Flint’s drinking water crisis took center stage at the Republican National Convention today, if only for a moment.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is the only Michigander scheduled to speak from the podium during the convention’s four-day run at the Quicken Loans Arena.
He started his two-minute speech by talking about how people in Flint still cannot safely drink their tap water unfiltered. The decision to switch the city’s water source to the Flint River, and then the failure to properly treat the water, has left thousands of pipes damaged and leaching lead into the tap water.
Schuette referenced the investigation his office is conducting.
“The families of Flint have not received justice. But I can promise you this, justice is coming to Flint,” Schuette told the crowd.
So far, three government officials have been charged criminally in connection with Flint’s water crisis.
The attorney general used the rest of his brief afternoon appearance before the convention to voice support for law enforcement.
He talked about recent fatal shootings of police officers in Michigan and other states. He called for conventioneers to support police officers, citing a biblical reference to peacemakers.
“We are all called to be peacemakers, and peace starts with us, wherever we may live, from Detroit to Dallas, from Berrien to Baton Rouge,” Schuette told the audience.
Meanwhile, outside the convention center, various groups are demonstrating against police brutality and fatal police shootings of black men.
