Yes, a Flint councilwoman called residents ‘janky’ — but not all residents

A video circulating on social media this week appears to show Flint City Councilwoman Ladel Lewis calling Flint residents “janky.”

But the clip shared on TikTok and Facebook is an edited version of a longer video that Lewis posted in 2018 in which she sings about Flint residents who didn’t vote being “janky.”

“I have a song on my heart, and I want to sing it,” Lewis says on the full video that she reposted on her Facebook page after Metro Times asked her for a comment.

“This is dedicated to everybody that didn’t vote,” she says before singing, “If you didn’t go vote, you janky, you janky, you janky. Your kids are gonna be janky because you didn’t vote.”

In the edited video, the clip starts with Lewis singing, “Your schools, janky. Your taxes, janky. Your water, janky. If you didn’t go vote, you janky, you janky, you janky.”

Lewis was elected to her first term in November 2021 and now serves as vice president of the council. She wasn’t on the council when the video was posted.

“While it was never my intention to offend anyone, especially the residents of the 2nd Ward, there is a blatantly obvious and deliberate effort taking place to assault my character and minimize the accomplishments we’ve made in the 2nd ward,” Lewis tells Metro Times. “I will continue to work alongside members of the Flint community committed to strengthening our bonds and improving our city.”


On Wednesday, TikTok user JazzDelAnkh reposted the full video after Lewis complained that the original one was edited.

The comments were still negative, with some calling for her to resign or be recalled.

“She’s a traitor to the people she represents,” one person responded.

Another wrote, “The ignorance of this video speaks volumes about councilwoman Lewis, sad sad sad, people deserve better.”

Name-calling is nothing new to the Flint City Council. On Monday, Councilman Eric Mays called other Black council members, including Lewis, “handkerchief-head Negros,” “Uncle Toms,” and “Sambos.”

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