ALSO SEE: EPA Stayed Silent on Flint's Tainted Water

Hundreds Take Over Michigan Capitol in Protest Over Flint Water Crisis

By Emily Lawler, MLive

15 January 16

crowd of 150 protesters circled through the hallways of the Michigan state capitol on Thursday, toting jugs of dirty water and calling for action on a drinking water crisis that has rocked the city.

Gov. Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency in the city earlier this month, but the water crisis emerged more than a year ago when the city switched water sources in April of 2014.

House Democratic Leader Tim Greimel told the protesters, who rode in on buses from Flint and Detroit Thursday, that their representatives had been fighting for them on the water issue.

"The administration has turned a deaf ear to what they and others have been saying for months," Greimel said.

He called for Gov. Rick Snyder's resignation if he knew about the situation in Flint and didn't do anything about it.

Some at the protest said Gov. Rick Snyder had to have known about it.

"The concerned pastors came to Lansing with the lead test results in February and showed them to his assistant, so he knew about this thing," said Flint resident Lathan Jefferson, who came to the capitol to protest on Thursday.

For a year and a half he's been calling federal agencies looking for help.

"They blow you off. They keep giving you different numbers to call," Jefferson said.

R.L. Mitchell said he came from Flint today because when Gov. Rick Snyder was in Flint earlier this week he couldn't get in the room. He's worried about the long-term effects of the water.

"Every person I know in Flint has problems with the water. There's brown stuff coming out right now and they put filters on it and they don't know how to work it. And in a whole lot of filters black stuff comes out and they still drink it, put it in their ice cubes," Mitchell said.

Earlene Love is worried about the health effects too, but when she went to her doctor for a blood test the doctor told her it didn't affect old people.

"I just looked at him like he had lost his mind. Because if I had drank the water, then it's going to affect me too," Love said.

Elected officials came to the protest in solidarity with Flint residents.

"There have been few events in the history of our nation where government has let people down like this has," said Genesee County Clerk John Gleason. "My God, they poisoned the kids."

State Reps. Sheldon Neeley, D-Flint, and Phil Phelps, D-Flushing, came to show their support as well.

Protesters left the state capitol building and headed for the Romney Building, which houses the governor's office. Michigan State Police officers stopped them in the lobby, where they chanted and waved bottles of dirty water for around 20 minutes.

Snyder spokesperson Dave Murray said the Governor's office understood the frustration.

"We understand people are frustrated. The health and safety of Flint residents is a priority, both now and long into the future," he said. 

"Gov. Snyder acted aggressively as soon as he became aware of the elevated blood lead levels on Oct. 1, with an action plan announced quickly aimed at health and safety, and the reconnection to the Great Lakes Water Authority announced just days later," Murray said.