#HTE

‘We Fear the Water’ (16 photos)

Brittany Greeson began photographing the Flint water crisis in the spring of 2015, when what is now a nationally-recognized health emergency was a local Michigan headline. As an intern for The Flint Journal, Greeson documented the small protests outside City Hall, talking to frustrated residents asking for clean and affordable drinking water. “The only thing I could do to help would be to pick up my camera,” she said. Greeson teamed up with The Ground Truth Project to produce her essay, “We Fear the Water,” which shows how residents’ daily lives have been impacted by this man-made disaster. In Flint, people have to drag suitcases of water down snow-covered streets, children have to have their fingers regularly pricked for lead testing and families bathe in baby wipes for fear of rashes. Who is to blame? What are the long-term effects of exposure to contaminated water? These questions are luxuries to the citizens of Flint, who have to decide if they can buy food or bottled water. “This story isn’t finished yet,” Greeson said. “So naturally, I’m not finished yet either.”