Flint resident, Ali Cleaves, is a coach and outreach coordinator who works with young people and wants to see them win. During our conversation, “Uncle Cleaves” speaks about the pre-crisis conditions in Flint and how various resource deficits impacted the community. Ali talks about when he first started seeing problems with the water, how water quality issues impacted the community, and addresses why many residents still rely on bottled water.  He also touches on the challenges caused by privatized public services in the city as well as the need for people in Flint to organize to take what they need and make demands that will help them secure the resources required for sustainable growth.