Rasheed Wallace writes heartfelt letter sharing frustrations with Flint water crisis
Former Detroit Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace penned a letterThe Players Tribune about the water crisis in Flint, where he has traveled on several occasions to help bring clean water to the community's residents.
“Well, I’ve been visiting Flint for the past year, so let me tell you the truth,” Wallace writes. “Some of the folks in Flint can’t take showers because their water is still poisoned with lead. They have to boil water, pour it into the sink and then wash in it. Yeah, a grown-a-- man has to take a bird bath. That s--- ain’t right. It’s still going on today. And it’s not going away anytime soon.”
The water course in Flint, Michigan was changed in 2014 and since then more than 99,000 residents have not been able to drink the water without a filter as it contains elevated levels of the heavy metal neurotoxin from lead. The water crisis is believed to have led to several cases of Legionnaires' disease.
• Sports Illustrated's 13 Worst NBA Preview Predictions
There is no timetable for when the water will be safe to drink without a filter.
Wallace previously assisted people in Flint by driving a truck with cases of water from North Carolina to Flint. The Pistons pledged $500,000 to the FlintNOW campaign in February.
