Health, the Environment, and the Flint Water Crisis (2021)

Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. [Music fades] "Let's get the details now on the Flint, Michigan story where today, state prosecutors file charges against a number of high-ranking government officials. John Yang has our report." [Water rushing] It's one of the worst public health failures in recent history. The contamination of Flint, Michigan's drinking water, blamed for at least a [Water gets louder] dozen deaths and health problems for countless others. [Water stops] Today, nearly seven years after the Flint water crisis first emerged, prosecutors announced 41 criminal charges against nine former state and city officials. Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud. "We may never know all the names of those who had their lives and livelihoods destroyed by this man-made crisis. And although the criminal justice system alone cannot remedy all the suffering that every person endured, we took our part [Audio breaks up] seriously and we hope others will do the same to ensure

that this never, ever happens again." [Crashing] Among those charged: former governor Rick Snyder. He pleaded not guilty this morning to two misdemeanor charges of willful neglect of duty. Each count carries up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. His attorney called the charges wholly without merit. "Any comment on the charges governor?" Two others, including former state health director Nick Lyon, were each charged with nine counts of involuntary manslaughter: felonies punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Both pleaded not guilty to all counts. [Water rushing] The indictments say they failed to protect the public health after state appointed officials switched the city's water supply in 2014 from Lake Huron [Machinery operating] to the Flint River in a cost-cutting move. The more corrosive river water damaged the city's aging pipes, [background chatter] causing lead to leach into the drinking water.

?Ariana Hawkson? suffered from blisters and skin rashes. [Woman talking] [Child talking] [Plastic bag rustling] When we visited her home in 2019, she told us the lingering effects included a loss of trust. Are you angry? "Oh, yeah. Of course I'm angry. I'm more upset and hurt than anger. It's hurting because these are people who we trust every day. [Child yells] These are people who say that this was okay." [Water rushing] Test today show Flint's water is safe to drink, but work [Machinery operating] to replace the city's damaged pipes is still incomplete. Flint activist Melissa Mays. "It seems like we have been forgotten, and y'know, nobody's sitting in jail. If I poisoned you, I would be in jail. We're coming up on seven years of being in a prison [Woman yells "Girls!"] where we can't even be safe in our own homes. And then, of course, under COVID, we've all been locked indoors and we're stuck using this water." Compounding a situation that still dominates life in this majority black city. [Birds chirping] In November, the Michigan Attorney General announced a $600 million fund for families in Flint to settle civil lawsuits from the water crisis.

Approval of that plan is pending from a federal judge. Sandra Jones is the executive director of the RL Jones Community Outreach Center in Flint. It's based at the Greater Holy Temple Church of God in Christ, where her husband is a pastor. Sandra, what was your reaction when you heard the news today about the criminal charges against these former officials, including the former governor? "Long time overdue. And this time, I hope and pray that it sticks." Two of the people, including the former health director for the state of Michigan, were charged with involuntary manslaughter: nine counts each. "It is what it is. And I mean, so many people were actually affected. These were lives. We're not talking about property. We're talking about human life. And so I applaud her for what it is that she's doing. She has my support."

I have to [Garbled background chatter] ask you, there's some lawyers who know more about this than I do, who say that it may be tough to get convictions in some of these cases, particularly against the former governor, Rick Snyder, because it's been so long. It's been seven years since the- his action or inaction that he's charged for. Have you thought about what it might feel like, how you might feel, if the former governor and if some of these other officials are acquitted in court? Or do you think it's enough that they've got to stand up and face these charges in court? "No, it isn't enough that they have to face the charges in court. That's just not enough. How could that be enough when you look at right now today, children at five and six years old, that have cognitive scale problems? Children whose parents have not been able to potty train them at the age of three. How is it enough when you have adults who had lesions all over their bodies,

and now they have different kinds of allergies that they've got to live with the rest of their lives? And we really don't know what the long term effects that lead actually has, because after 28 days and you've congested it, some of us don't even actually know if it affected us a lot. So, no, I really don't have: I don't feel sorry for them. I just hope that she has enough information to be able to bring these charges and to have these charges to stick." So you're not going to be satisfied until there, you get some convictions out of this. "Some form of penalty needs to be made. And I'm not talking about monetary. I think that when you know something that will create a physical condition in a human body and you have the ability to do something about that where you put money above human

life? Oh yeah, you need to pay for that. I can't tell you what the penalty should be because I'm not proficient in that area. I can only tell you as a human being who has worked in the cold, in the heat, in the snow, in the rain, in all types of weather at 73 years old. When I started this, I was in my 60s and I'm 73 and today was our water and food distribution day. When you have residents still lined up over a mile and a half just to get four or five [Rustling] cases of water because either they have been affected by the water or they don't trust the water, [Laughing] someone needs to take accountability. [Background chatter] Michigan has had other cities, since our water crises, to have been affected.

One way or the other, but their water has been affected. Guess what? Those cities have been cleaned up, cleared up, and everybody is on their way. We're the only one still limping." You talk about the children, the long term effects, your church still giving out water