Flint is on Fire
April 3, 2010 12:26 PM   Subscribe

This post was deleted for the following reason: pleaqse do not link to your friend's stuff. If someone wants to post more info about this story, feel free. -- jessamyn



 
Not sure if you're being sarcastic, but you've been around long enough (longer than me) to know that we probably do care.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 12:31 PM on April 3, 2010


I'm not sure why you'd phrase your FPP this way. It's a city on fire. Of course we care. It's horrific and awful. (And an excellent example of why we need quality government services such as fire departments.)
posted by hippybear at 12:33 PM on April 3, 2010


I'm guessing peewinkle was reproducing the tone of the article rather than editorializing.
posted by Dr. Send at 12:35 PM on April 3, 2010 [7 favorites]


The article indicates that many people don't seem to care.
It’s not national news. No one would be surprised anyway. Flint’s best commodity for export is being the butt of every joke about what is wrong with this country.
posted by delmoi at 12:35 PM on April 3, 2010


It looks like part of the issue could be a pissing match between the mayor and the firefighters and police unions, where the mayor got his bluff called and pretty much shut down the fire department? That is the gist I am gathering so far reading about this at least.
posted by idiopath at 12:37 PM on April 3, 2010


I wonder how frequent fires were before the layoffs? It seems like firefighters would be the last position to eliminate in a budgetary crisis, but maybe Flint actually is at that point.
posted by synaesthetichaze at 12:38 PM on April 3, 2010


If only we had a free market solution to fire fighting... no longer at the hands of those tyranical fire fighters!

And their... hamburgers.
posted by codacorolla at 12:39 PM on April 3, 2010


Delmoi hit it right on the nose. I haven't seen one mention of this in the MSM since it's began, and as of last night, Google News Search had ONE article about it from the Saginaw newspaper. "Mlive" (Michigan's 'premier' online news service) has mentioned only a few times, and the coverage they've given it has been skewed. If this were happening in any other city of Flint's size, I feel it would be all over the MSM......
posted by peewinkle at 12:40 PM on April 3, 2010


Reading more - it looks like Flint was calling in neighboring fire departments, who have decided to no longer respond to Flint fires because it is straining their resources to make up for what amounts to another city's budgetary problems. And it appears that someone decided that this situation made it the perfect time to start committing a string of arsons.
posted by idiopath at 12:45 PM on April 3, 2010


@ idiopath- The fact is is that there simply is no money in the budget to pay their salaries, and cuts had to be made. A lot of people are blaming the mayor, but it was the city council's decision ultimately. There are indeed problems in the city government, but I feel that it's the citizens' fault for electing the current city council. For instance, they recently voted to change a few streets downtown from one-way into two-streets at a cost of over three mil.
posted by peewinkle at 12:45 PM on April 3, 2010


Wow... I live in Kalamazoo, just on the other side of the freakin' state, and there's been zero coverage of this. This is the first I'd heard of it. Thanks, peewinkle.
posted by 40 Watt at 12:46 PM on April 3, 2010


The neighboring cities have decided to stop helping Flint because of the arsons.....
posted by peewinkle at 12:46 PM on April 3, 2010


peewinkle: I understand your intention, and I think your link is really good, I'm just trying to point out that one of the reasons a lot of people hang out here is specifically because they acknowledge that the MSM under-reports important news and would like to find out about that news anyway.

Rather than continuing to derail, I'll say that I didn't know about this before, that I think the parochialism being exercised by neighboring firefighters under the guise that they're only responsible for their own taxpayers is God-awful and that I care quite a bit.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 12:47 PM on April 3, 2010


The fires are worrisome; the defeated and hopeless tone of the linked post is really sad.
posted by sallybrown at 12:47 PM on April 3, 2010


You know, governments commonly restrict essential services like fire, police, and schools instead of cutting fat from their own bureaucracy. I donno if that's Flit's problem, just say'n.

I've no idea if some new mayor who was actually willing to lay off most of city hall could then reopen the fire departments, but suspicion seems warranted.
posted by jeffburdges at 12:47 PM on April 3, 2010


peewinkle: thanks for helping me get that stuff straight
posted by idiopath at 12:51 PM on April 3, 2010


It sounds like the firefighters (really, city managers) in neighboring cities are ignoring their mutual-aid pact because it's gone beyond mutual aid. Or what idiopath said.
posted by fixedgear at 12:52 PM on April 3, 2010


Actually, I meant to write "In case anyone cares" rather than "I'm sure no one cares"

And wll, sallybrown, after the constant struggle Flint has dealt with for the past 30 years, it is getting very difficult to stay hopeful and upbeat. The author of the post is a dear friend of mine, and, well, unfortunately, this is the seemingly feeling that prevails among the resident's of the city.
posted by peewinkle at 12:53 PM on April 3, 2010


peewinkle: "The author of the post is a dear friend of mine"

This deserves coverage, if it gets deleted as a self link I will gladly repost it.
posted by idiopath at 12:54 PM on April 3, 2010


Won't somebody please think of the insurance companies?
posted by Max Power at 12:54 PM on April 3, 2010


.
posted by Afroblanco at 12:56 PM on April 3, 2010


And wll, sallybrown, after the constant struggle Flint has dealt with for the past 30 years, it is getting very difficult to stay hopeful and upbeat.

I can imagine! Roger & Me was 20 years ago and it doesn't sound like things in Flint have been improving.
posted by sallybrown at 12:59 PM on April 3, 2010


This deserves coverage, if it gets deleted as a self link I will gladly repost it.

This seems like the best course at this point. A neutral tone multi-link post would really do this subject justice.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 1:00 PM on April 3, 2010


Thanks, idiopath, I didn't even consider the Me-fi etiquette of posting/spamming.... I just didn't feel like taking the time to write and post the links of pretty much the same thing my friend did. It DOES deserve coverage.


Also: previously
posted by peewinkle at 1:02 PM on April 3, 2010


Oh god that google map. I saw it and went "Hmm, I wonder what it looks like in street view..." and wow, just wandering down seemingly important streets in the middle of town, so many empty lots, roads in bad shape, wild lawns and empty houses- I knew things where bad but I wasn't expecting it to be that ...immediate and visual. Yikes.
posted by The Whelk at 1:03 PM on April 3, 2010




I'm not sure why you'd phrase your FPP this way. It's a city on fire. Of course we care.

I think the fact that this is not being covered is as much a story as the actual disaster itself. That is pretty odd. Also, as noted in the comments on the link, see the first comment in this old Mefi thread for some perspective about how people talk, even if it's just meant in jest.
posted by mdn at 1:06 PM on April 3, 2010


The public safety director is implying that the arsons are being committed by one of the laid off firemen.

Holy shit, if that's true it's like a real-life Jimmy McNulty.
posted by sallybrown at 1:06 PM on April 3, 2010


[Some tasteless pun about the city's name and the situation]
posted by azarbayejani at 1:13 PM on April 3, 2010


Everyone is blaming everyone else. The mayor has even been accused of having the fires set. Of course, the firemen are suspect. Others are saying it's just the 'hood-rats having fun a la Devil's Night. I did hear that the FBI is sending a task force in to try and figure out who is behind the majority of the arson; obviously some are copy-cat crimes.
posted by peewinkle at 1:13 PM on April 3, 2010


And also, I salute you Metafilter, for not having made any Michael Moore references/jokes..... (aside from the respectable reference to Roger & Me above)
posted by peewinkle at 1:15 PM on April 3, 2010


*Devil's Night link from above
posted by peewinkle at 1:16 PM on April 3, 2010


idiopath: The public safety director is implying that the arsons are being committed by one of the laid off firemen.

Historically, I think that's quite common.
posted by Mitrovarr at 1:18 PM on April 3, 2010


peewinkle: "Thanks, idiopath, I didn't even consider the Me-fi etiquette of posting/spamming.... I just didn't feel like taking the time to write and post the links of pretty much the same thing my friend did. It DOES deserve coverage.


Also: previously
"

OK, serious retroactive WTF on the first comment in that thread (I am sure it is a coincidence, but what a coincidence it is...).
posted by idiopath at 1:18 PM on April 3, 2010 [2 favorites]


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