Russell Simmons to help Flint, calling crisis 'environmental racism'

(WJBK) - Russell Simmons is among a growing list of celebrities stepping in to support Flint. Before he headed there Monday morning, he stopped by the FOX 2 studio to talk about his mission.

The hip hop mogul and philanthropist calls the disaster negligent and a case of environmental racism.

"It has to do with sending less fortunate and people of color less services," he said. "In this particular case, they were voters who didn't vote for the governor. They're underserved community members. ... The fact is, no one black voted for this governor and I think they're less important to him."

VIDEO: You can catch the full interview with Russell Simmons in the video player above. The interview is two segments, and Part 2 will begin playing when Part 1 completes.

Simmons also says officials in charge of making the decisions to switch from the Dtroit Wter System to the Flint River should face criminal charges.

But, aside from the politics, Simmons says his ultimate goal for today's trip is to uplift the people of Flint.

He'll help pass out water Monday and attend a town hall meeting at noon at the First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Flint.