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| Detroit Water Brigade, community activists who work to distribute water and information to Detroit citizens who are affected by the water shut-offs. (DWB) |
Monday, activists and religious leaders rallied on the steps of the Michigan governor's office in Detroit, calling for an immediate moratorium of the city's plan to shut off water to over 100,000 households. The Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD) plans to cut off citizens' water supply at a rate of 3,000 per week; 4,500 households have already lost their water so far.
The Rev. Charles Williams II said the city is powerless because it is under emergency management, so he is taking his complaint to Lansing. "We have a water board that can’t make decisions because they have an emergency manager that they have to speak to," said Williams. "So in our opinion, this fight is with Gov. Snyder."
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| Detroit Water Brigade |
Last week, the United Nations declared that the city's plan constitutes a violation of the human right to water. Now that the issue is receiving media attention, activists are hoping the state government will cease its inhumane plan to deprive residents of the essential human right of water, and set up sliding-scale payment plans based on household income instead.
The threat has been a strong catalyst for people in the community to come together. The Detroit Water Brigade has been active in distributing water advocating for Detroit residents facing shut off. Spokesperson Demeeko Williams spoke to RT America last week about the issue.
Though many in public office are blaming the residents for not paying their bills, there are key reasons why Detroit's water has become so unaffordable to the average citizen. According to a 2013 report on how the local government spends money on public water, the residents are victims of "regressive pricing scheme that places a tremendous financial burden on the lower median income households in a community." Also, Detroit residents saw a rate increase of 119 percent when the city council approved an 8.7 percent rate hike last month. Many feel the rate hikes and threats of shut-offs are an indication of a move towards privatizing the city's water, an effort steered by Detroit Emergency Manager Kevin Orr in hopes to bring down its $5.7 billion water and sewer debt.