Rising Hegemon
It was six in the morning when city contractors showed up unannounced at Charity Hicks' house.
Since spring, up to 3000 Detroit households per week have been getting their water shut-off – for owing as little as $150 or two months in bills. Now it was the turn of Charity's block – and the contractor wouldn't stand to wait an hour for her pregnant neighbour to fill up some jugs.
"Where's your water termination notice?" Charity demanded, after staggering to the contractor's truck. A widely-respected African-American community leader, she has been at the forefront of campaigns to ensure Detroiters' right to public, accessible water.
The contractor's answer was to drive away, knocking Charity over and injuring her leg. Two white policemen soon arrived – not to take her report, but to arrest her. Mocking Charity for questioning the water shut-offs, they brought her to jail, where she spent two days before being released without charge.
At this point, a mere quarter-million or so folks have lost their ability to obtain clean water...meanwhile, GM, Chrysler and who knows how many banks are doing just fine on that government bail out money.
But hey, those corporations are people...and those people of Detroit are, uh, apparently not.
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
10 comments:
The public water system, a prized resource worth billions and sitting on the Great Lakes, is now the latest target – and the water shut-offs are a way to make the balance-sheet more attractive in the lead up to its privatization.
They were going to try this in Chicago, but the parking space piratization was such a fiasco that Mayor Rahmbo had to off.
The piratization of Detroit Water and Sewerage is being framed well this time. As long as you make your theft a battle in the Red/Blue wars, you automatically get half the electorate supporting you, no matter how rapacious your position.
That’s what makes this United Nations thing so special, cause if there’s anything the Red team hates more than the blahs, it’s the UN.
Four million people get water through Detroit. And whoever gets the concession has a license to print money.
Poor Detroit. This is what happens when you let the gombeen man get his hooks into you.
Doubling the rates ensures that the people who had trouble paying before surely cannot pay now. A couple of months without water, the city then sends out code enforcement to verify the homes have no water, then begin condemnation proceedings (permissible under most municipal law). So, even the property owners get tossed out, and the properties effectively become worthless. Whole sections of the city become uninhabited, making them now ripe for developers to pick up for very short money. Once the black population has been driven out, to go gawd knows where, the developers bring the suburbs back into the city, and make a fortune.
So, they privatize the water system, clear the lots and someone makes a bundle coming and going. Capitalism working hand in hand with its partner, corrupt government.
$heer oppression, by the Oppressident and his NAPPY$ (No Account Precedent and Parties of You're $crewed!).
$75 dollars a month for water? Unfuckingbelievable. And you can bet whatever "private" entity scams their way into owning the utility will jack the price up from there.
Assholes.
Down here, I learned -- unfortunately from experience -- that the private, free-enterprise company that scammed THEIR way into owning the utility loves cutting people off on Friday afternoon...in my case, while I was at work. Gives you the whole weekend to think about it, and of course forces you to take time away from work if/when you have enough money to pay the bill, the late fee, and so on...
so, what is WRONG with taking from the 2% who have MORE THAN ENOUGH.
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privatize the profits and socialize the losses is the mantra for new millennium
What Montag said.
So, what percentage of shut-offs in a neighborhood does it take to destroy the neighborhood?
If the right wing and TeaBirchpublicans - forgive me, I repeat myself - can figure out how to weaponize water for their coming 2nd Amendment revolution, then having water will become a cherished, God-given right. Till then, real Americans still have enough water, so, derp.
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