LANSING — State Representatives Sheldon Neeley (D-Flint) and Phil Phelps (D-Flushing) are leading the House Democrats in a show of support for the people of Flint, who have a rally planned in front of the Capitol Building in Lansing today at noon. Protests and gatherings have been taking place across the city of Flint recently to bring action and awareness now to the water crisis, rather than the slow pace the state government has been taking. Community leaders decided it was time to take the protest to Gov. Rick Snyder directly.
“The entire nation, and possibly the entire world, understand the crisis in Flint now, and voices everywhere are calling out for action and justice for our city, but the governor and his administration continue to move too slowly,” Neeley said. “I applaud the efforts of the people of Flint and others gathering with them from all corners of Michigan to demand justice at the steps of the Capitol. We are a strong voice, and we will not be silenced.”
Gov. Snyder declared a State of Emergency in the city of Flint, and Tuesday mobilized the National Guard to aid the people of the city by handing out bottled water and water filters at designated areas. But he has been holding back on calling for federal aid, and his entire reaction time to the crisis has been too slow, even when faced with scientific facts from health professionals and the reveal of a cover-up at the highest levels of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
“There is a very real sense of frustration being felt by Flint residents right now. They have had things hidden from them, they have been misled, and they have been outright lied to by state departments and officials,” said Phelps. “They absolutely deserve the right to be heard by their government and they feel that’s just not happening right now, so I, along with every member of the House Democrats, support them bringing this message to the footsteps of the governor’s door.”