Riots have erupted in Baltimore, Maryland following the death of Freddie Gray. The 25-year-old man was arrested on April 12 after running away at the sight of the police. He died a week later while in police custody of a spinal cord injury. National Guard soldiers have now surrounded City Hall, thousands of police are on the streets, public schools are closed and the city is under a 10 pm to 5 am curfew. It is in this context that the people of Baltimore are also experiencing an assault on their human right to water and sanitation.
In late March, the Baltimore Department of Public Works announced that nearly 25,000 households (about 60,000 people) and 370 businesses were slated to have their water turned off if they had a water bill of $250 or more and were behind in payments by six months. People are given 10 days to pay their bill once they receive their notice. Since April 7, roughly 150 people a day have lost their drinking water and sanitation.
Twenty-four percent of people living in Baltimore live below the federal poverty line, which is $19,790 for a family of three. Sixty-three percent of the city’s population is black.
The Toronto Star recently compared the situation in Baltimore to the water shut-offs that are still happening in Detroit. The newspaper notes, “Both cities are among America’s poorest. Both have hiked water rates sharply—42 per cent over three years in Baltimore. But both are now cracking down on households with unpaid bills, issuing public threats to turn off the taps on tens of thousands of people. …More than 20,000 homes [in Baltimore] could be sent shut-off notices in May alone. In Detroit, 28,000 homes may soon get notices. More than 30,000 lost service at least temporarily in 2014.”
Food and Water Watch organizer Julie Gouldener has commented on what this means for parents. She says, “If they’re not able to wash or bathe their kids or flush their toilets, in low-income areas, if a social worker gets called and sees those conditions — lack of running water is a major red flag for a social worker to declare a home unfit.”
The water shut-offs in Baltimore have prompted a broader debate about the human right to water, demonstrations on March 30 and April 16 and a Stop the Water Shut-Offs Tour.
Local organizers have noted, “Some city leaders, such as City Council President Jack Young, have publicly agreed with the city’s decision to turn off the water of what is most likely more than 25,000 people. His statements blamed local residents for their inability to pay their water bills on time. Other local officials, such as Delegate Mary L. Washington, of the 43rd District, are calling for the immediate halt to the water shut offs for residents and renters.”
They also note, “Over the last year there has been great controversy over the possibility of privatizing the city’s water services. A coalition of local unions, clergy, and community organizations united to fight the city’s possible contract with French company Veolia to conduct an efficiency study. Many believed this was the first step to turn over our precious resource to a private company. Privatizing the city’s water could likely lead to an increase in water bills, and a decrease in customer service, with little accountability. Workers could be subject to layoffs and the poor labor practices prevalent throughout the private sector. Although Veolia did not receive the contract, two days later the city contracted another private company to complete the study.”
The Blue Planet Project stands with those in Baltimore who are demanding a moratorium on the shut-offs, amnesty for tenants whose landlords have not paid their water bills, an appeals process for residents who receive a shut-off notice, and the adoption of an affordable payment system for water services.
Please support this Food and Water Watch petition calling on Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to stop the water shut-offs immediately and to agree to a public hearing on the issue.
