>>> WE ARE HERE TONIGHT IN FLINT, MICHIGAN.
FLINT, MICHIGAN. WHERE PEOPLE ARE STILL, STILL
STRUGGLING, MORE THAN FOUR YEARS
SINCE THE ONSET OF A WATER
CRISIS, WHERE LEAD POISONED
THEIR FAMILIES.
THEIR FAMILIES. TREMAIN LEE TALKS ABOUT WHAT
IT’S LIKE LIVING UNDER THE
SHADOW OF THAT DISASTER.
>> I HAVE TO SIT IN THE LINE FOR
HOURS, I HAVE PEOPLE THAT COME
AT NIGHTTIME.
AT NIGHTTIME. USED TO BE 4:00 IN THE MORNING,
SOME PEOPLE COME AT 12:00 AT
NIGHT SO THEY CAN BE AT THE
BEGINNING, BE ON TIME FOR WORK.
>> WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
TWO YEARS LATER PEOPLE ARE
HAVING TO DRINK BOTTLED WATER.
>> TWO YEARS LATER.
THEY SAY IT’S FIXED.
IF YOU SEE ALL THESE PEOPLE, DO
YOU THINK IT’S FIXED?
A A LOT OF PEOPLE’S WATER IS
STILL COLORED.
STILL COLORED. THAT’S THE ANSWER RIGHT THERE.
THE CROWD IS THE ANSWER.
>> PEOPLE DON’T TRUST IT.
AND I DON’T CRUSTTRUST IT.
I DON’T THINK IT’S SAFE.
THE SAME PEOPLE WHO TOLD US IT
WAS SAFE WHEN WE WERE IN THE
PREDICAMENT ARE THE SAME PEOPLE
THAT’S TELLING US NOW IT’S SAFE.
>> I TRUST THE BOTTLED WATER.
>> NOT THE STUFF COMING --
>> I DON’T TRUST THE STUFF
COMING OUT OF MY PIPE.
>> DO YOU FEEL YOU’VE BEEN LET
DOWN BY POLITICIANS AND THE
GOVERNOR?
GOVERNOR? HOW HIGH DOES IT GO?
>> MOST DEFINITELY, MOST
DEFINITELY.
DEFINITELY. >> EVERY ASPECT OF MY LIFE, MY
KIDS ARE LIKE, MOM, WE NEED
WATER, WE NEED WATER FOR THE
DOG, MOM, WE NEED DRINKING
WATER.
WATER. I MEAN, IT’S NOT JUST FOR US,
IT’S FOR THE ANIMALS AS WELL.
IT IMPACTS EVERY ASPECT OF OUR
LIVES.
LIVES. >> I’VE BEEN HERE FOR 60 YEARS.
FLINT HAS NEVER BEEN LIKE THIS
BEFORE, NEVER.
BEFORE, NEVER. WE’VE ALWAYS HAD CLEAN WATER.
LOOK, THIS IS -- FLINT IS
SUPPOSED TO BE THE STATE WITH
ALL OF THE NICE LAKES AND STUFF
LIKE THAT, AND EVERYTHING THE
TERMINATED.
TERMINATED. WHAT HAPPENED?
WHAT HAPPENED? >> WE’RE HERE TODAY TO DELIVER
SOME WATER TO FLINT RESIDENTS,
TO RESIDENTS WHO ARE MEDICALLY
CRITICAL OR PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES.
DISABILITIES. HOUSEHOLDS THAT CAN NO LONGER
GET SERVICE BECAUSE THE STATE
ENDED THE FUNDING.
AND TODAY WE MET A GENTLEMAN WHO
IS LEGALLY BLIND.
>> WE GOT YOUR WATER.
>>O KEY--
>>O KEY-- >> HE NEEDS ASSISTANCE WITH
BOTTLED WATER AS WELL AS THE
FAUCET FILTER.
FAUCET FILTER. OUR PROGRAM IS SERVICING ABOUT
170 HOUSEHOLDS EACH AND EVERY
MONTH.
MONTH. THESE FOLKS WHO CANNOT GET OUT
OF THEIR HOMES ARE REALLY THE
FORGOTTEN PEOPLE OF FLINT.
>> TREMAIN LEE JOINS ME NOW.
IT’S SHOCKING OF SEE A LINE OF
CARS LINED UP IN AN AMERICAN
CITY IN 2018 TO GET CLEAN WATER.
>> BECAUSE WE HAVEN’T SEEN FLINT
IN THE NEWS THERE’S A SENSE THAT
MAYBE THINGS ARE BACK TO NORMAL.
THERE’S NOTHING NORMAL ABOUT
WHAT I SAW THAT DAY, CARS
STREAMING OUT OF THE PARKING LOT
DOWN THE HIGHWAY, PARENTS SAYING
I WON’T GIVE IT TO MY CHILDREN,
I CAN’T COOK WITH IT, CAN’T
BRUSH OUR TEETH WITH IT.
THE DISABLED, BEFORE THE CITY
AND STATE HAD GIVEN THOUSANDS OF
FAMILIES FREE WATER, NOW THEY
HAVE TO RELY ON THE CHARITY OF
CHURCHES.
CHURCHES. NOTHING NORMAL ABOUT THIS.
>> THEY CUT OFF THE FUNDING TO
GIVE IT TO FOLKS WITH
DISABILITIES AND THAT IS BECAUSE
THE -- WHAT THE STATE SAYS IS,
AND I’M READING FROM A DETROIT
NEWS EDITORIAL WHICH SUMS IT UP
IT SAYS FOR MONTHS NOW THE FLINT
WATER IS SAFE BUT TRUST LACKING.
FOR NONTS MOW THE WATER HAS
REGISTERED SAFE LEAD LEVELS.
THAT’S THE LINE FROM VARIOUS
STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS.
IT’S REALLY HARD FOR ANYONE TO
BELIEVE THAT AFTER WHAT THEY
WENT THROUGH.
WENT THROUGH. >> THE SAME PEOPLE WHO LIED FOR
MONTHS, WE SAW THAT IN THE
E-MAIL TRAIL THAT LEADS BACK UP
THROUGH THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH AND HIGHER, THOSE ARE THE
SAME PEOPLE THAT SAID YOU CAN
TRUST US AND PEOPLE WERE
POISONED AND CHILDREN WERE
POISONED.
POISONED. ONE OF THE BIGGEST COSTS IN ALL
OF THIS IS THE TRUST.
OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS DEATH.
OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS GREAT PAIN,
PEOPLE WITH RASHES, HAIR FALLING
OUT, IT WAS TERRIBLE THE WAY THE
CITY WAS POISONED.
BUT THE LACK OF TRUST, EVEN IF
THE WATER IS FINE, NO ONE’S
GOING TO TRUST THEM.
>> THAT STRIKES ME AS THE
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. THEY COULD FIX YOUR PIPES HERE,
RIGHT, AND THEY COULD ACTUALLY,
IF THEY DID FIX THE WATER, HOW
WOULD ANYONE KNOW?
WHO WOULD BELIEVE THEM IF IT WAS
THE MOST PERFECT, DRINKABLE
WATER IN THE COUNTRY?
>> WE FOCUSED ON LEAD, THERE’S
NO COMING BACK FROM ANY EXPOSURE
TO LEAD, BUT THERE ARE OTHER
PATHOGENS, SO MANY OTHER
CONCERNS.
CONCERNS. PEOPLE KNOW THAT.
YOU TALK TO ANYONE IN FLINT,
EVERYONE IS A MINI SCIENTIST.
HOW MANY PART PER MILLION AND
BILLION.
BILLION. THEY HAVEN’T GOTTEN ANY RESOURCE
AND NO ACCOUNTABILITY.
>> YOU’VE SEEN STUDIES ABOUT
FERTILITY, MISCARRIAGES, THE
OFFICIAL DEATH TOLL FROM THE
STATE IS 15 PEOPLE, BUT THERE
ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO THINK
IT’S HIGHER.
IT’S HIGHER. >> THAT’S RIGHT.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT’S
HAPPENING TO THE SCHOOL
CHILDREN, WHERE SCHOOL CHILDREN
IN SCHOOLS STILL CAN’T DRINK THE
WATER.
WATER. PRINCIPALS WON’T ALLOW IT.
PIPE REPAIRS.
PIPE REPAIRS. SO IT’S MUCH BROADER THAN WE
COULD HAVE IMAGINED.
>> THEY HAVE DONE A BUNCH OF
PIPE REPAIR ON THE SORT OF MAIN
LINES, RIGHT?
LINES, RIGHT? THE PROBLEM, AS I UNDERSTAND IT,
YOU’VE STILL GOT PEOPLE’S HOUSES
AND ALL THESE PIPES ARE
BASICALLY MOSTLY UNTOUCHED.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
THERE’S STILL A NUMBER THAT NEED
TO BE EXCHANGED.
AND SOME OF THE TESTING, ONE
CONCERN THAT MANY PEOPLE TOLD
ME, THEY SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT,
THEY KEEP TESTING THE SAME
HOUSES OVER AND OVER AGAIN, NOT
TESTING ONES THAT HAVEN’T HAD
EXCHANGED PIPES YET.
MANY PEOPLE FEEL THEY’VE BEEN
ABANDONED AND LEFT OUT, NOT JUST
BY LOCAL POLITICIANS, BY THE
STATE AND THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. >> WE TALK ABOUT THIS.
IF PEOPLE ARE SORT OF PAYING
ATTENTION TO THIS NOW,
THERE’S -- IT’S OUTRAGEOUS AND
THERE’S A REAL QUESTION ABOUT
ACCOUNTABILITY AND YOU DID SOME
REPORTING ON THIS PROSECUTION
WHICH WE’RE GOING TO BRING FOLKS
TOMORROW NIGHT AS PART OF THE
TOWN HALL.
TOWN HALL. >> NICK LION WHO LEADS THE
HEALTH STATE, IS CHARGED WITH
MANSLAUGHTER.
MANSLAUGHTER. SO MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE IT’S A
SHAM.
SHAM. UNTIL WE GET A CONVICTION
THERE’S NO JUSTICE.
AND ALSO THAT THE STATE IS
PAYING FOR HIS DEFENSE.
AND SO WE HAVE THE SPECIAL
PROSECUTOR, SOME PEOPLE TRUST
AND SOME DON’T, BUT HE’S THERE
TRYING TO BRING SOME SEMBLANCE
OF JUSTICE.
OF JUSTICE. HE TOLD ME, LISTEN, WE’RE GOING
TO GET 12 PEOPLE TO DECIDE.
AND I BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE
PEOPLE WHO HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES
HERE.
HERE. I SAID TO HIM, POINT-BLANK, ARE
THERE PEOPLE WHO YOU BELIEVE
HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES AND HAVE