You may see that El*n M*sk said he would fix Flint water, then instantly backpedaled, claiming the water was safe.
Here’s a short thread from me about why passing leather lead & copper rule does NOT mean Flint water is necessarily safe.
Here’s a short thread from me about why passing leather lead & copper rule does NOT mean Flint water is necessarily safe.
Lead is a generational problem. Even if the water were fixed TOMORROW, there are a lot of kids with serious, persistent, long term damage that will need support.
And those kids in Flint go to schools where they can’t drink the water.
In some of the best schools in Flint, some of the teachers don’t have control of their classrooms. There was an issue recently at a school where teachers were just like, habitually not in their rooms
In some of the best schools in Flint, some of the teachers don’t have control of their classrooms. There was an issue recently at a school where teachers were just like, habitually not in their rooms
Flint kids need support. Flint people of all ages are bearing trauma from the water crisis. People are living with Legionnaires and their kids growing too slowly. There are people in Flint whose eyelashes won’t grow back in fully after the water made them fall out.
There is so much healing and support and rebuilding to be done.
THERE ARE SO MANY NEEDS IN FLINT and the lead and copper rule is actively used to tell people there aren’t.
And if things are fixed, why is there a hole in the street front of my friend’s house where they replaced her lead line? They just left her street like that.
And if things are fixed, why is there a hole in the street front of my friend’s house where they replaced her lead line? They just left her street like that.
El*n to his credit said he’s interested in “contamination levels of any kind” in Flint and like. Water testing is long term and you have to do it in a bunch of places?? Over time?? Properly, aka without flushing the faucet and first thing in the morning
You dont just turn on one faucet one time and know what the issue is, especially when the chemistry has varied wildly over space and time. Sometimes the first three tests of a house were clear but the fourth was too high
One of my friends who lives in the suburbs stopped washing her hands in the city because at some locations on the East Side, her skin would peel.
Enough people stopped washing their hands that there was a shigella outbreak for a while in Flint
Enough people stopped washing their hands that there was a shigella outbreak for a while in Flint
It’s tired and not being as linear as I would like. I’m kinda just making a tiny mini sampler of my own water crisis trauma
But dude, billionaire, if you’re gonna evaluate Flint’s situation, talk to the most affected people and those working with them. Don’t use the same measure Governor Snyder uses to run from responsibility.
Wanna work in Flint? Talk to the grassroots. Talk to the most affected and those who work with them. Seek out Little Miss Flint, Nayyirah Shariff, Crossing Water, the Hispanic Technology Center.
Seriously. When working in communities of color if you’re white, when working in severely disenfranchised places, when working with people who’ve shared a trauma you haven’t, the first step is shut up and listen to as many perspectives as possible
You can’t just skim the top 2 google results about a multi year, deeply complex, massive crisis and assume you know what’s up, dear billionaire.
Sorry your twitter mentions hurt your fee-fees but using your platform to INCORRECTLY broadcast that Flint water is basically fixed makes it that much less likely that Flint folks will get resources because “oh but I heard that was fixed”
Like I hope dude helps some folks but there’s a lot of potential for harm if he doesn’t slow his roll and seek out some non-institutional perspectives in Flint (I mean hell, even Marc Edwards says it isn’t safe. The schools say it isn’t safe. I just...)
It’s also telling to me that he wants to fix it by throwing a doohickey at it. IDK. Filters can be helpful and I hope this putz buys them for people or whatever. There’s also like, health services! Counseling! Tutoring! Child care! Small biz that have been harmed!
Another thing about filters is that many of them need replacement periodically. It’s not a one-time fix. They can run out. If a water main break (Flint has them regularly) were to result in contamination, they would need replacement
Perhaps there are some very fancy filters that don’t need replacement. I don’t know.
Still, where’s the long term support? Where’s the help for old ladies installing them?
Still, where’s the long term support? Where’s the help for old ladies installing them?
You can’t simply throw a gadget at every problem and assume it’s fixed forever. Not how the real world works, and it’s a very capitalist way of thinking
Also “just send me your lead reading me and I’ll halp” vastly underestimated how hard it is to get word to very disenfranchised people. Don’t put the burden of work on them
Like wow El*n yeah “buy a lead test or get one from the government, then send me your results” ain’t exactly gonna reach Flint’s undocumented community
I keep saying I’m done tweeting about this and then finding a new pocket of anger.
I want to conclude this thread with a donation link to a Flint org.
Crossing Water does their donations thru gofundme. They take water directly to the doors of homebound people in Flint. Toss em a few bucks if you can. gofundme.com/crossingwater
Crossing Water does their donations thru gofundme. They take water directly to the doors of homebound people in Flint. Toss em a few bucks if you can. gofundme.com/crossingwater
