I am living in New Orleans, Louisiana and it is the year 2009. The area I live in, New Orleans East still does not have a hospital with emergency faciilities. We are told that we should have one in 2 years. It has been 2005 since Hurricane Katrina and When The Levees Broke and we still are placed on the back burner. The city of New Orleans is scheduling the demolishing of public schools at beyond an alarming rate. Mental health clinics for the low-income are closing down (NOAH) New Orleans Adolescent Hospital has been set to close as cuts from Gov. "Bobby" Jindal. The President's Stimulus Package has been denied for the state of Louisiana for use to unemployment extended benefits, healthcare and education. Hurricane Katrina is still going on in New Orleans and it just keeps getting worse. The black neighborhoods are getting none of the money to rebuild our neighborhoods and it is coming up on 4 years since Hurricane Katrina. There is so much racial division in the city it is reminding me of the 50's and 60's. Murders every day on the news with 2,3 sometimes four shootings, stabbings etc...and it seems nobody wants to do anything to stop it. It seems because it's black youth killing each other, nobody cares. During Hurricane Katrina, folks seemed to be coming together and helping one another to get back on their feet but things have gone right back to square one, one race in their corner and the other races are back to their corners. Seperate but not equal. New Orleans fights to stay divided. Sad. So Sad.
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Kerry Lauerman
Joan Walsh
Salon.com
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unfortunately, rebuilding requires not only money but also organization and political will. It seems at least that the political will is sorely lacking and even money and organization are questionable.
It's obvious that if it were Martha's Vineyard that had been hit it would have been fixed up in a jiffy, but I think that in addition to being a black/white issue it's also a poor/rich issue. If it had been a poor, white area I suspect that the response would also be lacking.
Blacks often express that they feel as if they are still the victims of systemic discrimination - and they are to a certain extent, but as a middle-class white guy I suspect that a large part of it has to do with socioeconomic status rather than color.
More and more I see the uber-rich and powerful of this country feathering their own nests and I'm guessing that they are, to a large extent, color blind - to them a poor white guy is the same as a poor black guy - POOR and not worth investing in.
The Bush/Cheney cabal, during their 8-year reign of terror made it abundantly clear what the seat of power in America is to be used for: massively transferring wealth from taxpayers to industrialists. Their allegiance is not to America but rather to rich industrialists around the globe.
And as for the violence in New Orleans, I think at some point the black community needs to take ownership of that themselves. I know it sounds simplistic coming from a white guy, but seriously, that dynamic is entrenched in black culture and occurs in just about every inner city in the country - and I don't see how money changes peoples' thinking, directly. At some point, the black community as a whole needs to agree that they will not tolerate gang violence within their community. And if that means dropping the dime on your neighbor's kid when he's selling drugs on the corner, so be it.
And clearly the problem is made larger by poverty, lack of education, single parent households, drug and alcohol use, etc. But again, across all communities it seems like intervention programs have a poor success rate.
I'm not sure what all the answers are, and I don't mean to sound sanctimonious, but the problems both at the local level (inner city violence, etc.) and at the federal level (screwed up spending priorities) are fairly obvious.
I sense that our nation has turned some corner where we may never solve our problems.
I see the fire I saw then has found direction and purpose.
Having been through NOLA several times since Katrina, I know the extent of the damage in ways most don't. Even Spike's film couldn't capture the scope of it.
Best wishes.
I can't pretend to understand what has happened to New Orleans. What I do understand, I still can't believe.
I grew up in NO East and most of my extended family lives in the NOLA area, so I still have strong ties to the city. My mom's house in NO East had 10 feet of water in it - she took the Road Home Money and got a condo in Lakeview but still works in the East. Every time I drive through there or Gentilly, it breaks my heart.
Worse, as you say, the racial tension seems stronger than it's ever been in my lifetime.
I don't have any answers either, but I do think it needs to keep being brought to the nation's attention.
I saw some progress I thought but knew deep down that the damage was soooo bad that anything but a true long term commitment from the Gov would fall short.
Unfortunately... outa sight outa mind. It is so very sad.
When the storm was heading for you, where was your mayor? Did he do get the people out of harms way? No. The Feds don't have the right to just barge in to a city and take charge or do anything without being asked. Did the mayor or governor ask? No.
You had a company who was going to come in and haul away all the junk cars and pay the city for them. Did the mayor take them up on the contract? Nope, he paid millions to have them hauled away by, I willing to bet, his friends.
You want a hospital. Do you have the population in the area to support one? I don't know, but if people have not moved back into the area to support it, why should they build it?
They passed out millions if FEMA credit cards. What happened to the money, booze and hookers. They put people up in hotels. Did they ever throw the last of them out yet? You had a house. The water got it. That's a shame. Why have you not torn it down and rebuilt it? Let me guess, you are waiting on the government.
You are getting what you deserve. Those who got their butts in gear are doing okay. The rest can watch the big screen TVs we all saw them steal on national TV.
1. Not everyone in New Orleans voted for Ray Nagin. Quite a few of us didn't (I didn't for the very reasons you described with the junk cars). Right now he's a lame duck--unless he does something impeachable, we're stuck with him until May of next year. Unfortunately, rampant stupidity is not an impeachable offense in Louisiana.
2. I don't know the population demographics of NO East at the moment, but I do know that in the city as a whole, medical services (esp. those for the poor, un-, and underinsured) are strained to the breaking point. It isn't just people who are sitting on their butts waiting for a gov't handout--the main business of the city is tourism. The girl frying the chicken at Popeyes, the boy waiting on your table, the woman cleaning your hotel room, the man parking your car at the casino...if their jobs DO offer health insurance, the chances are the premium is unaffordable for someone on their salary.
3. It isn't just the gov't people are waiting on when it comes to rebuilding...it's the insurance companies. Trust me. I know. My boyfriend is an insurance adjuster.
4. There were 400,000+ people living in New Orleans before Katrina. CNN showed the same loop of the same 15 of them stealing big-screen TVs after the storm. The vast, vast majority of people did NOT steal in the aftermath of the storm except for necessities. At the time of Katrina, I worked for the University of New Orleans, which sits on about the only high ground in Lakeview. A couple thousand people had taken refuge on the campus and none of the powers that be knew they were there for about five days. All of the buildings, including my office, were broken into. You know what was stolen? Food and clothing and medical necessities. The bookstore and cafeteria were ransacked. All of the vending machines had been smashed open. I lost the stash of snacks I kept in my desk, a box of tampons, a pair of shoes that I'd left in the office, and a sweatshirt. The computers, TVs, stereo, etc. were all left in place. I don't begrudge people who've come thorugh floodwater and then were stranded for the better part of a week food and dry clothing.
The one aspect you didn't mention - and I'll mention it for you - is the deterioration of the population's mental health. I visit frequently, and am always struck by the depression and anxiety and sad resignation that's almost palpable among residents. I do believe things will eventually turn around, but I know, as you do, that it will never be the same. Love and good thoughts to you.
Health care anyone???
Just another liberal Shangri-la.
I'm glad you didn't vote for Nagin, but the best I remember he didn't have any trouble getting reelected.
I understand a tourist town. The problem is they were the only ones that Nagin did get out of harms way. In the city you had 1000's of school buses. Why were they not loaded down and sent north?
Why is it that everybody blames Bush for his response, I'll give you the flood walls but that goes across lots of presidents, and not the mayor and governor for not asking for FEMA help? FEMA was ready to show up as soon as asked.
I realize that only a few were on the news stealing. Same with the gangs. Not everybody, but it's a mind set. It's like the saying about customers. One may complain but 20 were pissed off. As for stealing food and clothing, I really have no problem with that. I understand that it's not right, but understandable, yes it is.
When did the last of the people leave the hotels? If the house or apartment you were renting is gone. Everything in your rental is gone. You job is gone. There is little hope that it will be coming back but you are living in a hotel that someone else is paying for and getting you government assistance and you are not moving, you're mooching.
After all this time if my insurance company is not going to settle, I'm going to sue. But how many people who had a claim have not had it paid so yet? When you see block after block of destroyed houses I find it hard to believe that everybody there had shitty insurance. Besides isn't flood insurance a government run program? Please tell me that not everybody who lived in the 9th ward, which is below sea level, is so dumb that they didn't buy flood insurance or that it wasn't included in the mortgage?
Why were we reading about how Houston, which rolled out the red carpet,which I'm glad they did, had a spike in crime around those who were bussed in?
It's not the people as a whole. It's the mindset of the few that are a black eye on the city.
I'm sorry, but that comment, unprovable and clearly disrespectful of people who lost their homes, their jobs, was completely disgusting. You need to grow a conscience. Right now. Time to look in the mirror, buddy.
And let's not forget that it was Senator Mary Landrieu who had levee money moved to one of her pet projects a couple of years before Katrina.
There is plenty of blame to go around.