"Though Mr. Snyder issued the emails as part of an effort to reveal the administration’s transparency on the matter, the documents provide a glimpse of state leaders who were at times dismissive of the concerns of residents, seemed eager to place responsibility with local government and, even as the scientific testing was hinting at a larger problem, were reluctant to acknowledge it.
The messages show that from the moment Flint decided to draw its water from a new source, the Flint River, officials were discounting concerns about its quality and celebrating a change meant to save the cash-starved city millions of dollars. From 2011 to 2015, Flint was in state receivership, its finances controlled by a succession of four emergency managers appointed by Mr. Snyder’s administration.
That upbeat mood lasted for months, even as residents began complaining about the new water’s foul odor, odd color and strange health effects, and began showing up at events with “jugs of brownish water.” A news release on April 25, 2014, from the City of Flint announcing the change to the water source acknowledged, “Even with a proven track record of providing perfectly good water for Flint, there still remains lingering uncertainty about the quality of the water” by the public.
It went on to say that “in an effort to dispel myths and promote the truth” there had been repeated tests of the water. The release, which was shared with state officials, said that a state expert verified that “the water being put out meets all of our drinking water standards and Flint water is safe to drink.”"
Maybe they were just being demanding and over-sensitive.
I can't imagine what it would feel like to live there and to be so thoroughly unable to trust your government, unable to expect respectful responses to your problems.
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