12:40 a.m. ET, July 31, 2019
Beto O'Rourke says Flint will make a comeback if we "invest in them"
Beto O'Rourke, speaking to reporters after the debate, said the state's city of Flint will one day be the center of "innovation and enguiniety" again.
Flint's economy has been
suffering for decades. The city's problems were put on the map with Michael Moore's 1989 documentary "Roger & Me." The
Flint water crisis began in 2014 — and trash bags still cover the water fountains in parts of the city.
"I see a lot of pride in Flint, a lot of entrepreneurs who want to make Flint the center of manufacturing and innovation and enguiniety again," O'Rourke said. "And they will — but we've gotta invest in them."
He continued: "We gotta invest in their ability to have a world-class public school, their ability to attend higher education, and their ability to have access to capital for those entrepreneurs to come up with the next great ideas, especially in communities of color."