To: Kevyn Orr, Detroit Emergency Manager
Tell the Detroit Emergency Manager: Permanently Stop Water Shutoffs.
Today, the Detroit water department announced a 15-day halt to water shutoffs. As a result of concerted action by local grassroots organizations, the city has temporarily halted the program, but that’s not enough. Water is a human right.
Why is this important?
This announcement comes after threatening to cut off water to nearly 100,000 working-class and poor Detroiters. A temporary reprieve is a hopeful sign, but it’s not enough-- the water shutoffs must end permanently.
In our comprehensive report last November, we pointed out that Governor Snyder and his colleagues in the legislature appeared to be angling for control of the Detroit Water and Sewerage System by either transferring it to a new governmental agency or outright privatization, or a little of both.
The city is bankrupt, not this enterprise. The real political game being played out is to wrest this huge enterprise from the City Water and Sewerage Department and transfer the operation—and the valuable business that can be handed out to allies and potential contributors—to the state.
We’re on the verge of victory now, and we need your help to amplify the voices of those on the ground. Sign our petition to end the Detroit water shutoffs and this public health crisis.