A spokesperson said the state is reviewing the
most recent request and “believes that water is
critical to ensuring the public health and safety
of Michiganders.”
Already, an additional 150 accounts in Detroit
have been unable to be restored because the
homes need significant plumbing repairs.
Black and Hispanic households are more likely to
have incomplete plumbing in their households,
according to a 2019 study by Shiloh Deitz &
Katie Meehan. African Americans account for
just 12.8% of U.S. households, but 16.6% of
households with incomplete plumbing.
Of U.S. cities larger than 100,000 households,
San Francisco has the highest number without
plumbing facilities with 2.5%, followed by
Detroit with 1.1%, according to the Census
Bureau’s American Community Survey.
California grassroots organizer Crystal Huang
noted that even though the Bay Area is one of
the richest regions in the U.S. “a lot of people,
especially service workers, still have to work two
or three jobs and are still barely able to survive.”
“I think it’s a very common reality across the
country,” she said.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Tlaib,
the Michigan congresswomen, echoed that the
problem stretches beyond Detroit.
“These are front-line communities and
neighborhoods that haven’t actually recovered
since the Great Recession,” she said. “And now
with the coronavirus, they are going to be
hurt the most if we don’t do something very
aggressively and with a sense of urgency.”