Pandora Wallace This is going on in Louisiana too
facebook.com/NowThisNews/videos/1127665920576907/
Liar he dont drink the water!
When you guys asked the old mayor if he drinks Flint water he says " oh yes, me and my family drink it", he was lien, he know good darn and well he was not still drinking Flint water. I thought that was funny.
I thought the same thing! He knows he isn't drinking that water!!!!!!
+mrsladi83 Exactly and probably doesn't even live in Flint.
Great job, good info.
Did people actually get billed for this yellow water or did the city just admit its mistake and not require payment? OMG
+Fred Tarasevicius~ Yes I read they were/are billed $90 to $150 a month for this putried water, many have shut off notices, have been told it is safe to bath in etc.. many children have been getting increasingly sick-tested positive for high levels of lead in their system. After a Federal EPA Investigation started a few days ago, the State officials began helping Genesee County-Flint by bringing in bottled water to drink, declared the situation an Emergency.. :(
+Fred Tarasevicius Yes YES, can you believe it? City of Flint still wants my $150.00 per month even though we do not use it, cannot use it, will not use it to even give to my dogs or to my garden. City and state governments have provided cheap, ineffective temporary water filters. The FREE water we use, is given to use by various water give-aways at area churches and county appointed locations. Large amounts of clean drinking water are donated by generous, private individuals and NOW by the government. I asked why should we have to pay for water we do NOT use, no answers, just a warning: If you do not pay, you are shut off and then your home is technically considered an uninhabitable and are not allowed to live there according to Genesee Health Code laws. Now, aint that about a bish?? SMDH!! So sick from all of this, I hate that so many people are sick and dying, Flints dear children, who had the misfortune of drinking/bathing in it~~the damage is extensive (Lead Poisoning) and it is PERMANENT!!! FYI, Never Ever ,TRUST your so called government officials. We were straight up lied to, from the top #GOVERNORSNYDER right on down to Flint City Officials~~An investigation is now underway. Big Deal, teflon political figures will not be implicated, instead some poor S.O.B. will have to take the fall. Payed off most likely, by those with large checkbooks and small, tiny, rotted, and cold hearts. Last one out of Flint, please, hit the lights. I am a lifelong resident, born here, raised my family here and I thought I would surely die here, of natural causes. If I don't leave now, that last part will not be of my choosing. Heartbroken in Flint, Michigan. Kim M.
+Kimberly Miller I'm so very sorry to hear your troubles
jusrayne Thanks for your kind words. I just came from the Fire Station near my home so I could get some water, They allow 1 case per day. My family uses that before afternoon is up, lol, I tellem' "you gotta slow down on that" because no one is sure how long it will last (Supplies) and they did give us a new filter for our faucet, a newer model that really works. I appreciate Flint is trying to help, but there are so many other issues that need addressing, I pray they can get to these vitally important issues before anyone else dies. Just incredibly sad and worrysome. I hope you jusrayne have a great day!! :) Kim M.
+Pamela Ross Gilbertson actually our water bills have been at $175 per month & yes we pay our bills.
This is a very professional documentary about very troubling facts in regard to primary means of the people like in this case water. You people need to spread this and refer to not just this video, also connect it to some webpage to it offering hard paperfacts and links to hard paperfacts. Then make sure addresses get out via flyers, facebook, local newsagencies, actvist groups, as much as possible.
Thank you DTV, for offering us very responsible and thoroughly covered news, this is quality journalism as journalism should be, to inform the people. Keep it going, high five and good luck!-)
Very well done.
Great Job DTV!
So this is how flint government is going to try and overpower people? For some reason this reminds me of hunger games!
That third student, the one who interviews the mayor has an AMAZING reporter voice. At first I thought they were using professional footage until they showed his face. Wow. These kids are all great, but he seems destined for TV or radio.
Great video, very well produced and lots of info.
I would correct the description though: "Families in Flint have been suffering for months without the necessity of clean water." Families have not been suffering without the necessity of clean water: On the contrary- they have been suffering WITH the necessity of clean water.
Why is the Flint River still polluted and what is in the water that is causing the corrosion?
its sad you know ... my childhood home has become something from mad max i moved out 7 years ago . im thankful that i have family that helped me move out of state . yet i still feel sad because i will never move there ever again . but ill stay a few days cause i still have close friends that live there and have hopes they will move soon .
My Name is Stephen Merritt. We are driving thousands of bottles of water to Flint Michigan this Saturday. Where can we deliver the water to the people?
Top of the line reporting, you guys could show the bigger news programs a thing or two.
Words cannot express how pissed off I Am Why is Flint the only city in the US not to have a corrosive water pipe plan? My heart felt prayers and tears go out the families and their children's health in Flint Mi Godspeed heal this government blunder we need a miracle....Amen
Now my question is with all this extra bottled water in Flint, where's all the plastic going to be dumped at once all the bottles are empty? I hope Flint recycles because if all those extra water bottles end up in the city dump, that's going to suck as well.
Half of it will probably end up in the lake and float down to Chicago
+Abonanno24601
*"Fun" fact: last week scientists have shown that the OCEANS NOW HAVE JUST AS MUCH PLASTIC AS FISH.*
Next year there will be MORE plastic than fish in the oceans. But sure let's keep ignoring how futile and fatal capitalism is.
:-(
Great job!
Good job! Excellent reporting...
Thank you for such an informative report (I think its the most thorough one on RUclips regarding this crisis (I especially appreciated the timeline and rationale for decisions made). I was born and raised about half an hour from Flint (Saginaw, another city that was once thriving and is now in ruins). I am certain that the people making the decisions just didn't care about the people of that community and that is such a shame. Also, I GUARANTEE that someone higher up (one or more of the key decision makers) has a bunch of stock in the private water companies and they are personally BENEFITTING from this disaster! Also, another guarantee: whomever made the "cost saving" decision received some kind of financial reward for "saving the city money" in the short term (greed is usually a motive in most of these sick decisions. By the time the s**t hits the fan that person is long gone and P A I D).
Do they have water yet
At 9:08 you can clearly see how bad the Flint River looks. May God forgive Carpentersville if it ever switches to the Fox River.
I wonder how many people in Flint are drinking the water anyways. Thinking oh, one glass, then one day, one week and then one month wont hurt.
Bernie Sanders Thanks you for the incredible coverage of the biggest crisis in America. #berniesamerica #berniesander
i love myself a good documentary
I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
Why you don't want big government, because most of us can't elect the best candidate. We vote for the ones who promise to do the most for us, which is the person who is going to do the most to us.
That's why the only thing I use city water for is to flush the toilet, shower and water the lawn. Everything else comes from Fiji
Reminds me of Chris Hedges, with talk of "Sacrifice Zones".
Detroit water offered to lower their price to match them. I believe they only wanted to privatize the water utility so they had to force the change to force the sale. I would like to know if hydro fracking chemicals could cause any of these changes. Especially since wall street just divested their oil stocks and have been massively investing in fresh water. Could they be moving the market because they know the toxic level our environment is going to reach?
Such a sad state in 2016 that this is what some Americans are having to deal with. A great story but with a sad ending, the damage has already been done. All the best to the families of Flint.
Great documentary! So glad to meet you guys at the Capitol last night.
Well people, I gotta tell ya, nobody here buys a house with lead pipes, or at least deals are made where they get replaced immediately. Most everybody knows it is a bad thing to have in your house, no matter the water source. So this is an issue with the owners as well. Just like aluminum wiring. Why does it cost $8 for 5gal of water? You pay more for water than gasoline down there?! And why did they lie if they spent 3 million dollars to fix an issue but got nowhere? You can buy an RO system for the city for that. Very weird situation that.
you got the switch wrong -- DWSD wanted to continue to provide water to Flint, and the EM chose to not use Detroit water... it wasn't that they got kicked off and had to find a new source for their water.
I am a master plumber in Mi and have been to Flint several times. The sad thing is most these people on here are pretty poor and now have an excuse to blame someone when the truth is the piping in most these houses they live is where a lot of lead is being leached into the system. Also most of these houses have lead paint and old windows that have a lot of lead but they wont pay to have that removed. I'm not saying that they shouldn't fix the problem and there is blame to go around but Flint people started this by first they stopped paying their water bills because Detroit was charging too much so Flint acted to help but this backfired obviously and all along still no revenue coming in because people were not paying at this point rightfully so. Its a bad cycle that even a big portion of people living in Flint contributed too but now want everyone in MI to pay to fix. All copper piping before only a few years ago in the whole country has lead being used to solder it. Stop blowing it up like all the city pipes are all lead. This should have been a local issue but because Flint ran out of money the Gov had to step in and now people like Hillary Clinton tries to use it to get votes. Sad Sad Sad. Get it fixed and move on. Good luck Flint I hope all the best. Pay your taxes and bills and maybe things will be upgraded. This is why the "rich neighborhoods" don't have these issue because people pay into the system, simple as that. Its not like anyone is trying to pick on poor people.
I really hope people stop taking drinking water for granted now. I'm a water researcher in Ontario, and I constantly get waved off when I tell about my research. Especially when I have to tell about sewage.
it is a shame that the public just waves off critical issues so could I ask a question do you think the water supply will run out eventually with all that is happening in the world?
Mya J Honestly, I'm more concerned about how dirty our water's getting than the amount of drinking water we have left. There's a lot of drinking water sources, but our sewage and manure's making it really dirty.
Good show
That news crew with the cubs symbol and with a 5 is my new cast
19:00... lead? That looks like PISS!
Great job.
im not far from flint and what i will say is this disgusting crisis was caused because the selfserving government wanted to save money.
I speak as a person who has been a victim of lead poisoning
It happened when I was 5 years old the speech center of my brain stopped growing while other parts continued to grow so i had speech problems and later anxiety disorder.
if it could happen to me it could happen to anyone my prayers go out to the folks sending water and supplies America needs to get its shit togather. were a 2nd world Cronie Capitalist bubble
the emergency manager is doing a bad job.... divert funds from other resources that are not a human necessity.
If the population is not healthy, the situation will NEVER turn around.
+Andrew Wong It's going to take BILLIONS of federal funds now. Because they have corroded pipes thanks to the untreated river water that made it's way though the pipes for a year. Even though they have since switched back to Lake Huron water the pipes are already damaged beyond repair and are still leaking large amounts of lead today. So now they will have to replace ALL of the city pipes home and commercial building pipes. That is extremely expensive. Much more expensive than the cost of renting water from Detroit and then there is the compensation due to all the children and adults who have life long brain damage and other illnesses as a result. It is a mess!
SuperAceuno1 WOW.... smh
Our waterways used to be clean, what happened?
We got manufacturing jobs, toxins from manufacture were poured everyplace, everything got contaminated. Jobs moved elsewhere, contamination remained. This is classic human short-termism. ETA: the lead wasn't coming from the rivers, it was in the pipes, which were corroded because Cheap Flint decided not to obey the law and treat the water to reduce corrosion.
Those Poor Third World Americans.
I too live in Michigan White Lake In a red zone were they test the water ever 6 months They say the say its ok to drink but it eats pipes and fixtures? The township knows about this and does nothing about it. In a meeting with Mike Kowall he said he would look into it. That was years ago and now he is a Senator. Still living in a red zone. The state will not help at all please help us
Thanks,
#johnsoncitylovesflint Join us in donating bottled water for Flint on Feb. 13
The state government should plead for help via multi stage water filtration systems given to affected customers for free.
Lead can be reduced, if the PROPER filter types and mediums are used...I dont get how it can be such a huge issue in $$ for our government to assist with this.
Best part at 24:03 - "Cream da cream: Lead, everybody!
But seriously, this story is so sad and enraging.
Good work intelligent young people.Thanks for the information. This is a national issue for all of America.Btw there is NO safe level of lead.
Hey kids, I've been doing video since your parents were in diapers. May I offer my compliments. No it's not Frontline, there are some technical issues (color correction , audio etc ) and other nitpicks but I would be an ass pointing them out. You guys did an incredible and lucid report. Nice graphics, b-roll, good shot composition, and more. If I was your teacher you'd all get A+ grades.
how could this happen in Flint, a city in USA? What's the root cause?
Kwame got 28 years ! Snyder also need to be lockup .
There are so many long-term dangers to consumption of bottled water. My hope is that there is an increase of donation of filtration systems instead and an overhaul in infrastructure.
tell the entire truth about the Detroit contract if you were paying your bills like you should have been paying them to Detroit there would have been no termination of any contract. THE Residents of Flint we're paying their water bills 20xs over, now how come during that time the person who was in charge of paying the city bill was not paid in Detroit like they should have been getting paid?
Detroit didn't cancel their contract! In fact they offered them a discounted price! It is all about fracking! You can't use water with fluoride in it for fracking and the flint river water had no fluoride in it...see the connection ?
I have two questions: 1) What is the definition of clean and safe drinking water? (In other words, what are the limits of metals, bacteria, etc.?) and 2) Do we as Americans consider it a right for all citizens to have clean water piped to our kitchen sinks? (Or do we consider it a privilege based on local geography?) I ask because there are people out in the country who aren't connected to city water and sanitation infrastructure at all.
JUST TERRIBLE! God help them....
The corporations that sell bottled water are thrilled!