Tainted Tap Podcast

Flint resident, Ali Cleaves, is a coach and outreach coordinator who works with young people and wants to see them win. During our conversation, “Uncle Cleaves” speaks about the pre-crisis conditions in Flint and how various resource deficits impacted the community. Ali talks about when he first started seeing problems with the water, how water quality issues impacted the community, and addresses why many residents still rely on bottled water. He also touches on the challenges caused by...

Flint resident Dr. Benjamin J. Pauli is an Assistant Professor of Social Science at Kettering University and author of the book, Flint Fights Back: Environmental Justice and Democracy in the Flint Water Crisis. During our conversation, Ben shares his path to political science and interest in community studies. He addresses the purpose and the impact of emergency manager laws in Michigan as well as how the implementation of this law in Flint contributed to the city’s water crisis. Ben also sha...

Flint native and city planner, Brian Larkin, has played various roles within Flint’s city government in recent years. During our conversation, he talks about how years of deferred maintenance, poor management systems, and the state’s habit of balancing its books on the backs of its cities created a tipping point in Flint that led to the city’s water crisis. Brian discusses the impacts of racist systems and perspectives on the built environment, noting the importance of adequately identifying ...

Paul Herring, Sr., a Flint resident and owner of “Spectacle Productions,” talks about the state of Flint before and after the water crisis. During our discussion, Paul addresses how investments in Flint’s children and the infrastructure could help the city. Paul acknowledges the limits of the state’s settlement offer as well as the difficulties that most adults will face attempting to prove their claim against the state. He calls for the leaders and residents of Flint to take a role in shapin...

Monica Galloway, who has served as a Flint City Council member since 2013, describes how she became the first African American and woman representing Ward 7 to serve on city council. During our discussion, she talks about the origins of modern inequalities in poor black spaces and provides excellent insight into the conditions facing Flint just before the water crisis came to light. Councilwoman Galloway also discusses the misleading decisions by the state that led to the Flint Water Cr...

Flint native Dayne Walling describes his journey as Flint mayor while the city was under emergency management and began contending with problems caused by the water source switch from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Flint River. During our discussion, Dayne touched on how Michigan's decision to stop sharing sales tax revenues with its cities and towns despite their public obligations impacted the essential services available to residents in Flint and elsewhere throughout the ...

Native Detroiter Darrell Dawsey is a writer and journalist who shares how the State of Michigan gamed the system and lied to Flint residents about their water. Darrell, formerly with the ACLU of Michigan who broke the story concerning Flint's struggle for clean and affordable water, describes how the state moved Flint from the Detroit system and the multiple ways the federal government failed Flint when it was aware of clear and consistent contamination of this city's water. He also talks abo...

Melissa Mays, Flint resident and public health advocate, speaks in depth about the efforts Flint residents made to bring attention to the water crisis and compel the State of Michigan to fix the problems it created in the city. In our conversation, Melissa addresses the insult of paying for high-priced public water that has been tainted with heavy metals and other (undisclosed) contaminants. She also touches on the impact of the city’s sluggish recovery as well as Flint residents’ effor...

Chia Morgan, Flint native and community activist, shares her experiences with the Flint Water Crisis and describes how it impacted the Flint community. In our conversation, Chia touched on how folks in Flint are thriving—despite it all. She also discussed why it is so hard to keep Flintstones down.

Welcome to the the Tainted Tap podcast.