Detroit, Mich. – Today the People’s Water Board Coalition delivered more than 158,000 petition signatures to Governor Snyder and the Detroit City Council in front of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit. The petitions call for an immediate and permanent stop to the water shut-offs in Detroit, restoration of household water service where it has been shut off, and implementation of the Water Affordability Plan passed by Detroit's City Council in 2005.
"Water is essential to all life," said Dorthea Thomas of Environmental Action. "We're here to deliver these signatures not only on behalf of Detroit's people, but our entire ecosystem. Without a just, equitable and public water system, every plant, animal and person is at risk."
People around the globe have signed the petitions being delivered today. “This issue has reached people all over the world,” said Lynna Kaucheck of Food & Water Watch and the People’s Water Board. “All eyes are on us. How the Governor’s office handles this situation will show whether or not he thinks people and their basic human rights are more important than profit.”
Today’s petition delivery is the next step in an ongoing series of events spearheaded by the People’s Water Board to stop the water shut-offs in Detroit and to implement the Water Affordability Plan. In June, the group and allies reached out to the United Nations, which then filed a complaint against the U.S. Government and the State of Michigan for violating the human right to water and sanitation. In August, the group partnered with 54 other organizations to call on the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to declare a public health emergency in Detroit because of the lack of water and sanitation. Most recently, an injunction was filed in the ongoing bankruptcy trial requesting a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on water shut-offs in Detroit. The request was sent to mediation and a decision is expected tomorrow.
“It is reprehensible that children and families in Detroit are being put at risk of disease because they cannot afford their water bills,” said Sister Mary Ellen Howard, Registered Nurse from Cabrini Clinic. “To maintain public health, water must not only be clean; it must be available and affordable. Our lives depend on it.”
The City of Detroit is in crisis. When 45 percent of the city struggles to pay their water bills, it becomes clear that this is not just a problem with delinquent payment. It is indicative of broader, systemic issues resulting from decades of policies that put profits before people.
“By denying drinking water and sanitation to thousands of Detroiters, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is violating one of their basic human rights,” said Lila Cabbil of Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute and People’s Water Board. “Without water, how are people expected to bathe, flush a toilet or prepare healthy food for their families? We are calling on our elected officials today to put an end to this injustice and turn the water back on.”
Copies of the petitions are also being delivered to the judges overseeing the bankruptcy trial and mediation.
The petition was sponsored by ColorOfChange.org, Daily Kos, Demand Progress / Watchdog.net, Democracy for America, Environmental Action, Food & Water Watch, the People’s Water Board, RH Reality Check and Working Families Organization.
The People’s Water Board advocates for access, protection, and conservation of water, and promotes awareness of the interconnectedness of all people and resources.
The People’s Water Board includes: AFSCME Local 207, Baxter’s Beat Back the Bullies Brigade, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, Detroit Green Party, Detroit People’s Platform, Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management, East Michigan Environmental Action Council, Food & Water Watch, FLOW, Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit, Matrix Theater, Michigan Coalition for Human Rights, Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute, Sierra Club, Sisters of Mercy, Voices for Earth Justice and We the People of Detroit.
Water is life. The People’s Water Board advocates for access, protection, and conservation of water. We believe water is a human right and all people should have access to clean and affordable water. Water is a commons that should be held in the public trust free of privatization. The People’s Water Board promotes awareness of the interconnectedness of all people and resources.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
People's Water Board Statement on Creation of Regional Water Authority
People’s Water Board Coalition Calls Regional Water Authority an Assault Against Democracy and the Human Right to Water
Community calls for protection and representation for all region’s residents
Detroit, Mich. – The People’s Water Board decried Mayor Mike Duggan’s plan to create a regional water authority as undemocratic and a threat to the human right to water for many in the region. We have access to the largest body of surface freshwater in the world, so it would seem abundance and access should not be an issue. However the manner of governing this valuable resource as responsible environmental stewards for the world has left many communities without trust.
The deal was negotiated behind closed doors without any input from the public and is the next step on the pathway to privatization. It takes away the rights of both the Detroit City Council and the citizens of Detroit to have input on big decisions impacting the system.
“Suburban customers should not be fooled into thinking that this deal gives them more control or influence over the water system,” said Lynna Kaucheck of the People’s Water Board. “The new authority will be made up of unelected officials who are accountable to no one. People need to know that this deal doesn’t take privatization off the table.”
Veolia Water North America, the largest private water company operating in the United States, has been hired to evaluate the management of the system and clearly has a vested interest in privatization. Privatization typically results in skyrocketing rates, decreased service quality and the loss of jobs. In fact, corporate profits, dividends and income taxes can add 20 to 30 percent to operation and maintenance costs, and a lack of competition and poor negotiation skills can leave local governments with expensive contracts. In the Great Lakes region, large private water companies charge more than twice as much as cities charge for household water service. This is not the solution for Detroit or the region.
“The regionalization plan is unacceptable. We need a system that is accountable and transparent and that works for all its customers,” said Tawana Petty of the People’s Water Board. “We want an elected board of water commissioners. We want to reduce costs for the region through bulk purchasing and resource sharing. And we want to implement the Affordability Plan as passed by Detroit City Council in 2005. Detroit and suburban leaders need to protect residents and democratize the system.”
The People’s Water Board advocates for access, protection, and conservation of water, and promotes awareness of the interconnectedness of all people and resources.
The People’s Water Board includes: AFSCME Local 207, Baxter’s Beat Back the Bullies Brigade, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, Detroit Green Party, Detroit People’s Platform, Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management, East Michigan Environmental Action Council, Food & Water Watch, FLOW, Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit, Matrix Theater, Michigan Coalition for Human Rights, Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute, Sierra Club, Sisters of Mercy, Voices for Earth Justice and We the People of Detroit.
September 10, 2014
Contact:
Lynna Kaucheck, Food & Water Watch, (586) 556-8805
Tawana Petty, People’s Water Board, (313) 433-9882
Community calls for protection and representation for all region’s residents
Detroit, Mich. – The People’s Water Board decried Mayor Mike Duggan’s plan to create a regional water authority as undemocratic and a threat to the human right to water for many in the region. We have access to the largest body of surface freshwater in the world, so it would seem abundance and access should not be an issue. However the manner of governing this valuable resource as responsible environmental stewards for the world has left many communities without trust.
The deal was negotiated behind closed doors without any input from the public and is the next step on the pathway to privatization. It takes away the rights of both the Detroit City Council and the citizens of Detroit to have input on big decisions impacting the system.
“Suburban customers should not be fooled into thinking that this deal gives them more control or influence over the water system,” said Lynna Kaucheck of the People’s Water Board. “The new authority will be made up of unelected officials who are accountable to no one. People need to know that this deal doesn’t take privatization off the table.”
Veolia Water North America, the largest private water company operating in the United States, has been hired to evaluate the management of the system and clearly has a vested interest in privatization. Privatization typically results in skyrocketing rates, decreased service quality and the loss of jobs. In fact, corporate profits, dividends and income taxes can add 20 to 30 percent to operation and maintenance costs, and a lack of competition and poor negotiation skills can leave local governments with expensive contracts. In the Great Lakes region, large private water companies charge more than twice as much as cities charge for household water service. This is not the solution for Detroit or the region.
“The regionalization plan is unacceptable. We need a system that is accountable and transparent and that works for all its customers,” said Tawana Petty of the People’s Water Board. “We want an elected board of water commissioners. We want to reduce costs for the region through bulk purchasing and resource sharing. And we want to implement the Affordability Plan as passed by Detroit City Council in 2005. Detroit and suburban leaders need to protect residents and democratize the system.”
The People’s Water Board advocates for access, protection, and conservation of water, and promotes awareness of the interconnectedness of all people and resources.
The People’s Water Board includes: AFSCME Local 207, Baxter’s Beat Back the Bullies Brigade, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, Detroit Green Party, Detroit People’s Platform, Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management, East Michigan Environmental Action Council, Food & Water Watch, FLOW, Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit, Matrix Theater, Michigan Coalition for Human Rights, Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute, Sierra Club, Sisters of Mercy, Voices for Earth Justice and We the People of Detroit.
September 10, 2014
Contact:
Lynna Kaucheck, Food & Water Watch, (586) 556-8805
Tawana Petty, People’s Water Board, (313) 433-9882
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