A Long Way from Justice: Reflections from Flint on the $600 Million Settlement Proposal

Brown, Bob; El-Alamin, Leon; Jones, Latisha; McClinton, Claire; Munroe-Younis, Mona; Olivares, Juani; Pauli, Benjamin J.; Scheid, Dan; Shariff, Nayyirah; Sullivan, Laura; Villarreal, Monica M.

doi:10.1089/env.2020.0048

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Many residents found this belief confirmed in the manner in which “recovery” was defined and carried out by state actors, as residents were largely sidelined in decision-making, as certain forms of scientific inquiry into the water were officially discouraged, and as government agencies purporting to have residents’ interests at heart fought against popular demands for reparations (Brown et al, 2020). Dissatisfaction with the overall handling of the crisis response factored into residents’ reactions to official proclamations from 2016 about the water system’s recovery, which was widely seen as excuses to scale back assistance (e.g.…”

Section: Case Examplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, lingering resident distrust is often depicted as an obstacle to full recovery, as increasingly detached from the reality of the situation on the ground, and as an emotional, irrational product of "trauma" (Bence, 2016;Fonger, 2016;Scipioni, 2016) or even a stubborn "victim" mentality (Roy and Edwards, 2019b). What these characterizations miss are the ways in which continued distrust reflects well-founded skepticism of the trustworthiness of the people and agencies leading the recovery effort (Brown et al, 2020;Pauli, 2019). Flint's long history of the race-and class-based discrimination, marginalization, and neglect (Highsmith, 2015;Pulido, 2016;Ranganathan, 2016) provides the backdrop to this skepticism, creating the general impression that the "system" as a whole work against the city's predominantly black, and largely poor, population.…”

Section: Flint Michigan Water Crisismentioning

confidence: 99%

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From “trust” to “trustworthiness”: Retheorizing dynamics of trust, distrust, and water security in North America

Wilson

Montoya

Lambrinidou

et al. 2022

Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space

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Assumptions of trust in water systems are widespread in higher-income countries, often linked to expectations of “modern water.” The current literature on water and trust also tends to reinforce a technoscientific approach, emphasizing the importance of aligning water user perceptions with expert assessments. Although such approaches can be useful to document instances of distrust, they often fail to explain why patterns differ over time, and across contexts and populations. Addressing these shortcomings, we offer a relational approach focused on the trustworthiness of hydro-social systems to contextualize water-trust dynamics in relation to broader practices and contexts. In doing so, we investigate three high-profile water crises in North America where examples of distrust are prevalent: Flint, Michigan; Kashechewan First Nation; and the Navajo Nation. Through our theoretical and empirical examination, we offer insights on these dynamics and find that distrust may at times be a warranted and understandable response to experiences of water insecurity and injustice. We examine the interconnected experiences of marginality and inequity, ontological and epistemological injustice, unequal governance and politics, and histories of water insecurity and harm as potential contributors to untrustworthiness in hydro-social systems. We close with recommendations for future directions to better understand water-trust dynamics and address water insecurity.

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Section: Case Examplesmentioning

confidence: 99%