Screening: Detroit Water Shutoffs
Following up the discussion on the privatization of water and the “War for the Water”, Crisis Mirror would like to invite you to the screening of Kate Levy’s documentary film Detroit Water Shutoffs. The screening will be followed by a Q&A skype session with members of the grassroots organization, We the People of Detroit. The event takes place on Thursday, the 4th of December, from 20.00 at Støberiet (Blågårds Plads 5, 2nd floor) and it is open for everyone, free of charge.
According to the latest estimations, 40% of Detroit’s population is having their water shut off. The Detroit Water and Sewage Department is conducting mass water shutoffs in Detroit, Michigan, which will effect over 120,000 account holders over (a now) 18 month period (March 2014-September 2015) at a rate of 3,000 per week. This has been dubbed Human Rights violation by the United Nations. 70,000 of those accounts are residential accounts which could amount to anywhere from 200,000-300,000 people directly effected.
In the documentary, film maker Kate Levy talks to residents, city officials and community activists about Detroit’s recent plan that is cutting off water to 3,000 residents per week and how it is affecting the city’s most vulnerable citizens. In Detroit, the average monthly water bill for a family of four is $75 — nearly twice the United States average. Detroit Water & Sewage Department plans to increase the rates this month by 8.7 percent. However, in an attempt to clear its own “bad debt” associated with delinquent accounts totally $90.3 million in order to prepare for Detroit’s Emergency Manger’s plans to regroup or sell the department, the Detroit Water & Sewage Department drastically increased the number of shutoffs this summer. So far, the water department has shut off water to more than 12,500 residents with thousands more next in line. It has resulted in an outcry from Detroit residents and community activists so loud that now has the entire country listening.
We the People of Detroit is an organization, who is dedicated to community coalition building and providing vehicles that inform, train and mobilize the citizens of Detroit to improve their quality of life.
Read more about the documentary and the situation in Detroit:
http://www.empowermagazine.
http://detroitwaterbrigade.
http://www.truth-out.org/news/
