On the topic of the Flint water crisis that has been going on in the small town of Flint, Michigan many believe the incident was definitely not an accident. Contrary to popular belief, the water crisis has not been going on for a couple of months. With the help of social media sites like Twitter, the crisis was brought to the attention of the nation. The topic interests me because of the fact that it deals with something major causing health issues in a small town no one really cares about. Flint is majority African American and the majority of the residents also live in poverty (or below the poverty level.) 

In the article "The Long Shadow of Flint's Water Crisis" by Andis Robeznieks he discusses how Flint and Michigan have been dealing with lead levels for decades. The start lies somewhere around 1989 when the head of automotive powerhouse General Motors found out that lead in gasoline reduced engine noise in automobiles; causing serious health problems in those around the research especially children. Around April of 2014, in an attempt to save money (as it really needed it) the city disconnected from Detroit's water system in which the water was provided from Lake Huron, however soon after, many residents complained about the new water supply and demanded to have the water at their homes tested. Many of the interests in this article include the fact that the article draws from numerous sources and brings in other examples of cities and lead exposure. For example, Robeznieks brings up how D.C. attempted to remove lead service lines but only made the situation worse according to Brad Wurfel. The author also brought children's health and early exposure to lead into the picture because that is one of the biggest problems of the crisis. The author is credible in this situation because he is a journalist for Modern Healthcare. This gives him access to many documents including healthcare statistics making his article credible. 

In the article "The Toxic Tap" the authors go into how many residents noticed the color of their water changed soon after the switch of their water supply to the Flint River. Many of the residents complained about the color and smell of the water for months. Soon, the majority of residents began to complain about healthcare issues including rashes, spots, hair loss, and children coming down with anemia. The article also goes into politics and how the mayor told the people to "relax" and how a city council decision to go back to the Lake Huron water supply of Detroit was overturned by someone appointed by the governor. Politics continue as presidential candidates and their views of the crisis are brought into view. Bernie Sanders who seems to be exclusively for the people thought that the governor should resign as most of the residents also want. Hillary Clinton brought the matter of race and poverty into view as the majority of Flint is African American and lives in poverty and she alluded to how "if the kids in a rich suburb of Detroit had been drinking contaminated water and being bathed in it there would've been action." (Page 34). As of recently (last month) action has finally began to happen as Governor Snyder summoned the National Guard to hand out water and President Obama designated Flint $5 million is in aid. This article is extensive and rich with fresh information being that it was published just last month. The authors are credible because they are also available to access viable and important information dealing with not only this topic but many topics and collaborate in order to bring out the best and newest information available. 

In the article "In Flint, water woes mount" by Elisha Anderson, a lot of information regarding flint's water is discussed. It begins with the tactic of ethos, allowing readers to feel with the residents of Flint, mainly Ariana Hawk who has to microwave water in order to wipe her 2-year-old son's itchy skin. The author achieves this ethos by bringing a child with obvious healthcare issues, living in poverty with their mother while she does everything she can to take care of him. Hawk goes on to talk about how she can't afford to buy 20 gallons of water just for one bath. She is a single mother with three children, attends a community college and is currently pregnant. Again, children's healthcare is brought into the limelight with "Kids absorb lead more easily and have been exposed to lead if the drank Flint water since April 2014, health officials said." (Page 01a). The author has credibility because she is a journalist for a credible source with access to very valuable information. 

The question of whether Flint's water crisis was a mistake or whether it was done on purpose is still up for debate. On the one hand, why would someone purposely poison water? On the other hand, it happened somewhere where a minority is the majority and everyone is poor and already feel as if they do not matter. The topic was not in the news or really known until just recently as most articles pertaining to the topic are fairly new coming in the last 4 months. However, the crisis has been going on since about April 2014. In the sources I found, all agree on the fact the situation is horrible. However, the fact of whether it was a mistake or not is either expressed strongly or barely in each article. The perspectives of the articles do not change mine on the topic. Furthermore, my research question will not be changed at the moment. 

