:"We are grateful for this short term progress; however, we must remain vigilant and unified to realize long term solutions that will rectify the decades of damage to our system.
:"We are grateful for this short term progress; however, we must remain vigilant and unified to realize long term solutions that will rectify the decades of damage to our system.", which means residents must boil any tap water for one minute before using it. This is a notice that city dwellers know too well, after being under a boil-water advisory for more than a month now.
While Jacksonians are coping with the crisis, businesses such as hotels and restaurants have been struggling to stay afloat. Some companies were forced to close temporarily during the peak of the crisis. Many have to pay out of pocket to provide bottled water, canned drinks and bagged iced as a substitute for running water. On Monday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, asked the federal government to aid businesses that are facing economic hardships caused by the water crisis.
At this point, residents are suffering, and many Jacksonians say their government has failed them. “A lot of citizens I’ve talked to are upset with city and state leadership. They feel like they haven’t done enough,” Rhodes said. “And people who can leave are leaving, and others who can't leave, quite frankly, feel trapped.”
We can neither deny the history & present reality of economic racism in Jackson, nor ways city leadership over the years has failed to act decisively. Working together across racial and political lines is necessary, and much more like wartime diplomacy than a group assignment.