» 2018 Michael Santiago – “We Drinking Poison”

<script src="/jbcore/juicebox.js"></script><script>new juicebox({baseURL: "/2018_Winners/Santiago/We_Drinking_Poison/",containerId: "juicebox-container",galleryWidth: "100%",galleryHeight: "100%",backgroundColor: "rgba(34,34,34,1)"});</script><div id="juicebox-container"><noscript><h1>We Drinking Poison</h1><p></p><p><img src="images/1068-14.jpg" title="" alt="Tory Lowe has always been a community advocate in Milwaukee, the 8th most segregated city in Milwaukee. Milwaukee like most urban cities has antiquated infrastructure with over 70,000 suspected lead service lines that need replacement. Most of the service lines are located in the North Side of Milwaukee, a predominantly African American part of the city. In 2014 8.6 percent of Milwaukee children tested positive for lead poisoning and Toryís advocacy became more aggressive about the lead crisis facing the city after his 3 year old son Troy test results came back with a 5.9 lead level. According to CDC anything over 5 micrograms per deciliter is considered lead poisoning but the level of concern is 10. ìWhen I look into the situation as sad is it maybe thereís kids with higher levels than that.î To date, Wisconsin does not require water to be tested for lead when a child test positive for lead poisoning, a policy that state is trying to change." /><br> Tory Lowe has always been a community advocate in Milwaukee, the 8th most segregated city in Milwaukee. Milwaukee like most urban cities has antiquated infrastructure with over 70,000 suspected lead service lines that need replacement. Most of the service lines are located in the North Side of Milwaukee, a predominantly African American part of the city. In 2014 8.6 percent of Milwaukee children tested positive for lead poisoning and Toryís advocacy became more aggressive about the lead crisis facing the city after his 3 year old son Troy test results came back with a 5.9 lead level. According to CDC anything over 5 micrograms per deciliter is considered lead poisoning but the level of concern is 10. ìWhen I look into the situation as sad is it maybe thereís kids with higher levels than that.î To date, Wisconsin does not require water to be tested for lead when a child test positive for lead poisoning, a policy that state is trying to change.</p><p><img src="images/1069-15.jpg" title="" alt="Decorian Herring lives in Magnolia Villas with his 2 daughters Lacoral and Mikah and has lived in the complex for 3 years. Magnolia Villas is known to its residents to have the worst water in Tallulah, LA and often floods during rain storms. During those rain storms, is also a time when the water is at it’s worse. “ A lot of times you get the letter around here that they’re going to be shutting the water off for a couple of hours because of the contamination. A lot of times you have to hurry up and do this and do that before you can even get some water or go out and buy a lot of water.” Since he has become distrustful of the water in Magnolia Villas, Decorian has become used to buying bottled water especially with water boil advisories often arriving late in the mail and residents being unaware of them." /><br> Decorian Herring lives in Magnolia Villas with his 2 daughters Lacoral and Mikah and has lived in the complex for 3 years. Magnolia Villas is known to its residents to have the worst water in Tallulah, LA and often floods during rain storms. During those rain storms, is also a time when the water is at it’s worse. “ A lot of times you get the letter around here that they’re going to be shutting the water off for a couple of hours because of the contamination. A lot of times you have to hurry up and do this and do that before you can even get some water or go out and buy a lot of water.” Since he has become distrustful of the water in Magnolia Villas, Decorian has become used to buying bottled water especially with water boil advisories often arriving late in the mail and residents being unaware of them.</p><p><img src="images/1070-16.jpg" title="" alt="Born and raised in Campti, LA, Randale Perot and Jack Paddie have always known their tap water to have a rust colored look to it. They use bottled water to wash clothes and never drink out of the tap. Campti, LA a predominantly African American town is the 8th poorest town in America with at least 1000 and has a household income of $15,428." /><br> Born and raised in Campti, LA, Randale Perot and Jack Paddie have always known their tap water to have a rust colored look to it. They use bottled water to wash clothes and never drink out of the tap. Campti, LA a predominantly African American town is the 8th poorest town in America with at least 1000 and has a household income of $15,428.</p><p><img src="images/1071-17.jpg" title="" alt="Vanessa Budetti has lived with her family in Newburgh for 15 years after leaving NYC. In 2016 the city of Newburgh declared a state of emergency after discovering that Lake Washington, the source of the city’s drinking water, was contaminated with high levels of PFOS that exceeded the levels recommended by the EPA for safe consumption. “We got the test results and they were upsetting. I expected to find elevated levels, I drink the water straight out of the tap. I always have it never occurred to me not to. I figured I know there's chemicals, there's fluoride stuff they do at the water treatment plant. But that was about it.” New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation has identified nearby Stewart Air National Guard Base as the source of the PFOS and the city has since changed the source of their drinking water until Lake Washington can be cleaned up." /><br> Vanessa Budetti has lived with her family in Newburgh for 15 years after leaving NYC. In 2016 the city of Newburgh declared a state of emergency after discovering that Lake Washington, the source of the city’s drinking water, was contaminated with high levels of PFOS that exceeded the levels recommended by the EPA for safe consumption. “We got the test results and they were upsetting. I expected to find elevated levels, I drink the water straight out of the tap. I always have it never occurred to me not to. I figured I know there's chemicals, there's fluoride stuff they do at the water treatment plant. But that was about it.” New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation has identified nearby Stewart Air National Guard Base as the source of the PFOS and the city has since changed the source of their drinking water until Lake Washington can be cleaned up.</p><p><img src="images/1072-18.jpg" title="" alt="Demetrius Holmes was born in Detroit, MI but has been in and out of Uniontown all his life. He has been back in the town for 3 years and in that time span he has been hospitalized over 20 times for stomach related issues. The diagnosis that he’s received is gastroparesis and acid reflux and takes Omeprazole and Pantoprazole but doctors nor specialist have been able to figure its cause, but Demetrious suspects the water in Uniontown may be the cause. ”We drinking poison. I’m complaining right now because this is a low income housing that I’m staying in. I feel like, because I receive government housing [should] I have to live in these conditions?” Uniontown residents say the water issues stem from the run of waste from a nearby water plant that pollutes their drinking water and often spill into nearby creeks." /><br> Demetrius Holmes was born in Detroit, MI but has been in and out of Uniontown all his life. He has been back in the town for 3 years and in that time span he has been hospitalized over 20 times for stomach related issues. The diagnosis that he’s received is gastroparesis and acid reflux and takes Omeprazole and Pantoprazole but doctors nor specialist have been able to figure its cause, but Demetrious suspects the water in Uniontown may be the cause. ”We drinking poison. I’m complaining right now because this is a low income housing that I’m staying in. I feel like, because I receive government housing [should] I have to live in these conditions?” Uniontown residents say the water issues stem from the run of waste from a nearby water plant that pollutes their drinking water and often spill into nearby creeks.</p><p><img src="images/1073-19.jpg" title="" alt="Wanda Gordils is the Director for the League of Latin American Citizens, the oldest surviving Latino Civil rights organization in the U.S., in Indiana. She is also the chairperson for the distribution of water with the Community Strategy Group to the residents of the contaminated zones in East Chicago, something that began in her home after the discovery that lead was leeching into the city's drinking water from lead service lines. After going door to door distributing water, the donations from neighboring cities and various groups, exceeded her storage capacity and distribution needed a different strategy. The group began to house water in a warehouse and partnered with churches throughout the city to help distribute water. “All our neighboring cities have distributed water. So we are blessed because we have never been without water, we’ve been with a little bit of water but at the last minute here come all the pallets [of water].”" /><br> Wanda Gordils is the Director for the League of Latin American Citizens, the oldest surviving Latino Civil rights organization in the U.S., in Indiana. She is also the chairperson for the distribution of water with the Community Strategy Group to the residents of the contaminated zones in East Chicago, something that began in her home after the discovery that lead was leeching into the city's drinking water from lead service lines. After going door to door distributing water, the donations from neighboring cities and various groups, exceeded her storage capacity and distribution needed a different strategy. The group began to house water in a warehouse and partnered with churches throughout the city to help distribute water. “All our neighboring cities have distributed water. So we are blessed because we have never been without water, we’ve been with a little bit of water but at the last minute here come all the pallets [of water].”</p><p><img src="images/1074-20.jpg" title="" alt="Sherry Hunter’s sister was a resident of the West Calumet Housing Complex. The complex, which was built on an old lead smelting plant, was home to more than 1,000 residents. After East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland sent letters to the residents letting them know they needed to relocate due to lead and arsenic contamination from the plant, Sherry began to organize. Along with Senator Lonnie Randolph, they founded “Calumet Lives Matter” to help advocate for the residents. The group helped residents with relocation needs and matters dealing with HUD. Calumet Lives Matter since then has begun a water distribution campaign, distributing water to anyone who lives or lived in the three superfund zones of East Chicago. “We get donated water from all the surrounding cities, except our city. They don’t even let us distribute from the community center. We have to use the churches to give out water.”" /><br> Sherry Hunter’s sister was a resident of the West Calumet Housing Complex. The complex, which was built on an old lead smelting plant, was home to more than 1,000 residents. After East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland sent letters to the residents letting them know they needed to relocate due to lead and arsenic contamination from the plant, Sherry began to organize. Along with Senator Lonnie Randolph, they founded “Calumet Lives Matter” to help advocate for the residents. The group helped residents with relocation needs and matters dealing with HUD. Calumet Lives Matter since then has begun a water distribution campaign, distributing water to anyone who lives or lived in the three superfund zones of East Chicago. “We get donated water from all the surrounding cities, except our city. They don’t even let us distribute from the community center. We have to use the churches to give out water.”</p><p><img src="images/1075-21.jpg" title="" alt="Devontay Driver and Martez Smith live in Campti, LA a small town in Natchitoches Parrish, a place they say where the water ruins their clothes if they use it and has been bad as long as they can remember. The water system in Campti is more than 40 years old and the town lacks the money to make improvements to their infrastructure which includes roads and the town's water system." /><br> Devontay Driver and Martez Smith live in Campti, LA a small town in Natchitoches Parrish, a place they say where the water ruins their clothes if they use it and has been bad as long as they can remember. The water system in Campti is more than 40 years old and the town lacks the money to make improvements to their infrastructure which includes roads and the town's water system.</p></noscript></div>