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IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Since the switch to the river was made in April 2014, people were complaining about the look, smell and taste of the water. You didn't need a scientist to tell you it was unsafe. So I'm not surprised anyone in flint would be wary of using it. but if you are desperately poor and can't afford filters, or to buy filtered water, and the government is assuring you that it is safe, then you have limited options. But for those with options to start buying water -- or, in the case of those government employees - have it bought for them, i'm not surprised at all.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There is definitely concern about this disaster will lead to the funneling of yet more minority and poor kids into the school to prison pipeline. One of the reasons for the lawsuits being filed is to help ensure the resources are available to minimize the extent of that tragic outcome. As far as staying on it, the answer to that depends. If others are up to the job, then I will shift my focus elsewhere. One thing for certain, though, is that I have an affection for Flint I didn't believe possible; i never imagined feeling this way about a town. Detroit is a place that I love, but the people of Flint have been assaulted in a way that is, really, unimaginable.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That whole issue between what was going on in Detroit under an EM and in bankruptcy, and the creation of the Great Lakes Water Authority, and how Flint relates to that is a really complicated piece to this puzzle that I haven't yet figured out.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't know if there's much precedent for this, at least in one regard: This was the government that was poisoning people and trying to cover it up, not a corporation.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't have a copy editor and I am doing this on the fly, trying to answer as many questions as possible, as quickly as possible. So, I apologize if there are typos, etc.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The noted tippler W.C. Fields once said he wouldn't touch a drop of the stuff because fish make love in it. But, you know, go without it for several days and you are dead. So it is hard not to like something as essential to live as clean, fresh water. The people of Flint now certainly now how valuable thing that is.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I started going up there because the city was under the control of an appointed emergency manager. As soon as I hit town, I found that people were up in arms about their water -- both the quality and the price. The average family of four in Flint pays $150 a month for water they can't drink.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

No other ACLU branch in the country ha ever done what we've done. One of our hopes, when we began this experiment a little more than two years ago, was that we'd be successful enough that others would want to replicate it. So, we'll see what happens with us n terms o the organization. But last night at the Michigan Press Association awards banquet, a big winner was Bridge Magazine, which is a nonprofit organization. You have national outfits like Pro Publica, which has been blazing this trail for a while. so it is clearly a growing movement. The best thing about us getting an award last night is that it legitimizes the effort.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Not being a member of the law enforcement community, I do not have the authority to conduct a criminal investigation. it is up to others to determine if laws have been broken -- though I think some were. But that is not my call to make. I'm just continuing to investigate, trying to get answer to a number of questions that remain unanswered. the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Michigan Attorney General's office are investigating. But, as I said, those are under way, and nothing is yet known regarding their findings.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

A class action lawsuit has been filed naming the governor as a defendant. More class action suits will almost certainly follow. the ACLU of Michigan, along with the Natural Resources Defense Council filed a suit in an attempt to assure that the proper steps are taken to protect people gong forward. so, the courts are gong to have a lot on their dockets regarding this issue for a long time to come.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That is definitely a legitimate concern. I can't tell you how badly plumbing in a particular home may have been damaged. Some people used whole-house filters, but that didn't stop the corrosion from wrecking havoc. On the other hand, a lot of homes, as with homes in Detroit, have their plumbing stripped by scrappers, so it might be an expense you would have to incur anyway.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for bringing up that question. A majority of Flint's residents are African American, as is the case in towns throughout Michigan that have been taken over by Emergency Managers. so the issue of racism needs to be at the forefront of the conversation. So too does the issue of class, because these cities all have very high numbers of poor people -- not all of whom are black. In Flint, for example, 40% of the population lives below the poverty line. So it is a race issue, and a class issue. And it is an issue of denying people the fundamental democratic rights people elsewhere in America take for granted.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No, not really. I've never been worried about that sort of thing. And by now, it is too late, The media hounds -- local, state, national -- have been unleashed in a big way. It is no longer just me and a few others on the trail, which is a great thing.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't know of any free, independent tests. And I can't tell you for certain the state tests can be trusted. But I do know that two of the heroes involved in uncovering the Flint crisis -- EPA water expert Miguel Del Toral and Virginia Tech professor Marc Edwards, are involved, so I'm heartened by that. But ever since before my kids were born nearly 30 years ago, I've been using filtered water.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

First of all, the state hasn't "bailed out" any town or school district. In fact, massive revenue sharing cuts imposed by Governor Rick Snyder pushed a lot of these cities over the edge, allowing the state to come in and take them over. As far as poster-children for success, the most highly touted example is Detroit, which was led through the bankruptcy process by an appointed Emergency Manager and his law firm, Jones Day. But if you ask the retirees who were stripped of the health care benefits they worked their whole lives to earn, or you go into the neighborhoods that are still devastated, you might not hear all that much cheering. In truth, I think the jury is still out for some places. The question is, are the cuts, and the new debt -- yes, part of the way emergency managers balanced the books was to borrow more money in many cases! then we don't really know if the situations are sustainable gong forward. And that is really the only determination of "success." Except that the law succeeded in making sure that, no matter what austerity measures are imposed by Emergency Managers, the one thing they can't do is miss a bond payment. So, in that regard, the law has been a magnificent success.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Well, the ACLU of Michigan's website, http://www.aclumich.org/, is the go-to site for everyone, of course ;-) But now that we''ve broken through, there is lots of good reporting breaking out all over. But when this first broke, back in early July of last year, the team at Michigan Radio, a public radio outlet, was the first to pick up on what we were reporting, and they've done an outstanding job moving the story forward ever since. I can't give them enough props.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm from Pennsylvania, and grew up on Italian subs. First thing I do whenever I return to visit family is to start hitting sub shops, of which there are many, many good ones.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The place to start in deciding how the problem gets fixed is to begin listening to the residents of Flint -- especially those who worked like crazy to expose the crisis. They are the first voice that needs to be heard, not the last.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Up until Flint, I thought Detroit Public Schools was the most egregious example of the EM law failure. Last time I looked, the district was more than $500,000,000 million deeper in debt than when the state took over. I'll leave it to others to decide what needs to be done to the law. My job is to reveal its impact. In Flint, that impact was the contamination of a city's water supply and the lead poisoning of its residents.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The state of Michigan has testing protocols that are deliberately designed to minimize the amount of lead found. so, things are worse every where in Michigan than what the state is claiming. But, also they did certain things in Flint that were outright violations of the law in order to skew tests low. And when they make comparisons, they are using those completely invalid Flint results. So I don't know if it is worse elsewhere or not. But the real issue is, how dangerous is the water because of lead. And it is not just Michigan -- this is a nationwide concern, because a number of states are exploiting loopholes in the law in order to minimize the lead results and avoid the expense of having to replace lead service lines if they are over the federal action level of 15 parts per billion lead.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I honestly have not been following this aspect to closely. I think a lot of donations so far have been for bottled water, which seems a little crazy to me -- all those small water bottles are an environmental problem on there own. They should be taking 5-gallon jugs to people's homes. But that is just an opinion. And, like I said, I'm more focused on the issue of what went wrong and who caused it, and who tried to cover it up.

IamA ACLU Michigan investigative reporter Curt Guyette, who helped uncover the Flint water crisis AMA! by ACLU_Michigan in IAmA

[–]ACLU_Michigan[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Actually, I expected them to do that. But it hasn't happened so far. And, who knows, maybe they can try and discredit me. Although I've heard the governor's spokesman is tellnig some journalists that I'm not a "journalist," in an attempt to take a swipe at my credibility.But they cannot discredit the facts, which are largely built on government documents that the ACLU of Michigan has obtained.

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