Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Detroit Water Shutoffs Are Racially Motivated, Lawsuit Claims

This headline would be funny if it weren't so sad. I swear that some black people are so attached to white folks that they cannot imagine a world in which things happen without their involvement. Before I start my quote fest, let me remind the reader that current day Detroit is upwards of 85% black. It has had a black mayor since Coleman Young was elected in 1974. Let us begin:
There are concerns the shutoffs are “being done in a discriminatory fashion,” the Defense Fund’s Veronica Joice told a local CBS affiliate. “They should at least take a look at whether there’s a better way to do this that doesn’t affect the most vulnerable citizens — the majority of whom are African-American here in Detroit.”
Detroit is 85% black. who else other than black folks are going to be the majority of those affected by water shut offs? Martians?
“These companies are basically Caucasian companies,” she told the station. “The folks who are being cut off are almost one hundred percent African-American.”
Two things here:

1) Why, in a city that is 85% black are the companies operating in it "basically caucasian"? Do you know of any city that is at least 85% "caucasian" whom the businesses are "basically Africoid"?

2) The Ghost covered the issue of commercial entities in the previous post on this matter The businesses that owe should be gone after just as aggressively as the individuals. No one. Repeat: No one should be off the hook. IMO, pointing the finger at the other folks is simply an excuse for your own inexcusable behavior. They should pay their bills and so should you. I have also noted that if those companies that owe, have to shut down for whatever time, that their employees (perhaps many of the employed in Detroit) may well find themselves without pay. Could be a case of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.

Detroitannounced Monday that it would suspend its aggressive policy of cutting off water for the next 15 days, but the NAACP Legal Defense Fund said in a press release Monday that it’s not enough. They also want the financial aid program for Detroit’s neediest people to be reformed.
I just have a question: Since there are about 5 billion in capital repairs needed to be done and the water supply is not free, who is going to be paying for all this "relief"? Serious question. 'Cause if a large majority of Detroit citizens are "unable" to pay for their water now, we have to assume that they will be unable to pay for water delivery in the future. Are people entitled to free water delivery? If so, why charge anyone for water delivery? I was always under the impression that if one could not afford to live somewhere, you either moved or got people to live with you to share costs. Does this not apply in Detroit?

Serious questions.

Lastly, is there anywhere in "basically caucasian" America where water service (or any utility for that matter) where it was expected that the city (or state) intervene and supply water to those who did not pay? Serious question. 'Cause either there has never been a situation where a large number of poor white folks in a city were ever cut off from water for non-payment or a large number of white folks have had their water cut off and nobody reported on it.