Water As Leverage

William, right now, in Detroit, thousands of families don’t have water to drink, wash their hands, or flush their toilets. Why?

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is shutting off water at thousands of Detroit homes with outstanding debts each week, even if their account debt was incurred by previous owners.

Sign the petition to President Obama and Health Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell: Declare a public health emergency and turn the water back on in Detroit!

This is a violation of the human right to water and a serious threat to the health of those affected by the shutoffs.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can do something about it. The federal government can step in to turn the water back on for all Detroit residents by declaring a public health emergency.

Sign the petition now: Declare a public health emergency in Detroit.

Keep fighting,
Chris Bowers, Daily Kos


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▶ Show quoted text
William, I just got back from Detroit where—following the lead of local activists—thousands of Netroots Nation attendees marched to protest the wave of water shut-offs happening in the city.

And it looks like we had an impact. Today, the Detroit Water & Sewage Department announced that they are suspending the water shut-offs for 15 days!

This is great news, but the fight is far from over. A department spokesman said: “this is not a moratorium”—and over 15,000 Detroit residents have already had their water access shut off, with nearly half the city in danger.

Your signature is missing from our petition to President Obama and HHS Secretary Sylvia Matthews Burrell—demanding that they declare a public health emergency in Detroit to turn the water back on. Click here to sign.

Keep fighting,
Paul Hogarth, Daily Kos

Date: July 16, 2014 7:21 P.M.
From: Chris Bowers, Daily Kos
Subject: William, sign this: Absolutely unimaginable that this could happen in America



William, right now, in Detroit, thousands of families don’t have water to drink, wash their hands, or flush their toilets. Why?

The Detroit Water and Sewage Department is shutting off water at thousands of Detroit homes with outstanding debts each week, even if their account debt was incurred by previous owners.


Sign the petition to President Obama and Health Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell: Declare a public health emergency and turn the water back on in Detroit!

This is a violation of the human right to water and a serious threat to the health of those affected by the shutoffs.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can do something about it. The federal government can step in to turn the water back on for all Detroit residents by declaring a public health emergency.

Sign the petition now: Declare a public health emergency in Detroit.

Keep fighting,
Chris Bowers, Daily Kos