All language subtitles for flint.2017.dvdrip.x264-bipolar

(SOUL MUSIC PLAYING)

NAYYIRAH: Welcome to Fllnt,
the clty I call home.

Not lure that you would have heard
anything pleuont about It

for the put 30 your: or no.

My name ll Noyylnh Shorlffi

and I've been on ectlvllt
In Fllnt for over a decade.

Okay, what I'm golng to tell you about
our water crlala la not the whole atory

becauae, let'a face It,
the deeper you dlg,

the more complicated thla thlng gets.

Lot: of people In Fllnt were proteatlng.

Screamlng and ahoutlng about aornethlng,
uaually taken for granted, tap water.

WALLING: All rlght.
Well, I guess we should start.

It's not the fanclast of places,
but, everybody's all set to go?

ALL: Yeah.

All set? Here we go.
Do you need a countdown?

-Why not?
-Yeah. All rlght.

Three! Two! One!

NAYYIRAH: One lllclr of a awltch
to Fllnt rlver water

Instead of Lake Huron,

whlle we walt lor the new plpellne
to be bullt

Whlch was gonna be so much cheaper.

Here's to Fllnt!

ALL: Fllnt! Fllnt!

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)

BOY: Watch out!

(KIDS CHATTERING)

(KIDS CHATTERING)

(MUSIC PLAYING OVER HEADPHONES)

MAYS: What are my guys up to?
They help you clean up?

No, of course not.
They're pllylng football In the yard.

That was Goodbye Gemlnl
by Blood Ceremony.

I Just got to see them llve
wlth All That Remalns,

and they absolutely tore up the stage.

Okay, we have a Ilstener named Arlel,

who wants to hear Day of the lntruder,
by none other than Avenue Sky.

My oldest loves thls song.

Thanks for Ilstenlng
to the IndIGrace Showcase.

Thls ls Mellssa Mays, your host.

It's not red.
It's more Ilke a copper rlnse.

Well, you know how I feel about change.
It's for the young and Indeclslve.

Well, 'Wholesome Chestnut Number 31'
could use an update, Morn.

I can do a vegetable dye.

It'll fade out In Ilke,
two to three weeks.

You want me to go through thls
every three weeks? No way.

Maybe I'll go blonde.

Blonde?

That was ajoke, honey.

Better be.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

You couldn't handle rne blonde.

I don't thlnk the world
could handle you blonde.

How's that leg?

Oh, It's okay.

I won't be competlng agalnst
Usaln Bolt any tlme soon.

So tell hlm to stop salllng rne,
talklng about,

'What happened wlth the rematch?‘

(LAUGHING)

Could you Imaglne?

Jake has a frlend who Is a lawyer
and he speclallzes In freak accldents.

Come on, Morn.

It's not falr that a hlt-and-run
should get away wlthout consequences.

It wasn't your fault.

And please don't tell me
that llfe Isn't falr.

Okay. 'What's done ls done.‘

I'll get advlce for the clalm
from Doctor Mona.

You know the one at the hospltal.

And what "lawyer friend" does Jake have?

-AII rlght, all rlght.
-Please.

I'll stop. It's your blscults.

That's rlght, It's my blscults.

The water smells gross.

-What do you mean?
-I don't know. lee It's gone bad.

Water doesn't go bad.

When dld you change the filter last?

Four weeks ago.

(GRUNTS)

-Yeah?
-Yes.

Bless us, 0 Lord, for these Thy glfts
whlch we are about to recelve,

from thy bounty through Chrlst our Lord
we pray. Amen.

(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)

-I packed that place!
-W|sh we could've been there.

That set started at 11:00 p.m.
on a school nlght.

I'm not that terrlble of a mom.

Hey, you okay? What's wrong?

I don't feel so good.

Oh, no. Is It your tummy?
Maybe It's somethlng you ate?

What's wrong?

Our mlddle man doesn't feel so good.

All rlght, well, If you don't feel
better In the mornlng, buddy,

we'll take you to the doctor.

Tlll then, crackers
and chamomlle tea for you.

(LAUGHS PLAYFULLY)

Hey, what time is your mom coming home?

Not untll 10:00. She's golng
to dollar movle nlght wlth a frlend.

Hey, don't make It too hot agaln.

I Ilke It hot.

Yeah. I know.

Turn on that llght.

It smells.

You should probably get
your plpes flxed, babe.

Gross.

Should we Just go to my room?

Yeah.

Let's see.

It's contact dermatltls.

He's probably comlng Into contact
wlth somethlng he's allerglc to.

He's never been allerglc
to anythlng before so I don't...

Well, klds can develop allergles.

You could try cortlsone cream.

Okay.

It could also be seables.

Mltes. How often do you change
thelr sheets?

How often do you change yours?

Permethrln cream. It's an lnsectlclde.
Two appllcatlons, one week apart.

Okay.

Thank you.

-How are you dolng?
-l'm flne.

(PEOPLE COUGHING)

(CHATTERING)

Any Idea how long the walt ls?

-A few hours.
-Hours?

Yeah, we're understaffed.

And It's been nonstop
rashes, dlarrhea, fever.

-Damn.
-Ma'am? Are you okay?

Morn?

Ma'am?

Morn?

Yeah. ljust need...

Ma'am?

-Hl|ary!
-Mom!

-lt's okay.
-Mom, what Is It?

-lt's okay.
-See.

(STAMMERING)

Okay. Yeah.

I never had a selzure In my llfe.

Adam.

Fllnt Is In vlolatlon of the
'Federal Safe Drlnklng Water Act.‘

And that's from the clty?

Total Trlhalomethanes. A earclnogen.

That doesn't sound good.

We're supposed to boll the water.

I told you It tasted welrd.

Yeah, you were rlght.
It dld taste funny.

And we've been cooklng wlth It.
Bathlng In It.

Brlng In the mall.

I need a new Job.

Why? You love yourjob.

That offlce ls llke
the DMV every slngle day.

We're gonna have to get
new benches to put In the waltlng roorn,

because patlents are standlng around.

Slnce when dld the water blll
go from $00 to $210?

I'll check It out.

'Operatlonal costs.‘

Jake's smart, Morn.

Yes, Jake can read. What does that mean?

Well, one of my couslns
got hlred for the renovatlon

down at the water plant and...
Renovatlon?

I mean, what,
are they coverlng them In gold?

All we need to do Is get the rust out.
How are we supposed to pay thls?

What?

One, two, three, four, five, slx.

Oh, my God, I'm late!

Hey, you know what?
Just pretend that It's sunscreen.

It doesn't smell llke sunscreen.

Smells llke...

(LAUGHING)

All rlght, you're done. Next.

Your turn for some dog poo.
Here, hang on to the dog poo.

COMMENTATOR: He goes for the shot
It rebounds on the lnalde,

he'a looklng for an open man, clear: It

As John aald, a great poaltlon
by the goaltender there.

Well done. You know,
after a season of rehab,

he's really comlng back
lnto hla own wlth confldence.

It's a hard Injury
to come back from but..

(GASPS)

NAYYIRAH: It's one thlng to feel
that there Is a problem...

to do your research, to have
a auaplclon that aomethlng la wrong.

But It's a whole other ballgame
to make people In charge llaten or care.

HI. HI, I'm here
for the councll meetlng.

Yeah, Just through those doors.

Okay. Thank you.

MAN: I know you guys
don't know about thls.

Otherwlse, you know,
you'd do somethlng, rlght?

But, at Saglnaw and 7th,

there's actually a stop slgn
that's about halfway down.

If you... You een't see It.

I mean, I know It's there
'eeuse I llve down the street.

I also notlced
when I was drlvlng around

Store Street that the llghts are out.

And I mean, there's never
a traffic controller there.

You got, you got ears comlng
from four dlrectlons...

Flrst tlme?

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Is It that obvlous?

Just haven't seen you before.
Nayylrah Sharlff.

LeeAnne Walters.

I mean, he could have been kllled.
He was lucky not to be kllled.

Thank you.
Your concerns have been noted.

Are there any other speakers
for thls publlc hearlng?

Yeah. HI.

HI, I'm LeeAnne Walters.

I'm Just a mom from Fllnt.

But I'm here today beeeuse
when my sons take a bath,

they get a rash rlght at the water llne
all the way down thelr bodles.

Now last summer, after we swltched
to Fllnt Rlver water,

we had two bolllng advlsorles
for E. coll.

And then thls year we got a warnlng
from the clty about the TTHMs,

the Total Trlhalomethanes...

Mrs. Walters, If I may Interrupt.
Jerry Ambrose, Emergency Manager.

We changed water sources.
There's a natural adjustment perlod.

Okay, adjustment for what?

We changed In Aprll. It's January.

And now there's a eencer chemleel
In our water.

when It was detected
In the water last year.

The TTHMs are a byproduct...

They eeuse eencer!

I mean, thls Is our water
that we use to bathe,

to do our laundry,
to cook for our famllles.

We're already worklng
wlth the EPA and the MDEO...

Who?

With the Environmental Protection Agency

and the Michigan Department
of Environmental Quality

to make sure that Fllnt
passes Its next round of tests

with flying colors.

Water experts that I have
the utmost respect for

have assured us that there Is
absolutely nothing to worry about.

-Thank you for your question.
-I guess...

Are there any other speakers
for this public hearing?

Yeah. Let's wrap It up.
Got a couple of meetings to get to.

He didn't answer anything
and the Mayor didn't even speak.

Yeah, Ambrose ls appointed Superman.

The Governor brought him In
when Fllnt couldn't handle Its budget.

He has absolute say.

What Is he, appointed dictator?

He's an appointed dick.

Mr. Mayor! Mayor Walllng.

Llsten, I'm no expert,
but this Is our drinking water.

I don't want to take any chances.

Is there going to be
any sort of follow-up...

Of course!
This Is of great concern to me.

on, okay.

I want families to feel safe
lnslde their own homes.

I have children, too.

If you have any more worries,
Just eel! my office anytime.

-And I'll that I een. Okay?
-Okay.

Thank you. I really appreciate that...

You're welcome.
All right. Have a great day.

Hey, what'd he say?

That he'll take eere of It.

I mean, I think that's what he said.

Good luck. I eelled City Utilities.

They had me on hold for over an hour.

Then they said, 'There's nothing wrong.‘
That It's all fine.

Yeah, right. How een It be fine
when It smells like a sewer.

The GM Fllnt Englne Plant

said that the Flint River
was corrodlng their engines.

Corrodlng englnes?

-Yeah.
-Wow. That's...

What do you think
It's doing to our bodies?

I mean, was that even on the news?
Why aren't there more people here?

Beeeuse not every ward's water
ls equally as bad.

Some service lines
are older than others.

Some people's water ls stlll clear.

And not everybody
got or read that city warnlng.

I mean, don't you think
that we should tell them?

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

I am trying, okay?

Do you have kids?

Beeeuse I'm a stay-at-home mom
and that Is my main concern right now.

Honestly, I have 30.

(LAUGHING)

Or at least I used to
until they took the funding

for the youth program
that I coordinated.

She's our loeel resldent hero.

(LAUGHING)

Yeah, besides that? I'm a single lady.

No shackles or diapers.
I fight for democracy and I een cook.

So, If you want to stop by any time,
you know,

I'll whlp something up for you.

Well, I would love that.

Yeah. Okay.

Yeah, I'll eel! him
and make an appointment.

Okay. Thank you, Doctor.

Doctor Almansour says I'm posltlve

for 'antlnuclear antlbodles.‘

Which are basically attacking myjoints,

brain and liver.

And I'm In the early stages
of cirrhosis and thyroldltls.

And osteoarthritis.

Emphasis on 'early stages.‘

When's the last time
you heard of someone gettlng

clrrhosls from drinking water?

-They said It was from the water?
-No, of course not.

Offlclally, they don't know the eeuse.

Yeah. Hell, they don't.

He thinks I'll be okay
with a lot of treatment.

Adarn, this Is really plsslng me off.

Yeah, me too.

But, hey, what's the one thing
we're good at when we're pissed off?

-Be|ng obnoxious?
-Yes.

And you are very, very good at that.

I'm not an activist.

Okay, well,
then just sit back and enjoy

cirrhosis and (STAMMERING)
osteoarthritis...

BOTH: Osteoarthritis.

Come here.

ALL: Water Is a human right!
Water Is a human right!

Water Is a human right!
Water Is a human right.

Water Is a human right.
Water Is a human right!

Sorry. Sorry, you all een't be here.

Yes, we een. This Is public property.

We een be here all day long
If we want to!

Water Is a human right!

Hey, hey, hey, hey! I don't want
to get you all arrested. Okay?

Why don't you just be on your way
and head on back home.

We want answers and we deserve them.

Why are you selling us poison water?
It's no good, and you all know It!

MAN: Yeah!

I'm not gonna say It again,
you got to leave.

We want answers!

Look, I don't make
the rules around here.

Okay, I'm just doing my job.

You should think about
what you're doing.

Why do you want to stay here
wavlng stupid slgns around, anyway?

Lady, nobody eeres.

Well, we'll make them eere!

Yeah? Really?
I don't see no eemeras nowhere.

Hey! Hey! Hey, hey!

I hate math! I don't want to do it ever!

Okay. Hey, hey, hey. I'm here.

Don't make me do It!

-Okay.
-I just hate It!

(SOBBING)

I don't want to do It!

We're flushing hydrants
all over the city.

Don't worry, this Is all gonna
be cleared up In a week.

'Lead'? You're testing for lead?

Oh, yeah, lead and copper,
It's all standard.

(DOOR CLOSES)

You don't even need that parka, Adlna.
It's not so cold.

Hey, you're right.
Even smells like sprlng.

I knew I should've
planted those crocuses.

ljust never got my energy back
from last winter.

Getting old sucks.

You're not old, Morn.

I feel like hell.

You should try my diet.

Plstachlo Ice cream and onion rings
Is not going to make me feel younger.

Yeah, you gotta admit, Jake's been
pretty cool about everything.

Yeah, he's even
thinking about getting ajob.

We're gonna get married, Morn.
Everythlng's going to be totally...

'Leglt'?

What, you think I don't listen
to you all with your little slang?

'Totes. Leglt.'

Totes leglt'? Oh, my goodness.

(LAUGHS)

I don't know what to say.

I'm already at 10 weeks.

I know. And I een't even Imagine

how you must be feeling right now.

What happened?

I really don't know.

But you said everything looked fine.
You said the baby looked great!

We een go through a very late D and C

since he's still
just the size of an orange.

It's a fast, It's a simple procedure...

(CRYING)

Honey, It's going to be all right.

We're going to get through It.
I'm right here. Okay?

I'm so sorry.

(CRYING)

What did I do wrong?

You ain't do anything wrong, baby.

I wanted that baby, Mama.

But you're still young.

Aln't nothing that say
that you een't try again.

And should you decide to try It
with someone other than Jake,

I fully support that, too.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean that.

Just joklng.

No, I think you meant that, Morn.

I was just seared you were too young

and Jake couldn't handle
the responsibility. That's all.

I wanted that baby for you, too.

Of course I did.

Hey, the doctors at your office ever
say anything about the drinking water?

The water? Not that I know of.

May I come In?
I need to test your water again.

Yeah. Sure. Sure.

Test It again? Why?

Well, your lead and copper number
eeme In at 104.

I'm sure there's no prize for that.
What are they supposed to be?

Not over 15.
Not over 15 parts per billion.

Your lead numbers
are seven times higher than that.

What does that mean?

Well, It means I have to do more tests
to make sure It's not a mistake.

In the meantime,
just don't let your kids drink It.

Okay.

No cooklng, no brushlng teeth,
no shower, no dlshes.

Well, that sounds just fantastic.

And you should probably
flush It for at least 25 minutes

before any other usage.

Well, what does that do?

Mlght flush out
whatever's leechlng the lead.

Well, that's good.

Clean water! We want clean water now!

NAYYIRAH: All over town
we were flndlng each other.

Wlth the same atorlee,
the same health leauee.

The same auaplclona.

What's In our water?
We want a public meeting.

We een't let this continue,

this Is our health and our lives.
Look at this.

These are clty llnes.

For a lot of us water's coming
to our houses through these.

The Mayor has to see us.

Yeah, It's easier
to get to see the Pope.

Hey, llsten. My place just tested
104 for lead.

-Dld you say 104?
-Yeah.

Llsten, the city's own utllltles manager

had never seen a number like that.

I mean, nobody has. It's like...

LEEANNE: I've been In and out
of doctors offices

for the past four months.

My eyebrows are practleelly gone.
Look at that. That's a makeup job.

-You?
-Yeah. Hair loss, too.

I got rashes, vomltlng, allergles,
seizures, those are fun.

Yeah. I got awhole laundry list.

I didn't thlnkthat lead
was an Issue though.

I mean, you're saying
your water's discolored

but ours ls coming out pretty clear.

This Is the thing, Is that

when we moved to Fllnt back In 2011,

our house was one of those
that was boarded up.

You know, they took everything.
Totally stripped It.

So we had to redo a lot from scratch.

And one of the things
that we had to redo was the plumbing.

Holy. Some douche eenoe
took your plumbing?

-Yeah.
-Oh, my God.

You know, for the scraps.

So, we put In all new plpes. Brand new.

Plastic.

Plastic doesn't leach lead.

So they're what, eerrylng Flint River
water that's already contaminated?

Yeah, and they put It
rlght Into our tap.

At least, that's what I think.
You know, I don't have any proof.

LEEANNE: Okay. It's okay. It's okay.
Got It. I know.

We'll eel! you as soon
as we have the results, ma'am.

That's okay. We're gonna walt.

It could be a few hours.

Yeah, I said, we're gonna walt.

-What do we want?
-ALL: Clean water!

-When do we want It?
-Nowl

REPORTER: Slnce the source
of Fllnt's drlnklng water

was moved from
Lake Huron to the Fllnt Rlver

there have been protests
throughout Fllnt

about the quallty of the water.

The mayor of Fllnt, Dayne Walllng,
clalms the water ls safe

and that the problem
Is locallzed and exaggerated.

It's your standard tap water,

you can taste a llttle of the chlorlne,
but It's safe to drlnk.

l thlnk It's just
a matter of perceptlon.

lfy famlly and l,
we drlnk and use It every day.

REPORTER: And the governor
ls aware of Fllnt's water problems?

We've been In touch, of course,
and hls offlce has assured me

that Fllnt's water system
Is produclng water

that meets all state
and federal standards.

PROTESTERS: No justlce, no peace!
No justlce, no peace!

(DOG BARKING)

What happened?

My kids. It's just...

I had my klds' lead levels tested and...

And?

The average kld In Amerlee
has a blood level of 2.

Anythlng over 5 Is poison.

Gavln's ls 0.5.

That's lead poisoning.

You know, and the Mayor
ls out there on TV,

drinking water,
telllng everybody It's safe!

Lead's a neurotoxln
that een eeuse permanent brain damage!

Garrett ls acting out.

He has these spurts of anger and...

NAYYIRAH: Hey! Hurry up,
before I forget everything.

HI. Thank you for having us. So nice.

HI, I'm Nayylrah. Mellssa. HI.

Nice to meet you. This Is Clalre.

HI. Clalre. Nice to meet you. Mellssa.

CLAIRE: Hey, good to see you again.
HI. So nice to see you.

Come on In. Come on In.

Okay.

Okay. Eat.

-Corn or wheat?
-Wheat.

(GROANS) Damn.

No gluten for me. Not anymore.

Same for me. And I gotta be low sodium
and lactose free. It sucks.

In eat It all.

Thanks.

So I spent the morning with

a Mechanleel Englneerlng professor
at Kettering.

And she lald It all out for me.

Okay, do we need PhDs
to understand this, beeeuse If we do...

No, no. But we need as much education
on plumbing as possible.

(LAUGHS)

You okay?

Focus. Yeah, I'm all right, ljust...

-(RETCHES)
-Nayylrah.

You okay? Everything all right?

NAYYIRAH: Yeah. Just give me a sec.

Well, this Is our lives now.

We get up, have our breakfast,
brush our teeth,

listen to music, surfthe net,

then dash to the bathroom
to vomit our guts out.

This has got to stop.

What Is all of that?

Oh, urn...

Prednlsone and Tylenol.

Llslnoprll and Hydrochlorothlazlde,
for the kidney damage.

Metroprolol and Neurotnln
for the seizures.

And guess what?

Side effects Include muscle cramps,
nausea, fatigue, and dizziness.

-CLAIRE: You all right?
-Yeah.

Where was I?

Okay, okay basleelly,
this Is what I was saying.

This country ls sitting on, like,
1.3 million anclent lead service lines.

If you run just any old water
through them, without, llke, protection,

the water will pretty much
take anything In those plpes

right along for the ride,
stralght Into our taps.

Okay, what's this 'protectlon'?

Water treatment.
It's eelled Corrosion Control.

And we have that?

Yeah. I don't know exactly
what we're using or how much,

but I do know that every city
has to have It.

So, Corrosion Control coats
the lnsldes of old plpes,

so that when they have
to pump disinfectants,

llke chlorine or ammonia,
Into the system to kill bacteria...

And E. coil.

Exactly. Corrosion Control stops

those disinfectants
from eating through the metal.

It stops them from releaslng
lead and Iron and copper

and all that, you know, stuff,
Into our water.

Then why do my kids have lead poisoning?

Well, remember last year

when they told us to boil the water
to k!!! the E. coil?

Yeah.

Bolllng only concentrates
the lead In the water more. nght?

Yeah.

Okay, okay.

So, we either drlnk deadly bacteria

or we drink brain-damaging lead?

It's ridiculous that anyone would think
that that river would be okay to drink.

The ear Industry and the plants
have been dumping chemleels

Into that water for a century!

And then there's the sewage,
and the road salt...

Yeah. They've even found
a couple of bodies.

Yeah, but that doesn't actually matter.

That's what the water treatment
facilities are supposed to handle.

They treat the water at the beginning.
At the source.

With this 'Corroslon Control'?

Yes.

So then that should have
been the end of It?

Yeah.

Then what's going on?

We got to find out.

(SIGHS)

I've been getting a lot of complaints
about the water from my constituents.

The smell, the taste, the color.

It's come up In councll
time and time again

that using the river water
In the Interim

hasn't been the kind of quality
that we've had before.

-Yeah.
-Absolutely rlght.

For sure.

Therefore, the council
has voted on the matter.

(COUGHS)

It Is the council's declslon
seven to one

to return to Detroit Lake Huron

as the city's
main water source Immediately.

Yes! Thank you!

Mr. Ambrose, w!!! you review
the council's declslon?

I will.
It's an lncomprehenslble declslon.

Going back to Detroit water
will cost this already broke clty

tens of millions of dollars
that we don't have.

-What do we do In the meantime?
-Look, I'm reallstlc.

Thls city's on the verge
of financial disaster

ever since many of the ear plants
closed down.

We need to make some aggresslve

and radleel decisions
about how to save money.

nght. lee making us drlnk poison?
Is that what you're talking about?

To save Fllnt we have to save money.
Detroit water ls simply too expensive.

As the appointed emergency manager,

I herewith overrule
the council's declslon.

Hey! Hey, llsten! If GM een
pull out of this, why een't we?

-That's apples and oranges.
-No!

Just beeeuse there's
a few Isolated eases

-doesn't mean It's a cltywlde problem.
-lsolated eases?

Listen. My son has been
diagnosed with lead poisoning!

Our halr ls falling out!
We are sick, nauseous every day!

Have you even looked at these?
Or are you just trying to save money?

Now, wait a minute.
It wasn't my decision

to disconnect from Detroit water.

That was a longstanding plan
that was meticulously budgeted out,

approved by this council.

No, no. We never agreed
to use Flint River water!

We agreed to the KWA Plpellne!

And while we build the KWA Plpellne,

we switched to Flint River water
as a temporary cost saving measure.

Now, look, we een't have a bunch
of housewives taking on our experts!

Excuse me?

And when someone wants to make a point,
they dump some tea bags In the water.

What? Come on!

Hey, hey! Excuse me?
Slr, did you just eel! me a liar?

And stupid? Where are your experts?

MELISSA: Nobody's dunking tea
In the water, that's rldlculous!

Llsten, we eennot trek back and forth
to the store for bottled water!

-Look, look!
-Every day!

You're broke! Your clty ls broke!

There's nothing else I een do.

What'd you expect?
It's a reelection year for the Mayor.

Can he do that?

He's not gonna side with us
beeeuse we don't have a say.

He just wants to play hooky
with the Governor.

Look, they een all try and shut us up.
But I know what I know.

Look, I've been worried from the start.
Since we switched to the river water.

Keep flghtlng, lady. Ladles.

We will. Thank you.

(DOORBELL RINGS)

-Mrs. Walters?
-Yeah.

Mlguel Del Toral from the EPA.

We spoke on the phone.

Yeah. Hey. You're our lead
and copper expert!

In the flesh. Never seen anyone
get so excited about seeing me before.

Well, you know what, I'm just glad
that you actually made It out here.

Chicago's right around the corner.
This Is my job.

So when the city eeme out to test,
what was their procedure?

hey told me not to keep the water
stagnant for more than eight hours.

They eepped It?

They said otherwise,
It dlsquallfled the results.

And then they flushed It for 25 minutes
before they took a sample.

I have one of those test bottles.
That's what they used.

Okay, you keep saying that a lot.

It's a very small bottle openlng. Yeah.

If It's that small, you have to run
the water really slowly.

Now slow flow doesn't really eepture
a realistic sltuatlon.

What do you mean?

I like to eel! that a loop hole.

-For what?
-For passlng Inspections.

-Hey, een I ask you something?
-Sure.

What sort of Corrosion Control
Is the city uslng?

Do you know what that Is?

Yeah. It's a coating
on the Inside of the pipes

so that they don't leach copper and lead
Into the water.

You should be doing my job.

But, yes, the MDEO told me
they had a program In place.

Is It effective?

I'm not sure. That's why I'm here,
doing the test.

You don't come out
to most people's homes, do you?

So, why'd you come to mine?

Those were some seery numbers.
I kind of had to see It for myself.

Yeah.

Look, I don't know how to say this,
so I'm just gonna say It.

I don't think
the city's going to own up to anything.

-They have to!
-It doesn't even matter If you're right.

They have to! They have to put
offlclal warnlngs out there

for families that don't even know
this Is going on!

But you're not experts.

You're not sclentlsts.
And you're not polltlclans.

I shouldn't have to be.

Llsten, just beeeuse
we don't have college degrees

and we're not pulllng In blg paychecks,
doesn't mean that we're stupid.

This Is Important.

I know It Is.
But I think you're wasting your time.

GROCER: Sorry. Next delivery
will be on Tuesday.

I don't know. Maybe you're right.

-NAYYIRAH: Tuesday?
-That's our delivery schedule.

You need to ratlon out that water
and stop hlklng up the prices!

I don't make those rules, ma'am.

We een't stop people
from buying the water

If that's what they want to do.

So we're supposed to
just drink the polluted stuff?

Is that what you're saying?

I'm saying, If we don't have water,

there's another store
that probably does.

I'm telling y'all, It's summertime,

and we're all gonna be
fighting over these jugs.

I've almost gotten used to making
my kids pasta with bottled water.

This Is It. This Is our 'new normal.‘

You know, we drink bottled water,

we take showers at our frlends' houses
that live outside of town.

The doctors' bllls.

I mean, we have been
at this for six months

and I feel like we just
have to get our lives back!

Nobody knows and nobody eeres.

lthlnk...

-I think I'm done.
-But we een't stop.

We stop, they win.

NAYYIRAH: She's rlght.

You don't know what It means
to persevere untll

you have got to persevere.

Did you just come up with that?

(LAUGHING) I did. I don't know.

It's good. It's good. I liked It.

I like It. I think It's real,
It's catchy.

Llsten, I'm an Army brat, okay.

My dad was a drill sergeant.
You're married to an Army guy.

You know. We don't cry.
We punch something, but we don't cry.

Look, you thought It was a sprint,
but It's not.

NAYYIRAH: This Is a marathon.

You In or you out?

-l'm In.
-Yes!

Yes! That's It.

(DOOR OPENS)

We need copies of Fllnt's water quality
reports from 2013 to today.

I'm sorry. I'm not authorized
to release the...

Oh, yes, you are.

Those are public records that
the city ls required to make available

to anybody who wants to see them.

My mom wants to see them.

I don't have that kind of time.

If you don't make the time,
I am going to get real cranky.

Women. Every month!

Excuse me?

There are thousands of reports.

I know. They are going to be
filled with Information.

NAYYIRAH: To be honest when we first
started looklng at these reports,

we dldn't know what we'd flnd.

Look, I'd like to have a ear there.

Okay. No, the timing of It's fine.
I'm fine with the time.

I just wanted to know.
No, that'll work for me.

If you een make that
work on your side, that's great.

I'd like to see Mayor Walllng.

I'm sorry.
He's not In the office right now.

That Is bullshltl
ljust saw him walk In here!

He's In a meeting.

He's In a meeting?

Okay, you tell him that Miguel Del Toral

from the EPA
personally eeme out to my place

and tested the water
for lead concentration.

It eeme back twice as toxic
as hazardous waste!

Okay, my son

You tell the Mayor
that he needs to figure out

what he's going to do
to keep my children safe.

Thank you.

This Is for you.

What's this?

It's a standard agreement,

so we een get started on your
city plpellne replacement. For free.

Once you sign, we take eere
of the $1,100 cost Incurred.

Waiver?

No, no, no. This Is...

No, this Isn't why I'm here.
It's not about the money.

I just... I want to know what
you're going to do to protect my family!

Okay. We een't start
on the work until you sign this

and It would be In the best Interest
of your family If you did.

MELISSA: This Is just a waiver.

This says that they're not responsible
for any harm

that may have been taking place
In the past or will be In the future.

LeeAnne, If you sign this,
you'll get a free new city service line,

but then they're off the hook.

You'll be signing your rights away

for something they have
to take eere of anyway.

I'm so sick of this.

-Thls ls nlce.
-Is It?

'Cause If I never ever have to compare
MCLGs and MCLs agaln,

It wouldn't be soon enough.

No, lt'sjust that I'm usually
at the bullhorn on my own.

It gets a bit lonely.

Where Is that Corrosion Control...
The othophosphate.

What's up?

I een't find It. I een't find
the orthophosphate numbers for 2014.

I have 'em for 2013.

Lake Huron water was definitely treated,
but It was treated by Detroit.

So since the date of the switch,

there's no records
about Corrosion Control.

We have no Corrosion Control?

Oh, my God.

They are not treating water that Is llke

20 times more corrosive
than Detroit water ever was.

That een't be right.
There's gotta be a mistake.

There's gotta be something
they're treatlng our water with!

No, no, that's It.

That Is the reason
that we are all being poisoned.

Beeeuse these guys wanted to do

everything on the cheap
from beginning to end.

Wow. Just... Wow.

You know when people say
they find a 'smoklng gun'?

I think we just found ours.

Okay, what do we do with It?

(SIGHS)

I think I know who to sell.

They lied to me.

Who?

The MDEO! Can you believe It?

The water plant
has no Corrosion Control!

Which Is mind boggling, considering
the whole city's piped with lead!

Whole clty? How do you know that?

I've been talking to the residents.

The soccer moms?

Well, those 'soccer moms' are better
Investigators than anyone I know.

All right, stand up straight.
Here we go.

Okay. You are 51 Inches.

-Garrett grew two Inches.
-Yeah.

Hey, llsten, that Is good water. Okay?
I promise you.

That Is fresh,
It Is right from a Colorado sprlng

and then stralght Into our tub. Okay?

-I haven't grown?
-Llsten, klddo. Look at me.

We are going to make them pay
for that bad water. You got It?

You're seery, Mommy.

Am I? Good. All right let's go.
Get In the tub, guys. Come on.

So ljust burst It, and then this
one guy who's faster than me,

and I like, tipped It
and then I got It with two hands

and ljust burst It
Into the touchdown zone.

-You got It?
-Yes!

-Beauty.
-There you go, buddy.

-Dld you win?
-Yeah.

Of course!

Hey, Mom, I got to show you something.

I've been staying late at work
for a month so nobody would notice

but these are copies
of blood work reports for kids

that were brought In for lead poisoning.
They're kind of seery.

-You een get fired for that.
-I know.

Do you think you could
show these to Dr. Mona?

Morn, lead poisoning
een lead to mlseerrlages. nght?

Yeah, and a long time ago,

women were given lead pills
to control their family size.

Wait, to abort?

I'm just saying,
It wouldn't be nothing new.

So, what happened to Jake?
Have you two been In touch?

He ghosted rne.

I don't know, maybe he was just
waiting around for the baby to come.

Adlna, my darling,

I know I must biased
but he didn't deserve you.

I love him.

lza! It's been forever!
How on Earth have you been?

Stlll breathing... I'll be better
If you give me that 85 you owe me.

Girl, you know own me that $5.
I'm gonna charge you Interest, too.

Yeah, right. nght.
Next time. Is she here?

Yeah, she's expecting you. Go on In.

Okay.

You never noticed more of the kids
had rashes, dlarrhea, vomltlng...

No, I'm supervlslng, I don't deal
with patients as much anymore.

Well, doesn't Hurley have a central
blood test system for the children?

Yes. Why?

There's been some problems
with the drinking water.

I think It's lead. I have proof...

No, It's okay.

All the children
that go through our system

get a blood test automatleelly
that Includes lead levels.

Can you access that system?

Yes, ljust have to find those numbers
and do some math...

40% of the kids we see
live below the poverty line.

And you're telling me
they put lead In their water?

That's exactly what I'm telling you.

(SIGHS)

So, you'll look Into It?

Look, Dr. Mona, I know! like to joke,
and I'm not an alarmist.

But If what I'm thinking ls right...
This ain't good.

I een get you box seats any time.

Oh, yeah? I might take you up on that.
That would be fantastic.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, they're really good.

Hov. guys-

Hey, something for me, Mlke?

In a way. I have to go over these
with Stephen...

-Well, go ahead.
-Nlce to see you.

About the tests the MDEO
asked me to submit...

Yeah?

Well, here's the thing...
We got In a bit of a snag.

The service line records are useless...

They're handwritten.
Basleelly, we don't have a database.

So we tested as many as we could.

And how many Is that?

Seventy-one. Should be 100.

Seventy-one's not bad.
Could be the new hundred.

They weren't all hlgh-rlsk homes.

Well, we don't need that.
We need a cross section.

Well, that's true...

But, there's no way to verify
that they're all lead service lines.

Can you verify that they aren't?

Well, no. Not unless we dig them up.

That's not really an option.
So... We're good?

Only If I take out
the highest two samples.

Well, If there's only two then
they're probably anomalies.

nght...

So, we're In compliance?

Yes... Just...

You don't worry, Mlke,
this Is all gonna work out. Okay?

We're gonna keep monitoring
the situation.

So... Submit this report?

Absolutely. It's good work.

HI. Thank you so much
for meeting me here.

Always a pleasure.

Okay, so how's the EPA
been treating you?

They wanna handle
the matter Internally.

You know, talk to the State-level guys

and see If they'll flx It.

What did they say about
'Corroslon Control'?

That there must have been a mix-up,
some sort of mlscommunlcetlon

and that I'm overreactlng.

Are you?

Not a chance.

Okay.

You'll love this guy,
he's a top water expert In the country.

The thing about lead ls,

If you're not looking for It,
you won't find It.

Our bodies think It's eelclum,
but It's not.

It's poison that een be absorbed
simply by touch.

And lead poisoning eeuses
lrrevoeeble damage.

TIME magazine eelled him
'The Plumbing Professor.‘

But... By 1010, when we figured
all this out, It was too late.

Lead pipes were already In the ground.
So what do we do now?

We pray?

It's not a question
of 'll" lightning strikes.

It's when and where.

Now, we've fought the authorities and

I think every protocol at the EPA for,

for years, to replace
all lead service lines In D.C.

Five years of wading through
thousands of emails,

piecing together data,
congressional lnvestlgatlons...

Five years of hundreds of children
drinking water

wlth unacceptable lead levels. Change...

Change Is expensive and terrifying.

I wrote the memo a while ago
but the EPA hasn't responded yet.

I don't think It's just
a couple of homes.

Without Corrosion Control,

It's gonna be widespread.

And every day that goes by,
another child ls drinking that crap!

We need someone on the outside
to test the water.

You know, somebody who has
nothing to gain or lose,

regardless of the results.

That's where you come In.

Well, I want to help. I mean, you know,
of course I do. But...

Not a cheap operation.

I'll have to apply for a grant.
Which, may take a while

to cut through the red tape
and push It through the system.

My son's blood lead levels
were through the roof.

He loves swimming, but he has not been
In a pool for over a year.

Okay, okay.

I'll do whatever I een.
But It's neverjust about water.

And It's always...

-About polltles.
-About polltles.

We're going to start. If everyone
could please take their seats.

That would be great.

First of all, I wanna thank everyone
for coming today.

Over the past few months there's been
a lot of concerns about the water.

And we have Stephen Busch here

today from the Michigan Department
of Environmental Quality.

And, we're hoping that he'll clear up
some of these Issues. Stephen?

Thank you, Mayor.
First of all, the good news.

Since last year's rounds of monitoring,

we have balanced the chemleels
In the water to safe levels.

It's not chemleels, you jackass.
It's lead.

(CROWD APPLAUDING)

Is there still a risk in the short-term

with exposure
to some of these chemleels?

Well that... That's up to you.
It's an Individual thlng.

You should consult with your doctors

and after that you een
make the judgment.

Is It me or did that just make
no sense whatsoever?

How Is this an 'lndlvldual thlng'?

It's not you.

Some of the cloudiness
that's coming from your taps,

some of the water bottles I'm seeing,

that's probably from other materials
coming off your plpes.

It's lead!

Water professionals are dealing
with this all over the country.

It's notjust here In Fllnt.

You wanna drink this crap?
Take a sip! Be my guest!

That's right! You drink It.
You drink It!

If everyone could just eelm down.

Let's stay eelm, all right? We're just
trying to figure out the facts...

You're telling us that everything okay.
I'm telling you It's not okay!

Not okay.

There've been studies
on eencer and tap water,

30, 40-year studies, and that's where
our standards have come from...

Nothlng's changed In 30 or 40 years?

Someone has to study what's going on
with you and your water supply.

Okay, who's going to pay for that?
The city needs to do that!

We need the federal government's help!

Just get alternative water.

Are you going to supply that for us?

From where? From where?

If this was a rich community
we wouldn't even be here! It'd be fixed!

I II bullshit! Bullshltl

That's right. That's right.

Hey, hey! We have a list of doctors,

we have a list of ailments.
We have photographs of our rashes.

We're paying the bill!

Why didn't we have a say
In what system Is delivering our water?

We have gone over this,
and the water experts have said so, too.

Oh, my God...

We have conducted all necessary tests,

and though there are households
that have older,

therefore more affected service lines,

the city has clearly passed
every test this year...

We don't need to test!
We know there's a problem!

Yeah, that's right.

-We decided to...
-Come on!

-We decided to build...
-The decision to build the KWA plpellne

was so that our costs
wouldn't go up as fast...

That plan did not work.

Just please! Sit down. Okay?

Just sit down.

Excuse me. Mr. Mayor,

I think that the people here
feel that their lives,

their bodies and their well-being
has been compromised.

Yes! Yes!

(CROWD CLAPPING)

Thank you.

We're a community that Is not
merely concerned. We're angry.

Yes.

That's right.

Yes, we are.

I, for one, am sick that
we even baptize chlldren

In our Church with that water
before we knew anything about It!

That's right.

Look, wejust... Please, just...

We'll stick to the agenda, all right.
We're talking about affordability.

We are following the agenda!
We've been sitting here,

listening to all of your excuses.

We do not want any more excuses! Okay?

No more excuses! We want some answers!

No more excuses! No more excuses!

Give us some answers!

(CROWD CLAPPING)

She's right. We need answers.
For this...

I'm seared of what's happening here.

And my daughter was 10 weeks pregnant
when she mlseerrled.

That kid was wanted.
It was already loved.

but this Is not the forum
to be making accusations...

Now, you been telling us
that the elderly and pregnant women

shouldn't drink the water
back since In January.

Now, that's not an accusation,
that Is a fact.

-Yeah! That's right.
-That's fact.

Who else got that flyer?

Ma'am! I'm going to
have to ask you to sit down...

And you send out a flyer for something
this serious? Shame on you!

Now elther you're lying to us

or you're completely Incompetent.
Which one Is It?

MELISSA: Completely Incompetent.

Yeah.

And we love this damn clty, rlght?

I mean, we eel! ourselves Flintstones.

But how much of your excuses
you think we een take?

Let me ask you something,
Mr. Emergency Manager,

are you going to tell my
24-year-old daughter

that she'll have no problem
with another pregnancy?

Can you make that promise
to any woman In this room?

LEEANNE: nght?
You have nothing to say, rlght?

Beeeuse as soon as
we eel! you out on your lies,

It gets damn good and quiet
In here, huh?

Real good and quiet In here.

Bunch of damn liars! A bunch of liars!

You know good and damn well
there's lead In this water.

Whatever happened to
'what's done ls done,' Morn?

We're gonna have to change that
to 'It ain't done tlll It's done.'

That's right.

I'm heading off. Good night.

Samantha, how do I see If
one of my reports has been opened?

Check the receipts section.

Yeah. They got It, and opened It.
So, looks like they read It.

Of course. And, deafenlng sllence.

See you In the morning.

Good night.

Awoman in Flint named LeeAnne Walters

just forwarded rne

an Internal memo that you wrote
to your superiors at the EPA.

She says that you cc'd her on It?

Yeah, that's all true.

Well this data ls extraordinary.

You're saying that their water
ls offlclally toxic waste?

And Mrs. Walters' home could be
a eenary In a coal mine.

Can I print that?

Put It on a mural.

I een take the heat.
I'm not afraid of It.

INTERVIEWER:
I'm here wlth Stephen Busch,

from the Department
of Envlronmental Quallty.

There are concerns of a cover-up.

Concerns that have been
brought to light

by the ACLU about water pollution.

Look, our spokesperson
has said that anyone

who Is concerned about lead In the
drinking water In Fllnt een relax.

We have stated this on the record...

Come on!

There Is no cover-up, and our tests show
the problem Is not widespread.

So what about the cases
that have rung alarm bells?

We're looking Into that.
And I have to reiterate that,

as far as we een tell,
these eases remaln Isolated.

But Isn't that slmply
because you haven't

yet conclusively tested cltywlde?

We're following protocol
and still testing.

And I really don't thlnk there's a...
(RADIO POWERS OFF)

Enough of that bullshlt.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Hey, Curt. Good news on the Flint story.

It's about time the media got Involved.

All thanks to you and Miguel.

How's Iflguel dolng?

You didn't hear?

No, what?

He's unreachable.
There's no more excluslves.

EPA offlclals just say
he's been "handled. "

What, they put him on a leash?

Yeah, he's off the ease.

I guess you don't send around
unauthorized memos

and eel! supposedly okay water
'hazardous waste.'

So, what's happenlng wlth that
emergency grant you applled for?

When would that come In?

I don't know...
As soon as I hear something deflnlte,

you'll know about It.

Okay.

(PEOPLE CHANTING)

I was scratching so hard,
I had bruises on my arms and legs.

You know what the doctor said? He said,
'Are you sure It's not psychosomatic?‘

'Psychosomatlc.‘

Walt, they all think
we're going coo-coo.

We moved to Flushing. And guess what?

This Is the flrst week
Dexter hasn't broken out.

Flrst week he ain't reeklng, elther.

(ALL LAUGHING)

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Hi, this Is LeeAnne. Who's this?

Professor Edwards, Vlrglnla Tech.

I got the grant approved for the
Independent testing of your water.

That's good news! That's such good news!

Okay, why do you still sound so nervous?

So If we een get 300 samples
spread out over the city,

we'd get a handle on
how bad the situation ls.

But In order to get It done right,
there Is a catch...

What's the catch?

The grant doesn't really cover manpower,

golng door to door...
Baslcally, dlstrlbutlon and collectlon.

I'll need volunteers.
Lots and lots of volunteers.

What do you think?

You know... If there's anything
this town has, It's flghtln' splrlt.

I'm trying to think If there's
anything else I'm missing.

Sorry? Hey, guys. Okay.

Professor, this Is all of them here.

Okay good. Good job, Danlel.

So, now usually,
I get back a ratio of 25%.

But If I een get seventy klts back here,
I'll be very happy.

Seventy? Out of 300?

You're, you're gonna get
all the kits back.

Okay, If you say so.

No, no. Seriously.
You will get all of these kits back.

Yeah, great.
Now where Is all my volunteers?

(SIGHS)

I don't know. I put out the word out.

Maybe they got eeught In trafflc.

Or maybe theyjust suck.

'Maybe theyjust suck.‘ Okay.

Well, look who I found
waiting around In the pews upstairs.

(LAUGHING)

Next time you want
your volunteers to find you

and not the Lord our Savior,
give 'em clearer Instructions!

Basement. Basement. Church basement.

Maybe I forgot that part. Lead water.
I've been drinking the water.

Hay SWI- Hey. hey. hey!
Yeah, over here.

Come on In!

Yeah, come on, guys.
I got reinforcements!

All right!

Thanks for coming.

Come on, guys, don't be shy.
Come right up.

Listen up, everybody! You're all going
to get a list of addresses.

You een give one kit to every address

but please make sure
an adult understands the Instructions.

You have to make sure
you talk to someone. Okay?

You don't just want to leave the kit
on the doorstep and then walk away.

A lot of people might think
It's still all right.

I mean, If the Mayor's
drinking the water...

No, no, no, no. It Is not all right.

It's nasty and It's making us slck,
none of us should be drinking It.

Have faith. The Lord has healed before
and he'll do It agaln.

Amen. All right everybody, come on.

Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am.

Come on up. Grab as many boxes
as you een. Come on, come on.

Let's go, guys.

Everyone, grab as many as you een hold.

My God, you did It.

I didn't do anything. We all did It.

Wait a minute, aren't you leaving?

Why? Where are you going?

It's our anniversary.
We were gonna go to Cedar Point.

'Were' gonna go?

Yeah. I had Adarn eencel.

Wait a minute,
but It's your annlversary!

Yeah, I know but we have one every year.

It's kinda sorta more Important
that I stay here this weekend.

All right, I totally I agree.

Beeeuse we een't do this
without our best flghter.

Adam already knows l'm cheating on him

with all of you guys.
He thinks It's hot.

Of course he does.

Good job. Thank you.

(SONG PLAYING) Dlrty water

l aln't drlnklng no more

l aln't drlnklng no more

You can serve your dlrty water
from a golden cup

You can try to lock up the truth
but the door won't shut

'Cause the truth just comes out

lee lead from a plpe

Dlrty water

That words can't wash

Dlrty water

All the Instruction are lnslde.
We'll be back to pick It up. Thanks.

Hey, Adlna!

Hey.

I got ajob.

Yeah. I een see that. Congratulations.

I haven't heard from you In a while.

Yeah. I know. lwas...
I was a bit... Outta sorts.

Really?

Beeeuse... I had to pick up
all the pieces

and put them back together,

by myself.

But you? You vanlshed.

I'm sorry. Okay?

I knew that you were upset... And I...

I figured somehow seeln' me around
might make It worse.

Look...

Can I maybe eel! you sometime?

Don't look at me. It's your blscults.

Sometime soon.

Okay.

Okay. Okay.

(ELECTRONIC WHIRRING AND BEEPING)

Two hundred and seventy-seven samples.
That's over 00%.

Yeah. That's unprecedented.

What do we do with the results?

Those are extraordinarily high.

We need to eel! everyone with elevated
lead levels In their house.

-Now?
-Yeah.

-There's a lot of them...
-No, now.

I mean, If your water lead levels
were this high,

wouldn't you wanna know
as soon as possible?

-Yeah. Come on.
-Let's go.

Just run It agaln.

MONA: I have compared
chlldren's blood lead levels

from their medleel records

In our hospital flles.
Since the City of Flint stopped using

Detroit water and started drawlng
water from our loeel rlver,

the percentage
of Flint Infants and children

with above average lead levels

has nearly doubled.

Oh, my God!

And It has nearly trlpled
amongst children In high-risk areas.

We strongly recommend
to limit further exposure.

For Infants on formula, no tap water.

Lead clearlng filters are a good Idea,

more public education Is needed,

and we would advocate for a reconnection

to a Lake Huron water source.

-Yes!
-(CROWD CLAPPING)

This Is Fllnt's untreated water.

It's basleelly dlslntegratlng the nail.

Fllnt's water ls doing the same thing
to distribution plpes all over the city.

Here, just take a look, pass It around.

Fllnt Is the only city In this country
that we know of

that does not have
a Corrosion Control plan In place.

How is that decision being rationalized?

That's horrlble. A dlsgrace!

Do you think I've been listening
to the wrong people?

Or I just hear what I wanted to hear?

I don't know, slr. We should have been
listening to those people out there.

They are responsible for a community.

They're getting paid. So they decide

they're gonna polson an entire city

and then they're gonna lie
to us about It?

How dare they? Come on! Shame on them!

How do you feel now that
people are finally llstenlng?

We're glad the tide ls turnlng,
but we have a long way to go.

That's right.

How do you mean that?

Well, we need new service lines,

we need continuous testing, monitoring,

we need a support system for these kids
that have been drinking this water.

Our trust In authority ls gone.

Yeah! Gone. Absolutely.

And It een't be fixed
by the flip of a switch.

Yes. That's right.

Clean water now! Clean water now!

Clean water now!

There they are right there!

Mayor Walllng!

Mr. Glasgow? Mr. Glasgow...

Mayor Walllng! Mayor Walllng,
just a moment, slr, please?

Please, slr. ljust have a couple
of quick questions for you, sir.

I wonder If you een tell us
how It was you were unable to determine

whlch homes had lead service lines
and which ones dldn't?

Well, sometimes records get lost. So...

nght, so you didn't have
all the records?

That's a possibility.

What about Corrosion Control?
Did you know about that?

Yes, of course. State officials
didn't think that that was necessary.

They said they'd do two rounds

of six-month
lead and copper testlng Instead.

Did you tell them that?

I did. They didn't eere what I thought.

There never was
a termination notlce

from Detroit, Isn't that right?

Look, we lnherlted this situation.

Our Public Works director said
that there was over a billion dollars

In Infrastructure cost
coming to Detroit

and that it wasn't sustainable for us...

I have a letter
from the Emergency Manager.

Detroit dldn't klck
Fllnt off Its system,

that Is a flat-out lle. Detroit offered
Fllnt an Immediate 40% discount,

which would have been cheaper
than anything

Fllnt would have gotten from the KWA.

I know that the state
and our Public Works made evaluations

based on the best course of action
for the City of Flint,

and that was the determination.

All the way to the Governor's office?

That's all I have to say about that.

So you're unsure how
the Virginia Tech team got Its results?

I'm just saying
we're not entirely surprised.

This particular team loves looking
for lead Issues. It's what they do.

What about Dr. Hanna-Attisha's research

Into chlldren's
blood lead level numbers?

I respect Dr. Hanna-Attlsha's work,

but she shouldn't have held
a press conference

I'm not dlsmlsslve
but our spokesperson says

thls whole controversy
borders on near-hysterla.

So Is the State's data
Inconsistent wlth hers?

Yeah, and the Department of Health
and Human Services

said so publicly.
So who would you believe?

What did they say?

The Governor called this his Katrina.

He admitted that some mistakes
were made In the switch,

and that It was poorly planned.

And...

That things were not fully understood.

And?

There are plans to distribute
thousands of water filters.

That's It?

Water fllters?

Excuse me? Fllters?
Don't drink the water?

After all that? Come on!

You've gotta be kidding me!

LEEANNE: Okay, so that's It.

We're just have to live with the lead?

And just figure out some way
to deal with It?

Llsten, all I gotta say ls,

If the country won't listen
to a couple of white ladles,

God, I really wanna punch somethlng.

Don't look at me, Mellssa.

Oh, my God, I almost forgot.
Thank God, I brought this.

Yeah. Great.

Oh, no, no, no. I don't drink.

-Why not?
-l'm Muslim.

-Musl|m?
-Yeah.

-Cool.
-Well, I'm not Muslln so...

-Thls ls perfect.
-F|l| me up.

Thanks.

You gotta like this potato salad.

We're moving.

What? Where?

Vlrglnla.

Dennls reenllsted for active duty.

And It's, It's just better
for everybody. I...

Well, what about the house?

We're gonna keep It.

I mean, It's not like you een really
sell a house In Fllnt right now.

It's about the kids, you know.

I want them to be able
to wash their hands

with something other than
hand sanitizer so...

If we could move, we all would.

But we're stuck.

Yeah, yeah. Great.

Get your ass on out of here.
Just rlde off Into the sunset.

That's not fair!

I could not have done
any of this without you. I know that.

Yeah, cool beans, whatever.

She just means she'll miss you.

Yeah. Yeah.

I'm gonna miss her, too.

Gonna miss you all.

Thank you.

Well, what did they say?

Dr. Eden Wells compared my analysis

against that
of the state epldemlologlsts.

You know why they claimed the state's
results were Inconsistent with mine?

Hit me.

The state's number
Included kids from outside Fllnt!

Okay. So what does that mean?

It's confirmed! The state's own data
analysts now conflrms all our numbers.

That's amazing. And terrlble.

Genesee County ls declaring
a public health emergency.

So we did It. There's no way they een
talk themselves out of this now.

I'm so relieved!

Thank you so much.

Is It weird to be celebrating a public
health emergency declaration?

Yeah. It's a little weird...

Okay. Well, It's gonna have to be weird.
It's gonna have to be weird.

(PEOPLE MURMURING)

NAYYIRAH: We'd already
been let down by the state,

but now wlth the press behlnd us,

we knew we were belng heard.

The questlon on all our mlnds
was whether the clty

could really lgnore our outcrles and
a mountaln of evldence... Any longer.

Effective today, the City of Flint
ls reversing the decision

of four emergency managers.

We fought back to get us
on Detroit water.

The State's results confirmed
that Fllnt's drinking water

was contributing to high lead levels,
It made me furious.

This community was rightly outraged.

A group of cltlzen-heroes made sure
this testing was done well

and done right.

The city could not have funded
a better study of our water.

The City of Flint ls reconnecting to

Detroit's Department
of Water and Sewerage

as the sole water source
at 5:00 p.m. today.

Yes!

NAYYIRAH: It was our first vlctory.

And maybe In the scheme of thlngs
It was a small vlctory but..

A vlctory all the same.

Late, but you're here! Hey!

What did I miss?

Fllnt's going back on Detroit water!

We did It! We freakln' did It!

It's about time! I thought they'd
come up with another excuse not to!

Yeah. Thank you!

I've heard so much about you.

You are all lnsplrlng woman.
A little stubborn...

You know, you're like the women
with the vote...

Suffragettes?

Tip of my tongue!

Well, listen at least we didn't
have to starve ourselves, huh?

They mlght've got the vote,
but I don't think this Is over yet.

It's not gonna change overnight.

A lot of damage has been done.

Yeah, who knows how long
that's gonna take to fix that so...

It's a flrst step.
But we're not gonna qult now.

(LAUGHING)

ALL: (CHANTING) Nojustlce, no peace!

Flint lives matter! Flint lives matter!