Water Struggles In Detroit

Have you heard about the water struggles in Detroit? Let me share a reflection written by a Detroit Pastor: Rev. Bill Kellerman:

“ In our traditions water is a free grace, part of the great gift that underlies all creation. We drink it as life itself. We wade through it to freedom. And in conversion we are immersed and sprinkled and cleansed. It is the lifeblood of the planet, circulating as rain and river…For governments which serve the people, a water system is a public trust, held in trust for this generation and those to come. For the United Nations access to clean portable water is counted as a human right.

In Detroit, the largest basin of fresh water in the world flows by us through the rivers and Great Lakes. But in Detroit, under emergency management, as many as 150,000 homes are threatened with shut-off, up to 3,000 per week, largely by private contractors. People, including children, the elderly and infirm, wake up in the morning to find themselves unable to drink, cook, wash, or flush toilets. In fact, two thirds of these homes are occupied by children. People without water fear losing their children to protective services. They can be driven from their homes, their neighborhood, their city.

On June 18, 2014 a complaint charging a violation of human rights was filed with the United Nations…”

And so, I pray and ask you to pray and to act: in the name of humanity, we must stop these shut-offs. There has to be a better way.

Author: Sister Nancyann Turner, Adrian Dominican Sister
Capuchin Soup Kitchen Rosa Parks Children Program Manager