… to Push for Justice

Flint continues. There are so many words I can use to finish that phrase. For certain, living in Flint continues to present its challenges. It would take all my fingers and toes to count the number of times people have suggested that we move. I’d be lying if I say my husband and I haven’t discussed it. However, there is a remnant here in Flint who envisions a better future. Better water and schools. Better economy and community. For certain, it’s not going to be easy.

Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not naive.  Six years after I shared about the “Flint Water Crisis”, our battle for legal justice continues. In the meantime, most of our water lines have been replaced. Our water quality has been restored.. This Politico article explains why we have clean water, but people still don’t trust it. Until all lead lines are replaced, we are encouraged to still filter our water. 

The previous mayor and city council canceled a previous agreement to get water from the Karegnondi Water Authority, because of concern of our inability to treat it properly. Instead, we agreed to pay Detroit for water for the next 30 years. Sadly, it may take 30 years to replace the trust our city has broken. A new mayor has us in negotiations to undo this.

… to Fight Crime

Flint continues to battle high crime. Police response times are terrible. Someone stole our central air a few summers ago. The police department never even showed up. Citizens have become apathetic in calling police for the crimes in their neighborhood. Therefore, statistics look like crime has diminished here in Flint. Flint continues to have its silence shattered by the gunshots of hateful violence. A few yearss ago, a gas station attendant was murdered in broad daylight, a victim of angry drug dealers. Only a block from my house.  It pierced my heart, and I shared about it in my gluten-free Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodles recipe.

There are so many more negative things that I could highlight. To be honest, I have a hard time focusing on the good myself, sometimes. However, Flint continues to have bright shining moments, if you look for them amidst the darkness. New investment. Education expansion. Demolition of blighted houses, making way for new development. Sources of joy.

Flint continues to persevere.

There are people here with vision. Let me share a few, and bare with me if I run long-winded.

Communities First, Inc

Don’t pass this video by. PLEASE watch it. It makes me cry. It makes me cry, because the brokenness you see in this video is literally my neighborhood. The burnt out, abandoned apartments you see in the first 30 seconds were only half a mile from our house. But now they have been torn down. Natural beauty has now replaced ugly destruction.

We walk these streets. We volunteered at the abandoned, graffiti – covered Coolidge Elementary Glenn speaks of. However, it also makes me cry tears of joy. Of hope, because Communities First, Inc. has decided to take a stand. As Flint continues to rebound, it is non-profits like this that will change this city. If you want to help Flint rebound, invest in organizations like these.

St. Luke N.E.W. Life Center

The N.E.W. Life Center started when two nuns had a desire to see real change happen. What started as a concern to clothe the needy turned into a full scale sewing educational center and business. New Life Center started training women to sew and make scrubs for local hospitals. Now they clothe hundreds in Flint and beyond. Maybe thousands, as they now produce high quality vests for one of Michigan’s most iconic brands, Stormy Kromer.

New Life Center does more than job training. They house a food pantry, run a lawn care business run for men looking for jobs, and so much more. You can read more about their amazing accomplishments in this Flintside article. Want to invest in their vision? Visit their page to donate time, materials or money. Buy a tartan red and black Stormy Kromer vest,  which may allow them to employ and impact even more women.

Flint Crepe Company, Robb Klaty and Coffee

In my opinion, one cannot talk about downtown Flint without mentioning Robb Klaty. During a time when others were quick to leave Flint, Robb set up shop. Quite literally. Robb opened the Flint Crepe Company location in downtown Flint in 2011. He focused on great food with locally sourced ingredients. He also chose not to focus on himself. Every Tuesday a different charity is highlighted that receives a portion of the days tips.

Klaty’s investment continues to factor into Flint’s reconstruction. What started as one small business turned into a continuing downtown expansion. He now owns Tenacity Brewing, where he brews his own beer, and now Heyday Coffee. Klaty opened Heyday coffee when he realized he could provide an outlet for Blue Line Donuts, a business run by the local homeless shelter that used the project to teach men and women business skills.

Kettering University and the University Avenue Corridor Coalition

The transformation that Flint continues to experience along the University Avenue Corridor is astounding. Kettering University, formerly General Motors Institute, realized the positive impact they could, and should have on the community around it. Mobilizing surrounding businesses, they inspired the creation of the University Avenue Corridor Coalition. The result? Blighted, dangerous homes finally removed. A historic football stadium now resurrected to its former glory.

The change to the neighborhood is nothing short of breathtaking. Maybe breathtaking is the wrong word. Maybe the word is breath giving, as it restores hope. Want to help further the hope? Run in the CRIM that passes through this space. Attend a Flint City Bucks (USL league) soccer game. Did you known they’re national champtions for their league? Donate to Carriage Town Ministries, benefiting the homeless and the poor.

Uptown Reinvestment Initiatives

Flint continues to improve, partially at the hand of major investors. Uptown Reinvestment, wanting to “build a vibrant future for Flint,” invested big bucks into our downtown. With their help we have a new Flint Farmer’s Market, voted one of the best in the country. Uptown’s investment helped create the new Michigan State University campus downtown. This campus focuses on healthcare, training interns at local hospitals. Also, they use their resources to help mitigate the effects of the Flint Water Crisis

Most recently, Uptown’s passion for making old things new included the grand restoration of the Capitol Theater. Originally opened in the 1920’s, a new generation of Flint residents now appreciations the beauty of the past. Want to help in the reinvestment of Flint? Visit the Farmer’s Market. Take in a show at the renovated theater. Dine downtown, and enjoy the beauty of our city.

Flint City Art Project

In 2019, the Flint City Art Project started an ambitious goal. To paint beautiful murals across the city of Flint. Murals of chidren, the homeless, Beyonce, and so much more. Even Anthony Bourdain. Over 40 exist, and the Flintside website created amap to see all of the Flint murals, in less than an hour. It’s a perfect reason for a roadtrip.

And So Many Others

There are so many others investing in this city, more than I can possibly name. (Flintside strives to share many of them. I highly suggest subscribing to their online newsletter.) People and organizations and businesses that chose to stand up to fear and put down roots. Support them.

Come to a Flint Firebirds hockey game. Donate to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, as they feed over 330,000 people a year. That’s what Flint needs, people and businesses seeking out the good and encouraging it to grow.

As Flint continues to rebound, those of us living here will roll up our sleeves to help. You can invest in us too. Donate to those doing good. Visit our city. Run through our streets. Buy our goods. Join us for a cup of coffee. Quit using Flint on social media as a meme or potlical clapback.. And although some gave me flack for it four years ago, continue to pray for our city.

Pray that hearts and minds change, both for our citizens and our leaders. Most of all, stand up for us. When the media kicks us down, when memes make light of our stuggles, speak up for those who might be starting to lose their voice. Lend us a bit of your emotional strength, maybe your financial support, and let us show you just how amazing Flint can be.

The post Flint Continues: (Flint Water) Crisis to (Re) Construction appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.

By now, the world at large has heard about the Flint Water Crisis. I’m going to share my own opinions about how we got here and how to fix it. What I’m about to say might not be popular. Then again, what’s right isn’t always popular, and what’s popular isn’t always right.

The city of Flint is in crisis. At the moment the lack of clean water is in the news media. You can’t miss it. Rachel Maddow is talking about it. It’s a topic on Fox News. Even Cher has thrown her thoughts into the public forum. Everyone seems to have an opinion on the matter. So I guess it’s okay to share mine.

It’s seems impossible to think that a city in the United States, in 2016, can be in such a state. How is it possible that a city that was built for 200,000 people can have an entire water system that is unfit to drink? How is it that a city, once home to the creation of General Motors, has been sending out water to its citizens that is full of lead? I wish the answer was simple, but I’m not sure it is.

In truth, our city has been in crisis for decades. If you were to drive through certain streets, you would see the vacant fields, boarded up business, and charred remains of where houses once stood. Our community members are just as damaged. Their sense of hope has left, walls of distrust built up, broken homes where single mothers are left to pick up the remains of their family.

Our government has been in crisis for a long time too. In 2002, citizens recalled mayor Woodrow Stanley for mismanaging the city and placing it in $40 million dollars worth of debt. It left the city highly divided. (By the way, citizens elected Stanley to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2008.  Let that sink in.) That was the first time the state sent someone in to help, as the city was in dire straits. City council president, Scott Kincaid, said at the time “he did not believe a financial emergency existed.” (Kincaid was the president of the city council here until just a year ago.)

Then started a long history of people sent to help. Darnell Earley became the temporary mayor after Stanley resigned. (Same Darnell Early that was here during the water switch. Same Darnell Early now in charge of Detroit Schools.) But you know what, things got better. We were no longer under state management in 2004 and we had a new, publicly elected mayor, Don Williamson. (Nevermind that Williamson was convicted for several business scams in 1962 and served 3 years in prison before being paroled. What’s the worst that could happen?) Skepticism aside, we were out of the red, had balanced budgets, and even received a national budget award in 2006. But somehow by 2009 we were in the hole again, to the tune of $14 million dollars. So of course, the citizens voted to recall Williamson, just like Stanley. Before he could be ousted, he resigned and moved away. And once again the state stepped in to help.

Enter the Emergency Manager Law

And so enters the era of the Emergency Manager law. A law passed by the Michigan legislature, our representatives, giving the governor the power to send someone to go in to a city and basically take over. Many decried that it was an attack on democracy. That we lost the right to govern ourselves.

But from where I stand, we haven’t done such a good job at taking our role as citizens seriously. Those governing this city who have been elected by us haven’t chosen very wisely. They elected a mayor with a known criminal record. We currently have a city council member that is a convicted murderer. We have another city council member who has been charged with disturbing the peace, during city council meetings, since 2009. Within a month of being elected, he was arrested for drunk driving, while driving the wrong way down the freeway. He has been allowed to keep his council seat. (His original trial found him not guilty on a technicality. He has since been retried and is serving 28 days in jail.) ONLY Forty percent of voters turned out for that November 5th, 2013 election.

Why do I say all this? Why do I bring up our past when we are facing such a health crisis now? Why aren’t I shouting in anger at the governor for letting this happen to us? Why aren’t I demanding the repeal of the emergency manager law?

Because it’s not just that easy. Because our city has over a decade’s worth of history of our own mismanagement. Because true change can’t happen until we do the soul searching of what got us here. Because I’m tired of the culture of hate and bickering.

You have no idea what it is like to read a Flint Journal article online, only to see neighbors within the county talk about how our city is good for nothing. How they say it should be bombed, and that the last person should simply turn off the lights. It’s hard to hear your own neighbors say how desperately they want to leave, when they are the very people you are sacrificing your time and energy to serve. It’s heartbreaking to go to the funeral of teenage students, because they’ve killed each other over an argument. You have no idea what it’s like to have police not show up after your house has been burglarized, because the city doesn’t have money to pay for an adequate police force. Or to hear AK-47 gunshots for 20 minutes on New Year’s Eve, practically coming from your backyard on New Year’s Eve, only to be told by cops that there’s nothing they can do and to just deal with it.

And that’s why this citizen wants to see the mass media go away. The hype to go away. The nasty viral tweets, snarky Facebook memes, and political grandstanding to go away. They weren’t concerned with the day to day moral poisoning of the city. Why are they concerned now?

Can you understand? We’ve been used by pawns by our own local government for far too long. We don’t need Michael Moore or Cher or Rachel Maddow or potential presidents to use our city for talking points and ratings. To use fear and hate to feed the divide we already have in this city.

Because hate can’t drive out hate. Only love can do that. Flint needs love. We need hope. Yes we need clean and safe water. But we also need words of healing, prayers of concern, people who are willing to quietly work behind the scenes to do the hard work of real change.

So if you’re not interested in showing love and providing healing, I’m going to kindly asked you to keep your opinions to yourself. Because after years of deception, we need truth and honesty. Not opinion.

And please forgive me, as I realize I might seem ungrateful for the help we have received. I’m not. There are people volunteering from cities near and far, going out day to day in the cold. Delivering water and filters to shut-ins, those without vehicles to purchase safe water. I am eternally grateful for them.

I’m thankful for those who stand up locally, who fight for truth and demand action. Who see a problem and are working for change, writing senators, scheduling meetings behind the scenes, the countless who are giving of their time to make things happen. Those people are truly changing the world.

I appreciate the outrage that is moving people to personally help. To be love with skin on.

Here are 5 ways you can get involve in helping the Flint Water Crisis.

Thank you Paul Christiansen for this list.

1) PRAY. PRAY. PRAY.

Pray for the people of Flint. Pray for those in decision-making roles. Pray that the necessary resources will be provided for both for short-term needs and for the long-term infrastructure issues. Pray that hearts will be changed and people will listen to divine wisdom to overcome this terrible issue.

2) STAY INFORMED.

There is a lot of hype and sensationalism out there right now over this issue. It is important to get the facts.Here are three links that can give helpful, accurate information. (The first is info from Virginia Tech who did extensive testing in Flint and helped get the state to take this issue seriously. The second is a site organized by our State Senator with info for residents. The third is an article by Michigan Public Radio, who was on top of this story when no one else believed.)
https://flintwaterstudy.org
https://flintwaterinfo.com
https://michiganradio.org/…/how-people-flint-were-stripped-b…

This is a hot topic nationally right now and it’s getting alot of publicity, but it will fade from the national consciousness as soon as another big issue arises. The people of Flint will still be here. Hopefully, the coverage does actual good for those hurting and affected.

3) DONATE TIME TO DELIVER WATER DOOR TO DOOR.

Manpower is needed and for individuals and groups looking for a way to serve, this is a great option for getting boots on the ground. The mayor, county sheriff, and national guard are coordinating the effort, but they are calling for more help. Flint has close to 100,000 residents, and 40% of Flint’s population lives below the poverty line. Water was already a major need before all this happened, but now even more so.

**Update- water is NOT being delivered door to door right ow. Instead there are water distribution sites in around the city.**

4) DONATE WATER.

Water donated can be taken to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan or the Mission of Hope church/shelter. There are others, but those are two of the best. If you aren’t in Flint, check your area as several cities are coordinating donation efforts to bring water to Flint.

** Water donations are no longer needed.**

5) DONATE MONEY TO A CHARITY HELPING WITH EFFORT.

This allows local organizations to purchase water, filters, and supplies that are needed. The United Way of Genesee County is one great possibility and here’s their link to donate. Click here.

“The United Way of Genesee County has set up this fund for the purchase of filters, bottled water, emergency support services and prevention efforts. 100% of the fund is used for these projects and no Administrative Fee is assessed.”

UPDATE – February 2018

It’s been three years since our household has first started using a water filter. Things are getting better. Pipes are being replaced.  Businesses are moving back in. Vestiges of hope are being restored. Read more about our (Re)Construction. 

The post The Flint Water Crisis from the Eyes of a Citizen appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.