FLINT -- BY LAKIYA SCOTT
As the news of Flint's plan to strip the city of police officers and firefighters hits the community, many residents are concerned with the safety of the city. Flint resident Ellery McGee says, "people call the police for response time. It's gonna take them days to come see what we want, and I don't think it's right. It's (about to) get warm; these fools gone go crazy.”
According to Flint's Mayor Dayne Walling, the cuts are absolutely necessary to combat the city's ever-increasing costs, but Flint residents are not buying it. "The city's not broke,” he stated. “They just doing (things to) the money, taking it elsewhere, and ain't doing what needs to be done with it.”
This layoff announcement comes just a few days after four Flint children were burned to death in a fire. "We just heard about the kids that got burned up--the four kids, so we really need our fire department. I think they should bring some of them back," resident Shirley Williams stated.
Many feel that the layoffs couldn't of come at a worse time for the city. The community is questioning the city's logic behind its decision. "How many more people gone get burned up and die before they realize that what they're doing ain't the right thing," Flint resident James Laurain said.
The mayor faces many tough questions from the Flint community, but he says his decision is based on hard facts and a deficit that was growing out of control. In a press conference Wednesday he stated, "I know that many will question this decision at a time when this community has clearly stated that public safety is it's number one priority. We will continue to have the largest public safety force that we can afford.”
