FLINT FIGHTS BACK

An account of the Flint water crisis shows that Flint s struggle for safe and affordable water is part of a broader struggle for democracy When Flint Michigan changed its source of municipal water from Lake Huron to the Flint River Flint residents were repeatedly assured that the water was of the highest quality At the switchover ceremony the mayor and other officials performed a celebratory toast declaring Here s to Flint and downing glasses of freshly treated water But as we now know the water coming out of residents taps harbored a variety of contaminants including high levels of lead In Flint Fights Back Benjamin Pauli examines the water crisis and the political activism that it inspired arguing that Flint s struggle for safe and affordable water was part of a broader struggle for democracy Pauli connects Flint s water activism with the ongoing movement protesting the state of Michigan s policy of replacing elected officials in financially troubled cities like Flint and Detroit with appointed emergency managers Pauli distinguishes the political narrative of the water crisis from the historical and technical narratives showing that Flint activists emphasis on democracy helped them to overcome some of the limitations of standard environm