This Tuesday’s seminar had a tremendous effect of me. Two women from Food and Water Watch come and speak to the group. Before seminar, I thought that I had a decent idea of what Detroit was going through in terms of water shut offs and all… but boy was I in for a surprise. The water situation in Detroit is OUTRAGEOUS. The women explained how Southwest Michigan’s water and sewage system targets Detroiters with extremely high bills and no functioning water affordability plans in place. As a result, Detroiters who can’t afford their bills simply don’t pay them, and they’re water is getting shut off. Water is a necessity, and water shut-offs are a slippery slope to serous illness and extreme poverty. The Food and Water Watch has tried to address this problem in various ways, but the local, state and national government is not doing enough. The United Nations had to come to Detroit to see what was happening and condemned the U.S. for not fixing this problem.
I first heard about the Detroit water issue when the United Nations released their report. It was a few years back, and I remember thinking how terrible that such a thing could happen in this country. As described by the women who spoke to us, “It was the shot heard around the world.” Still, not enough has been done to fix the water shut offs, and it is very disheartening to see how police respond quicker to these water issues than to shootings.
Today, we saw signs around our building that tomorrow our water will be shut off for most of the day (7 am – 5 pm). All of us are clearly upset about this and can’t imagine how we are going to survive the day. I kind of feel like this is some kind of message from a higher power; trying to experience the daily struggles that some people face in this city. I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow; to brush my teeth, to shower, to clean dishes, to cook, for drinking water! The timing couldn’t be perfect for this. I think that I am being humbled throughout my experience in Detroit this summer. I am reminded of how much I take for granted and the privileges that I have been given in my life. I really want to help equalize this disparity throughout my life. 🙂
