Cher donates 180,000 bottles of water to Flint, Michigan crisis

by Richard Howard

January 19, 2016

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Michael Moore, Sandra Bernhard, and even Meek Mill have helped out as well.

If you haven’t heard about the massive water supply fuck up in Flint, Michigan, you’d better sit down.

To summarize, in April of 2014, the city inexplicably switched its drinking water source from Lake Huron water supplied by Detroit to the much more polluted and corrosive water from the Flint River (presumably the latter was cheaper). Residents immediately complained about the appearance, smell, and taste of the water – and Virginia Tech researchers even found elevated levels of lead – but the authorities steadfastly claimed the water was completely safe.

That is, until last September when a paediatrician discovered lead levels in her young patients had doubled and even tripled – at which point the authorities not only admitted that the water was unsafe due to lead, but revealed that Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality failed to treat the Flint River water with an anti-corrosive agent, allowing corroded iron from pipes to further pollute the water. Since the water supply is completely undrinkable and will remain so for some time, the city has been forced to declare a state of emergency.

Understandably pissed, celebrities hailing from Flint like Michael Moore and Sandra Bernhard have been calling attention to the crisis – but right now the people of Flint would probably name entertainment legend (and rumoured immortal) Cher as their MVP. Like many, she took to social media to take the authorities to task in the way only she can:

You read that correctly: Cher publicly suggested that the Governor of Michigan be shot to death. And while Cher’s Twitter has long been infamous for overzealous abbreviation, horrible grammar, excessive emojis, and her bizarre stream of consciousness, she showed her rage on the subject wasn’t simply lip (finger?) service by putting her money where her mouth is.

Teaming with bottled water company Icelandic Glacial, Cher was able to effect the donation of over 180,000 bottles of water to the stricken community. The water will be delivered to The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, who will distribute it to community centres, food banks, and those who need it most. In a press release announcing the donation, Icelandic Glacial quoted a somewhat more coherent Cher:

“This a tragedy of staggering proportion and shocking that it’s happening in the middle of our country. I am so grateful that Icelandic Glacial has come on-board to help the city of Flint. I cannot wait for the water to get there to help these people who have been poisoned because the water they’ve been getting out of their taps has been polluted for so long and remains that way without the state or the federal government stepping in with any substantial plan to resolve this problem.”

Meanwhile, in “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself” news, another celebrity appears to be stepping up to the plate – and it’s none other than everyone’s favourite Champagne Papi punching bag Meek Mill. After a fan called the Philly rapper and 50 Cent out, highlighting how insignificant their online beef was compared to the crisis in Flint, Meek posted a screencap of the tweet on his Instagram and pledged to donate $50,000 worth of water. He then challenged Fifty and “all entertainers” to match the donation.

Did Meek Mill just react intelligently – or dare I even say it – astutely to a situation he found himself in? I think I need to go lie down.

Tags: Music, News, cher, flint, Meek Mill, michigan

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