Social Justice
Flint Michigan Water Crisis : “It’s Toxic” Residents Say
A state of emergency has been declared by President Barack Obama, where residents have been drinking toxic water
A state of emergency has been declared by President Barack Obama in Flint Michigan where residents have been drinking toxic water that may have irreversibly damaged their children with lead poisoning.
Flint Michigan lies about 70 miles from the shores of the Great Lake. So, how did the water become toxic?
Two years ago, the state decided to save money by switching Flint’s water supply from Lake Huron (which they were paying the city of Detroit for), to the Flint River, a notorious tributary that runs through town known to locals for its filth.
The switch was made during a financial state of emergency for the ever-struggling industrial town.
The switch was intended to be temporary while a new state-run supply line to Lake Huron was ready for connection.
The project was estimated to take about two years. But soon after the switch, the water started to smell, look, and taste funny.
Residents said it looked dirty.
The Flint River is highly corrosive: 19 times more so than the Lake Huron supply, according to researchers from Virginia Tech.
According to a class-action lawsuit, the state Department of Environmental Quality wasn’t treating the Flint River water with an anti-corrosive agent, in violation of federal law.
Therefore, the water was eroding the iron water mains, turning water brown.
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The Flint water crisis was a public health crisis that started in 2014 and lasted until 2019, after the drinking water for the city of Flint, Michigan was contaminated with lead and possibly Legionella bacteria.
On January 5, 2016, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency in Genesee County, of which Flint is the major population center.
Shortly thereafter, President Barack Obama declared a federal state of emergency, authorizing additional help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.
Crime & Justice
Detroit man awarded $10 million after wrongful conviction
Alexandre Ansari was wrongfully serving a life sentence over claims that in 2012 he shot and killed Ileana Cuevas, a 15-year-old girl.
A Detroit man who was wrongfully convicted and incarcerated for over six years was awarded $10 million in damages by a jury.
$10 million for man wrongfully convicted
Alexandre Ansari was wrongfully serving a life sentence over claims that in 2012 he shot and killed Ileana Cuevas, a 15-year-old girl, and wounded two others in Detroit, according to a lawsuit filed by Ansari in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division.
“Once I got the verdict back, my heart dropped. And I’m like, ‘Dang, I got to spend the rest of my life in here for something I didn’t do.’ And you know, I tried to kill myself,” Ansari told Linsey Davis on “ABC News Live Prime.”
“It felt like nobody didn’t put all the evidence together to see that I wasn’t the person in the first place. So things started getting overwhelming for me.”
Exonerated
Ansari, 39, was exonerated in 2019 by the Wayne County Circuit Court after it determined that Moises Jimenez, a former Detroit police detective withheld evidence for Ansari’s trial that would have implicated someone else as the shooter, according to the County of Wayne Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.
Jimenez received an anonymous tip that linked the shooter to the Mexican Drug Cartel, according to the complaint that released Ansari.
The officer withheld the evidence from Ansari’s 2013 trial, according to the lawsuit.
Jimenez’s attorneys told ABC News that the former detective claims that he provided all evidence he uncovered during his investigation and plans to appeal the $10 million lawsuit verdict.
There have been no reported arrests connected to the shooting since Ansari’s exoneration. Ansari was wrongfully arrested for the crime when he was 27 years old.
Black Excellence
Regina King stars as Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman in Congress
Shirley is will be released on Netflix March 22.
In the first trailer for the upcoming Netflix movie Shirley, Regina King stars as the first Black woman to be elected to Congress.
Regina King as Shirley Chisholm
Chisholm’s story will be chronicled, showing her uphill battle and obstacles to win a seat in Congress as the daughter of a Barbados-born maid and a Guyanese laborer, her struggles to navigate Congress alongside her White male colleagues, and her groundbreaking 1972 presidential campaign.
Movie production
Produced by Regina King and her sister Reina King, Shirley also stars the late Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, Terrence Howard, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson and more.
King, who spent 15 years producing the film, said the project was an incredible feat.
“It was always a little disheartening for Reina and I to have so many people over the years of our lives not know who Shirley Chisholm was,” King told Harper’s Bazaar.
“What she did was so pioneering. She was a true maverick and, you know, we use this term all the time, but she was a true first.”
King said they decided to release the film during an election year as they thought it would make for a more “impactful” release.
“As a team, we felt that is probably the best way we could possibly honor Shirley: to release her in a space that she created for herself.”
Regina King as Shirley Chisholm trailer
Shirley is will be released on Netflix March 22.
Social Justice
Mike Carey, the first Black Super Bowl referee, wants to continue to give back to the game he loves
Carey candidly spoke with CNN and reflected on the progress in diversity within the NFL officiating community and expressed continued passion for the sport.
Mike Carey, the first Black Super Bowl referee, made history in 2008 during Super Bowl XLII.
He officiated the iconic game where the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots, preventing their historic 19-0 season.
Mike Carey on DEI
In the game, Carey did not call a sack on Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Despite facing criticism, Carey has always stood by his decision.
He also took a stand by refusing to officiate games involving the Washington “Redskins” due to their offensive name, emphasizing the importance of treating everyone with respect.
Carey candidly spoke with CNN and reflected on the progress in diversity within the NFL officiating community and expressed continued passion for the sport.
While there has been headway on diversity within the league, Carey said there is still much work to be done.
“The diversity in officiating when I was there, was not there. And it wasn’t malicious,” Carey told CNN.
“[Now], you have way more Black officials. You’re now having not only women, but women of color, and whatever your sexual orientation is, it’s less and less of an issue.”
After football officiating
After his retirement in 2014, Carey became a CBS Sports analyst and co-founded Seirus Innovation, a company manufacturing snow sports products.
While he is enjoying the success of his newfound career, Carey says he is grateful for his experiences, stating, “Everything that I’ve done, I’ve just loved immensely.” said he continues to look back over his football career with pride.
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