5th Ward City Councilman Wantwaz Davis
On September 12, 2014 Governor Rick Snyder came to Flint, Michigan, for a fundraiser, at the Farmer's Market. There were at least 300 residents, from diverse communities with issues that concerned them, ranging from UAW members, teacher unions and flint residents who has suffered dearly under the bad policies from Governor Rick Snyder. However, their approach and participation was to express their disdain or dislike towards Governor Snyder leadership that ill affected many Michiganders, and to show their reproach or disapproval towards his quest for reelection. The problem I have, as a representer of the residents in the city of Flint is, none of their issues were disclosed to the public. Channel 12abc news was present and showed a great form of disregard, disrespect and neglect towards hundreds of Flint residents who stood in the pouring rain, with signs speaking about the emergency manager law, i.e., public act 436, that disenfranchised the residents in flint and stripped them of their democracy; high water bills, which are the highest in the country, with 38 of the population are unemployed, and forced to drink and bath in contaminated water. None of these issues were disclosed to the public, especially after I continuously approached Channel 12 ABC news and mentioned to them that I was one of the organizers of the protest, and particularly spear headed the event. The Governor was in our city, in which he created a condition that is well known as a great form of injustice to the residence, with the intentions of dissolving Flint, Michigan like Pontiac, where in the end nothing will be left to call our own, and local leadership will eventually become obsolete or none existent. These issues are paramount; if that protest would have gone national no one across this country would have known about Flint, Michigan's emergency manager law, high water bills, and contaminated water. Channel 12 ABC news should be held accountable and responsible for their neglect. They gave an interview with the governor and nothing about his bad policies were mentioned, he walked into our city grabbed a big bag of money and walked out smiling, without feeling accountable to any of the problems he created, not only to the residents in Michigan but, particularly, to the residents in Flint, Michigan.
