Mayor Marcus Muhammad failed the residents of Benton Harbor. He did not notify them of the lead and bacterial contamination of their water. The law states officials MUST notify residents by mail and he failed to do so.
With state and federal drinking laws in place, Benton Harbor continued to have high lead levels well into 2022. Why then do we not have a single agency taking responsibility for the crisis, and why did it take so long for Benton Harbor?
Lead destroys the liver, kidneys, heart, brain, and body. We have no idea how many Benton Harbor residents died during and since the water crisis from the contaminated water. Again, and it cannot be said often enough, Mayor Muhammad should have notified the residents of Benton Harbor of the damager of drinking contaminated water.
At its core, the lead crisis in Benton Harbor is the result of racial discrimination and segregation, the familiar phenomenon of white fight, and misguided decision by Mayor Muhammad.
The story of Benton Harbor's Black population is a familiar one throughout the midwest in the1960’s. As Benton Harbor’s Black population rapidly grew, its white population declined just as rapidly. Benton Harbor's white population decreased from 14,290 in 1960 to just 6,707 in 1970 - more than a 50% decrease. During the same time, Benton Harbor's Black population increased from 4,846 to 9,774.
Black residents coming to Benton Harbor faced discrimination in multiple ways.
In housing, the Benton Harbor Housing Commission segregated public housing by operating one housing project for Black residents and another for white residents. It also refused admission of Black veterans to its veteran housing project solely on the basis of race.
Racial segregation in schools was also very prevalent throughout Benton Harbor and the surrounding region. Eventually, many of Benton Harbor's white residents segregated themselves from the city and its increasing Black population by moving to other nearby communities.
The history of segregation in the Benton Harbor region persists to this day. The Niles-Benton Harbor metro area has been ranked as the fifth most segregated metro area in the country. The region continues to have some of the most segregated public school systems in the country. It has one of the worst disparities regarding high school attainment, with an attainment rate of 92.1% for majority-white neighborhoods and only 72.4% for majority-Black neighborhoods.
Mayor Muhammad surly failed the residents of Benton Harbor, no community should have to worry about whether their water is safe to drink. I am not sure today if the water is safe to drink. . .
Rev Edward Pinkney
