"The Block"
'The block,' a Flint icon, has been a sounding board
for Flint citizens for a quarter-century. In 1999 the new mayor made it
illegal to ñvandalizeî the concrete pump station, punishable by a $1000 fine.
The 25-year tradition all but ended except for exactly what the mayor didn't
want- vulgar graffiti. The ban was lifted after an 8-month lapse and the
tradition began once again.<P>Flint, Michigan. Highly maligned by its
native son Michael Moore in his movies, and frequently listed among the
worst, most stressful, dangerous, impoverished, segregated and economically
disadvantaged cities in this country. While statistics and public opinion
are stacked against Flint, many of its people haven't given up hope. Life
goes on, sometimes a struggle, each giving back in their own way to make
Flint a little bit better place.
