(Wikimedia Commons)
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes admonished the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department's handling of its ongoing water shutoff initiative,saying this week it's causing "bad publicity" for the city at a bad time.
But the media attention of DWSD's treatment of residential shutoffs will only be amplified during this week's Netroots Nation conference at Cobo Hall.
Amid the daily panels and speeches at the convention, National Nurses United, with the support of numerous organizations, have organized a march Friday to protest the shutoffs.
"Cutting off water to community residents is a disgraceful attack on the basic human right of access to safe, clean water," NNU Co-President Jean Ross said in a statement. "Nurses know the critical link between access to water and public health. Lack of water, like unsafe sanitation, is a major health disaster that can lead to disease outbreaks and pandemics. The city must end this shutoff now."
Organizers say the march will begin at 1 p.m. outside Cobo Hall at the corner of Washington and W. Congress Street. At 1:45 p.m., a rally will be held at Hart Plaza. For more info, the Facebook event for the march offers up-to-the-minute updates here.
