Economy
Why Flint's Hopes for Economic Development Rest on Replacing Pipes
“If we don’t take this opportunity, then we’ve failed a second time,” says Mayor Karen Weaver.
On an overcast Wednesday afternoon, Melissa Mays stands pointing her camera over her bathtub, filming the greyish-green water as it fills the basin. The water’s chemical stench makes her gag, but she holds steady.
As the leader of the advocacy group Water You Fighting For, Mays planned to use the video footage to show Michigan state officials the current quality of the water in Flint, Michigan. In recent weeks, Mays and scores of residents have complained of painful rashes that they believe are tied to bathing in the tap water. “They burn, they break open, they bleed,” Mays says. “Nothing makes it better. It’s just Flint water.”