In my mind this quote summarizes not only Detroit's woes but the woes of the 99% world wide:
The obligatory Homeland Security presence that is now the norm for social justice protests. Although they seem to miss the neo-Nazi protests, interesting that:
Some nice artwork:
And a view of the rally from above:
There was a stage truck but for some reason the police forbid the driver from continuing the march route.
The water shut offs have increased from an alarming rate due to the poverty of some Detroit residents to a socially dangerous condition.
In 2006 the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization picketed the houses of Detroit city council members to protest the water department’s decision to shut off water connections to people who could not afford to pay their bills.
Detroit’s water utility supplied 20 percent less water in 2009 than it did in 2003. The obvious reasons why are a steep decline in Industrial activity and population. Michigan’s largest city–home to 820,000 residents, 1 million less than in 1950–is losing 10,000 residents annually.
But a third important source of the department’s diminishing market is that many poor residents simply can’t afford the basic service. Thousands of Detroit residents have had their water connections cut by the city, forcing people to adopt informal methods to gain access to drinking water.
“I’ve been to some neighborhoods where they run a hose through the window from their neighbor’s house,” said Maureen Taylor, chair of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization (MWRO), which educates low-income workers and welfare recipients on social services rights.
Civilizations die without water. Period.
And the discontinuation of water to residents in going to bring diseases we have not seen regularly in this country since the introduction of indoor plumbing.
And of course this shameful effort to destroy Detroit is based on profit. Companies owing hundreds of thousands to the water company remain on the spigot.