SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder speaks at a press conference at the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit on June 9, 2014. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Indignation as Michigan Judge Drops Flint Water Charges Against GOP Ex-Gov Snyder
"The people of Flint deserve justice--and it's unacceptable that the people responsible for Flint's water crisis aren't being held accountable," said Food & Water Watch in response to the development.
Dec 09, 2022
Environmental justice advocates on Friday condemned a move by a district judge in Michigan to drop two misdemeanor charges against former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder in connection with the 2014 Flint water crisis that killed dozens of residents of the predominantly Black city and poisoned thousands more.
The Detroit Free Press reports Genesee County Judge F. Kay Behm signed an order remanding willful neglect of duty charges against Snyder, who served two terms as Michigan's governor from 2011 to 2019.
According to the paper:
Behm cited a Michigan Supreme Court ruling from June which stated government prosecutors erred in 2021 when they had a circuit judge serve as a "one-man grand jury" to indict Snyder and the other officials. She also noted circuit court rulings to dismiss charges against other former state officials which cited the Supreme Court ruling.
"The people of Flint deserve justice--and it's unacceptable that the people responsible for Flint's water crisis aren't being held accountable," the advocacy group Food & Water Watch tweeted in response to the dropped charges.
Tom Ivacko, director of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, said on Twitter that "the Flint water crisis was an abject failure of governance at all levels, and the ultimate price was paid by the residents of Flint."
"While the legal ramifications continue to play out, residents need to claim their role in holding the government accountable," Ivacko continued. "Policymakers need to redouble their efforts to increase government transparency and improve the workings of government."
Journalist Jordan Chariton noted on Twitter, "Nearly 9 years into #FlintWaterCrisis, not one government official in prison."
As the Associated Press reports:
Flint's water became tainted with lead after city managers appointed by Snyder began using the Flint River in 2014 to save money while a new pipeline to Lake Huron was built. The water wasn't treated to reduce its corrosive qualities, causing lead to break off from old pipes and contaminate the system for more than a year.
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission said it was the result of systemic racism, doubting that the water switch and the brush-off of complaints in the majority-Black city would have occurred in a white, prosperous community.
Flint residents complained about the water's smell, taste and appearance, raising health concerns and reporting rashes, hair loss and other problems. Snyder didn't acknowledge that lead was a problem until 17 months after the water switch, in fall 2015, when he pledged to take action.
In addition to lead poisoning, a 2014-15 outbreak of Legionnaires disease caused by the water emergency officially killed 12 people, although an investigation found that the actual death toll may have been up to 10 times higher.
Last year, a federal judge approved a $626 million settlement for Flint victims.
Friday's dismissal comes two months after Genesee County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Kelly dropped felony charges against seven former officials in connection with the Flint water crisis. Earlier this year, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, dropped racketeering charges against officials connected to the catastrophe, drawing accusations of corruption.
Responding to Friday's development, the Flint Water Prosecution Team said in a statement that "this decision is not surprising, and the prosecution will appeal."
"We anticipated that this ruling would be similar to other outcomes that only considered process," the prosecutors continued. "Our team has been preparing for this and looks forward to addressing these issues in court. As we have reiterated time and again, rulings up to this point have been on process alone--not on the merits of the case."
"We are confident that the evidence clearly supports the criminal charges against Rick Snyder," the team added, "and we will not stop until we have exhausted all possible legal options to secure justice for the people of Flint."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Environmental justice advocates on Friday condemned a move by a district judge in Michigan to drop two misdemeanor charges against former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder in connection with the 2014 Flint water crisis that killed dozens of residents of the predominantly Black city and poisoned thousands more.
The Detroit Free Press reports Genesee County Judge F. Kay Behm signed an order remanding willful neglect of duty charges against Snyder, who served two terms as Michigan's governor from 2011 to 2019.
According to the paper:
Behm cited a Michigan Supreme Court ruling from June which stated government prosecutors erred in 2021 when they had a circuit judge serve as a "one-man grand jury" to indict Snyder and the other officials. She also noted circuit court rulings to dismiss charges against other former state officials which cited the Supreme Court ruling.
"The people of Flint deserve justice--and it's unacceptable that the people responsible for Flint's water crisis aren't being held accountable," the advocacy group Food & Water Watch tweeted in response to the dropped charges.
Tom Ivacko, director of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, said on Twitter that "the Flint water crisis was an abject failure of governance at all levels, and the ultimate price was paid by the residents of Flint."
"While the legal ramifications continue to play out, residents need to claim their role in holding the government accountable," Ivacko continued. "Policymakers need to redouble their efforts to increase government transparency and improve the workings of government."
Journalist Jordan Chariton noted on Twitter, "Nearly 9 years into #FlintWaterCrisis, not one government official in prison."
As the Associated Press reports:
Flint's water became tainted with lead after city managers appointed by Snyder began using the Flint River in 2014 to save money while a new pipeline to Lake Huron was built. The water wasn't treated to reduce its corrosive qualities, causing lead to break off from old pipes and contaminate the system for more than a year.
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission said it was the result of systemic racism, doubting that the water switch and the brush-off of complaints in the majority-Black city would have occurred in a white, prosperous community.
Flint residents complained about the water's smell, taste and appearance, raising health concerns and reporting rashes, hair loss and other problems. Snyder didn't acknowledge that lead was a problem until 17 months after the water switch, in fall 2015, when he pledged to take action.
In addition to lead poisoning, a 2014-15 outbreak of Legionnaires disease caused by the water emergency officially killed 12 people, although an investigation found that the actual death toll may have been up to 10 times higher.
Last year, a federal judge approved a $626 million settlement for Flint victims.
Friday's dismissal comes two months after Genesee County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Kelly dropped felony charges against seven former officials in connection with the Flint water crisis. Earlier this year, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, dropped racketeering charges against officials connected to the catastrophe, drawing accusations of corruption.
Responding to Friday's development, the Flint Water Prosecution Team said in a statement that "this decision is not surprising, and the prosecution will appeal."
"We anticipated that this ruling would be similar to other outcomes that only considered process," the prosecutors continued. "Our team has been preparing for this and looks forward to addressing these issues in court. As we have reiterated time and again, rulings up to this point have been on process alone--not on the merits of the case."
"We are confident that the evidence clearly supports the criminal charges against Rick Snyder," the team added, "and we will not stop until we have exhausted all possible legal options to secure justice for the people of Flint."
From Your Site Articles
Environmental justice advocates on Friday condemned a move by a district judge in Michigan to drop two misdemeanor charges against former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder in connection with the 2014 Flint water crisis that killed dozens of residents of the predominantly Black city and poisoned thousands more.
The Detroit Free Press reports Genesee County Judge F. Kay Behm signed an order remanding willful neglect of duty charges against Snyder, who served two terms as Michigan's governor from 2011 to 2019.
According to the paper:
Behm cited a Michigan Supreme Court ruling from June which stated government prosecutors erred in 2021 when they had a circuit judge serve as a "one-man grand jury" to indict Snyder and the other officials. She also noted circuit court rulings to dismiss charges against other former state officials which cited the Supreme Court ruling.
"The people of Flint deserve justice--and it's unacceptable that the people responsible for Flint's water crisis aren't being held accountable," the advocacy group Food & Water Watch tweeted in response to the dropped charges.
Tom Ivacko, director of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, said on Twitter that "the Flint water crisis was an abject failure of governance at all levels, and the ultimate price was paid by the residents of Flint."
"While the legal ramifications continue to play out, residents need to claim their role in holding the government accountable," Ivacko continued. "Policymakers need to redouble their efforts to increase government transparency and improve the workings of government."
Journalist Jordan Chariton noted on Twitter, "Nearly 9 years into #FlintWaterCrisis, not one government official in prison."
As the Associated Press reports:
Flint's water became tainted with lead after city managers appointed by Snyder began using the Flint River in 2014 to save money while a new pipeline to Lake Huron was built. The water wasn't treated to reduce its corrosive qualities, causing lead to break off from old pipes and contaminate the system for more than a year.
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission said it was the result of systemic racism, doubting that the water switch and the brush-off of complaints in the majority-Black city would have occurred in a white, prosperous community.
Flint residents complained about the water's smell, taste and appearance, raising health concerns and reporting rashes, hair loss and other problems. Snyder didn't acknowledge that lead was a problem until 17 months after the water switch, in fall 2015, when he pledged to take action.
In addition to lead poisoning, a 2014-15 outbreak of Legionnaires disease caused by the water emergency officially killed 12 people, although an investigation found that the actual death toll may have been up to 10 times higher.
Last year, a federal judge approved a $626 million settlement for Flint victims.
Friday's dismissal comes two months after Genesee County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Kelly dropped felony charges against seven former officials in connection with the Flint water crisis. Earlier this year, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, dropped racketeering charges against officials connected to the catastrophe, drawing accusations of corruption.
Responding to Friday's development, the Flint Water Prosecution Team said in a statement that "this decision is not surprising, and the prosecution will appeal."
"We anticipated that this ruling would be similar to other outcomes that only considered process," the prosecutors continued. "Our team has been preparing for this and looks forward to addressing these issues in court. As we have reiterated time and again, rulings up to this point have been on process alone--not on the merits of the case."
"We are confident that the evidence clearly supports the criminal charges against Rick Snyder," the team added, "and we will not stop until we have exhausted all possible legal options to secure justice for the people of Flint."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.