The city of Flint, Michigan notoriously poisoned a generation of its children with lead in the water supply, having ignored and covered up reports from whistleblowers and denied complaints from residents.
Flint is an overwhelmingly poor town and a majority black town. The poor, black people who were poisoned by the corporate executive that Governor Rick Snyder replaced their elected mayor with are having a hard time paying their water bills, and have understandably de-prioritized these payments since the water is, in fact, poisoned.
But this hasn't stopped the city of Flint from sending 8,000 families red bills that threaten to put liens on their homes if they don't pay bills of sums like $900.
Mays received the notice in the mail Friday stating that she must pay nearly $900 by May 19 to avoid a lien being placed on her property.
The Mays Family is not alone. More than 8,000 people are also on the same notice. What gets them on this list is not paying a water bill for six months or more.
After May 19, for those who do not pay, a lengthy process begins which could end in foreclosure.
Mays now plans to go against what she believes and pay up so she can keep her family's home.
Flint puts 8,000 people on notice for tax liens for unpaid water bills
[Stephanie Parkinson/NBC]
(via Lowering the Bar)