News & Commentary

The ongoing Flint water crisis generated headlines last week when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report warning that road work or hydrant flushing could shake loose toxic lead particles from rusted pipes and that residents needed to be notified about such work in order to protect themselves.

In last week’s press conference announcing that the city of Flint would finally be allowed to return to Detroit’s water system, Gov. Rick Snyder made it a point to note that placing blame for the lead poisoning of children is not something he intends to do.

Below are some of the thousands of Educational Achievement Authority emails (edited for length and clarity) obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and provided to the ACLU of Michigan.

In June of 2011, Gov. Rick Snyder stepped behind a microphone at Detroit's Renaissance High School to announce the start of a revolutionary new approach to education in Michigan.

It took a while for LeeAnne Walters to realize the full impact of the number: 13,200.

In a place that bills itself the Great Lakes State, you'd think people would understand and appreciate the universally critical importance of water.

Fifty years ago, Viola Gregg Liuzzo, a 39-year-old mother of five from Detroit, was shot dead by Ku Klux Klansmen on an isolated road outside Selma, Ala. 

August 5 turned out... weird. Last night produced mixed results, indicating that our state is becoming more and more polarized. Citizens are clearly weary of the lack of political depth and sincerity, and the tendency for incivility. As an example, take lightening rod concepts like "common core" and "Medicaid expansion," both of which involve multifaceted and useful policies that truly benefit society. But candidates treat them as black or white - you are with us or against us. We are used to that simplistic debate over abortion, immigration and marriage equality. Now, it seems that every issue gets reduced to a sound bite, not worthy of informed discussion. It's no wonder that elected officials are less popular than root canals... but enough of my whining. I want to give you a run-down on the primary results.

Fans of free speech can breathe a sigh of relief, as the State of Michigan has backed off of an unconstitutional policy preventing sitting U.S. Representative John Conyers from being on the August ballot. This comes as a victory for many who felt that the removal of Rep. Conyers from the ballot was unfair and a hindrance to the right of everyone to participate in the political process. This entire debacle stems from a heated situation in which hundreds of signatures that petitioners collected for Conyers’ re-election campaign were invalidated on the grounds that several of the petition circulators were not registered voters required by a Michigan statute. There is no practical need to restrict petition circulators to registered voters and doing so only serves to curb our free speech. The foundation of our political system is rooted in the need for open political processes and communication. An essential part of our political process is that everyone has the ability to be heard. Thankfully, however, Federal Judge Leitman ruled in favor of allowing John Conyers onto the August Primary ballot.  Happily, the state announced that “...based on the facts of the judge's order, the state has decided not to appeal in the Conyers case.” Here at the ACLU of Michigan, we're dedicated to the idea that everyone should have a fair and equal say in government. Hooray for another victory for open communication in politics! James Hendrikson, ACLU of Michigan Intern