MEDIA ADVISORY: People’s Water Board and Council of Canadians Bringing Hundreds of Gallons of Water Across the Border to Detroit

For Immediate Release

News from The People’s Water Board

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Contact: Priscilla Dziubek (313) 492-0000; Tawana Petty, 313-433-9882

***Media Advisory***

Rally With People’s Water Board and Council of Canadians Bringing Hundreds of Gallons of Water Across the Border to Detroit

Clergy delivers thousands of faith leaders’ signatures demanding end to water shutoffs

DETROIT – In a convoy of nearly a dozen vehicles, the Council of Canadians will deliver more than 200 gallons of tap water for Detroit families to a rally held by the People’s Water Board on Thursday, July 24 to help thwart the inhumane policy of depriving Detroit families of water. Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones will accept petitions with the signatures of thousands of clergy from Detroit and around the country demanding an end to the water shutoffs. The petitions are to be shared with Mayor Duggan and the rest of the Council.

The rally comes on the heels of 2,000 protestors chanting, “Water is a human right” in the streets of Detroit last Friday. On Monday, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department retreated in the face of overwhelming international opposition to their mass water shutoff policies in violation of the human rights of the poorest and most vulnerable Detroiters.

This historic multi-national Great Lakes gathering will provide some water to besieged families and will highlight how the Water Affordability Plan can avert both a major health crisis and continued human rights violations in Detroit.

Maureen Taylor of the People’s Water Board will present the plan, which was approved by the Detroit City Council in 2005. Maude Barlow, an internationally renowned water rights activist and chair of the Council of Canadians, will also speak. Barlow helped draw international attention to the water crisis when she helped file a successful human rights complaint with the United Nations. Paul Moist, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, will bring support and solidarity from the Canadian labor movement.

Who:
Brenda Jones, president, Detroit City Council
Bill Wylie-Kellerman, pastor, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Patricia Jones, senior program leader, The Human Right to Water, Unitarian Universalist
Maude Barlow, chair, Council of Canadians
Maureen Taylor, People’s Water Board
Paul Moist, president Canadian Union of Public Employees
Detroit families, community leaders and faith leaders

What:
Rally – Keep the Water and the Revenue Flowing. The People’s Water Board will:
Deliver the signatures of thousands from Detroit and around the country demanding an end to water shut-offs to City Council President Brenda Jones
Receives hundreds of gallons of tap water from Council of Canadians
Present the Water Affordability Plan

When: Thursday, July 24, 2014 from 3:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Where:
Spirit of Detroit Statue, Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI

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