Friday, February 10, 2006
That Po, Black and now Landless Bitch: Hurricane Katrina and her debt to New Orleans
There has been so much controversy over Hurricane Katrina, and rightly so. This is one of the major disasters of the 21st century and the government seemed late on the draw. All the reporters could think to call US CITIZENS were refugees and our government moved slow as molasses to save human life. In the meantime, people died needlessly. The breakdown was on so many levels it was horrendous, especially given the fact that this kind of disaster was completely expected if not anticipated. Now in the wake of a mess of a situation, Katrina victims are handed yet another whammy. They may have to give up the land that spit them so far away from their homes. And not only will they lose this land, but they will lose it at a post-Katrina appraised price or maybe even eminent domain.
First, I must digress and start at the beginning. I haven't written anything about this event so I feel the need to vent. I am incensed at the fact that the governor and Bush would order the police and the national guard to shoot US citizens on site for looting. REMEMBER WHEN THEY ORDERED THIS, THE EVACUEES HADN'T HAD FOOD AND WATER FOR AT LEAST 3 DAYS DUE TO BREAKDOWNS ON MANY DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT LEVELS. How are people to survive? We all know that business and poverty will never go together in this country, but in the face of a natural disaster all lines should be placed to the side. People are stuck in the Super Dome with no electricity and backed up sewers. They are dying around each other. Others are in the convention center on a phantom order that aid and assistance await them. Both places are under insufferable conditions. Others are also stuck on the top of the I-10 overpass with alligators and raccoons traipsing in the night. What is it about America that doesn't understand survival? Why ask these people to be timid and ignore basic human will? Is it because most of them were black or is it because most of them were poor? Then there are heartening stories of a man hot wiring a bus, going around and picking stranded people up, driving them to safety and the police arrest him for stealing a bus. It is stories like these that, in other circumstances, would be stories of heroism. They would be stories of a community coming together in the face of a crisis. In this case, these stories are reduced to yet another crime statistic. Survival is ignored, themes of "banding together to overcome" are ignored and are instantly displaced by petty crime.
What is known is that even in the face of a natural disaster, the federal government will leave you stranded with no concern. And even if you are not black, don't you dare be poor and unable to leave your city. And let us not forget nor put it to the far recesses of our memory, that New Orleans has its "old world" feel that brings people from miles away because of these shamefully depressed areas of the city. The same depressed areas that are being blamed for not heeding federal and state warnings of evacutation. These are the people in the city that would be employed in the service industry of the city. Lest we forget that New Orleans gets the bulk of its money from conventions dumping money and ready-to-gamble US citizens at its doorstep. The service industry has to be at the top of the employment food chain. Where do you think the people who work there come from, the French Quarters? Right. But in the end, it doesn't matter. If any stroke of bad luck happens to you, the government on all levels are liable to blame you for not being able to follow orders and get out of the city. It only serves to redouble the already unreliable feeling amongst the African-American community. However, facts are facts. What happened is what happened and it can't be disputed. People were left to die with an afterthought of concern. For at least five days, human beings were left with no food and water. For at least five days people were promised aid that "was coming" but never seemed to arrive. What we all know is that what happened on day 6 and 7, is what should have happened on day 1 and 2 of this disaster. I have never lived in a country where I pay, not only state but federal taxes, an area is affected by a disaster and and the leader of the country can't help people in a timely fashion.
I know that Republicans believe in states rights and for that reason Bush may have wanted to allow the state to handle the problem. However, this was a major disaster and if assistance was never asked by the governor then there should have been someone to remind her how crazy she was for not asking for it. Then there should have been someone to make it clear to her that federal assistance was not only desired but necessary. On top of this, I know bush is an advocate of the business community, however, in an atmosphere of disaster, looting should be disregarded in the bigger face of rescue and recovery. In the end, businesses would write off most of their items because of the water damage and toxins that would imbue each item. Plus the looters will not be able to go far with these items. They are stuck in a toxic soup for which they will have to walk miles and miles and probably have to swim to leave. Even with both of these points, everything still pales in the face of rescue and recovery missions. In any case when the federal government has not done their job and the state government has not done its job, what right do they have to ask people to die silently? What right is it that they ask people not to feed themselves. What right is it that they have to tell the local law enforcement to shoot US CITIZENS. Is looting wrong, why yes it is? However, those of you who believe the thousands of people who did not get food and water for 5 days and lived in squalor (much worse then their existence on an everyday basis) due to governmental negligence are wrong for feeding themselves, you're on the wrong side of the issue. Never forget that. And never forget that humanity trumps possession. Throughout the months following Katrina, many people have made it clear that they don't agree with my assessment of the situation. For those of you who don't, I hope you are never in a position that you are incapable of getting out of and need assistance that comes 5 days after you need it. In that situation I fully expect each and every one of you to waste away. Don't survive. Die off from something as simple as food and water. Die off because you need an insulin shot. Die off because you need your medication. I fully expect each and every one of you to sit timidly amongst filth, waste and death and do nothing but wait for the help that is promised but might come 5 days later.
Now...onto the new issue...land.
On top of an already decrepit and retarded response, a panel under Mayor Ray Nagin is putting forth a proposal, requiring displaced victims prove their neighborhoods can be viable and worth rebuilding within a 4 month timeline. Their proposal indicates that even though some people who may want to rebuild their neighborhoods will have a say in proposing viability, some property will have to be seized by eminent domain. Not to mention, on a whole seperate issue, the Corps of Engineers will have to "buy" land appraised at post-Katrina prices in order to strengthen the levees. This fiasco is far from over. With every twist and turn, I get more and more tired of blatant rights being violated. I can't imagine how I would feel if I actually lived in New Orleans because if this is what the nation hears, who knows what is actually going on.
First, I must digress and start at the beginning. I haven't written anything about this event so I feel the need to vent. I am incensed at the fact that the governor and Bush would order the police and the national guard to shoot US citizens on site for looting. REMEMBER WHEN THEY ORDERED THIS, THE EVACUEES HADN'T HAD FOOD AND WATER FOR AT LEAST 3 DAYS DUE TO BREAKDOWNS ON MANY DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT LEVELS. How are people to survive? We all know that business and poverty will never go together in this country, but in the face of a natural disaster all lines should be placed to the side. People are stuck in the Super Dome with no electricity and backed up sewers. They are dying around each other. Others are in the convention center on a phantom order that aid and assistance await them. Both places are under insufferable conditions. Others are also stuck on the top of the I-10 overpass with alligators and raccoons traipsing in the night. What is it about America that doesn't understand survival? Why ask these people to be timid and ignore basic human will? Is it because most of them were black or is it because most of them were poor? Then there are heartening stories of a man hot wiring a bus, going around and picking stranded people up, driving them to safety and the police arrest him for stealing a bus. It is stories like these that, in other circumstances, would be stories of heroism. They would be stories of a community coming together in the face of a crisis. In this case, these stories are reduced to yet another crime statistic. Survival is ignored, themes of "banding together to overcome" are ignored and are instantly displaced by petty crime.
What is known is that even in the face of a natural disaster, the federal government will leave you stranded with no concern. And even if you are not black, don't you dare be poor and unable to leave your city. And let us not forget nor put it to the far recesses of our memory, that New Orleans has its "old world" feel that brings people from miles away because of these shamefully depressed areas of the city. The same depressed areas that are being blamed for not heeding federal and state warnings of evacutation. These are the people in the city that would be employed in the service industry of the city. Lest we forget that New Orleans gets the bulk of its money from conventions dumping money and ready-to-gamble US citizens at its doorstep. The service industry has to be at the top of the employment food chain. Where do you think the people who work there come from, the French Quarters? Right. But in the end, it doesn't matter. If any stroke of bad luck happens to you, the government on all levels are liable to blame you for not being able to follow orders and get out of the city. It only serves to redouble the already unreliable feeling amongst the African-American community. However, facts are facts. What happened is what happened and it can't be disputed. People were left to die with an afterthought of concern. For at least five days, human beings were left with no food and water. For at least five days people were promised aid that "was coming" but never seemed to arrive. What we all know is that what happened on day 6 and 7, is what should have happened on day 1 and 2 of this disaster. I have never lived in a country where I pay, not only state but federal taxes, an area is affected by a disaster and and the leader of the country can't help people in a timely fashion.
I know that Republicans believe in states rights and for that reason Bush may have wanted to allow the state to handle the problem. However, this was a major disaster and if assistance was never asked by the governor then there should have been someone to remind her how crazy she was for not asking for it. Then there should have been someone to make it clear to her that federal assistance was not only desired but necessary. On top of this, I know bush is an advocate of the business community, however, in an atmosphere of disaster, looting should be disregarded in the bigger face of rescue and recovery. In the end, businesses would write off most of their items because of the water damage and toxins that would imbue each item. Plus the looters will not be able to go far with these items. They are stuck in a toxic soup for which they will have to walk miles and miles and probably have to swim to leave. Even with both of these points, everything still pales in the face of rescue and recovery missions. In any case when the federal government has not done their job and the state government has not done its job, what right do they have to ask people to die silently? What right is it that they ask people not to feed themselves. What right is it that they have to tell the local law enforcement to shoot US CITIZENS. Is looting wrong, why yes it is? However, those of you who believe the thousands of people who did not get food and water for 5 days and lived in squalor (much worse then their existence on an everyday basis) due to governmental negligence are wrong for feeding themselves, you're on the wrong side of the issue. Never forget that. And never forget that humanity trumps possession. Throughout the months following Katrina, many people have made it clear that they don't agree with my assessment of the situation. For those of you who don't, I hope you are never in a position that you are incapable of getting out of and need assistance that comes 5 days after you need it. In that situation I fully expect each and every one of you to waste away. Don't survive. Die off from something as simple as food and water. Die off because you need an insulin shot. Die off because you need your medication. I fully expect each and every one of you to sit timidly amongst filth, waste and death and do nothing but wait for the help that is promised but might come 5 days later.
Now...onto the new issue...land.
On top of an already decrepit and retarded response, a panel under Mayor Ray Nagin is putting forth a proposal, requiring displaced victims prove their neighborhoods can be viable and worth rebuilding within a 4 month timeline. Their proposal indicates that even though some people who may want to rebuild their neighborhoods will have a say in proposing viability, some property will have to be seized by eminent domain. Not to mention, on a whole seperate issue, the Corps of Engineers will have to "buy" land appraised at post-Katrina prices in order to strengthen the levees. This fiasco is far from over. With every twist and turn, I get more and more tired of blatant rights being violated. I can't imagine how I would feel if I actually lived in New Orleans because if this is what the nation hears, who knows what is actually going on.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)