What happened to Flint, Michigan ?

[gotsnowgotslush]

Flint water rates are almost eight times higher than the national average, according to an investigator for environmentalist Erin Brockovich.

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2015/03/erin_brockovich_associate_says.html#incart_river


This year officials decided to build a pipeline to Lake Huron so the city could get its own water. The city has been getting its water from the Flint River since April as the pipeline project progresses.


March 11, 2015

Environmental activist Erin Brockovich and staffers for U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Twp., have started talking about Flint's water together.

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/ind...vich_meets_with_con.html#incart_story_package

General Motors was here for 80 years, and left behind toxins that will take centuries to dissolve: arsenic, chromium, mercury, lead, solvents. Petroleum leaks into the Flint River, said Christina Kelly of the Genesee County Land Bank, which has been overseeing the remediation and participating in the site planning.

http://beltmag.com/flint-in-the-hole/


How to rehabilitate Flint ? Taxpayers foot the bill, in the form of a billion dollar loan

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/business/15auto.html


MAY 19, 2014

Today, nearly one-third of its population lives in poverty. Tens of thousands of jobs have been lost and about 15 percent of the workforce is unemployed. And the population — once nearly 200,000, ranking it as Michigan’s second largest city — struggles to stay above the 100,000 mark.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6b4_1400539744


Do not drink the water, in Flint-
(Do not use it to bathe. Keep out of eyes, nose, ears, mouth.)

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-sty...mich-left-undrinkable-water-article-1.2138469

March 5, 2015

Last month, the county started distributing bottled water to about 1,300 preschool students and a children’s museum recently blocked access to water fountains, citing Safe Drinking Water Act violations because of high levels of a disinfectant byproduct. High bacteria levels forced boil-water advisories last year.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Flint sounds like a terrible place to live. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint,_Michigan



Politics[edit]

Most politicians are affiliated with the Democratic party despite the city's elections being nonpartisan.[57] In 2006, Flint was the 10th most liberal city in the United States, according to a nationwide study by the non-partisan Bay Area Center for Voting Research which examined the voting patterns of 237 cities with a population over 100,000. Flint placed just after San Francisco (9) and before Seattle (16) and New York City (21).[58]

Public safety[edit]

Residents are served by the Flint Police Department (with mutual aid from the Genesee County Sheriff's Department and Michigan State Police), the Flint Fire Department, and several private ambulance companies. The Police Chief is James Tolbert.[59] Since 1995, Flint has operated its own 9-1-1 call center, separately from Genesee County's call center in Flint Township. On September 11, 2014, it was announced Flint's 911 center will be merged back into Genesee County's on July 1, 2015 due to budget constraints.[60]

Recent crime statistics[edit]

2007–2009[edit]

According to FBI statistics, Flint's violent crime rate has been in the top five among U.S. cities with a population of at least 50,000 people for the years 2007, 2008, 2009. In 2007 the FBI ranked Flint as the second most violent city in the U.S, while in both 2008 and 2009 Flint had the fifth highest violent crime rate. FBI data shows in 2009 Flint had 2,244 violent crimes, including 36 homicides, 91 rapes and 1,527 felonious assaults. While homicides and assaults increased in 2009, rapes and robberies decreased, contributing to an overall 3 percent drop in crime.[61]

2010[edit]

On December 16, 2010, Flint's 64th homicide of the year occurred. "It's been a very difficult year," Walling said hours later. However, in dealing with the city's multimillion-dollar deficit, Walling laid off 66 police officers in 2010, including the 20 layoffs that took effect December 17, 2010.[62]

"Families of Murder Children Support Group" Robert Johnson noted the growing numbers of unsolved Homicides in the City of Flint: 2008 32 homicides, 19 convictions; 2009 36 homicides and 12 unsolved; and 2010 to date 64 homicides with 33 unsolved. As a result of the record number of homicides in 2010, a research report was published by the Center for Homicide Research describing the problem and proposing public policy changes.[63] The Layoff numbers, according to Keith Spears (Police officers Union President) "In February '09 Walling laid off 46. December 17, 2010 Mayor Walling laid off another 20. In 2008 we had 208 patrol officers (this is not counting Sergeants, Lieutenants, Captains, and the Chief). As of December 17, 2010, we had 67 patrol officers left. In 2008 Williamson laid off 48 officers. There have been a total of 114 lay offs since 2008, but we have lost a total of 141 positions. That's because they did not replace some positions after officers retired" "We’re trying to take care of it as much as we can."[64]

According to a study of FBI crime statistics by CQ Press, in 2010, Flint was named the "fourth most dangerous city in the United States."[65]

2011[edit]

In December 2011, Flint rose to the number 1 spot on the "Most Violent Cities in America" list.[66] According to a 2011 national poll by 24/7 Wall St. Flint was named the most dangerous city in the U.S. in 2011.[67]

On September 28, 2011 it was announced the Flint Police Department has been awarded $1,225,638 from the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to re-hire 6 laid off patrol officers. The officers are scheduled to be on the job starting in October 2011.[68] On December 19, 2011, it was reported that Flint's violent crime rate for the first half of 2011 was ranked No. 2 by the FBI, with St. Louis, Missouri taking the No. 1 spot. The report stated crime in every category, except motor vehicle thefts, was down as compared to the same period in 2010.[69]

2012[edit]

On April 27, 2012, in a report by Forbes magazine, Flint was rated No. 6 on a list of "America's most violent cities for women".[70]

On June 12, 2012, Flint took the #1 spot of the FBI's 2011 List of Most Violent Cities With Populations of over 100,000 people. The report stated Flint had 2,237 violent crimes (murders, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults) in 2011. It also stated Flint had increases in non-violent crimes (burglaries, larcenies, auto thefts, arson fires, and other property crimes).[71] The next day, 24/7 Wall Street claimed Flint also made the #1 spot on a similar list, and stated in 2011 Flint had twice as many violent crimes (2,392) as those on their list of the "10 safest cities in America" combined (which in total was 1,246).[72] Additionally, Flint had the most arson fires (287) in 2011 per capita per the FBI.[73] In response, Governor Snyder again visited Flint on June 18, 2012 and announced he will send more state troopers to Flint, and give state money to Flint to run the city lockup.[74] Additionally, on the same day, state representative Jim Ananich proposed the Michigan State Housing Development Authority give state money from the federal foreclosure benefit fund to the Flint Police Department to hire more officers.[75] A month later on July 17, 2012 Ananich reiterated his push to secure those funds from the state, and also pointed out that scrap metal thefts are on the rise in the city, and proposed a portion of the $97 million fund be set aside to prevent them, which he claimed will also benefit the local economy by attracting new businesses to the city.[76] On October 29, 2012, the FBI announced Flint is now ranked second in violent crime per capita of cities with over 50,000 residents, behind Camden, New Jersey.[77] On December 30, 2012, Flint's 66th homicide of the year occurred, tying a record set in 2010.[78] However on March 11, 2013, this figure was increased to 67 after a man who was shot in November died from his injuries.[79] On June 4, 2013 it was reported the FBI has ranked Flint the most violent city per capita for the third consecutive year. According to FBI's statistics, Flint had more than 2,774 violent crimes in 2012. They included 63 murders, 108 rapes, 673 robberies and 1,930 aggravated assaults.[80] However, the same report said non-violent property crime was down 14%, including a 21% drop in arson fires: 226 intentionally set fires last year compared to 287 in 2011. Additionally, auto thefts dipped from 770 reported thefts in 2011 to 459 in 2012. Burglaries dropped from 3,628 in 2011 to 2,979 in 2012, a 17% drop. Larceny-thefts increased from 2,200 to 2,207, less than 1%. In all, the city reported 5,645 property crimes in 2012, compared to 6,618 in 2011.[81] Flint had the highest per capita murder rate of any nation in 2012, at 62 murders per 100,000.[82]

2013[edit]

Flint was named the "most dangerous city in America" by Business Insider in June 2013, based on FBI statistics.[83]

On November 21, 2013, Police Chief James Tolbert claimed his statistics show violent crime is down 30% compared to 2012, and property crime is down 26% compared to 2012.[84]

On December 30, 2013, it was reported there were 20% less homicides in 2013 compared to 2012; 52 in 2013 compared to 67 in 2012.[85] However it was also reported robberies went up 21% in 2013 compared to 2012.[86] Additionally, arson fires were down 50% in 2013 compared to 2012; 107 in 2013 compared to 226 in 2012.[87]

On February 19, 2014, citing a 26% violent crime drop in the first half of 2013, the FBI reported Flint is now the second most violent American city of those with more than 100,000 residents, behind Oakland, California. The report stated homicides dropped 23 percent, robberies fell 18 percent and aggravated assaults decreased 33 percent; however rapes were up 45 percent. In total, the city reported 1,038 violent crimes in the first half of 2013. They include 24 homicides, 83 rapes, 251 robberies and 680 aggravated assaults.[10]

On November 10, 2014 the FBI reported that Flint's crime rates were down in 2013. The overall violent crime were down 31.3 percent, homicides were down 23.8 percent, robbery was down 33.6 percent, aggravated assault was down 34.4 percent, property crime was down 24.5 percent, burglary was down 34.8 percent, larceny / theft was down 9.4 percent, motor vehicle theft was down 40.3 percent, and arson was down 51.3 percent (110 arson fires in 2013, down from 226 reported arson fires in 2012). Rapes however, were up. The number of rapes reported in 2012, which was 108, could not be compared to the number of rapes reported in 2013–145—because the U.S. Department of Justice changed the way it defines and categorizes rape in the uniform crime report.[88]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/11/flint-city-council_n_4256514.html