July 29, 2014
Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
Eminem vs. Nestle? Maybe, maybe not. But we all need water no matter how big or small we are.
Nestle CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe not only claims that water is not a human right, but has also been bottling water near Cabazon, California on the Morongo Indian reservation. California is in the midst of a 3-year drought and the driest spell in recorded history. It is a shame that water is being bottled for profit in such a context. Many California municipalities, including San Francisco, are considering drastic measures to address the drought, such as closing its few public restrooms and allowing green areas in parks to dry up if the drought doesn’t end by next year.
Of course, Morongo Indians have a right to bottle and sell water to whomever they wish, but it is particularly sad that they are selling water to Nestle, one of the companies that consumers have been called to boycott as part of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement in solidarity with Palestinians. The sadness is amplified when you consider the similarities between the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and the US “Indian Wars.”
The Palestinians are and have experienced their own water shortages, as their water supply has been cut off by Israel several times in history. In 1988 Palestine sued and had their water returned.
And in Detroit, water rights are being refused poor people in predominantly black neighborhoods. As part of Detroit's economic suffering, the city has already suspended many needed public services including public transportation and nighttime police services. Suspending water has turned Detroit into a less-than-developed region in the most prosperous nation in the world. Detroit has literally had to appeal to the United Nations for help. Canada finally came to the aid of Detroit, but not before the Detroit Police used sonar technology to disburse a peaceful and lawful protest of the water shut-offs.
This is a call to rappers and conscious musicians everywhere to fight for all people's water rights. Without water there would be nothing: no weed, no food, no fans to support any artist of any kind (including Detroit-based rapper Eminem). In the spirit of Farm-Aid and other such charitable events, this is a shout out to concert promoters everywhere to help make the water flow and flow, maybe make some cash flow while they’re at it!