Flint Fights Back

Environmental Justice and Democracy in the Flint Water Crisis

Benjamin J. Pauli, Bhavna Shamasunder, Robert Gottlieb

• Publisher: The MIT Press
• Year: 2019
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• eBook ISBN:
  9780262352949
• Subtopic: Environment & Energy Policy
• Index: Politics & International Relations

When Flint, Michigan, changed its source of municipal water from Lake Huron to the Flint River, Flint residents were repeatedly assured that the water was of the highest quality. At the switchover ceremony, the mayor and other officials performed a celebratory toast, declaring "Here's to Flint!" and downing glasses of freshly treated water. But as we now know, the water coming out of residents' taps harbored a variety of contaminants, including high levels of lead. In Flint Fights Back, Benjamin Pauli examines the water crisis and the political activism that it inspired, arguing that Flint's struggle for safe and affordable water was part of a broader struggle for democracy. Pauli connects Flint's water activism with the ongoing movement protesting the state of Michigan's policy of replacing elected officials in financially troubled cities like Flint and Detroit with appointed "emergency managers."

Pauli distinguishes the political narrative of the water crisis from the historical and technical narratives, showing that Flint activists' emphasis on democracy helped them to overcome some of the limitations of standard environmental justice frameworks. He discusses the pro-democracy (anti–emergency manager) movement and traces the rise of the "water warriors"; describes the uncompromising activist culture that developed out of the experience of being dismissed and disparaged by officials; and examines the interplay of activism and scientific expertise. Finally, he explores efforts by activists to expand the struggle for water justice and to organize newly mobilized residents into a movement for a radically democratic Flint.

The open access edition of this book was made possible by generous funding from the MIT Libraries.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface and Acknowledgments
• List of Figures and Tables
• Timeline
• Introduction
• 1. Flint First: The Injustice of the Flint Water Crisis
• 2. How Did It Happen? Two Tales of the Origins of the Crisis
• 3. Poisoned by Policy: The Political Narrative of the Crisis
• 4. The Pro-Democracy Struggle in Michigan and the Prehistory of the Water Movement in Flint
• 5. The Rise of the Water Warriors: Transforming Personal Troubles into Political Action
• 6. Demanding the Impossible: Deliberation and Activism in the Battle over the River
• 7. The Water Is (Not) Safe: Expertise, Citizen Science, and the Science Wars
• 8. From Poisoned People to People Power: Fighting for Justice, Expanding Democracy
• Conclusion
• Selected Bibliography
• Index
• Series List