'Daily Show' Dips Toe in Detroit Water Controversy: Watch

“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” aired a satirical segment Monday in which Detroit’s controversial water shutoffs were characterized as a siege against the poor.

During the Comedy Central segment, correspondent Jessica Williams called out the Joe Louis Arena, Ford Field and golf courses for not paying millions of dollars in unpaid water bills, while the bankrupt city targets its “poorest residents.”

“Why would you pick a fight with poor people?” asked attorney Alice Jennings, who is representing some of the residents whose water service was disconnected.

“ ‘Cause it’s easy to win?” Williams answered.

“Yeah, it probably is easy to win,” Jennings said.

The segment also included interviews with Atpeace Matika of the Detroit Water Brigade, which is advocating for a Water Affordability Plan that would cap water and sewer bills at 2.5 percent a person’s income; and Nolan Finley, editorial page editor of The Detroit News, who said he tried to present the complex issue fairly, but “probably provided” the “gotcha moment” Stewart’s program was seeking.

Residents who owe more than $150 or are two months behind on payments are subject to disconnection. That amounts to about 74,000 of Detroit’s 174,000 residential accounts. On average, delinquent accounts are $570 past due, The Detroit News said.

Since Jan. 1, water service has shut off to 31,300 residents and the disconnections will continue through the winter.

Below is a clip from the program.

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Screenshot of correspondent Jessica Williams via YouTube