The Detroit to Flint Water Justice Journey is about lifting up the need for clean and affordable water in Michigan. The walk will begin on Friday, July 3 in Detroit where tens of thousands of citizens have had their water shut off and where the 2005 Water Affordability Plan has been passed by the Detroit City Council but never implemented. From there, the walk will continue to Highland Park where the community has been threatened with mass water shutoffs after years of administrative mismanagement. The journey will conclude on Friday, July 10 in Flint where residents with serious health problems related to unsafe water from the Flint River –  hair loss, autoimmune disorders, skin burns, and children with lead poisoning  – share their stories. Along the way, the walk will pass through cities, rural areas, lakes, rivers, and watersheds.

The walk itself is simply the thread that weaves together a series of important public events to highlight the issues by hearing from people on the front lines  –  local residents personally affected by unclean and unaffordable water, concerned citizens, people committed to water justice including public health workers, attorneys, pastors, elders and youth. The key events include: the sendoff from Detroit on July 3, a cultural event and town hall meeting in Highland Park that same afternoon, a public cross-county speak out in Pontiac on Sunday, July 5, and a rally at Flint’s Town Hall on July 10. The focus is on connecting caring communities at these public events and sharing our collective concern for clean, affordable water upheld as a human right and to affirm that water is a sacred trust that should be held as a common rather than a commodity.

Governor Snyder has been invited to Flint on July 10 to hear from citizens from the cities of Detroit, Highland Park, and Flint. 

Weeks ago, members of the state legislature were invited to a public hearing on water that involved testimony from these communities.  Now, concerned citizens will return to Lansing via bus after the Flint rally to call for clean and affordable water at the state capitol.

OUTLINE OF KEY PUBLIC EVENTS.

Daily walk times and locations will be posted on the Peoples Water Board Coalition site. Cities of Peace Detroit will attempt to keep this post updated with details.

THE WATER JUSTICE JOURNEY FROM DETROIT TO FLINT, JULY 3-10, 2015

There are a core group of walkers. Others can walk for an hour or a day. Still other supporters will walk when they can and/or drive to key events.

The main events of the Water Justice Journey are outlined below:

FRIDAY, JULY 3

8:00 AM: Prayer with a water theme, Underground Railroad Monument (Hart Plaza), led by indigenous water women 

9:30 AM: Meet-up at Central United Methodist Church, walk to Water Department, and Spirit of Detroit. 

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Send-off at Spirit of Detroit Statue (send-off is scheduled for 11:00 AM)

2:30 PM- 3:30 PM: Cultural Celebration, Nandi’s Café, 12511 Woodward Ave, Highland Park, MI 48203

4 PM to 5:30 PM: Voices from Highland Park-Town Hall Meeting, at location TBA

9:00 PM Detroit Light Brigade, 9 Mile and Woodard, Ferndale, MI 

SUNDAY, JULY 5

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM: Meet for a Cross County Speak out, Baldwin Center, 212 Baldwin Ave, Pontiac, MI 48342

FRIDAY, JULY 10

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM: Rally for clean, affordable water, Flint City Hall, 1101 S. Saginaw Street, Flint, Michigan 48502. Governor Snyder has been invited for a citizens’ roundtable at the Flint City Hall to meet with residents impacted by water issues as well as water justice groups representing Detroit, Highland Park, and Flint.