Featured photo: Flint Resident Wayne Patrick, pictured holding daughter Myla, is upset that the criminal charges in the Flint Water Crisis case have been dropped. Photo courtesy of Wayne Patrick.
Written by Jameca Patrick-Singleton
On Tuesday June 28, the Michigan Supreme Court issued a 6-0 ruling stating that the indictment against top state officials were issued improperly. According to the state’s highest court, usage of a single person grand jury, which has been used to issue indictments for years in Michigan, was unconstitutional. The ruling is in direct response to the case of Nick Lyon, who is the former Department of Health and Human Services director, and sets the precedent for others who have been charged in the water crisis case. This includes former Governor Rick Synder, who many Flint residents blame directly.
Though prosecutors are stating that they plan to explore other legal avenues to continue with the battle to for justice for Flint, residents have spoken out in anger around the ruling.
Former Flint Mayor Dr. Karen Weaver, who was mayor of Flint at the height of the crisis and who issued the state of emergency to get funding for pipe replacement, issued the following statement;
“Flint, we will not give in; we will not give up! Flint residents want their humanity acknowledged, we want justice and we want comparable compensation. The Michigan Supreme Court ruling today is yet another blow to a city, a people that have spent the last 8 years publicly crying out.
“This decision sends a message that politicians can be negligent and put profit over people and
go on with their lives as if nothing has happened.
“We have waited, listened and believed we would see someone held accountable. If we can’t
count on elected officials to care and courts to correct/hold accountable, what does that say about
us as a nation?”
Wayne Patrick, a Flint resident who was impacted by the water crisis. states that he feels numb
about the ruling.
“I had legionaries which caused double pneumonia,” Patrick stated. “I was in a coma, and the
doctors were preparing my family for the worst. I almost died. I almost left my daughter without
a father, and to know that the people who did this to me probably won’t face consequences
leaves me speechless. At this point it’s obvious that they don’t care about us. They just don’t.”
