Russell Simmons in Flint: ‘This could be me’

Flint — In a city neighborhood with boarded-up houses and unattended lawns, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons was doing his part to help the beleaguered city.

Dressed modestly in a black parka, blue jeans and white Adidas gym shoes, Simmons reached Monday into the back of a white van and picked up two cases of bottled water to take to a house on Sloan Street on the city’s west side.

“I’m here to try and bring awareness to this problem,” Simmons said. “We can only do so much, but there is a bigger problem here than just water.”

Simmons, founder of RushCard, a pre-paid debit card, was there as the company donated 150,000 bottles of water to Flint residents on Monday to help with the ongoing lead-tainted water crisis.

Simmons admitted to only finding out about Flint’s contaminated water two weeks ago and decided he needed to be involved.

“I know more celebrities like the Game and Diddy are giving money and donating water, but more people need to know. Why am I just finding out and people have been suffering?” Simmons said. “I feel like it’s my duty to be of service and come down here and help the people.

“This could be me or any one of you.”

With Flint residents having to deal with unusable tap water from corroded lead pipes, many have had to rely on bottled water for drinking, bathing and cooking.

Nakeyja Cade, 24, broke down in tears when she saw Simmons walk through her front door carrying three cases of water.

“My one-year-old daughter started having seizures because of the lead in the water. Doctors just figured out what was wrong with her,” Cade said. “You just don’t know what this means to me. We have been going through so much.”

Simmons, who wanted to see Flint for himself, stood in disbelief in Cade’s kitchen.

“This is environmental racism. Handcuffs need to go on Gov. (Rick) Snyder right now,” Simmons said. “They are poisoning this city. This would have never happened in Beverly Hills.”

During one water drop off, Benjamin Crump, a civil rights attorney who represented the families of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, made an appearance along with Phaedra Parks, an attorney and one of the stars of reality television show “the Real Housewives of Atlanta.”

Crump said he is working with some families to bring forth a class action lawsuit against Flint and the ones responsible. There already are several class action lawsuits filed over the Flint water crisis in federal, state and county court courts.

“This is going to be a long fight, but I’m here to fight for the families. This is silent racism,” Crump said. “People think we are not paying attention. We are not going to let whoever is responsible get away with this.”