[News] 10 arrested blocking trucks sent to shutoff water services in Detroit

[Anti-Imperialist News]

    10 arrested blocking trucks sent to shutoff water services in
    Detroit
    <http://sfbayview.com/2014/07/10-arrested-blocking-trucks-sent-to-shutoff-water-services-in-detroit/>

July 10, 2014
*http://sfbayview.com/2014/07/10-arrested-blocking-trucks-sent-to-shutoff-water-services-in-detroit/*
<http://sfbayview.com/2014/07/10-arrested-blocking-trucks-sent-to-shutoff-water-services-in-detroit/#> 



      *Tens of thousands impacted by emergency management, banks*

/*by Abayomi Azikiwe*/

Detroit activists concerned about the massive water shutoffs across the 
economically devastated city blocked entrances into the yard of Homrich, 
a firm given a nearly $6 million contract to terminate services for 
hundreds of thousands of people. The firm was hired by emergency manager 
Kevyn Orr, who was appointed by right-wing Gov. Rick Snyder in March 
2013, who later forced the city into the largest municipal bankruptcy in 
United States history a year ago.

A picket line set up before 7:00 a.m. on July 10 blocked the entrance to 
Homrich for over an hour. Eventually police arrived and attempted to 
force demonstrators out of the driveway, prompting resistance leading to 
10 arrests.

Protesters were taken into custody and charged with disturbing the 
peace. A hearing was set for July 21.

Rev. Bill Wylie-Kellerman of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Detroit 
said that he would gladly get arrested again in order to further the 
cause of stopping the shut-offs. Also arrested was Elena Herrada, a 
member of the Detroit Board of Education in exile and a candidate for 
Michigan state representative.

The actions are part of a citywide effort to declare a moratorium on 
water shut-offs. The ninth week of Freedom Friday protests is scheduled 
for July 11.

On July 15 hundreds will gather outside the federal courthouse in 
conjunction with a bankruptcy hearing, where at least 60 people will 
present legal objections to the so-called "plan of adjustment." The 
plan, if approved, would implement huge cuts in retirees' pensions and 
further disempower and expropriate Detroit residents of city assets and 
municipal governance rights.

Already Belle Isle, the Detroit Public Lighting, Detroit Public Works, 
Human Services and the city Health Department have been taken over and 
privatized. Tens of thousands of retirees have had their healthcare 
programs cancelled and are also facing substantial cuts to pension benefits.

There is currently an effort to privatize the management of the Detroit 
Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD). The water department was struck 
hard when $530 million was taken out of the system in 2012 to terminate 
yet another fraudulent interest-rate swap deal controlled by JPMorgan 
Chase, Morgan Stanley and other banks.

The July 18 Freedom Friday will be held in conjunction with the Net 
Roots Nation conference taking place in Detroit, where thousands 
attending the event are being encouraged to come out into the streets 
and join protests against emergency management, the banks and forced 
privatization of the city.

/Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of //Pan-African News Wire/ 
<http://panafricannews.blogspot.com/>/, where //this story/ 
<http://panafricannews.blogspot.com/2010/12/after-wikileaks-us-outlines-africa.html>/first 
appeared, can be reached at //panafnewswire at gmail.com/ 
<mailto:panafnewswire at gmail.com>/. Pan-African News Wire, the world's 
only international daily pan-African news source, is designed to foster 
intelligent discussion on the affairs of African people throughout the 
continent and the world./

-- 
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 www.freedomarchives.org
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