All,
Note another protest “inside and outside the Capitol” that was loud and
raucous. But no one was detained by the Michigan State Police at the Austin
Blair Statue. No one was denied access and no one was arrested.
But apparently there is a different standard if one is blind or otherwise
disabled.
Joe Harcz
(Referenced news story)
Capitol protesters urge Snyder to resign over Flint
Jonathan Oosting Detroit News Lansing Bureau 4:58 p.m. EST January 14, 2016
IMG_0158Buy Photo
Flint water protesters hold signs condemning Governor Rick Snyder outside the
Michigan Capitol building on January 14, 2016.(Photo: Jonathan Oosting / The
Detroit News)Buy Photo
Lansing — Gov. Rick Snyder has “got to go,” protesters chanted Thursday at the
Michigan Capitol, calling on the governor to resign over a Flint water
contamination
crisis that continues to generate national attention.
“When it comes to government, you’ve got to do it right or don’t do it at all,”
said R.L. Mitchell, a Flint resident who traveled to Lansing on one of two
buses that made the trek.
More than 100 protesters gathered inside and outside the Capitol, leading a
series of loud chants in the building’s rotunda as the House and Senate wrapped
up their sessions.
Snyder, who has stepped up his efforts in recent weeks, continues to face
criticism for an initially slow response to independent reports of elevated lead
levels in drinking water after the city began drawing from the Flint River in
April 2014.
House Minority Leader Tim Greimel said Thursday that Snyder should resign if he
knew about the crisis before he acted to resolve it, but the Auburn Hills
Democrat’s spokeswoman said he did so with the caveat that “we need more
information on what did he know and, more importantly, when did he know it.”
The governor “acted aggressively as soon as he learned” about the Flint water
lead problem on Oct. 1, Snyder spokesman Dave Murray said in response to the
protest.
“We understand people are frustrated. The health and safety of Flint residents
is a priority, both now and long into the future,” Murray said. “The most
immediate challenge is to make sure all Flint residents have access to water,
filters and water testing kits.”
Murray noted that members of the Michigan National Guard, activated this week
by Snyder, are assisting with door-to-door distribution efforts and said the
administration is in contact with federal authorities “on potential pathways to
additional resources and assistance.”
Flint Councilman Wantwaz Davis, among Thursday’s Capitol protesters, likened
the city’s public health crisis to “genocide” and blamed Snyder for “putting
children in a position where they’ve got lead in their blood.”
The city was under control of a state-appointed emergency manager when it
switched to Flint River water in spring 2014, he said, and the Michigan
Department
of Environmental Quality failed to add appropriate corrosion controls to the
water.
“It’s irreparable. It’s irreversible and will have a long-lasting impact on
their lives,” Davis said of the lead exposure.
The Rev. David Bullock of Detroit, who spoke at the rally, argued that Snyder
has done too little, too late in Flint.
“This is about water, this is also about emergency management, and this is
about a failed governor,” he said.
State officials also announced Wednesday that cases of deadly Legionnaires’
disease spiked dramatically in the Flint area between June 2014 and March 2015,
but they said it is unclear whether there is a connection to the contaminated
drinking water.
U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, citing the Legionnaires’ cases, wrote to President Barack
Obama on Thursday and requested he send to the city experts from federal
agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“In addition to previously requested help to deal with the crisis related to
lead levels in our water, we need federal help to determine the cause of the
Legionnaires’ disease outbreak and what can be done to prevent it from
happening in the future,” the Flint Township Democrat said in a statement.
State Rep. Rose Mary Robinson, a Detroit Democrat who is the minority vice
chairwoman of the Michigan House Oversight Committee, said Thursday there should
be criminal prosecution in the Flint crisis, specifically holding responsible
those who triggered the April 2014 switch to the Flint River.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit already is investigating.
“I think it’s a crime by omission,” said Robinson, a former defense attorney,
in a statement. “Public officials have a duty to act and protect the public,
including the governor.”
When asked about it at a Cobo Center Thursday night event in Detroit, Snyder
said he welcomed a probe.
“… People that have the appropriate authorities, I encourage them to
investigate, because we want to learn as much as possible from this and make
sure it
doesn’t happen again,” he said.
First-term U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield, said she has asked for a
U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform committee hearing on Flint’s
contaminated
water. Republicans control the panel.
“Congressional oversight is needed to set things right, on behalf of the people
of Flint and on behalf of future generations,” Lawrence said in a statement.
“Anything less than that would demonstrate gross negligence in providing the
services that our constituents need and deserve.”
joosting@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Source:
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2016/01/14/snyder-resign-protesters-capitol/78809832/