Just when you think that things can’t get any worse in Michigan—they do.
To be precise, however, it is appropriate to note that the state has been under siege for decades. Economic disinvestment, with strongly racist elements, has played a major role in bringing the industrial centers of Michigan to their knees. Right-wing reactionary politics, epitomized by the theocratic and opportunistic maneuverings of the DeVos family and their associates, have also contributed to the gutting of Michigan’s once-exemplary public school system. Together, these extremists have transformed Michigan from a state with a strong social safety net, a solid tradition of good public schools, and a proud history of labor activism to a state where progressives are on the ropes and the public sphere has collapsed.
At this juncture, we are in the middle of a perfect storm of policy disasters and malfeasance. We’ve all been paying close attention to the rolling disaster in Flint—though sadly enough, even after a presidential visit there have been no concrete steps taken to repair the system and replace the bad pipes. The scale of this problem in Flint has diverted many of us from attending to the ongoing harms perpetrated on the people of Detroit, namely the continuing destruction of the Detroit Public School system, along with the resumption of water shutoffs to those who have the least resources (and sometimes even the least liability). But many would argue, and I would agree, that all these issues arise from a profound disrespect for and contempt toward African-American Michiganders, especially poor African-American Michiganders, which have been manifested in deep anti-democratic policies that have disempowered whole communities.
Let’s look at the situation with DPS first. No one on any side of any divide will deny that the situation is grim for the Detroit Public Schools. There is, however, profound disagreement about who is responsible for the enormous problems that affect the district and how to address them.
One important organization that Michigan residents who have an interest in public schooling should know is Michigan Parents for Schools (MIPFS) . It’s both an information clearinghouse that helps publicize legislative and policy decisions affecting public schools throughout the state, and an advocacy group that promotes actions which nurture effective public schooling for all the state’s children.
The situation within DPS is coming to a head because funding is about to be exhausted, and the MI Legislature must devise a remedy. Here’s Steven Norton of MIPFS on the background for the current situation:
After many years under state control - fourteen of the last seventeen - Detroit Public Schools has reached a critical juncture: the district and its emergency management projects that it will run out of money to operate its schools before the end of the current school year. Politicos of all stripes have known this day was coming, and there have been competing proposals on what to do about it. Last year, a coalition of Detroit leaders, parents and citizens - many of them bitter enemies - sat down and hammered out a compromise document that might lead the city’s schools out of the crisis. [FOLLOW LINK TO POST TO SEE THE COMPARISONS.] It was a tenuous compromise, with many details remaining to be worked out (and some coalition members have a deep concern that local voices were not in fact heard). But it was a blueprint grudgingly accepted by the people on the spot. The reaction in Lansing? Dismissive statements and knowing smiles. A locally-developed plan wasn’t “on their agenda.”
Any of this sound familiar? Perhaps it bears some resemblance to how the people of Flint were treated when they complained about being poisoned by their municipal water supply? The underlying cause is the same: in both the executive branch and the legislature, what “the people” really want doesn’t matter half as much as what these exalted folks think is best for us, based on their own ideology or technocratic worldview. Detroit may be the most visible example right now, but as Flint proves, it was not the first and - unless we stand together - it will not be the last.
The MI House recently passed a suite of bills (the main one being HB 5384) which (naturally) would compound the problems of the district. The legislation drafted by the MI Senate (centered on SB 710) is not the best possible solution, but it is not as punitive as the House bills. Please follow this link to read the full details of a Legislative Alert published by MIPFS, so that you can contact your own legislators and encourage them to make the best decision.
For a community-based analysis of these issues, a go-to source is Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management (D-REM). They published an open letter to Steven Rhodes on Sunday, which they seek to circulate widely. At the heart of any genuine remedy, in their view:
The very idea that a meaningful top-down “solution” can be imposed by the state is absurd. This state legislature will use any financial excuse to further attack our children and their teachers.
A real solution must, at an absolute minimum: 1) come from Detroiters;
2) emphasize education over finance; 3) embrace democracy; and 4) reject structural racism, which has contaminated both Detroit’s bitter experiences with educational “reform”, and the state’s “emergency managed” debacles in predominantly African-American urban communities.
The activists of D-REM and their allies also want us to respond to the other humanitarian crisis that has already affected thousands of households in the city, and will soon affect as many as 20,000 more: Water shutoffs to residential customers are about to resume.
Last weekend, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department offered a “Water Assistance Fair” purportedly to help people devise plans to pay off their bills. This is part of the report by Shea Howell, a long-time Detroit water activist, “Thinking for Ourselves: Fair Waters,” from D-REM:
People were lined up around the block. The first woman I met coming out the door was upset. Her bill was coming to “resident,” as most of our bills do. The worker inside told her that she needed to pay $150 to get the bill in her own name before they would consider a payment plan. She didn’t have $150 dollars. So she left, still facing a shut off.
The next woman I met had recently had a new meter installed. She has always paid her bill on time. Her last bill was $$4,966 dollars. She was told that her bills had been estimated for the last 7 years and she now owed the full amount.
A bit further back in the line was a young woman in similar situation. Her January bill showed a $250 credit. In February she got a bill for $3,400.
Of the 22 people I spoke with directly, more than half had bills of over $1000, in some cases even after they had turned off water in part of their home to save money. Everyone had experienced increases in their bill of between $100 and $400.
Without a true Water Affordability Plan implemented in Detroit, the situation will worsen. More households will lose access to water. More poor people, predominantly African-American, will be deprived of a basic human right. The quality of life for all in Detroit, whether rich or poor, whether African-American, white, Latino, or Arab, will be diminished correspondingly.
We are in dire straits—some of us clearly more than others. It will take the organized opposition of many thousands of us working together across the state to bring about meaningful improvement. It’s not an easy task ahead. We have more than enough work to do, and whether your involvement in it occurs via political engagement, direct action, or something else, now is the time to take part. Let us know in the comments about your ideas and plans for what we can do.
As always, news about all things Michigan is welcome in this Open Thread.
Please help us build this weekly Michigan thread so that it includes any information relevant to turning MI Blue again that you would like me to highlight. MI contributors are always welcome! You can reach me through kosmail at peregrine kate. Or say hi through email here: peregrinekate@gmail.com And please follow me on Twitter @peregrinekate