Michigan Pummeled By Claims Of Racism In Water Pollution Crisis Killing Black People And Making Many Ill

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder

The local government of the U.S. city, Flint, Michigan have come under fire over a water pollution scandal in the predominantly black and lower income region. People have died and many made ill, including children, from lead poison in the local water supply. The government was woefully slow to address the issue.

Flint, Michigan  

 

The scandal is being accompanied by cries of racism. A headline in Rolling Stone magazine bluntly blared, "Who poisoned Flint, Michigan?" The Huffington Post wrote "How Flint's Water Got Poisonous." The New Yorker wrote "The Contempt That Poisoned Flint's Water." A quote in the New York Times opined, "If Flint were rich and mostly white, would Michigan's state government have responded more quickly and aggressively to complaints about its lead-polluted water?" Things have gotten so bad the governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, was forced to speak to the New York Times in an article proclaiming, "Michigan Governor Says Race Had No Role In Flint Water Response."

Instagram post about Flint, Michigan water crisis (Courtesy of Industry On Blast blog)

It has been my personal view for years that the federal government has stopped giving a darn about Michigan over the past decade. The government, both state and federal (national) allowed Michigan, particularly Detroit, to rot. A city full of history that has done much for America by way of the auto industry and Motown in music, has gone largely neglected. Beautiful buildings and homes bludgeoned by the financial crisis were bulldozed and turned into parks and other variants of open spaces, while two administrations in a row spent trillions on destructive wars in the Middle East (Obama Could Rebuild American Cities If...).

Photos of Flint, Michigan child sickened by lead poising, leading to hair loss and rashes (Courtesy of Industry On Blast blog)

The Judiciary Report petitioned via the site for the auto industry in Michigan to receive a federal financial bailout and months later they did, which helped them preserve jobs and stay afloat during the financial crisis caused by the Bush Administration and its negligent Laissez Faire policies. The auto industry has paid back much of the loans. However, the government still has not done enough to help a state that played an integral part in the nation's history. 

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Pebbles Does Interviews With Wendy Williams And Huffington Post Spilling Information On What Happened With TLC (Videos)

TLC's former manager and mentor, Pebbles, cleared the air on the Wendy Williams Show and in a separate video interview with the Huffington Post. Pebbles refuted TLC's claims in the film "CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story." She obtained a retraction from VH-1, with the network having gone from stating the movie is a "true story" to a "fictionalized" account of TLC's story.

This supports what the Judiciary Report stated all along about the biopic, that it contains inaccuracies, embellishments and lies. The makers of the movie utilized poetic license in a biopic, which is dishonest and defeats the purpose of retelling a life story.

Pebbles revealed during the Wendy Williams interview that she is of the belief Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas, slept with her then husband, L.A. Reid. This is an item the Judiciary Report has maintained for years. Pebbles also stated she did not rob TLC of millions of dollars. Once again, the Judiciary Report has maintained from the beginning, knowing the entertainment industry and contracts, the lion's share of the TLC money went to Clive Davis at Arista.

During Pebbles' interview with the Huffington Post, she revealed she never kicked Chilli out of the group. Pebbles stated Left Eye and T-Boz came to her stating of Chilli, "She's gotta go. We want her out. P we're not doing another day with her." She stated she took the blame because she wanted Chilli to remain in the group, believing she was right for the trio and if the girls kicked her out themselves, they would never get back together. Pebbles further stated T-Boz knows the truth but is "not telling what happened" so as not to offend Chilli, whom she still works with.

Chilli caused problems because she is promiscuous. She was sleeping with L.A. and Dallas Austin at the same time, causing distractions in the group. These types of things are known to cause problems. When Diana Ross was sleeping with Berry Gordy at Motown and receiving the most perks, the other members became jealous and upset.

When Kandi Burruss of Xscape was sleeping with producer Jermaine Dupri, who also did work for TLC, the other members resented it. Chilli, who came from poverty, was trying to get a rich man to make her wealthy and did do so by any means necessary, even if it meant betraying the person who gave her a chance at fame (Pebbles).

TLC

Pebbles also spoke about one of the original members of TLC, Crystal, who stated on the V103 radio station in Atlanta, Georgia that she kicked her out of the group, because she wanted to take home the contract to have her mother look it over, as she did not understand what it stated. Pebbles' response to this claim is, "Crystal made up stuff. She didn't get that far into the group to see a contract. Why are we making up stuff."

Another point Pebbles refutes regarding the movie is that there existed a conflict of interest in the group having the same lawyer she did, which she states is a lie. Pebbles stated, "We did not have the same attorney." She called Joel Katz's office in Atlanta and asked him to negotiate on behalf of the girls, who she gave "100% of their merchandising."

The biopic made fun of Pebbles for giving the group used RAV4 vehicles when their first album was released. However, Pebbles stated they chose the vehicles. They were new artists and their first album had only gone platinum at that time (1,000,000 copies sold). Therefore,  "Lamborghini money" was not there. TLC's second album was their biggest hit to date, selling over 10,000,000 copies in America alone.

Lionel Martin, TLC, L.A., Babyface and Pebbles on the video set of "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" 

At the end of the day, Pebbles summed it up as TLC being her vision and group that she named and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars developing. She used her talent and connections to make the group successful and was pushed out of the way and thrown under the bus before the production on their second album began.

She was not given the standard opportunity to renegotiate their contracts, as any other manager would have been afforded. Then TLC took on massive debt in making songs and videos that cost millions to produce and had to repay LaFace and Arista that debt before seeing any profit. Long after Pebbles was pushed out of the picture, TLC still had money problems due to their choices. It would be nice if TLC and Pebbles could sit down together, hash out their differences and call it a truce.

The City Of Detroit Files For Bankruptcy (Video)

The economic downturn in America has claimed another victim – the City of Detroit. It has just been announced, the City of Detroit has filed, "The largest municipal bankruptcy case in U.S. history." The once prosperous city, famous for its cars, booming auto industry and Motown, has seen hard times since the financial crisis in 2008, leading to job losses and widespread urban decay. Detroit needs an intervention from Washington to save it.

Sheree Whitfield Divorce Settlement

Sheree Whitfield

Sheree Whitfield, one of the stars of the Bravo reality TV show "The Real Housewives Of Atlanta" was reportedly awarded a divorce settlement from her husband, former American NFL football player, Bob Whitfield. Their divorce was quite acrimonious.

The sizeable settlement will come in handy, as Sheree lost her home to foreclosure this year, when her husband stopped making mortgage payments on the $2,500,000 Sandy Springs mansion. It was auctioned at a bargain of $900,000. Former residents of scenic Sandy Springs include Halle Berry and her ex-husband Dave Justice.

Lisa Wu Hartwell

I wondered how her husband was unable to give her a settlement, when he owns one of the most sought after recording studios in Atlanta, worth over $4,000,000. Atlanta is the Motown of the South, with so many people trying to make records. Therefore, how could bookings be that low.

Since the foreclosure and eviction, Sheree moved to a smaller house further out in a more rural part of Georgia, much like her co-star, Lisa Wu Hartwell, who also faced foreclosure proceedings.