Water Shut-off Protest Marches Through Downtown Detroit [Pics]

[cla1945]

[QUOTE=DetroiterOnTheWestCoast;444242]http://www.freep.com/article/2014071...shutoff-crisis

If its a carrot and stick approach, clearly some folks need the stick.

"Earlier this week, a shutoff crew visited a street of nicely maintained brick colonials in northwest Detroit, on the edge of Detroit’s Grandmont neighborhood. Out of some 76 houses on Rutland Street, south of Schoolcraft, water was shut off for 12 households, with delinquencies ranging from $248 to more than $1,000.
When the shutoff crew showed up on his front lawn, steelworker Eric Williams emerged from his house, angry and shocked to learn that he was about to lose his water. Williams pointed to a slew of water bills, which include fine print in red alerting customers to possible shutoff if bills are past due, and said the household never received a distinct shutoff notice.
“We owe $300. I’ve got that right now. I can pay that now,” said Williams. “$300? That’s not enough to shut off my water. This is water. You don’t do nothing without water.”
Water department spokeswoman Garner, who was at the site because she was accompanying media, explained that city records showed a shutoff notice was sent to the house.
“You’re not struggling. You just got off work. You said you could pay it right now,” Garner told Williams. And she said the water department is trying to stress to homeowners that unpaid bills can’t languish indefinitely, as once was the case. Williams ended up paying the bill online, and his water was later restored."


[/QUOTE

Seriously, a steelworker? I'm of the opinion that steelworkers, along with retired Police Personnel, especially those with rank, could certainly afford to pay their water bills. Where is their money going? Some may say its none of your business, but since they themselves chose to be quoted in the press, they allow us to question. I am a DFD retiree. I make sure that all of my bills are paid from my meager pension, then, if there is anything left, I am glad. Williams has the nerve to complain that he "never received a distinct shut off notice"... I'm sure that with every passing month of non payment, the shut off threat was on his bill. He knew that eventually he'd lose his water and he chose to work the system to the bitter end. I'm actually surprised he had the nerve to come out and confront anyone, I would have been embarrassed beyond belief.

[unclefrank]

Hey wait a minute.....aren't we also entitled to "free beer"

It's a basic human right

[unclefrank]

Here we go again Detroit making national news for all the wrong reasons. Go to school, get a job, stop blaming everyone else for all your self created problems and pay your damn bills.

Why not have the water department install a public yard hydrant on every bock then the residents can walk there with buckets or empty milk jugs and get all the free water they need. This is how its done in other 3rd world country's.

Got that right

[Honky Tonk]

[QUOTE=cla1945;444251]

http://www.freep.com/article/2014071...shutoff-crisis

If its a carrot and stick approach, clearly some folks need the stick.

"Earlier this week, a shutoff crew visited a street of nicely maintained brick colonials in northwest Detroit, on the edge of Detroit’s Grandmont neighborhood. Out of some 76 houses on Rutland Street, south of Schoolcraft, water was shut off for 12 households, with delinquencies ranging from $248 to more than $1,000.
When the shutoff crew showed up on his front lawn, steelworker Eric Williams emerged from his house, angry and shocked to learn that he was about to lose his water. Williams pointed to a slew of water bills, which include fine print in red alerting customers to possible shutoff if bills are past due, and said the household never received a distinct shutoff notice.
“We owe $300. I’ve got that right now. I can pay that now,” said Williams. “$300? That’s not enough to shut off my water. This is water. You don’t do nothing without water.”
Water department spokeswoman Garner, who was at the site because she was accompanying media, explained that city records showed a shutoff notice was sent to the house.
“You’re not struggling. You just got off work. You said you could pay it right now,” Garner told Williams. And she said the water department is trying to stress to homeowners that unpaid bills can’t languish indefinitely, as once was the case. Williams ended up paying the bill online, and his water was later restored."


[/QUOTE

Seriously, a steelworker? I'm of the opinion that steelworkers, along with retired Police Personnel, especially those with rank, could certainly afford to pay their water bills. Where is their money going? Some may say its none of your business, but since they themselves chose to be quoted in the press, they allow us to question. I am a DFD retiree. I make sure that all of my bills are paid from my meager pension, then, if there is anything left, I am glad. Williams has the nerve to complain that he "never received a distinct shut off notice"... I'm sure that with every passing month of non payment, the shut off threat was on his bill. He knew that eventually he'd lose his water and he chose to work the system to the bitter end. I'm actually surprised he had the nerve to come out and confront anyone, I would have been embarrassed beyond belief.

The difference is you have morals and a sense of right and wrong. A lot of people don't seem to.

[Wesley Mouch]

... Garner, who was at the site because she was accompanying media, explained that city records showed a shutoff notice was sent to the house....
...“You’re not struggling. You just got off work. You said you could pay it right now,” Garner told Williams. And she said the water department is trying to stress to homeowners that unpaid bills can’t languish indefinitely, as once was the case. Williams ended up paying the bill online, and his water was later restored."

Proof that the water system should be privatized.

1) City did shut-off and says their records show? Not.... we have a well-developed procedure before we shut water off. First, its clearly on the bills. The bills change color when they are ready for shut-off. Next, we send a special letter. Third, we send an email. Fourth, a letter is hand-delivered to the customer.

2) A water rep was arguing with the customer. It OK to shut off the water. Its not OK for them to be characterizing the customer and their ability. They don't know.

[mkhopper]

I understand that some people just can't pay and need help and they should make the effort to get it. But I also understand that many many people pay for their smartphones, their cable service and the things they deem important. It's high time that people take responsibility for themselves instead of always blaming someone else for their misfortunes.

Just starting tying the water bill to the smartphone bill. I bet you see this problem go away in a hurry.

[sumas]

The news reported this morning that DWSD announced there is a 15 day moratorium on shut offs. There is a fund to help the truly needy and they want to get that news out. Certainly people who can should pay.

[Vic01]

The news reported this morning that DWSD announced there is a 15 day moratorium on shut offs. There is a fund to help the truly needy and they want to get that news out. Certainly people who can should pay.

here's a link -
http://www.freep.com/article/20140721/NEWS01/307210102/Detroit-water-shutoffs-lawsuit

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is suspending its water shutoffs for 15 days starting today to give residents another chance to prove they are unable to pay their bills.
“In case we have missed someone who has legitimate affordability problems this will allow them to come to us to see if they can work out payments,” department spokesman Bill Johnson said. “We’ve always maintained that what we were doing was a collection effort — not a shutoff effort.”

[cla1945]

Fox 2 news reported today that a class action lawsuit has been filed saying "race" is playing a part in the shut offs. Seems like big business, supposedly owned by whites, are not being targeted, while mostly black residents are. Ford Field and the State of Michigan owe for water, I guess they are white owned.

Unbelieveable that that the race card is being played once again. Some people just refuse to take responsibility for their own actions and will forever blame others for their irresponsibility.

[Wesley Mouch]

Fox 2 news reported today that a class action lawsuit has been filed saying "race" is playing a part in the shut offs. Seems like big business, supposedly owned by whites, are not being targeted, while mostly black residents are. Ford Field and the State of Michigan owe for water, I guess they are white owned.

Unbelieveable that that the race card is being played once again. Some people just refuse to take responsibility for their own actions and will forever blame others for their irresponsibility.

First, I think you'll find the FF and SoM are both paying their bills. They just have a balance on account -- quite possibly in dispute due to the water board's incompetence. The existence of a water bill does not mean it is owed. I've tried to work with DWSD on bad invoices -- and its nearly impossible.

But isn't the idea that the majority black-run DWSD is supposedly granting special favors to whites a little bit of a wild assumption? I don't think anybody with half a brain thinks that DWSD is a racist organization targeting blacks for shutoffs...

Second, as to the 'race card'.... I say if it works, use it. Article in City Journal about how NYC's elite schools are being asked to jettison tests for admission in favor of 'multi-factor review'. It points out how 'multi-factor review' was previously used to keep down the number of jewish students in the past -- and of course there's no doubt that the good ol' white boys network has used it to keep blacks out too. But in the pursuit of social justice, radicals want to go back to favoritism? The world is quite amazing.

The Plot Against Merit: http://city-journal.org/2014/24_3_ny...h-schools.html

[Danny]

Water is not a human right. It's a birthright.

[NickCharles]

Water is not a human right. It's a birthright.

I don't know about that, but I respect your opinion.

It's also a thing that requires processing & delivery to one's home or place of business.
I'm not OK with the currently-popular implication that the H2O itself, and its processing & delivery to homes & places of business, all are a Basic Human Right.
That entire POV is over-flowing with falseness, but one could wonder about how evenly, and with how much economic fairness, this sudden enforcement is being applied.
Are the corporations in the Central Business District all paid up? [[Asking for a friend.)

[Zacha341]

We could have the BOTH/ AND factor going on here: big companies and entities like Ford Field are getting a PASS on paying AND we have some who local folk who became use to not paying. One not need be exclusive of the other! This whole thing has lots of sides, fueled by much politicing, kicking the can, and incompetency of running the service.

Unbelieveable that that the race card is being played once again. Some people just refuse to take responsibility for their own actions and will forever blame others for their irresponsibility.

[Lowell]

DWSD is backing off a bit as pressure mounts. From Crain's >>

Detroit said it would suspend water service cutoffs of delinquent customers as residents sued, claiming the shutdowns to about 30,000 low-income households violated their constitutional rights.

The bankrupt city is halting shutoffs for 15 days to give customers a chance to contact water department officials and arrange payment schedules for past-due balances, and to get financial help, Curtrise Garner, a department spokeswoman, said in a phone interview today.

...

The water cutoffs are unfair in part because commercial customers who owe money haven’t been shut down, according to a complaint in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit.

“Water service to private residences is the most basic and essential utility service, and is necessary for the health and safety of the residents,” the residents said in the filing.

About 80,000 of 176,000 Detroit's residential accounts are past due, Garner said. She denied claims that the city isn’t shutting off past-due commercial accounts.

Good move IMO. Unless handled with care, this has a potential to be explosive on hot sultry days like today. All it takes is on irrational over-heated customer to turn on a DWSD employee and story goes even more worldwide.

[Lowell]

List of top 40 active accounts over 60-days due on Detroit water and sewer bills. From MyFoxDetroit. Maybe a little more public shaming is in order? One would think there would some sort of bell that would go off at, say, $10K where the delinquent would either pay up or be shut down.

Position as of 7/1/14 [[Cash updated up to 6/23/14)
Customer Name	Bill Cycle	Past Due, Over 60 Days	Total Balance
VARGO GOLF	903	437,714.11	478,207.59
EQ DETROIT, INC	1	255,132.94	270,914.11
SHELBOURNE SQUARE APTS	962	253,940.80	263,234.57
METRO LIVERNOIS, LLC	2	247,017.75	302,845.32
HEARTLAND COMMUNITY	802	204,519.76	217,225.93
RUSSELL INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATES	903	159,240.91	181,220.33
MATRIX	701	130,689.81	159,360.77
ATOM LLC	802	112,327.27	120,105.38
MICHIGAN WASTE ENERGY INC.	701	102,887.57	244,472.52
VARGO GOLF	802	100,527.58	109,897.25
COLONIAL MANOR PROPERTIES LLC	850	84,046.24	85,586.92
RESIDENT [[New Fellowship Church)	802	80,998.51	91,324.00
CROWN ENTERPRISES INC	3	80,729.33	95,874.77
IVEY AND ASSOCIATES	802	79,219.59	86,780.15
BAY LOGISTICS	701	73,642.45	81,988.57
STATE OF MICHIGAN-DMB	903	70,426.02	86,889.73
SAPERSTEIN ASSOCIATES	701	61,674.15	75,404.36
8 MILE PROPERTY INVESTMENTS LLC	802	60,002.65	72,206.57
CHEYENNE COIN LAUNDRY	857	57,683.47	58,858.23
MT. OLIVET CEMETERY	903	56,913.87	62,392.74
INTEGRATED PACKAGING	903	55,592.30	61,629.35
RESIDENT [[G F H Enterpries, Inc)	857	52,519.43	55,259.80
RESIDENT [[17900 Ryan Rd, LLC)	972	51,409.45	54,665.73
RESIDENT [[West Chicago Development, LLC)	2	49,545.37	62,055.23
DISPOSAL & RECYCLING TECH.	2	48,944.12	107,714.11
METRO BUILDING GROUP, LLC	903	48,256.41	56,076.91
CRYSTAL MOTEL	802	48,146.30	51,926.15
GREENBRIAR APTS	858	46,280.80	47,309.23
RESIDENT [[Brodhead Armory)	903	41,718.54	49,961.19
ST. JAMES NURSING CENTER	903	38,434.29	45,979.51
DANIL NRECAJ	724	38,007.27	42,364.39
RESIDENT [[RH & PM Greenfield PD, LLC)	858	37,550.22	42,876.42
RESIDENT [[18718 Borman, LLC)	802	37,181.64	338,359.32
RESIDENT [[address: 5960 Tireman St)	2	37,093.80	44,682.69
RESIDENT [[Alarayshi, Yahya Zakaria)	853	36,239.35	37,119.69
RESIDENT [[All American Towing, Inc)	857	35,315.27	41,654.18
TOTALS		3,411,569.34	4,284,423.71

[jiminnm]

This may be part of the problem - a 441 page long list of bills returned by USPS as undeliverable:
http://www.dwsd.org/downloads_n/cust...urned_mail.pdf

A quick scan found the Wayne County Treasurer, DPS, the DMC and many residents who owe more than $5K.

[guito13]

Bottom line is this:

If you are behind [[more then 3 months), cannot prove a hardship, and are an individual then your service should be shut off. If you can prove a hardship then you can work out a payment plan.

If you are behind [[more than 3 months) and are a business, your service should be shut off.

I would like to hear from anyone who believes otherwise and why.

[Danny]

I don't know about that, but I respect your opinion.

It's also a thing that requires processing & delivery to one's home or place of business.
I'm not OK with the currently-popular implication that the H2O itself, and its processing & delivery to homes & places of business, all are a Basic Human Right.
That entire POV is over-flowing with falseness, but one could wonder about how evenly, and with how much economic fairness, this sudden enforcement is being applied.
Are the corporations in the Central Business District all paid up? [[Asking for a friend.)

If water is a human right, that means only humans can have water, not plants or animals. That's illogically ridiculous!

[Danny]

Fox 2 news reported today that a class action lawsuit has been filed saying "race" is playing a part in the shut offs. Seems like big business, supposedly owned by whites, are not being targeted, while mostly black residents are. Ford Field and the State of Michigan owe for water, I guess they are white owned.

Unbelieveable that that the race card is being played once again. Some people just refuse to take responsibility for their own actions and will forever blame others for their irresponsibility.

What the report for FOX 2 News didn't report more is Hispanics and few White Detroiters have their water shut-off, too. Before you look into playing the race card. Look it the ethnic card first.

Next thing I heard the Detroit Dept. of Water and Sewage will be turn shutting water off to other business.


There's also lots of the poor suburbanites the depend on Detroit Dept. of Water and Sewage who their water shut off, too.


Water is our birthright and should be free, like breathing air.

[guito13]

What the report for FOX 2 News didn't report more is Hispanics and few White Detroiters have their water shut-off, too. Before you look into playing the race card. Look it the ethnic card first.

Next thing I heard the Detroit Dept. of Water and Sewage will be turn shutting water off to other business.


There's also lots of the poor suburbanites the depend on Detroit Dept. of Water and Sewage who their water shut off, too.


Water is our birthright and should be free, like breathing air.

Water is available in its natural form, just like air, for free.

[cla1945]

What the report for FOX 2 News didn't report more is Hispanics and few White Detroiters have their water shut-off, too. Before you look into playing the race card. Look it the ethnic card first.

Next thing I heard the Detroit Dept. of Water and Sewage will be turn shutting water off to other business.


There's also lots of the poor suburbanites the depend on Detroit Dept. of Water and Sewage who their water shut off, too.


Water is our birthright and should be free, like breathing air.

I didn't bring race into the equation...the lawyer for the class action lawsuit did. She specifically mentioned more blacks getting their water turned off, not me.

Water from the Detroit River, all of the Great Lakes, ponds, streams, tributaries, etc., is free if you want to grab your bucket and start a bucket brigade and bring it home. If you want it free from sewage, cleaned and processed to drink, you pay for it. What is it about that you don't understand? So in your mind, shelter should be free, food for existance should be free. etc., because it's a birthright??? Think again, not much in life is free Danny, and good, clean water isn't one of them.

Breathing air should be free, too...unless you want cooler, air-conditioned air, then you pay to have it cooled...right?

[NickCharles]

If water is a human right, that means only humans can have water, not plants or animals. That's illogically ridiculous!

Danny, c'mon.
You're the one who is being ridiculous.
Surely, you recognize that access to water is not the only issue; the issue is a combination of access, processing, & delivery. If citizens don't financially support that entire sequence, eventually the sequence grinds to a halt.
No "they," who are somehow obligated to cover the costs for that sequence, exists. The only "they" is "us."
Please stop acting like you don't get it.

[Danny]

Danny, c'mon.
You're the one who is being ridiculous.
Surely, you recognize that access to water is not the only issue; the issue is a combination of access, processing, & delivery. If citizens don't financially support that entire sequence, eventually the sequence grinds to a halt.
No "they," who are somehow obligated to cover the costs for that sequence, exists. The only "they" is "us."
Please stop acting like you don't get it.

My comment is logical, if water is a human right. It means only humans not plants and animals can have access to water, which is totally not true. Water is our birthright to everyone. having pure clean water provided by corporations and public utilities is not a human right and its not free. It's the use of regional metropolitan technology that is part of the human right. Detroit Water and Sewage did what's in their policy just like DTE Energy, At&t Comcast, Dish Network, ect.. If you can't pay your bills, your utilities will be shut off.

Matter of fact when friend just came to his SW Detroit family flat home from Europe. He's has no running water. His water was shut off for not paying his three month bill. He pay all the remaining bills online, but his water is not turn on. So we went to the water board building in Gilberttown Detroit to find out what's the matter. He found that that landlord was $814 behind on his bills. My friend tried to put his water bill under his name. In order to do that he must provide the landlord's lease. However the landlord is away in somewhere in Europe and he can't contact him. So he will have to find some other means to find his landlord so that he can get the water in his name.

To all you Detroiters and suburbanities who don't have any water in their homes. Here's a lesson given to you all by homeless people:

Any human can get water. Get a bucket, go to a river, fill it up, filter out the toxins and voila clean drinking water.

Let's say you need to a bath. Find a unisex restroom and wash you whole body.

Ask you neighbor if you want clean drinking water. Come up with problem solving method to get access to pure drinking water. To some civilize folks in the forum it's ridiculous but it may come and handy just in case human civilization ends.

[Danny]

I didn't bring race into the equation...the lawyer for the class action lawsuit did. She specifically mentioned more blacks getting their water turned off, not me.

Water from the Detroit River, all of the Great Lakes, ponds, streams, tributaries, etc., is free if you want to grab your bucket and start a bucket brigade and bring it home. If you want it free from sewage, cleaned and processed to drink, you pay for it. What is it about that you don't understand? So in your mind, shelter should be free, food for existance should be free. etc., because it's a birthright??? Think again, not much in life is free Danny, and good, clean water isn't one of them.

Breathing air should be free, too...unless you want cooler, air-conditioned air, then you pay to have it cooled...right?

​You got that right.

[Danny]

I heard that people are leaving their homes because they didn't pay their water bill. Where do they think they will go that won't require them to pay for water? They say water is a human right...well, so is shelter, heat, food, the basics of life to stay alive. Maybe the gas company is next on the list of companies that people will picket, demanding free service because heat is a human right. Or maybe Consumers Energy, because after all, electricity should be a human right, too.

When you don't pay your bills, the creditors come calling. Don't pay for your mortgage, the bank forecloses; don't pay for your car, it gets repossessed. Because of the "lax" enforcement by the City of Detroit, many people have perpetuated this problem for years, but the money is still owed. It's all about complacency, irresponsibility, and priorities.

I am so sick of these whiners trying to place their responsibilities on other peoples shoulders because the ones who scrimp and save to pay their bills will be the ones who ultimately end up paying for these irresponsible people. I understand that some people just can't pay and need help and they should make the effort to get it. But I also understand that many many people pay for their smartphones, their cable service and the things they deem important. It's high time that people take responsibility for themselves instead of always blaming someone else for their misfortunes.

I agree with you. In America, you get free-dom, but no free lunch. There is no word 'free lunch' in the U.S. Constitution.