Community leaders, activists and residents directly affected by this summer's water shutoffs in Detroit will rally at the Federal Bankruptcy Court on Monday, Sept. 22, at 8:30 a.m to demand an end to the city's destructive water shutoff program and the immediate implementation of an income-based Water Affordability Plan.
Speakers will include leaders from the Detroit Water Brigade and other community organizations, a local pastor, and residents currently without water.
The rally comes at the beginning of trial hearings in the class-action lawsuit Lyda et.al v. City of Detroit, being brought before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Stephen Rhodes. The lawsuit and community groups call on Judge Rhodes to impose a temporary restraining order on the department until a suitable plan is in place to ensure that all Detroiters can afford access to clean water.
Judge Rhodes, who initially hesitated to take the issue under his jurisdiction, has recently said the issue is "affecting this bankruptcy" and has sharply questioned the water department's director on the department's borrowing practices.
“It is undeniable that access to clean water and sanitation is an essential necessity of life and today Detroit is standing up to demand it. If we don't control the spickett democratically, then we're all in danger of losing our right to water,” said Atpeace Makita, spokeswoman for the Detroit Water Brigade.
Water rates in Detroit have increased dramatically over the last decade to nearly twice the national average, due to declining population and internal department mismanagement and corruption. Former Detroit Water Director Victor Mercado is currently serving an 8-month jail term for federal corruption charges.
"It is everyone's God-given right to have water. We need to do something about this situation because no one should ever be without what God has given us freely to survive on," said Pastor Ray Anderson from the House of Help Community Center in Detroit, which is also facing water shutoff and eviction after renovating and revitalizing a former Detroit public school building.
The Detroit Water Brigade will also announce a second, escalating citywide campaign of peaceful direct action to protect Detroit residents from water shutoffs. The rally at Detroit's Federal Bankruptcy Court will occur on Monday, Sept. 22, at 231 West Lafayette Street.
For further background on the Detroit water crisis, read Occupy.com lead investigative reporter Carl Gibson's pieces here, here and here.
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