That was the year the city of Detroit started
its water shutoff campaign, turning off water
to 28,500 residential accounts behind on
payments. Through the end of 2019, the city has
recorded about 127,500 total service cutoffs,
according to the water department, though that
figure includes households where the water was
turned off repeatedly.
“In this pandemic, it’s the people who are living
on the margins of society and the poorest of
our society that’s being the most adversely
impacted,” Bouier said.
Michigan has the sixth-highest number of
coronavirus cases in the country, according
to Johns Hopkins University’s data tracking of
the disease.
We the People of Detroit co-founder Monica
Lewis-Patrick said her organization, which
has campaigned for years to end shutoffs, has
struggled to find bottled water to deliver to
families without service because supplies are
being hoarded.
“Water is locked down,” Lewis-Patrick said. “Many
people have been texting and emailing me to
say ‘What else can we do?’ The world is crying
out that there must be a turning on of the water.”
Water advocates and elected officials argue
that it’s impossible for families to follow the
hygienic coronavirus standards outlined by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and the World Health Organization when they
don’t have water in their homes. And members
of Congress and national organizations are
pushing for federal legislation and other action
to protect residents facing high water bills and
shutoffs amid the crisis.