TIME Magazine Highlights Flint Water Crisis On Cover: 'The Poisoning Of An American City' [PHOTO]

FLINT (WWJ) - The water crisis in Flint has made headlines across the nation and now, it's featured on the front cover of TIME magazine.

The words "Poisoning of an American City" are splashed across the magazine's cover, along with the photo of desperately sorrowful child.

It's a striking image that shows the suffering experienced in Flint first hand.

More words further demonstrate the stark reality Flint residents are facing: "Toxic water. Sick kids. And the incompetent leaders who betrayed Flint."

The issue features an opinion piece by filmmaker Michael Moore, calling the Water Crisis a "racial crime."

The community about 75 miles north of Detroit, has about 100,000 residents, with about 40 percent of them living below the poverty line. The population is nearly 60 percent black.

Flint's water became contaminated with lead when the city began drawing from the river in 2014 as a cost-cutting measure while under state financial management. The water was not properly treated to keep lead from pipes from leaching into the supply.

The lead— which can lead to behavior problems and learning disabilities in children and kidney ailments in adults — has left Flint residents unable to drink unfiltered tap water.

President Barack Obama declared an emergency — qualifying the city for $5 million — but concluded that the high lead levels are not a disaster based on the legal requirement that disaster money is intended for natural events such as fires or floods. Snyder had estimated a need for up to $95 million over a year.

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