Running head: FLINT TOWN
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Media and Society Flint Town
Jesse Eusse
Florida Atlantic University
11/18/2018
Author Note
Not intended to find solutions, but provide a general concept of the show Flint Town.
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Abstract
This media and society paper will explore several issues involving not only the water crisis in the
city of Flint, but the relationship between the community and their designated police department.
This article also uses the term CATT, which stands for “Crime Area Target Team.” The people
in Flint have expressed dissatisfaction with the way the Flint police department handles their
duties. They complain that they sometimes have to wait up to a day to get their 911 calls
answered. The Flint police defend their protocols, stating that they are severely limited when it
comes to vehicles, people, money, and resources. Flint is a very dangerous city with crime
bearing down on its people. Can the police and the people of Flint ever find a way to support one
another if the water crisis persists? Or will the city of Flint see more hardship coming its way?
Keywords: Crime Area Target Team Squad.
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Media and Society Flint Town
The city of Flint was once a city of prosperity. According to Thompson (2015),
throughout the 1980s, the city of Flint boasted a household median income of $51,000. That
number has dropped substantially in recent years, sinking as low as $21,000 (Thompson 2015).
Flint is now the second poorest city in the country. For the past few decades, it has also been in
the top 3 most violent cities in the country. However, the fall of Flint Town is not to blame on
those who live in, serve, and protect the town. Flint’s decline is, in large part, due to the
misdeeds of government officials who have neglected their duties to the town, thereby causing
even more problems for its residents. With the addition of the water crisis, quality of life in Flint
is more precarious than ever. Police officers in Flint Town are struggling to make peace with
people who are angry at the state of their home. How can the city of Flint trust the police
department when they can not even trust their own government to provide them with clean
water? This paper examines and helps explain what the police and the people of Flint have to go
through on a daily basis, and how each and every person in the town can help one another.
Media
In the show Flint Town, we can see that there is a rift between the police department and
the people of Flint. They are separated by the inherent dichotomy of their conflicting ideologies.
The only thing to which both the police and the people of Flint can relate is the lack of support
the town has received from the government. The rampant poverty and lack of opportunities to
escape poor financial situations only creates more crime. Others believe Flint Town is plagued
by crime because of the lifestyles minorities prefer to pursue. The people of Flint say they are
afraid to go out in public, and have expressed concern about their children growing up in Flint
Town. The crime rate in the area has convinced families that no one is going to help them or save
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them. Another big issue in Flint town is race. Although many police officers are African
American, they are seen by fellow African Americans as traitors; officers who are white, on the
other hand, are condemned as racists. Many government officials, as well as the people of Flint,
put the blame on the past chief of police James Tolbert, who did very little while he was in
command. On top of that, Flint and all of its inhabitants now have to deal with a water crisis that
has poisoned thousands of people.
Political and Cultural Connection
Flint Town provides the viewer with a close look at issues that occur in Flint on a daily
basis. Many of these issues are shown repeatedly or relate to one another in some way. The
actions taken by the government are actions that are not significantly impacting the society and
culture of Flint. The citizens’ relationship with the government is in poor condition due to the
