Nine people were charged after a new investigation into the Flint disaster, including former Michigan governor Rick Snyder, and key members of his government, nearly seven years after the deadly crisis that plagued an entire community.
Snyder and others were charged with several crimes in a calamitous plan that threw lead into the water and contributed to a fatal outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, officials said on Thursday.
Years after the decision to use water from the Flint River, the plumbing in more than 9,700 homes in Flint has been replaced and the water quality has greatly improved. But prosecutors said it was not too late to prosecute those responsible for one of the worst human-made environmental disasters in the history of the United States, a case that was considered a symbol of environmental injustice and racism.
It is the second time that six of the nine people face charges; their previous cases were dropped in 2019, when a new prosecution team took over. Snyder is the group’s biggest new name, although his alleged crimes are not as serious as the others: two counts of misdemeanor for deliberate negligence of duty.
Snyder’s former health director, Nick Lyon, and former medical chief executive, Dr. Eden Wells, were charged with involuntary manslaughter in the 2015 deaths of nine Legionnaires. Authorities said they did not alert the public to a regional legionnaires peak, when the water system may not have enough chlorine to fight bacteria in the river water.
“The Flint water crisis is not a relic of the past,” Fadwa Hammoud, from the state attorney general’s office, told reporters. “Right now, the people of Flint continue to suffer from the categorical failure of civil servants at all levels of government who have trampled on their trust and have escaped responsibility for a long time.”
All nine defendants pleaded not guilty during a series of brief court appearances.
The prosecution alleges that Snyder failed to verify the “performance, condition and administration” of his appointees and to protect Flint’s nearly 100,000 residents when he learned of the threat. The Republican was governor from 2011 to 2018.
Wearing a mask, Snyder, 62, said little during his hearing, which was conducted by video. A conviction can take up to a year in prison.
Snyder acknowledged that his administration failed in Flint. But his lawyer, Brian Lennon, said that a criminal case against him was a “farce”.
“These unwarranted claims do nothing to resolve a painful chapter in our state’s history,” said Lennon. “Today’s actions only perpetrate outrageous political persecution.”
In 2014, a Snyder-appointed emergency manager, Darnell Earley, who ran a financially troubled, black majority city, made an economic decision to use the Flint River to get water while a Lake Huron pipeline was under construction.
The corrosive water, however, was not treated properly, a misstep that released the lead from the old plumbing into the houses. Despite residents’ desperate pleas holding jars of discolored water, the Snyder administration, especially regulators of drinking water, took no significant action until a doctor publicly reported high levels of lead in children about 18 months later.
Lead can damage the brain and nervous system and cause learning and behavior problems.
Authorities accounted for at least 90 cases of Legionnaire’s disease in Genesee County during the 2014-15 water change, including 12 deaths.
Former Mayor Karen Weaver, elected in 2015 after the disaster was recognized, said Snyder deserved more than misdemeanor charges.
“Snyder was slapped on the wrist and Flint was slapped in the face … Not only did people lose their lives because of the Legionnaires, but we know women who had stillbirths and spontaneous abortions,” said Weaver.
Separately, Michigan, Flint, a hospital and an engineering firm have agreed to a $ 641 million deal with residents.
Melodie Ingraham, 61, whose skin was irritated by the contaminated water, said the criminal charges did not mean much to her.
“It looks horrible at the end of the day. They are concerned about the wrong thing, ”said Ingraham. “The problem is getting Flint back up and running, stay safe again.”