"Band-Aid on a Bullet Wound:" Flint Locals Seethe Over $626 Million Water Settlement

[babylonsister]

5 hours ago
“Band-Aid on a Bullet Wound:” Flint Locals Seethe Over $626 Million Water Settlement
“Man-made disaster” left thousands of families exposed to toxic lead.
Gloria Oladipo
This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.


Sharply mixed reactions have greeted the award by a federal judge of a $626 million settlement for residents affected by the lead water crisis that engulfed the city of Flint, Michigan, more than six years ago.

While some residents and officials welcomed the payout resulting from lawsuits filed over the crisis, which was particularly damaging to many of the city’s children, others were dismayed at an outcome they saw as wholly inadequate. “It’s a Band-Aid on a bullet wound once again for our city that is still coping with the residual effects of the water crisis,” LuLu Brezzell told local news website MLive. The Flint resident is the mother of Amariyanna “Mari” Copeny, the youth activist also known as Little Miss Flint.

On Tuesday, district judge Judith Levy announced the settlement deal, calling it a “remarkable achievement” that “sets forth a comprehensive compensation program and timeline that is consistent for every qualifying participant.”

However, some Flint residents who came out against the settlement before its approval are bitterly disappointed about the small amount of money many community members will receive and the lack of legal accountability for those behind the crisis.

more...

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/11/flint-water-lead-court-settlement-residents-unhappy/

[MichMan]

1. Should everyone just receive the same blanket amount regardless of whether they were harmed or not?

"Residents were also unhappy at the payout structure. The money will be distributed based on a formula that gives more to younger claimants and to those who can prove greater injury. Flint city councilman Eric Mays said the payment parameters, including a $1,000 settlement cap for adults, would limit the compensation amount for many eligible recipients and said the average person who had signed up “don’t know what to expect.”

[bluestarone]

2. When i saw this settlement, i was wondering how the locals were feeling.

Seemed like a VERY low amount, plus lawyers were getting large fees. I really hope something can change and get the money to those that really deserve it!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

3. Sickening!! (literally & figuratively)