Beyond the Water Crisis: Ready for prime time? Too much prime time?
By Paul Rozycki Before last November’s election there were many who wondered if Dr. Karen Weaver, running for her first elective office, was ready for prime time. It seems that we have our answer. In just a little over three months, has any mayor of a similar sized city had as much national, state and local air-time? Indeed, has any Flint mayor ever gotten so much media coverage? But, after all the interviews, Rachel Maddow...
Even the Commies came to Flint: reflections on poison water and the “revolution”
By Robert R. Thomas Since Flint has become the rock star of rust belt disasters, all manner of journalistic requests come through East Village Magazine’s office seeking some Flint access. You know, “the real Flint”—that kind of thing. When a request arrived from a journalist named Alan Goodman representing a publication titled REVOLUTION Voice of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA, I caught that assignment instead of my imaginary...
Politics of water: blame game, grandstanding, incompetence — and a turning point?
By Paul Rozycki At the end of last year, after our mayoral election, our switch back to Detroit water, and the progress on the Karegnondi pipeline, it seemed that the Flint Water Crisis has peaked. This month I was expecting to say a few words about the primary elections….Trump, Hillary, Bernie Sanders, Iowa, New Hampshire and all that. This should have also been a week when the good news of Amir Hekmati’s release from an Iranian...
At Luigi’s, Eastsiders “incensed,” “Flint Strong” as Dan Kildee offers hope
https://www.eastvillagemagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/kildee.mp4 Editor’s note: EVM board member and contributing writer Bob Thomas was at Luigi’s for the “after party” following the Rachel Maddow taping. Above is a brief video of U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee’s remarks to the group. Here is Bob’s account of the evening: By Robert Thomas While I was not one of those invited to Rachel Maddow’s...
Book Review: Demolition Means Progress: Flint, Michigan and the fate of the American Metropolis by Andrew Highsmith
By Robert R. Thomas Like a twisted love affair in which things are not what they seem, living in Flint can be an extremely disorienting hall of mirrors. For 10 years I have been researching Flint’s history, trying to understand my hometown roots and my current residence. Despite having read most of the major books on the subject, my Flint narrative has remained littered with black holes between disconnected tissue. I had more...
Wat’er we expecting for Flint’s water in 2016? Words for the good news and bad
Let’s hope 2016 is the year we drain the lead out and mop up the water mess – so we won’t be flooded with washed-up water metaphors. (Maybe they’ll just dry up and blow away?)
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