Flint residents en route to Washington: 'We want results' amid water crisis

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Flint residents en route to Washington: 'We want results' amid water crisis

Activists voice hope as they travel from Michigan to address lawmakers: ‘For the
first time, I felt like I could say: “Somebody’s doing something”’

Ryan Felton on a bus from Flint to Washington
Saturday 6 February 2016 15.03 GMT

Jessica Owens carried a baby bottle in her hand filled with water from her faucet, the bottom lined with a grainy substance of some sort. She had been carrying the bottle since October, when state officials conceded that Flint’s water supply had potentially poisoned thousands of residents with lead. And she planned to bring it to the first congressional hearing on the city’s water crisis.

“We carry these because this is what they’ve offered to our children,” Owens said on the bus that would take her on a marathon 24-hour round trip to Washington DC to face members of Congress. In all, four buses carrying more than 100 people traveled the 1,150 miles from Flint, Michigan to Washington and back, carrying parents, hourly workers who skipped work, and even children who were ready to do whatever it takes to capitalize on the national momentum surrounding Flint and do whatever it takes to make their water safe again.

“We speak with a voice, and we will be heard,” said Owens, a fixture at protests in Flint and mother of an 8-year-old. “I think it’s really important for every single person to come out, whether they’re from Flint, or for support, because … our infrastructure is crumbling. And if it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.”

For months, activists protested and complained about a foul-smelling and tasting water supply that left many with physical symptoms, only to receive dismissive shrugs from officials.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/06/flint-water-supply-crisis-michigan-bus-washington-congress

[SoLeftIAmRight]

1. Why Washington?

Storm the State House and the Governor's House in Michigan.

[riversedge]

2. There was a Congressional hearing but in my opine--it was useless

....The organizer smiled and added: “I’m sure everyone got the best night’s sleep.”
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The congressional hearing drew so much attention that an additional two overflow rooms were set up to accommodate the influx of attendees. While the meeting was underway, one busload of residents marched down Independence Avenue, chanting “Flint lives matter” and “arrest Governor Snyder”. Guards outside the hearing room at times had difficulty keeping the hallway clear, as a swarm of activists piled in.

In the main chamber, members of Congress blasted state officials for their delayed response, with the committee chairman saying this sort of crisis “isn’t meant to happen” in the US.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

3. yes the establishment said - fuck off

join the revolution

[riversedge]

4. It was run by Repubs.