Tainted Tap Podcast Dr. Katrinell M. Davis

Flint resident, Ali Cleaves, is a coach and outreach coordinator who works with young people and wants to see them win. During our conversation, “Uncle Cleaves” speaks about the pre-crisis conditions in Flint and how various resource deficits impacted the community. Ali talks about when he first started seeing problems with the water, how water quality issues impacted the community, and addresses why many residents still rely on bottled water.  He also touches on the challenges caused by privatized public services in the city as well as the need for people in Flint to organize to take what they need and make demands that will help them secure the resources required for sustainable growth.

Flint resident Dr. Benjamin J. Pauli is an Assistant Professor of Social Science at Kettering University and author of the book, Flint Fights Back: Environmental Justice and Democracy in the Flint Water Crisis. During our conversation, Ben shares his path to political science and interest in community studies. He addresses the purpose and the impact of emergency manager laws in Michigan as well as how the implementation of this law in Flint contributed to the city’s water crisis. Ben also shares his concerns with the settlement offered to Flint residents and sheds light on the difficulties the city continues to encounter throughout its recovery from this public health disaster. 

Flint native and city planner, Brian Larkin, has played various roles within Flint’s city government in recent years. During our conversation, he talks about how years of deferred maintenance, poor management systems, and the state’s habit of balancing its books on the backs of its cities created a tipping point in Flint that led to the city’s water crisis. Brian discusses the impacts of racist systems and perspectives on the built environment, noting the importance of adequately identifying and addressing how these systems perpetuate the unequal distribution of resources in cities.  Brian also expresses the need for capacity-building investments and policy interventions that can meet the challenges facing cash-strapped cities over the long-term. 

Paul Herring, Sr., a Flint resident and owner of “Spectacle Productions,” talks about the state of Flint before and after the water crisis. During our discussion, Paul addresses how investments in Flint’s children and the infrastructure could help the city. Paul acknowledges the limits of the state’s settlement offer as well as the difficulties that most adults will face attempting to prove their claim against the state. He calls for the leaders and residents of Flint to take a role in shaping the city’s future by doing what they can to make the space better for everyone, especially Flint’s kids.  

Monica Galloway, who has served as a Flint City Council member since 2013, describes how she became the first African American and woman representing Ward 7 to serve on city council. During our discussion, she talks about the origins of modern inequalities in poor black spaces and provides excellent insight into the conditions facing Flint just before the water crisis came to light.  Councilwoman Galloway also discusses the misleading decisions by the state that led to the Flint Water Crisis, shares her perspective on the current settlement offer, and reminds us that the battle for justice persists in Flint. 

Flint native Dayne Walling describes his journey as Flint mayor while the city was under emergency management and began contending with problems caused by the water source switch from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Flint River. During our discussion, Dayne touched on how Michigan's decision to stop sharing sales tax revenues with its cities and towns despite their public obligations impacted the essential services available to residents in Flint and elsewhere throughout the state. Dayne addresses our need to demand more transparency and accountability in government affairs. He also calls for greater collective responsibility in efforts to ensure an equitable and sustainable delivery of essential services.