I dont think theres a chance in hell that all of those 15 people [charged in Floods investigation] are going to get charged again, Pauli said. Myth Two: Flints problems will magically disappear with more money, It is no secret the City of Flint has had financial problems for many years now. Jim Ananich, the state senator and Flint politics lifer who has represented the city at the local and state level for 15 years, is equally sympathetic, saying the issues with pipe replacement speak to how the water crisis touches everything from public health to good governance and infrastructure. This is another one of those tough conversations I mentioned we needed to have a Come to Jesus moment, if you will. Although Walling literally pressed the button, the decision to use Flint River water had much deeper roots. But now Flint finds this form of resolution, too, possibly slipping out of reach. Only after all of these things do we need money. In the nation outside Flint, with the coronavirus vaccine at hand, the eyes of normal people are eagerly turning toward a post-pandemic world. Flint is a majority-African American city, where over 40% of the residents live in poverty, and some suggested that authorities' indifference to the community led to the crisis. Welcome to Flint Town, Two Guns, The Rat Pack, Death and Homicide, The Numbers, Devil's Night, Two Worlds, and The Stand Off are a few of the most well-known episodes. Self - Flint Resident 1 episode, 2018 Sylvester Jones . Instead, the recurring theme we see in the media is different outlets all fanning the same flames of racial tension for views and ratings. The court cases continue to unfold, and the city slowly replaces its lead lines. Over the course of the episodes, the police faced a crucial millage vote and a city government wrangling over funding.[4]. But you fix bumps, right? She said that, in her experience, a majority of the people she encounters cite the high level of disruption to daily life as a major reason why they dont want their pipes replaced. As far as reception is concerned, Season 1 of Flint Town boasts a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics consensus reading, Flint Town dives deep into an essential subject matter with admirable objectivity while presenting candid and hard-hitting personal testimonials. On IMDb, the show has a solid rating of 8/10 on IMDb, based on nearly 2,500 votes. Bridgette Balasko police officer; later officer, CATT (Crime Area Target Team) squad; aspires to be a Federal Investigator; later Homicide Detective, Timothy Johnson Chief of Police, appointed by Mayor Karen Weaver, Dion Reed LERTA Cadet turned police officer, son of Maria, Maria Reed LERTA Cadet turned police officer, mother of Dion, James Tolbert former Chief of Police, fired by Mayor Karen Weaver, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 04:37. Activists heralded her election, but during her four years in office, Weaver frequently stumbled. From 2016 to 2019, this looked like a real possibility. If you havent seen the show yet head over toNetflix to catch all the episodes of the first season, Read More: Best Drug Documentaries on Netflix. 'Flint Town' is an American documentary television series that airs on Netflix and takes viewers to Flint, Michigan, where it explores the problems like rising gun violence and the state of policing in America. Like the rest of Michigan, Flint is seeing steep increases in Covid-19 numbers. A second season could see many other real-life personalities being featured. Fewer than 500 remain to be inspected. Providing water and appropriating settlement funds are simple compared with the task the city now faces: convincing its residents not only that they have a future, but that they can trust their government to provide for their most basic of needs. The development drew little attention outside the states borders, but the sense of abandonment and betrayal that followed it goes far beyond the grassroots. Its a question that Americans throughout the country may find themselves asking when the dust settles from the chaos of 2020: Where, even, to begin? By the time the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notified Michigan in early 2015 that there were dangerous levels of lead in Flints water, its residents had complained for months of mysterious illnesses. The citys population is 54 percent Black, compared with the states overall Black population of 14 percent. Ananich wasnt in line that day, but he understands why people were. Former Mayor Walling described to me the improbable hope and dedication hes seen in the community across his decade-plus working and campaigning in Flint politics. The Flint water crisis was a public health crisis that started in 2014 after the drinking water for the city of Flint, Michigan was contaminated with lead and possibly Legionella bacteria. Theres the Great Recession, then the Tea Party takeover, and then the rewrite of the emergency manager law, where the state now says, We will take over absolutely everything and then I didnt see the water crisis coming out of out of that, Walling told me. July 21, 2021; 0; 0; examples of obligations in everyday life . As the evening wore on, Flint resident Elizabeth Taylor needled them for their perceived eagerness to draw the proceedings to a close: How can we trust you when you look at the clock and say you want to leave? And Flint's experience has been a precursor to lead. Over a two-year period, filmmakers embedded with cops in Flint, Michigan, reveal a department grappling with volatile issues in untenable conditions. It offered a raw view into the humanity and vulnerabilities of both police officers and the residents of the communities in which they serve. Michigan Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich plays with his son Jake, 4, at home in Flint. In a city with a long legacy of dysfunction, its the rare action that can be matched to a clear and obvious positive outcome. There are a number of local female entrepreneurs making strides in their fields (see my article on Girl Talk by Kaelin Anne). Even once Flint water is safe, there will be some residents who will never trust or drink Flint water again, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the pediatrician whose research exposed the Flint water crisis, said in a previous interview. "Flint Town review Netflix's incredible portrait of a town in crisis", "Netflix's 'Flint Town' offers behind-the-scenes look at city's police", Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Bumping Mics with Jeff Ross & Dave Attell, The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flint_Town&oldid=1142220171, Netflix original documentary television series, 2010s American documentary television series, English-language Netflix original programming, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Among them were Adam Ant, Donal Logue . But people in North Texas don't need Netflix to understand the problem. 3. A historic village where they make or do crafts, a train ride and a even steamboat. I dont have detected lead anymore, and I still dont trust it, Ananich told me. For all of the great dialogue the series gave us about healing the disconnect between the police and the policed, as I dove into the series I was utterly shocked at the myths the series either perpetuates or just allows to skate by unaddressed. Here are the myths in Flint Town that you may have missed: Myth One: Its okay to profit off of peoples pain. In June 2019, around 100 Flint residents crowded into the citys UAW Local 659 meeting hall for an update on the investigation from the new investigators appointed by recently elected Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel. There could have been a combination of approaches, where the most capacity was focused on the highest-risk areas, and some could have been dedicated to, you know, complaints from someone who the model may not show is in a high-risk place. She currently is a paraprofessional at her alma mater, the International Academy of Flint, and plans to pursue graduate studies this fall. The majority of voters thought I could deliver better things for them. Written June 6, 2015. The wariness wasnt out of ignorance. As of 2021, she is focused on hosting parties and trying her hand in different types of investments. Chief Johnson's new team targeting high-crime area takes action, to mixed response from the community. Some of us just dont want to leave., There are some people who say, you know, Im looking for a ticket out of here. But theres a much larger percentage of people who love this place, Walling said. Snyder has never come here to say hes sorry. Instead of partnering with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department as they had in the past, theyd utilize a new pipeline being built by the Karegnondi Water Authority to draw less expensive water from Lake Huron. But that flip of a switch isn't when the city's water crisis began. And a year and a half later, no new charges have been filed. If you spend enough time there, youll find someone eager to tell each of thembut the most convenient place to start is April 25, 2014. You dont just keep them there.. I love going to Sherman's because it is an affordable good time. She became mired not only in controversies over the water crisis complicated infrastructural fix, but accusations she used her office to reward friends and family and boost her own profile. When I spoke to Mayor Neeley, he acknowledged the difficulties Flint facespublic safety, sanitation and managing the citys teetering pension systemand that the ability of residents to trust that the government can meet those needs was at an all-time low. One thing that was so powerful about Flint Town was the way it seized the opportunity to allow the great citizens of Flint to lead the dialogue on the complexities of our current racial and political climate in the U.S. Profiting off of peoples pain, especially by circulating footage of their slain children, is unethical and distasteful. Davon Davenport, a 9 year-old fourth grader in Flint, used to get A's and B's in his classes. The department captured on-screen is down from 300 officers to 98 for 100,000 people, the lowest number out of comparably sized cities. However, I dont believe in using that humanity to excuse ones passive racism. They might not trust the results of a presidential election, behaving as if they live in a banana republic and not a robust, if flawed, democracy. Director of the Flint and Genesee CVB, Alaina Wiens shared, "The CVB thought what better way to make residents aware of what is happening with all the development downtown and throughout the county than by having a day where they can see a bunch of new buildings, attractions, and historical venues, while providing the transportation to them all Four major myths you missed in the Netflix Flint Town Series added by Ashley Hamilton on 03/14/2018View all posts by Ashley Hamilton , You must be logged in to post a comment The sun sets over a field outside of Anna, Illinois. Change starts with us. Heres everything we know about it thus far. "Sundown towns" like Anna were places where Black people were allowed in during the day to work or shop but . "A travel advisory has been issued to warn that any Black people in or traveling to San Antonio use increased caution when visiting the city due to the city's policing policies that put . 39m. Article bookmarked. As a water crisis erupts and a new mayor is sworn in, the understaffed police department faces Federal extortion charges while struggling to protect the city. Not long after, residents started to complain about strange odors and brackish, brown water coming out of their pipes. Apart from police personnel, the show also features others like former Democratic Presidential Candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, current US President Donald Trump, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, and ABC12 news reporter Jessica Dupnack, among others. Weaver was narrowly defeated in her 2019 reelection bid by Sheldon Neeley, a state representative and former city council member who relentlessly needled the mayor for her mismanagement of the arduous project to replace the citys lead pipes, calling her a ceremonial mayor who basked in the media spotlight. FLINT, Mich. In a city synonymous for half a decade with disaster, something remarkable happened in February 2019. The renovated Farmers Market is thriving, offering a variety of local and internships cuisines. March 23, 2015. Rick Snyder, were charged Thursday in connection with the Flint water crisis in a case one prosecutor said was . But after that, nothing was simple. Mayor Dayne Walling, then a 40-year-old Flint native who had won a Rhodes Scholarship before coming back to serve his hometown, raised a glass of that rivers water, toasted a jolly Heres to Flint!, and downed it in one swig, surrounded by his fellow bureaucrats who dutifully followed suit. A new chief ushers in change as a presidential debate comes to town. Bahasa - Indonesia; Chinese (simplified) Deutsch; English - Australia; English - Canada; English - Ghana Walker-Smith conducts outreach for the National Resources Defense Council, contacting Flint residents who havent yet had their pipes replaced. Chandra Walker-Smith is among them. I shudder to think whats going to happen if these cases just evaporate into thin air, because its going to be yet another trauma inflicted upon the community, whether people intend it that way or not., For me, you cant have trust without truth-telling, Shariff said. Block by block, house by. Both sides of my family are here. O-Town: What Are They Up To Now? (Photo Credit: Open Door Co./Nomad Films Inc.). We have long suffered the oppression of bad governance at the state and local levels, which ushered us straight into our infamous water crisis (which, by the way, is another characteristic of a developing country). Science and logic would tell me that it should be OK, but people have lied to me.. One of Earleys decisions was to switch the source of the citys water and then not treat it for needed prevention of the corrosion of pipes. And while Flints political tug of war with a majority-white state government isnt unique, that dynamic gave an extra sting to the citys repeated financial takeovers by state-appointed emergency managers, culminating in the austerity-driven call to switch its water supply to the contaminated Flint River. I lose reelection [that November,] and Mayor [Karen] Weaver gets sworn in. Instead, they ended up spending most of the evening hearing from anguished Flint residents skeptical they would see further convictions or accountability at all. Self - City Administrator 1 episode, 2018 John Boismier . I get reelected in 2011, and then we get the sequence of [four] emergency managers, who under state law effectively become the mayor and the city council, even though they dont take that title, Walling told me. Catch up with all of Great Lakes Nows coverage of the Flint water crisis. Flint Police Department records show there were 39 homicides, 97 rapes, 148 robberies, and 1,135 aggravated assaults in 2019. It seems everyone has something different to say about the eight-episode series. Earlier tests already hinted at good news, and this one confirmed it: In the vast majority of such homes, lead levels were 5 parts per billion or betterfar below even the strictest regulations in the country. By David K. Li and Erin Einhorn. Comments. In fairness to Mayor Weaver, I do think the citizens of the city deserved to see [pipe excavation] done in different parts of the city, Walling said. Season 1 of the show, consisting of eight episodes, premiered on Netflix on March 2, 2018, and received outstanding reviews from television critics and viewers alike. Rick Snyder appointed Darnell Earley as emergency manager to help the city of Flint cut costs to remedy its financial crisis. If you havent seen the show yet head over to. People think were just poor and have no means to leave. 3// DALLAS, TEXAS. We need to hold ourselves accountable for the roles we play in making/keeping Flint what it is, whether good or bad. (I covered this meeting in my former role as a reporter for the Michigan Advance. Several people have been injured, with fatalities reported . Its most recent official update, from early October, shows that lead and galvanized steel pipes have been replaced in 9,769 homes. In this series, filmmakers embed with FPD officers as they face infrastructure issues and decreasing resources while risking their lives to protect and serve the community of around 100,000. When we think of racism, we tend to envision a world literally and figuratively in black and white perhaps, blatantly segregated drinking fountains and restrooms and an antagonistic white man using a racial slur. Republican Former Attorney General Bill Schuette appointed special prosecutor Todd Flood to head a broad, aggressive criminal investigation into the water crisis. There would not have been a water crisis if we had democracy in the city, Shariff told me, pointing to how the city abandoned Detroits water source only at the behest of its austerity-minded, unelected state officials. Cadet Dion and his mother close in on graduation. We need a mindset shift and a hard reset of our culture and values. Like nearly everyone I interviewed for this story, Ananich has his own personal story about dissatisfaction with the pipe-replacement program. Instead, the citys success rate in finding the pipes in question plummeted from 70 percent to 15worse than would be expected if homes had been chosen completely at random. After the city entered a state of financial emergency during the Great Recession, state, city and county officials collectively decided to save money by switching to a new water source. Located along the Flint River, 66 miles (106 km) northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. But that pride is matcheddoubled, reallyby a hard-bitten awareness that with the end of a crisis comes a new batch of problems, with less obvious solutions. A quick review: In 2014, former Michigan Gov. Its hard to maintain peoples trust in institutions when you dont see justice being done with your own eyes, Pauli said. Tensions across the country are high as people of color, specifically black people, feel as though over-policing and police brutality in their communities is an imminent threat to their well-being. The Office of Economic Development helps Flint-based businesses succeed with assistance for entrepreneurs at every stage of business development. 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