It is basically unbelievable that Governor Snyder can end the democracy in a city or town, poison the people, have people die of disease, reinstate an emergency manager law after a statewide referendum to end it and never be held responsible for any of those decisions in lawsuits where he was the ultimate culprit.
There is something Un-American about it. This is a civil suit and all the more reason to keep everyone responsible on the roster. Civil suits don't hold the highest degree of proof, but, only evidence that points to those liable.
Something is very wrong here.
August 1, 2018
A federal judge on Wednesday (click here) removed Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, a former mayor of Flint, along with the state government from a list of defendants in a class-action lawsuit over the Flint water crisis.
The lawsuit, brought by a dozen residents of Flint and three local businesses, involves 13 claims related to a decision in 2014 to pipe water from the Flint River, instead of water provided by Detroit Water and Sewerage.
The water from the Flint River was more corrosive than Detroit’s, and rife with lead and bacteria. By the time Flint reverted to using the DWSD, some residents of the largely African American city, including children, showed evidence of lead poisoning.
According the 128-page opinion by U.S. District Judge Judith E. Levy, “Lead poisoning caused plaintiffs to suffer from severe medical problems with their hair, skin, digestive system, and organs, as well as brain and other developmental injuries including cognitive deficits, among other issues.”
In the opinion, Levy dismissed the governor, former Flint Mayor Dayne Walling and other state and municipal officials from the suit....
...Different lawsuits related to the crisis are also pending in at least seven different state and federal courts throughout Michigan.
There is something very wrong here.
August 2, 2018
By Nicquel Terry
Detroit— The impact of Flint's lead-tainted water (click here) could last decades, affecting children whose development could be hurt and causing generations of residents to lose trust in government, panelists on the water crisis said Thursday.
Discussion included long-term health effects for children exposed to the lead-tainted water, response from Flint residents, the legal ramifications and what it will take to fully recover. Lead leached into the city's water after Flint switched its municipal source to the Flint River in April 2014.
Despite what officials say about the water being safe, residents remain leery of drinking tap water, said panelist Leonard Fleming, a Detroit News reporter who has extensively covered the Flint water crisis for the past two years.
“They don’t trust government officials," said Fleming. "It could take a generation or two for residents to trust the city and state again and its water."...
