The Woman Fighting for Detroit’s Water

Over the last three years, more than 100,000 families in the city of Detroit have had their water shut off. Most of these families couldn’t afford to pay their utility bills. Some have been without water for a few days, while others have lost access for years. The consequences of a water shutoff go well beyond skipping a shower or a load of laundry. That’s why Monica Lewis-Patrick is helping these families regain access to this basic human necessity. As president of the organization We the People of Detroit, Lewis-Patrick delivers donated water to people in need, and says she can’t touch or drink water without thinking about somebody not having it.
SUBSCRIBE: goo.gl/vR6Acb
This story is a part of our Planet Earth series. From mammals to insects and birds to reptiles, we share this great big world with all manner of creatures, large and small. Come with us to faraway places as we explore our great big planet and meet some of its wildest inhabitants.
This story is a part of our Human Condition series. Come along and let us connect you to some of the most peculiar, stirring, extraordinary, and distinctive people in the world.
This story is a part of our Frontiers series, where we bring you front and center to the dreamers, pioneers, and innovators leading society at the cutting edge. Let us take you along for a trip to the oft-imagined but rarely accomplished.
This story is a part of our Flavors series, where we do so much more than play with our food. Come with us as we dive into deliciously different and tastefully off-beat stories in the culinary world.
Got a story idea for us? Shoot us an email at hey [at] GreatBigStory [dot] com
Follow us behind the scenes on Instagram: goo.gl/2KABeX
Make our acquaintance on Facebook: goo.gl/Vn0XIZ
Give us a shout on Twitter: goo.gl/sY1GLY
Come hang with us on Vimeo: goo.gl/T0OzjV
Visit our world directly: www.greatbigstory.com

[@goldentrout4811]

Good on her for helping the community. God bless!

[@deekshantbelwal8432]

In Delhi India you don't pay a penny if your water usage is less than a certain limit per month. This discourage water misuse and at the same time is lifeline for poors.

[@sacratul]

Deekshant Belwal same , in my country they also do that

[@HistoricaHungarica]

Okay but what about it's quality?

[@deekshantbelwal8432]

HistoricaHungarica quality is what you expect in third world country. Fine for drinking for locals with purifiers/brita filter but bad enough to give foreigners a case of delhi belly/traveler's diarrhea.

[@raphaelkhoury218]

Deekshant Belwal oh dear, yeah i also understand that, it also happens in some cases in my country.............it's really dumb for people to die cz of the lack of water, and we should all do something about it..............

[@namewithay]

My family struggled a lot when I was a kid. Getting our water or lights shut off was normal. It would happen every few months. This lady is a life saver and is giving people back dignity.

[@kianasears463]

That lady is very kind. She knows better than the water department

[@raphaelkhoury218]

My Life As Kiana yeah!😍😍😍😍😍

[@UnknownGunslinger]

Wait! In the US your water is shut down, for not paying, being late to pay it! Damn, that's barbaric!

[@zonaisonline]

This lady came and talked to our school. She got arrested during a protest outside of a water companies headquarters. There are also big companies that don't pay their water bills but they don't get their water shut off.

[@lilamazon]

shutting the water off!?! this is so inhumane & beyond disgraceful!

[@deathbyseatoast8854]

Sure, you need to pay your damn bills. But really? Water is something humans need to SURVIVE. What if you had your air cut off? What if you had to pay your damn bills for air? What's funny is that people buy air now! Really. What the fuck.

[@losttech5151]

Is water a right or a privilege? Is food a right or privilege? Is shelter a right or privilege? If you say right to any of those questions it's the exact same as leeching off the government and to pamper you. Yes it's hard to watch when people are suffering but these things shouldn't be fully given to the people as it forms people who abuse the power. If you had the ability to pay for things with your hard earned money or to let the government give everything you ask, probably everyone would pick the ladder.

[@jonmison]

Lost Tech it's a right. The city has control of the water supply and they should be more sensible than this, especially for the more venerable in the community, such as children and the elderly. People should at least have access to a minimum. It is not about capitalism, it's about common sense.

[@Odseparator]

USA war expenses are bigger then an income of many conturies. In the same time They treat poor people like nothing, high education is so expensive that they have a credit to the ned of their lifes ,many people live with their families in campers and medicine is much more expensive then in Africa and prisoners aren't educated, becuse many prisons are private and they want more "clients" to come back. USA from a long time isn't free contury, but a corporation. This is why they treat people like workers, but not like humans. Cutting water that you will get out of this property YES, but thinking where you can live after leaving NO.

[@Purple_968]

Need more people like her in the world✨✨

[@SAli-uh3qr]

Cutting water is murder

[@jaridkeen123]

Water that comes to your home should be free its a necessity of life

[@Danny_Does_Drawings]

Jarid Gaming it is for me. I have well water.

[@kielkruse2660]

The pipes and utilities aren't free

[@MNSKMN]

It should be public, payed with taxes.

[@kielkruse2660]

blablabla that would work but two problems: 1) not everyone has the same water usage. A single person living by themselves will use a different amount of water than a family of 4 that also as a large watered lawn. If water is then payed for out of a communal fund some people will get the short end of the stick while others get away without paying for their fair share. 2) Most people in rural areas have to use wells that they have to pay for the installation and maintenance. If you add public water to Their taxes then they have to pay for water that they'll hardly benefit from. The best way to do it is pay as you use it. Also, if your water bill isn't directly related to how much water you use (i.e. payed in lump sum in taxes) a person is probably less likely to be as careful with the amount of water they use vs. conserve. Just my opinions however.

[@tmck4138]

In some states it's illegal to collect your own rain water.

[@BigAdam2050]

I'm betting a part of this is also "if we don't have to supply water to this area, we save so much on maintenance!"

[@joshuadavidforro7689]

In our country we spend 6-10 dollars on water bill

[@ketchupacket]

How heroic

[@jacksonramsey2422]

I’ll pray for Detroit

[@cloroxbleach9222]

How about conserve and save water so the bills won't be so damn high.

[@subwayesk]

Sell the house or get a roommate. Being house poor is bad but downsizing is usually cheaper. Buy a rain barrel, make a gravity water filter for drinking and use a compost toilet. No one needs all that bpa plastic anyway.

[@dhrubrajbansi530]

Well in our country water is free!

[@okkao3763]

omg this is like uhhh..water hell

[@garcoleopard2319]

The body is 60 to 70 percent of the human body is water so she must thought about it for her her life

[@gustavomattos4269]

After " IT" I couldn't be that woman

[@lilpooh9708]

Gustavo Mattos why

[@lilpooh9708]

EL RCM oh ok

[@dannywoo3535]

Wow, and people thought America was a place full of freedom. The irony is that other states that have access to drinkable and clean water, they take it for granted.

[@Danny_Does_Drawings]

Danny Woo I have well water so I don't pay a thing.

[@smoothjazzfails]

She is great human, but why donate water bottles? I get that it's cheap, but they are horrible for the environment.

[@BlackWinds]

You guys can have some of Texas' and Florida's water; I'm sure they wouldn't mind.

[@chemo8400]

in India we can have our own water well

[@Swansen03]

Composting toilet. No water needed

[@fifthseason4882]

Welcome to America

[@chickenchaser125cc9]

Inmates

[@mealla]

What this woman is doing is great and all but it's just a temporary solution for a permanent problem, how long are they going to provide bottled water for these people. A more permanent solution would be to install water tanks so they can collect rainwater that gets pumped to their pipes for usage, it's free and it's easy.

[@mrtookyourgirl69]

Wow.

[@jin4368]

Usa again

[@Doublefatcheese]

Whose going to fight for africas water? HUH

[@betterthanjam1185]

Uh.

[@tomatosoup7704]

WesleySnipes GOAT uh???

[@drowsydragonite720]

Shut up brock

[@arandomguy8861]

Uh,we need more pokemans,pokemans.how do you pronounce it

[@betterthanjam1185]

Rita Bear / w \ yes

[@yuosef1376]

go

[@SkaterMisterAxe]

A real feminist

[@SuperMarway]

Hahahahaha, and that's america. Not the usual Africa country. Why are you not ashamed of your capitalistic system?

[@tommynguyen135]

First

[@Alckee6904]

Ewwww blm.

[@gabrielparrish4876]

Ewwww anime profile pic.

[@EmeraldMara85]

Ewwww, someone who watches manga/anime yet cannot understand that the villains are often racist people! There is a limit to being illiterate...

[@Alckee6904]

Emerald Mara85 Not my account dont watch anime keep trying. Btw you cant " watch manga " Ps theres a limit to how dumb a human can be. You're setting new records everyday keep it up.

[@EmeraldMara85]

@Garret Howard Not your account? How old are you to use another's account? All you have to do is login with your username and password. Are you so illiterate that you can't even spell your username? The reason I say watch is because its a double insult as in you don't read, only watch. Or wait, you're too illiterate to figure that out! There is a limit to being dumb too... Edit: Then again, anyone who supports the murder and grievous injuries in Charlottesville by Nazis are already dumb.

[@dr.kekyll9839]

I don't think many of y'all know this but clean, pure drinking and bathing water is an extremely limited resource. And like all other limited resources they come at a price, and if you can't pay that price that you are denied access to that resource. Simple as that. Now before you get your rocks off about how this is an injustice keep in mind that these people aren't children, they're adults and should be able to sustain themselves, even those receiving welfare benefits would be able to and understand that certain sacrifices would need to be made. Only those who are unable to change and adapt or at the very least work a few extra jobs instead of sitting on their ass asking for handouts at the expense of tax payer money are those who endure the hardships of having their water shut off.

[@raphaelkhoury218]

colin white wow cz finding a job is that simple.......... Life is not simple, and water is a human right, so shutting it is actually against the law in certain countrys! On the other side of the argument, I understand that water is a very important ressource, and it's gonna be even more valuable than gold in afew years! And i understand the work needed to get pure potable water, andthat many mnay people even don't have access to it anddie from thelacl of water.......... But still, it's inhuman to cut such a needed ressource, that and i'm not even talking about all the delays and errors the company's make! Along woth the dumb shame! It's simply imacceptable for a ressource as vital as water.............

[@trevorsmoms]

Sounds about white....

[@madman4043]

CLASSIC strawman. It's very clear to anyone with a brain that they're not talking about how the lack of money means you should die. HOWEVER, if you've demonstrated that you lack the ability to contribute to a society or provide a service that even confirms your existence in said society, the resources aren't going to be wasted on you. This, of course, doesn't extend to people with disabilities or related situations, because those people weren't even given the chance to squander in the first place.

[@madman4043]

yourlogicalfallacyis.com/strawman

[@Briare0s_]

Marco Polio wow, classic. Purposefully not realizing that he was intentionally not being factually correct, and posts a comment ridiculing someone who didn't spend 5 minutes reading the definition of a strawman. Water is a resource, yes water is a finite resource, but you cannot survive without it.

[@centpushups]

Very simple solution. Stop voting democrat and jump on the conservative train.

[@rubenskiii]

Actually it's the other way around but it really doesn't matter both sides don't give a shit. That's what you get with a heavily corporate funded 2 party system which will already loose an election by simply whispering "socialism"....

[@wateri4]

Ruben de Jong Detroit has been one of the liberal/ democrat heavily majority population and is seen in their policy but it's all good until money runs out .

[@xtianjstn6157]

Pay the damn bills.

[@stvn___]

They literally can't afford the damn bills, bud.

[@xtianjstn6157]

aJay. Aww poor people. Should we all hold hands and sing? I came from nothing and worked my ass off. One time i had 3 jobs so whats the excuse of these people?

[@stvn___]

Their excuse is that they live in an area where there aren't enough employment opportunities to allow everyone to have three jobs. Their excuse is that they live in an area where crime inhibits socio-economic progress. Tell me: when you had three jobs, did you live in the Oakwood Heights of Detroit? High unemployment, low median income, low population density, low home values, and high crime. Good luck finding three jobs to pay your bills.

[@stvn___]

You also need to realize that even flawed human beings need water to survive. It's a basic human necessity.

[@TraphouseBeats]

I bet everything you have is paid for by your parents or spouse. Stfu.