U.S. troops hit Michigan streets as water protests rage
Angry crowds demand resignation of Republican governor
CHERYL CHUMLEY
WND.com
Jan. 19, 2016
The National Guard sent 70 more troops to deal with a contaminated water situation in Flint, Michigan, that has led angry crowds to assemble in front of Gov. Rick Snyder’s apartment in downtown Ann Arbor and demand his resignation and arrest.
Members of the Guard were first ordered to the scene over the weekend, mostly to distribute bottled water, filters and test kits in some of the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods where it was recently discovered that drinking water had been contaminated by lead. Now, 70 more were sent to the scene, NBC News reported.
President Obama, meanwhile, has declared a state of emergency in the city and ordered Federal Emergency Management Agency officials to the scene.
The contaminated water hails back to a decision made by a city manager appointed by Snyder in 2014 who saw a chance to save money. The fateful move switched residential water taps from Lake Huron, which was treated by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, to draw from Flint River, treated at the Flinton water plant. Shortly after, residents said the water tasted and smelled strange, and subsequent tests indicated lead from old pipes had seeped into the system.
Some children have since tested with elevated lead levels in their blood, a situation physicians and medical experts warn could lead to brain damage.
The state’s attorney general, Bill Schuette, is checking to see if the water switch could lead to criminal charges. But residents aren’t waiting for his findings.
They took to the streets and marched to Snyder’s home, demanding his arrest.
“Many of us think this governor has committed a crime and want to see justice for Flint,” said Jan BenDor, a rally organizer, in the Detroit Free Press. “If that whole city could be poisoned, it could happen to any of us.”
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