NO: They told me to tell you, "We're Dying Here"

[Laura PourMeADrink]

Just got back from 4 days in New Orleans. And that was the very first thing we heard, from our cab driver. When we asked how things were going, she choked up, turned to us and said, "Please, please tell everyone to come back again. We're dying here."

I honestly didn't know what to expect, it being our first trip back since Katrina. I knew the very poor were in bad shape and I knew the French Quarter, CBD, and the Garden District were physically untouched by the storm.

What I didn't know was how utterly and profoundly this has touched the lives of all who lived there. We talked to countless people, young and old, they all wanted to tell their story. We hugged them when they cried, it was all you could do.

But the common themes were:

1. No one has helped them more than they have helped themselves. Neighbor for neighbor, homeless for homeless. Literally sharing their water, food, and beds.

2. They feel that their only chance is to bring tourism back and the rebirth is going too slow to keep people there. Local shops are closing. People are leaving. The displaced aren't coming back. They are starting a grass roots movement to get the new show K-ville off the air since it has scenes of people with machine guns in the Quarter - where in reality there is little problem with crime.

3. They don't know where all the donations have gone.

4. Rents have doubled - taxes have been raised to make up for the loss of so many taxpayers.

5. The middle class is hurting. Their homes damaged, no insurance or under-insured, and the government not making good on their promises to subsidize their losses. Many we talked to had to rent because their homes are inhabitable. Meanwhile their payments have risen with ARM loans - and insurance is now astronomical.

6. Depression is rampant. People have lost many friends who were shipped elsewhere and can't afford to live there if they come back.

7. They truly believe that Nagan, and the government are purposely trying to get them out. That there is a master plan to
cleanse NO. They don't know what the end result is, but they are sure they want them gone.

8. Even the ones who are fortunate enough to have the money to rebuild, may live on a street where no one else is. It is like looking out your window at a war zone - wrecked houses, grass high, drug dealers have taken them over. Many people can't or won't rebuild. The banks don't want them so they don't foreclose.

9. And, they are hoping and praying that a Democrat who cares will come in next November.

Please go to New Orleans, if you can. It will change your heart forever. The food is still great. The music plays on. But they need us, more than I can attempt to express here.

LPYB

[NMDemDist2]

1. i'll go soon, mom lives in Shreveport so I'll plan a couple extra days

to head down

[babylonsister]

2. Rec'd, and thanks for that account. We don't know

what misery the people there are going through without firsthand accounts like yours.

[daninthemoon]

4. Out of sight, out of mind. I'll second, thanks for the post.

[liberalmuse]

3. Thank you for sharing.

This is heartbreaking and our nation's disgrace that we should allow this to happen to our fellow Americans. I'd rather my tax dollars go to NO than towards killing civilians in Iraq. :( I'm going to see if I can vacation down there next year.

[Neecy]

5. thanks for posting this

I was wondering what the attitude about k-ville is. Personally, when I've seen the ads for it I've been mildly disgusted - FOX corporation pumped up this president from the beginning and now they're using one of his disasters to pimp ratings. It also seems extremely violent, which is probably not a portrayal that's particularly helpful now.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

52. I watched it.

There are shootings, but there are also evil rich real estate developers to make it complex.
The bad people are all colors and the plots are not real simple. The characters are not cardboard. I was impressed with the quality of the writing and the fact that it was quite dense with dialogue and visuals.

I had to listen and watch closely, just like I do with the Simpsons.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

83. Well, would it make someone want to visit NO on vacation??

[fooj]

6. K-ville will be shown on Fox, eh?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

9. Yep, sure does smell like a rat, doesn't it? When I asked, "Well,

maybe Nagin pushed it for the revenues it would generate for setting up production there. They said no, they had a sweetheart deal and aren't paying for the privilege of filming there.

[fooj]

26. Oh wow.

A sweetheart deal? Grrrrrr...

[uppityperson]

7. k&r, thanks for going, thanks for posting.

[Rick Myers]

8. "Forget Iraq, Rebuild New Orleans"

Elvis Costello had that sticker on his guitar last weekend when he played with the Minnesota Orchestra!

[rzemanfl]

11. I always knew there had to be a reason Diana Krall married the

guy, it's because his heart is in the right place.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

12. Love that. We saw some great t-shirts. FEMA Plan - Run Like

a Mother Fu%#er. Lot's of Make Levees Not War.

[OzarkDem]

17. Good one!

I think I'll buy one myself.

[rudy23]

10. Maybe we can even get a couple of Democratic Representatives down to N.O.

and somebody can begin to DO SOMETHING!

[babylonsister]

13. A bunch of them were down there in August.

This link goes to Pelosi's blog and what happened/what was said/done:

http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?cat=16

[Laura PourMeADrink]

15. You know - the day I heard John Edwards say - "When I'm President

I will appoint a cabinet level person to be in charge of New Orleans. And every day, I will ask them, "what have we done for New Orleans today?" was the day I decided he was my choice.

[daninthemoon]

18. When did he say that? Pretty cool. Any other noms said anything?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

21. It was a video here on DU - I'll try to look for it. But I did google

and Hillary said almost the same thing:
http://www.kmov.com/news/asseenonnews4/stories/kmov_localnews_070727_nulconvention.b7693ad3.html
Asked what she would do differently, Clinton pledged to place a staff member in the White House specifically assigned to Hurricane Katrina recovery.

"I would put one person in charge that would be held accountable for making progress on cleaning up, getting people back home, and making sure we've mitigated against future damage," Clinton said, "and that person would be in the White House, and I would meet with that person every single day."

[Laura PourMeADrink]

25. John Edwards going there to work on houses

Dear Friend,

New Orleans has a special place in my heart.

Over the past two years, I have traveled to New Orleans on numerous occasions. It was from the front yard of a New Orleans home—destroyed by Hurricane Katrina— that I launched my campaign for president on December 28 last year. And it was from New Orleans that I started my Road to One America this past summer.

Soon, I will return to New Orleans to work alongside families who are rebuilding their homes and their lives. Will you join me?

I'm looking for five people who are prepared to get their hands dirty and work hard. I've asked my campaign team to select five supporters to join me in New Orleans. By contributing any amount you can afford between now and September 30th, you could be one of them.

www.johnedwards.com/build/enter

For me, New Orleans represents the promise of America because the people of New Orleans have shown tremendous resilience, even when their government forgot them.

This campaign is about change—the kind of change that doesn't ignore or brush away the hard-working men and women of New Orleans, but that is ready to roll up its sleeves, take responsibility, and get to work.

But to do that, I need your support. I want you to join me in sending an unmistakable message to the Washington insiders, the lobbyists and the political action committees—change, real change, is on its way.

It's your support that sustains me as I campaign across this country and that's why—over the next two weeks—I'm asking you to contribute whatever you can. If we can rebuild New Orleans together, then we can build One America together. Can I count on your support today?

www.johnedwards.com/build/enter

Thank you for your support and your commitment to making a difference.

Sincerely,

John Edwards
September 17, 2007

[daninthemoon]

28. Thanks

[Jacobin]

14. As someone who goes to New Orleans frequently, I can tell you

that this report is absolutely and 100% correct.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

35. I was actually hoping my account was wrong and that I had just

happened up anomolies. Since the storm, I have been confident that the city would revive. Now, not too sure. you?

[KoKo]

39. Is the French Quarter and the rest except 9th Word really Untouched? How can that be?

Does this mean if you don't care about Katrina you can go to NO's and it will look exactly the same as before? Jazz bands, Po' Boys...Walking Tours of that old South...

I just have hard time believing with all that water, chemical spilling, fires and the rest that you could go to "old NO's and find it exactly like it was before? :shrug:

Thanks for your report, BTW. I thought when Nagan was under attack maybe it was RW'ers after him, but it it's what you say then I'll go with my first impression of him...that he was an arrogant fuck up...but since Dems in NO's (those few who were left) re-elected him...I figured maybe he was better than he seemed. :shrug:

[Laura PourMeADrink]

40. Yes. Much more than just the ninth ward - a lot of more middle

class areas are still devastated. The higher ground never flooded. But yes, you can take a cab from the airport to the French Qtr and never see anything bad. But there is an eerieness to it all. Just beyond, you know thousands perished. The city was always steeped in history anyway - with voodoo and pirates and Napoleon almost coming there in exile. And now an even more tortured soul. I guess in Nagin's defense - the job would be difficult no matter who you are. I guess a lot of money is being spent on infrastructure - which sometimes is hard to see. A woman snapped at us as we were walking on a newly paved side walk. She said, "you are tourists, take a look at this new sidewalk and tell me you love it - because they told us they couldn't help us because they had to build things to make tourists happy."

[Sequoia]

71. That's quite interesting.

I had no idea Napoleon almost went there. Too bad he didn't, he would've had more fun than that crummy little island.

Not to belitte the story here, that's just amazing about that woman and the sidewalk. I sure would like to go to NO. Where did all the donations go?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

85. Yes, I saw the room he was supposed to hide out in. It's above

an old bar called Napoleons. They rent it out for parties. How cool would that be to have a party there. Speaking of that bar, it is a New Orleans staple. Used to be open all the time - now just on weekends. Guess it's very hard to find help. There are thousands of food service jobs open there and thousands of construction jobs unfilled. Guess the powers that be forgot about that -- oops no people to wait on me hand and foot.

I don't know about the donations - maybe each concern has their own accounting. Never seen any consolidated.

[merh]

93. There is a difference even in the french quarter

the music is gone - didn't you miss the music.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

96. it seemed there was plenty of music - did you go recently? What

I did miss were all the kids on the street - tap dancing for change. Not a one.

[merh]

114. In part that is what I mean.

Did every club on Bourbon Street have a band of sorts?

It has been a couple of months since I have gone over there and bars seemed sad, not as many musicians or bands performing.

The music was missing, I am glad you didn't find that in your visit. That is hopeful.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

117. Now that you mention it, probably not. We stopped and listened

to a couple really good bands - I think the liveliest place was the Bourbon Cowboy (Is that new?)- the people in there didn't look like they had a care in the world. At the Bourbon Orleans, the bartender said that they had to switch to a DJ (I assume to lower costs).

But, in general, I knew immediately something was wrong at the airport. It was a Thursday night, and the place was deserted. I got off my flight and went straight to baggage and three suitcases were already circling the carousel - mine and two others. I remembered it always being a bustling place - tons of people laughing, excited to be there.

They are all waiting for October - their traditional busiest month.

All in all, there is a veil of sadness about the place. It has a different feel. We got married there 4 days after 9-11 and even then it was nothing like it is now. But heavens - people forget that a 1,000+ people died there. No one talks about that and what a horrendous thing that was - for those poor, poor people. Having to identify bodies of loved ones from pictures?

Thank you for everything you have done !

[merh]

118. Oh, I'm not one to thank

I'm one of the thankees, I'm a survivor on the MS gulf coast. I'm hoping to begin to work more in the volunteer end as soon as I get back on my feet. They begin the rebuild this week, actually new build. We slabbers have to begin again, volunteers can't do much for us.

Thanks for spreading the word and for trying to help get tourists there.

[NOLALady]

64. I believe New Orleanians felt Nagin was better than the

alternative.

You can go to the French Quarters as well as some areas Uptown and you would not know they'd suffered such a catastrophe. But time has stood still in most areas of the City.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

86. did your home get hit? Slidell got the eastern side of the storm

didn't it - the bad side of the storm?

[jobycom]

98. Nagin is better than he seems, but he's in an impossible situation.

I think his reelection was more of a statement by New Orleaneans that they blamed the feds, and to the lesser extent the state, were to blame, not Nagin.

Immediately after the hurricane, Nagin was in charge of a city 80% underwater, with no power or water, almost no emergency personnel, no food, no means of transportation, and no useful equipment. He had to rely on the assistance of the feds to get a glass of water. As we know, the feds made promise after promise, and broke every one.

Since then, he's not been perfect, but he still has no resources to work with. Even two years later, he's performing triage on the city, repairing the areas that can bring money to the city--that's mostly the tourist areas--and letting a lot else go. He's made some mistakes, but no one in his position could have done much better. My parents are from there, and are still in touch with relatives there, and that's there take, anyway.

I've been back many times since Katrina--every two months, at least. The OP is right. I'm stunned by the lack of progress. It's more than the 9th and Lower 9th Wards that are damaged. Much of New Orleans East is still an abandoned wasteland, though there is some recovery. I drove through there two weekends ago, and noticed they were tearing down the mall where I used to go ice skating. The areas along the Lake are sparsely populated and slowly recovering, until you get closer to St. Bernard Parish (west of NOLA), where the recovery is going much better. This was the middle and upper middle class area.

The French Quarters were and the shopping/residential areas along the River were the least hard hit. The land along the river is above sea level, and the wind damage in New Orleans--at least west of the Industrial Canal--was much weaker, and did little damage. Across the river, were there were no levees to fail, nothing much was damaged, until you get further south. (The geography is strange, you kind of have to see a map to understand that, unless you know it by heart).

Those areas were the quickest to rebuild--again, because that's where the city hoped to get its revenues, to help rebuild the rest of the city.

There is recovery, but it's underpopulated, underfunded, and a mess. You can't imagine unless you drive through those areas, and see the remains of fast food restaurants and Walgreens and shopping centers you used to see crowded, and are now abandoned shell. On the other hand, the French Quarters is largely rebuilt, and a lot of fun. It's worth the visit.

Drive over to Gulfport and Biloxi while you are there. They are also trying to rebuild. That's where I grew up, and where I go when I go home. Most people there agree New Orleans is in worse shape (though there are a lot of idiots who blame Nagin instead of the Feds), but they still feel abandoned. On the other hand, they had resources from the rest of the state that NOLA just didn't have.

[superkia]

16. Where are our leaders? Do they deserve our votes?

Is anyone getting anything done or do they just talk about it? This is just typical from our government, if you aren't a corporation or wealthy person, you mean nothing and you are just a worker bee doing the physical work to run the country so they don't have to. Pathetic!

[OzarkDem]

19. NO deserves better political leaders

It sounds as though even the Dems down there haven't done much to help.

Where is Mary Landreiu? All the ass-kissing she does for the GOP should be used to help her own state. It apparently is of no use.

[BlackVelvet04]

20. I can't afford to go to N.O. any time soon

but I will kick and recommend so that those who can afford it will see this.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

22. Thanks. If it helps - rooms are half the price they used to be.

Our hotel - that used to be $150/night was 85 and if you stayed two nights you got the third one free. There are many small, quaint guest houses and are struggling to stay in business. Even our hotel cut out free breakfast, just to cut costs. Most hotels, even the nicer ones, are less than $100 a night.

[OzarkDem]

23. I'm definitely going to try to get there

autumn is a great time to travel there, isn't it?

Thanks for such a great report.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

24. thanks OD. You are the greatest !

[daninthemoon]

29. How about some travel tips from those who know? I don't know

if we want to fight the Mardi Gras crowds and prices, when is the best time and place?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

31. Actually, now is the cheapest time - because it's still too warm

for many people and the places are cheaper. But my favorite time is on St Patty's Day. It has all the excitement of Mardi Gras, with much fewer crowds. There are a lot of Irish people there and they have parades and throw shamrock beads and real cabbages off the floats. The people there are praying for a good October - which was always the busiest time.

To get the true flavor of this magical place - you just have to stay in the French Quarter. There are many small guest houses that are quite reasonable. I love the Cornstalk Hotel. It was built long ago by a man who moved his family there from Iowa and had a fence made with cornstalks built in it. http://www.cornstalkhotel.com/cornstalkhotel_interiorviews.htm. Others neworleans.com

[OzarkDem]

41. Haven't been there a lot

both times in October-November. The weather was nice, still warm and there weren't a lot of crowds. As the OP said, hotels in the French Quarter area are at bargain rates now. Its fun to spend a long weekend there, go to the clubs and hear the music, which is fantastic. Food is also sublime, many great restaurants. The city is (or was) so different, has a personality all its own.

[BlackVelvet04]

27. I wish it helped

but I've been unemployed for 11 months.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

36. I'm so sorry. I wish you the best of luck in finding something.

[BlackVelvet04]

111. Thank you......

I need to get busy finding something. There just hasn't been much out there and it's hard when you are looking for part-time.

[EFerrari]

30. Where is Ray Nagin living?

:nuke:

[Laura PourMeADrink]

32. Dallas? Yikes. That's all I could find. I know he lived in a

swanky hotel suite during the storm.

[EFerrari]

33. Yeah, out of town.

I really, really don't like that man.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

34. you know a lot were for him - I think because it seemed like the

people who lived there wanted him. But most of them are probably still living in a FEMA trailer somewhere - or displaced in Utah. We did meet a woman who is dead certain he is in kahoots with Bush. She has friends on the inside of city gov't who said he tried to nix some of the biggest events, like the Essence Festival and Jazz Fest, from returning to the city. Now why would a mayor trying to revitalize a city do that? Who knows - I did get her business card and told her I was going to call her in a couple months since she said they were investigating on the sly.

[EFerrari]

37. I used to be. But, he makes my belly flip like a mofo.

He has nothing to lose by selling the people out, does he? :grr:

[NOLALady]

65. Don't forget

Nagin was (is?)a Republican before he converted. He supported/endorsed local Republican candidates, all who lost. The joke was we wanted him to support all teams who played against the Saints.

I really don't believe the Dems put him in office. Yes, he got most (maybe all) of the Democratic vote, but I believe the Repubs felt it would be in their interest to keep him in office. In fact, I believe it was the Repubs who got him in the first time around.

[judaspriestess]

101. there was a photo of nagin and asswipe

embracing a couple of weeks back posted on here. bush is cradling nagin's face and nagin is just grining from ear to ear. I'm on dial up at work so it would take me forever and a day to find the link.

[pitohui]

123. dallas, texas EOM

,

[Swamp Rat]

38. It's all true except "there is little problem with crime."

Edit: I just noticed you meant the Quarter. My mother lives a block from the Quarter in Treme, and I have friends in the Marigny who are SCARED TO DEATH because of the high crime. Nevertheless, there are murders almost every day and criminals are even attacking us in broad daylight. I know two people who were attacked this week in the French Quarter, one in broad daylight. Many of the crack dealers are back, and a LOT MORE new ones from out of state. Sunday in the park yesterday was not like it was before the storm - it was full of gang bangers and cholos in their low-riders. I have NEVER seen this in New Orleans!

Fuck you Nagin, you worthless piece of shit!!!

____________________________________________


http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2007-09-04/news_scut.php

Expert: Crime Challenges City's Leadership

New Orleans recorded 140 murders as of Aug. 29 -- the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina -- and the city is on pace to repeat as the nation's homicide capital, according to Texas State University criminologist Peter Scharf. "It's staggering, and nothing that has been tried since the beginning of the year has worked," Scharf says. "I'm projecting 204 total murders for the year," based on an average monthly total of 17 homicides during the first eight months of 2007. Using Mayor Ray Nagin's city population estimate of 300,000, the city's murder rate was 67.5 per 100,000 residents. Using the more conservative and more commonly cited population estimate of 275,000 residents, the city's murder rate is 73 per 100,000 people. Either way, New Orleans is way ahead of the next-highest murder capital -- Gary, Ind. -- which has a murder rate of 48 per 100,000 residents. Scharf, an unpaid consultant to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, will deliver an address titled, "Murder in New Orleans: A Crisis in Leadership," at the annual meeting of the Alliance for Good Government, beginning at 8 p.m. Friday (Sept. 7). "I'm going to discuss how the leaderships of other cities have reduced homicide risks, including Newark, Chicago and Richmond," Scharf says. For ticket information, contact Robert K. Moffett at 822-2224. -- Johnson


____________________________________________


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9348942

Murder Rate Spikes in New Orleans
by Alexandra Cohen

Day to Day, April 4, 2007 · Four men in New Orleans were killed on Monday, marking the deadliest day in the city. All four victims were shot in the head from point-blank range, but the murders did not appear to be connected. At least 55 people have been killed in New Orleans so far this year.


____________________________________________


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14058337

In Post-Storm New Orleans, Murder Is a Fact of Life
by Ari Shapiro

All Things Considered, August 30, 2007 · There are many parts of New Orleans that have not fully rebounded from Hurricane Katrina. Violent crime, however, is back in full force: The city's murder rate averages out to roughly a killing every other day.

So when cities across America marked the National Night Out Against Crime a few weeks ago, residents across New Orleans embraced the event in a burst of desperate energy.

More than a dozen block parties were held across the city; Mayor Ray Nagin was scheduled to visit six of them. The chief of police made the rounds, as did Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan. Although some New Orleans residents want Jordan to resign over what they call a dismal record, he handed out glossy brochures touting the convictions he has won in court.

At Dillard University's party, New Orleans police officer Ed Perkins chatted with neighborhood residents, sweat pouring down his face. Perkins has been an officer with the NOPD for 26 years. He tried to put the best spin on a crime problem that has been getting steadily worse.

"We're not going to let crime or any other hardship run us out of here," Perkins said. "This was home before I became a police officer, and this is going to be home after I leave the police department."

Police Lack Basic Support Systems

But the fact is, two years after Katrina, many police officers are still working under conditions that would be unfathomable in any other major American city. The Police Department still does not have a fully functioning crime lab. Officers are still working out of trailers and using portable toilet stalls; for some officers, even a fax machine is a far-off dream.

(snip)


____________________________________________



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8999837

New Orleans murder rate on the rise again
Homicide rate nowhere near ’94 peak but still 10 times national average

NEW ORLEANS - Last year, university researchers conducted an experiment in which police fired 700 blank rounds in a New Orleans neighborhood in a single afternoon. No one called to report the gunfire.

New Orleans residents are reluctant to come forward as witnesses, fearing retaliation. And experts say that is one of several reasons homicides are on the rise in the Big Easy at a time when other cities are seeing their murder rates plummet to levels not seen in decades.

The city’s murder rate is still far lower than a decade ago, when New Orleans was the country’s murder capital. But in recent years, the city’s homicide rate has climbed again to nearly 10 times the national average.

Many of the killings are related to drugs and gangs — but police say more are simply disputes that get out of hand.

(snip)


____________________________________________


http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070910/templeton

(snip)

Nearly a year after Katrina, the city's backlog of cases reached at least 6,000. Judge Arthur Hunter of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court declared that "it is a pathetic and shameful state of affairs the criminal justice system finds itself in" and said that he would mark the one-year anniversary of the storm by beginning to release poor defendants.

But just as Hunter was declaring a constitutional state of emergency last summer, New Orleans was hit by a devastating crime wave. With half its former population, the city saw its crime rate escalate back to pre-Katrina levels. By the time it was gearing up for its second post-Katrina Mardi Gras celebration, national media were pronouncing New Orleans the murder capital of the United States.

Under the headline "Dysfunction Fuels Cycle of Killing in New Orleans," the New York Times reported in February that a "uniquely poisoned set of circumstances" was fueling the violence, including the destruction of the city's only crime lab, friction between police and prosecutors, community distrust and fear of the police, uncooperative or vanished witnesses and "murderers' brutalized childhoods." The majority of victims and suspects have been young African-American men--many teenagers--caught up in a drug trade that was reinvigorated, reorganized and made more lethal amid turf wars in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The crime crisis is part and parcel of a wider social crisis. Two years after the storm, only one-third of the childcare centers and 45 percent of the public schools in Orleans Parish have reopened. Mental health services for residents suffering from depression, drug addiction or post-traumatic stress disorder are practically nonexistent. The city's Housing Authority has slated thousands of units of public housing for demolition, the majority of which were not damaged by the storm.

Bill Quigley has represented hundreds of families fighting to reclaim their homes and possessions from the Housing Authority. "One of the reasons they say they don't want to reopen public housing is that they don't want to let crime back into the city," Quigley explains. "But crime is already back in. The truth is that there are a lot of young people here without their families. The families don't have housing. So kids are coming back on their own, without their aunts and their mothers and their grandparents. Neighborhoods are breaking down because we don't have the families back. We don't have a lot of the churches. We don't have the infrastructure in poor communities that we had before.

(snip)


____________________________________________



http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10915FF385B0C768CDDAB0894DF404482

Dysfunction Fuels Cycle of Killing in New Orleans
February 5, 2007, Monday
By ADAM NOSSITER AND CHRISTOPHER DREW (NYT); National Desk
Late Edition - Final, Section A, Page 1, Column 2, 2359 words

ABSTRACT - Uniquely poisoned set of circumstances has made New Orleans nation's per capita murder capital; every phase of killing cycle there is fueled by dysfunction: murderers' brutalized childhoods, often ineffectual police intervention, dulled community response, and tense relationship between police and prosecutors that lets many cases slip through cracks; Hurricane Katrina's devastation pushed teetering criminal justice system over edge, destroying police crime lab and causing loss of evidence in hundreds of criminal cases; in some New Orleans neighborhoods, people refer to 'misdemeanor murders,' or '60-day murders,' length of time suspects can be held without charges; in January alone, one murder suspect and two attempted murder suspects were released when deadlines passed for charges to be filed; Police Dept's history of brutality and its emphasis on minor arrests have fed mistrust and alienated many people who might be witnesses; killing has become integrated deep into community; police blame drugs--drug debts, or deals gone bad, or grabs for drugs.

(snip)

Complete article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/us/11orleans.html?ex=1326171600&en=c78e275a90147887&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss


____________________________________________

[Laura PourMeADrink]

42. Thanks SR ! Guess they were trying to put the spin on things

so we'd think the Quarter was safe. I should have done some research like you show. God, what do you do about it? National Guard? (if they weren't all in Iraq).

[Swamp Rat]

46. The last of the National Guard was pulled out of here this Summer and sent to Iraq

Though, I did see ONE National Guard Hummer about 2 weeks ago.

What can we do? I considered getting a concealed weapons permit, but I really do not want to carry a pistol as I do not like them. The Chief of police recently said "we don't need more police," but that they "need to be more efficient" ... New Orleanians want to wring his neck now. We need TWICE the police force we have in order to combat the crime. Car jackings are deadly here. They just shoot all the occupants and steal the car, like they did to a man in my neighborhood a couple of months ago. Robbers don't say "gimme your money," they KILL then just take it off the body, like they did to someone last month near the Quarter. At least I didn't hear gunfire this last weekend. :eyes:

[Laura PourMeADrink]

47. Do you think anything could change with a new governor?

Bobby Jindal's ahead, huh.

What you describe sounds like a state of emergency needs to be declared.

Fucking Bush. We sat in Jackson Sq (where we got married) and it flashed through my mind how Bush came there and they put the flood lights on and he gave a stupid speech.

[Swamp Rat]

49. It is an image we will never forget.

I'm glad you have a fond memory of Jackson Square. It is still a very nice place to visit. Even with the hight crime, I would rather live here in New Orleans than any place else in the USA. If I have to leave (most native residents can no longer afford to live here), I will leave the country. :cry:

[NOLALady]

69. Democrat or Republican

I don't think the Governor will make a difference.

Jobs just might make a difference.

[NOLALady]

68. Hey SR,

New Orleans is my home. I was raised outside of the Treme in St Peter Claver Parish, near Dooky Chase. But, we took our babies and ran away 20 years ago. We thought the crime was out of control at THAT time. I know you must be afraid for your Mother.

We have crime on the Northshore, but it's not near as frightening as the turmoil of the City.

BTW, I'm getting a bus from Carrollton/Canal tomorrow night going to Jena.

[southern_belle]

80. I think Blackwater is still here

but I can't be sure. :shrug:

[OzarkDem]

43. Damn

sorry to hear about all the problems. Its absolutely criminal what Bush, Nagin, et al have done to try to destroy this place. I really hope and pray NO gets back on its feet again. Its one of my favorite cities, its people truly don't deserve this.

[GeorgeGist]

44. Katrina is long gone ...

but her sad testament to the folly of NOLA lives on.

[AZBlue]

45. This just breaks my heart!

K&R

[idgiehkt]

48. thanks for this post

very touching. :hug:

[Richard Steele]

50. K&R

[bjobotts]

51. What happened to the millions Pat Robertson collected using gov. web site

The donations from Robertson group was supposed to be used for reconstruction in New Orleans but there is no accounting for it. Plus the billions in aid that arrived from the world was left rotting in the harbor or sent back. Bush only left room for the profiteers to privatize everything from schools to housing but who has money to pay for it? In all these years there is still no accountability and very little reconstruction. One more hurricane and Bush will no longer consider it part of the USA...oh, wait, he's already done that.

Bush to New Orleans..."Take it up with Jeb...he's the one sold you the faulty pumps. It's Jebs fault."

[Laura PourMeADrink]

56. Who knows. I remember thinking from the start that the government

(of course I meant like in the olden days when we had a government we could count on) should
have formed an Agency to control the money. With full transparent accounting for the world
to see.

I think it can be done, but it will take an extremely organized approach - and probably an
unorthodox legal framework - where the owner is compensated with fair value, either money
or the rehabbed property and the Agency rebuilds. Right now, the law says that any funds they receive have to be
reinvested in NO - which is hard if it's not enough to rebuild or you can't move back for whatever reason. But first they need
the National Guard there to maintain order. Ha, just like they are trying to do in Baghdad!

Projects doing well now are ones like Habitat for Humanity and what Angelina and Brad Pitt are involved in - specifically rebuilding neighborhoods from the ground up.

[Baby Snooks]

61. What happened to all of it?

Where did all the money go? None of it seems to have gone to New Orleans. Not even the FEMA money. It appears all FEMA did was provide mobile homes for people to live in while they rebuilt. With FEMA money that never materialized. Not in New Orleans anyway.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

87. One thing I read in the paper when I was there was that there

was millions of dollars appropriated for damaged fire houses. The money has not been spent by the city.
I'm trying to remember - it had something to do with the law/rule that the city has to have the same
amount as the contract in matching funds in escrow or reserve. Maybe someone from there can confirm this.

[bluedigger]

53. I think I'm on my way there next week, maybe

I've been offered work with a FEMA contractor down there. Still have to do the formalities but they want me there next Monday if the logistics can be managed. You paint a depressing picture. I only visited Bourbon Street for a drunken afternoon once about five or six years ago but I loved it. Other than Quebec City and San Juan, PR, it had the most old world feel of any city on this side of the pond that I have ever visited. I probably shouldn't say too much about the work, but they seem to have a huge amount on their plate. I just hope I can help a little. I'm not naive, though, it's going to be difficult. Any local DU'ers want to give me a holler, that would be cool!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

55. Good luck to you! Do you have any idea of where you will live?

Of course it depends on how much money you care to spend. If you live in Boston
now, the rents will probably look resonable to you. In the Qtr we saw rents for
$1,500/mo-$2,500 in beautiful Creole houses with balconies and courtyards. Then you
could throw beads at the the other drunken people! :) The Garden District where the Victorian
mansions are might be less. That was pretty much untouched too.

You are so right about that old world feel. Key West is another, IMHO.

Thanks for going there !

[bluedigger]

70. Thanks

I will be getting per diem and I'm told the local economy is well aware of what that is, and prices accordingly. I expect (hope) they will put me in a hotel, at least temporarily, as that's normal procedure in my field. I understand our office (trailer) is in Algiers, but I'm not familiar with the area. It's looking pretty good to go - I just had a corporate Amex card delivered to the door, but hr hasn't even got their offer sheet to me, yet!:rofl:

[Laura PourMeADrink]

90. Please post again after you get there ! You can be our embedded

reporter. Algiers is just a ferry ride from the Quarter.

[bluedigger]

116. No problem!

I'll be packing my camera, too, no doubt. Are there no active du'ers in NOLA? That is surprising, if so!

[pitohui]

124. yeah i live in the area but i don't go to algiers

lot of crime over there, keep your street smarts around you

[bluedigger]

125. Cool!

Looks like I'll be coming down there next week. Still gotta find a place - I'm hoping the folks already on the ground there will hook me up. I've worked in a few rough neighborhoods before. Luckily my narc-y good looks tend to discourage most ne'er-do-wells!:9

[colorado_ufo]

54. I will be going in November

to see my family.

[SoCalDem]

57. The WHOLE city & surrounds escaped major damage from the "storm"

The damage came AFTER.... This is a Corps of Engineer's disaster.

Granted, the storm put pressure on the levees & canals, BUT, they were supposedly built to withstand it. Katrina was NOT a 5 when it landed or even a 4.. It was a 3..and NOLA was not even the "target"..

Budget cuts and neglect drowned NOLA...not just the "storm"..

Government & media types love to blame the storm..i.e. act of god-nothing we could do about it..move on..We cannot let them.. This was foreseeable, and preventable, and the government is as much to blame as anything else.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

58. you are absolutely right! Can you sue the ACOE? BTW

I love that "Grouchy Old Poops" banner !

[OwnedByFerrets]

59. K & R for as much as I can...nt

[LittleOne]

60. I have a friend living there.

She tells me some of what is going on and I believe that Nagan and them are trying to get the poor folk out so they can use that prime real estate.

Watch this wetlands video and there may not be any real estate to fight over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WPkHEXhrBQ

[Laura PourMeADrink]

92. Thanks - we saw a brilliant documentary there about the wetlands

"Hurricane on the Bayou" National Geographic. Actually think Mary Landrieu has some legislation
pending on wetland restoration.

[NOLALady]

62. Thank You for posting this.

Don't forget the Insurance Companies who are inventing loopholes so that they can get out of paying.

Then there are the unscrupulous contractors.

Many are dying because we've lost our hospitals and Doctors.

And here I go crying again.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

89. OMG - it's so easy to well up over it. I cried a dozen times just

listening to their stories. Hey, do you know of a journalist - who wrote gossip columns for the Picayune - and then threw his heart and soul into helping people through the worst of it? His book is called "One in the Attic" (titled about a dead person he tried to find out the identity of) Anyway, someone was telling us about him - how he befriended an old eccentric woman with a house full of cats - and he loved her - and would listen to her talk to them. Then, he found out she was mugged and killed - and he ended up going crazy. A woman told us this book is the best, most honest depiction of what they all went through.

[gauguin57]

63. DINO Ray Nagin is WORTHLESS

He hid out in a high-rise during the worst of the flooding; he has bungled everything; he's worthless.

Keep in mind: He was a rich, Republican cable-company vice president until a couple of weeks before he filed to run for Mayor ... when he switched his party to Dem. in order to be able to win.

And as for the re-election: how can you really have a legitimate election when the residents of NO were spread all over the country?

THE MAN IS WORTHLESS!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

94. Here's the text of his speech - what he thinks he's accomplished

http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/05/text_of_mayor_ray_nagins_state.html

TEXT OF STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS
CITY OF NEW ORLEANS
C.RAY NAGIN, MAYOR

Scheduled for delivery at the World War II Museum at 7 p.m.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, federal, state and local officials, honored guests and friends.

I'd like to especially recognize and thank my wife, the first lady, Seletha, my children, Jeremy, Jarin and Tianna, my parents and all my family for their love and support.

To the city council, could you please stand, you are our key partners in this tremendous effort. Thank you for all of your work to make this city great.

I would like my executive staff to stand. Thank you for answering the call to public service and recovery.

To our first responders -- the police force, firefighters, EMS and military personnel -- thank you for your service to our community and country.

I would also like to recognize the young people you see here today -- the youth leadership council. They are engaged in our recovery and represent the leaders of our future.


To the wonderful people of this nation and our friends from countries all across the globe, your compassion and support inspire us. Keep us in your thougths and prayers.

To the people of Greensburg, Kansas, recently devasted by a tornado: Just hold on. You will make it through these difficult days.

Finally, to the citizens of New Orleans, your preserverance and strength in the face of insurmountable odds serve as a testimony to our nation that New Orleans is great and is on its way back.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is my first state of the city address since May 2005, Pre-Katrina.

A lot has happened since then. Our world has changed dramatically: Hurricane Katrina, the levees broke, Hurricane Rita, a historic evacuation that scattered an entire American city all across this county, twelve presidential visits, promises broken and dreams deferred, from Iowa to Paris, people came to New Orleans, not to party, but to build homes. Unprecedented bureaucracy, a misguided Road Home program. A state government flush with cash while citizens go broke trying to come home, and Disney-like cleaning in the French Quarter.

Yes, these are indeed interesting times.

But tonight, I want to talk about one New Orleans and one future. A story of determination, a story of strength, a story love.

As I begin my address, Let us reflect for a moment on our location, the D-Day: World War II Museum, which pays tribute to one of this country's greatest generations.

It is fitting on the heels of Memorial Day, in this great building, that we honor our veterans and current members of the armed forces who have served this country since its inception, like Mr. Oliver Thomas Sr., Rev. T.J. Smith Sr., Col. Terry Ebbert, and Col. Jerry Sneed.

During World War II, President Roosevelt declared: "No matter how long it may take us to overcome the challenge of defeating the Germans, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory."

President Roosevelt knew that Americans would depend on their determination and strength to carry them through that challenge and on to victory.

And so it is in New Orleans.

Twenty-one months ago, our citizens, long accustomed to riding out hurricanes that came our way, were devastated when the federal levees designed to protect us failed and allowed our city to flood, claiming lives and livelihoods that lay in its path.

You know the story, New Orleans was 80 percent flooded


more at link: http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/05/text_of_mayor_ray_nagins_state.html

[OneGrassRoot]

66. Several things...

First, thank you OP, for sharing your experience. I have never been to New Orleans, but I VERY much hope to get there by next spring. It is at the top of my travel wish list, even for a weekend.

I haven't read through every response, but I've read enough for my heart to break once again over the horrific continued neglect of our fellow citizens. I'm working on a creative project which I hope can help in some small way.

I posted a question a week or so ago to which I received no response. I was asking where I could find the most reliable, up-to-date information regarding post-Katrina statistics. Specifically, how many are still listed as missing? How many confirmed deaths? How many displaced?

Any suggestions where I might find this info?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

97. I'd love to hear more about what you are doing ! I will do the

research since I don't know first hand and pm you with it.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

107. Here's some Liveability Statistics: Before Katrina and Now

http://uspolitics.about.com/od/katrina/l/bl_katrina_stats.htm

Hurricane Katrina - Livability Statistics

Two Year Anniversary

On Monday, 29 August 2005, Hurricane Katrina careened into the Gulf Coast, putting 80% of New Orleans under water and bashing the Mississippi coast like it was matchsticks.

Two years after Katrina, life in New Orleans is far from normal: hospitals, schools, libraries, even bus service all remain limited. Postal service data show that New Orleans is at 66 percent of its pre-Katrina population.

The nation's most costly natural disaster, Katrina killed more than 1,600 people ... destroyed 200,000 Gulf Coast homes ... displaced about 1 million people. News reports place insured property damage at $25.3 billion in 1.7 million insurance claims -- 975,000 of them in Louisiana.

Two years later, rebuilding remains spotty, despite $110 billion (same amount allocated as in 2006) in federal monies.

Livability Statistics Post-Katrina, New Orleans Area
Before Katrina One Year Later Two Years Later
Cost of Living
Rent, 2BR apt, Metro $676 $940 $978
Unemployment Rate, Metro 5.3% 4.5% 5.1%
Health
Major Hospitals Open, Region, % 100% 50% 66%
Hospitals Open, Orleans Parish 23 9 13
Schools
Students In Public Schools, Metro, % 100% 59% 70%
Students In Public Schools, New Orleans, % 100% 10% 40%
Public Schools Open, Orleans Parish 276 53 83
Private Schools Open, Orleans Parish 93 51 55
Child Care Centers Open, Orleans Parish 276 63 98
People
Labor Force, Metro 613,800 444,200 484,902
Labor Force, Orleans Parish 202,350 137,752 158,844
Households W/Mail, Orleans Parish 198,232 98,141 133,966
Services
Libraries Open, Metro, % 100% 62% -
Libraries Open, Orleans Parish 13 8 9
Public Transport Routes Open, Orleans Parish, % 100% 45% 50%
Buses Operating, Orleans Parish 368 61 69
Electricity - % Homes 100% 60% -
Hotels - % Open 100% 85% -


Sources: Detroit Free Press (2006), NY Times (2007) and Brookings Report - PDF (2007)

[Laura PourMeADrink]

108. Storm Aftermath Statistics

Hurricane Katrina statistics
Statistics on Hurricane Katrina and the after-effects as of Saturday, Sept. 3, 2005 from the New Orleans Times-Picayune

Here are some of the statistics released at a Saturday morning press conference of FEMA, Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard and Red Cross officials.

Area affected by Hurricane Katrina covers 90,000 square miles, greater that the area of Great Britain

4,000 people were airlifted from the Greater New Orleans area Friday alone.

95 percent of the refugees gathered at the Louisiana Superdome have been evacuated to other shelter, many in other states. People continue to show up at the facility and the evacuation continues.

7,500 lives have been saved by rescuers. That is believed to be a very low estimate because it excludes "spontaneous rescues,¨ which officials described as neighbors and passersby rescuing people in private boats and vehicles.

1.9 million meals ready to eat (MREs) and 6.7 million liters of water have been brought into the hurricane-ravaged area.

Evacuations by Amtrak passenger train began Friday night. Officials expect to evacuate 1,500 people per day by train.

1,700 patients still need to be evacuated from hospitals.

3 cruise ships will be brought to New Orleans for use as temporary housing for the elderly, disabled and those needing basic medical attention.

An Army mobile medical hospital is being constructed on Zephyr Field in Kenner
President Bush signed the $10.5 billion emergency appropriation bill Friday night. The bill had been approved by Congress earlier in the day.

Additional troops from the 82nd Airborne Division have been assigned to help with security and recovery efforts.

There is ¡§no humanly possible way of knowing¡¨ how many people remain trapped by flood waters and need to be rescued.

The American Red Cross has set up a link on its Web site where notices seeking missing persons can be posted. The site will also include list of people in shelters trying to notify people who may be looking for them.

In the past 48 hours, no one has fired shots at rescue workers or security forces in New Orleans, officials said Saturday morning. Such incidents had delayed earlier rescue efforts in the city.
500 of the 1,200 U.S. Corps of Engineers workers who live in the New Orleans area and are working to repair damaged levees and pumps, have had their own homes flooded.

Corps of Engineers estimate that the flood water can be drained from the city, 36 days after the levees are rebuilt and pumps restored. They hope to have pumps operational in seven days.
Between 7 and 10 a.m. Saturday, six flights had departed Louis Armstrong International Airport carrying 870 evacuees. Between midnight and 10 a.m. 197 buses had departed the city with 8,350 evacuees.

In all 55 airplanes and 788 buses had evacuated more than 35,000 from the city.
Air evacuations from Belle Chase Naval Air Station will begin at noon Saturday.
Officials expect to evacuate as many as 25,000 more from the Greater New Orleans area in the next 24-36 hours.

A U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said that 52 aircraft had rescued 720 people in the previous 32 hours. About1,300 Coast Guard personnel have been assigned to the rescue efforts.
Evacuation shelters have been established in at least eight states including Tennessee, Indiana, Texas and Arkansas.

More than 100,000 people are currently in shelters

[Laura PourMeADrink]

110. FEMA stats off their website

Frequently Requested National Statistics Hurricane Katrina – One Year Later
Fact Sheet

Individuals and Households Program – 950,000 eligible & $6 billion in assistance
FEMA has provided nearly $6 billion directly to Hurricane Katrina victims for housing and other needs assistance through the Individuals and Households Assistance Program. The more than $6 billion provided to victims of Hurricane Katrina is the most ever provided by FEMA for any single natural disaster. In all, nearly 950,000 applicants were determined eligible for assistance under the Individuals and Households Program.

Housing -- $4.2 billion: Housing assistance covers temporary housing, repair, replacement and permanent housing construction.

FEMA has provided nearly $4.2 billion to nearly 950,000 applicants for housing assistance following Hurricane Katrina.

FEMA has paid out $1.3 billion to nearly 550,000 applicants in Louisiana and Mississippi under the DHS Transitional Housing program for homes that were inaccessible to inspectors due to persistent flooding.

Other Needs Assistance -- $1.9 billion: This money is used to cover medical, mental health, transportation andother expenses related to disasters.

Assistance to nearly 420,000 households provided nearly $ 1.9 billion total for “Other Needs Assistance.”

Hotel Motel Program – 85,000 households & $650 million

FEMA has paid more than $650 million for hotel/motel rooms to date; At its peak in October, 2005, FEMA provided hotel/motel rooms for 85,000 households in need of short-term sheltering.

Housing Inspections and Repair – 1.3 million inspections
Since Hurricane Katrina 1.3 million housing inspections have been completed in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Travel Trailers and Mobile Homes– 101,174 households (Currently Occupied) *Section revised on 8/25/06
There are 101,174 travel trailers and mobile homes serving as temporary housing for Hurricane Katrina victims, outnumbering any housing mission in FEMA’s history. The following shows number of units currently occupied as of 8/17/06:
Louisiana Total – 64,150
Mobile Home – 3,169
Travel Trailers – 60,981
Mississippi Total – 36,127
Mobile Home – 4,709
Travel Trailers – 31,418
Alabama – 897
Mobile Homes – 0
Travel Trailers -- 897
Of those households occupying travel trailers and mobile homes, there are:
15,000 households in Group/Commercial Sites:
9,344 in Louisiana
5,507 in Mississippi
149 in Alabama
83,962 households in Private Sites:
52,594 in Louisiana
30,620 in Mississippi
748 in Alabama
2,212 households in Industry Sites located in Louisiana.
Travel Trailers and Mobile Homes– 121,922 households (Cumulative Leases ) *New section on 8/25/06
121,922 travel trailers and mobile homes have served as temporary housing for Hurricane Katrina victims, outnumbering any housing mission in FEMA’s history. The following shows the cumulative number of units used as of 8/25/06.
Louisiana Total – 71,134
Mobile Home – 3,514
Travel Trailers – 67,620
Mississippi Total – 48,274
Mobile Home – 6,300
Travel Trailers – 41,974
Alabama – 2,514
Mobile Homes – 0
Travel Trailers – 2,514
Of those households occupying travel trailers and mobile homes, there were:

19,074 households in Group/Commercial Sites:
10,976 in Louisiana
7,242 in Mississippi
856 in Alabama
99,959 households in Private Sites:
57,269 in Louisiana
41,032 in Mississippi
1,658 in Alabama
2,889 households in Industry Sites located in Louisiana.

Cruise Ships – Housing over 7,000 households
For the initial six months after Hurricane Katrina, FEMA used cruise ships to house evacuees, workers from the City of New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish, and first responders and their families, totaling more than 7,000 workers and families.

Public Assistance Projects -- $4.8 billion
More than $4.8 billion has been “mission assigned” for public infrastructure projects, such as debris removal and restoration of roads, bridges and public utilities. This total nearly doubles the combined total of $2.6 billion allocated for public assistance projects from the 2004 hurricanes across 15 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Debris Clean-up – 99 million cubic yards

Since Hurricane Katrina, more than 99 million cubic yards of debris have been removed in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, paying out $3.7 billion to date.
Crisis Counseling $126 Million

After Hurricane Katrina, 50 States, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia were eligible to apply for CCP grants to serve victims in the disaster area and displaced evacuees in other locations. Currently, more than $126 million in Federal crisis counseling support has been approved thus far. This funding allows States to have the flexibility to develop service programs including outreach, counseling, support groups, and public education most appropriate for the hurricane evacuees within their State. (Updated – September 8, 2006)

Evacuation Reimbursements -$735 million to Evacuee Host States

FEMA public assistance reimbursed more than $735 million to 45 states and the District of Columbia for sheltering and emergency protective measures taken during the evacuation of the Gulf Coast and for ongoing sheltering initiatives directly following Hurricane Katrina. This is in addition to funds obligated to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama totaling nearly $1.75 billion for emergency sheltering operations.

Expedited Assistance - $1.6 billion

Through Expedited Assistance, FEMA's accelerated method of disbursing disaster assistance, FEMA provided more than $1.6 billion to 803,470 individuals and households to help the evacuees meet immediate emergency needs, such as housing, food and clothing.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance - $410 Million
FEMA has obligated more than $410 million to support DUA expenditures for Hurricane Katrina victims. (Updated – September 8, 2006)

[OneGrassRoot]

113. Wow! YOU are a national treasure, LPYB!

Thank you so very, very much for all this info. Silly me...I never would have thought to check FEMA's website for useful info. ;)

Truly, I can't thank you enough for this, as well as for all the wonderful work you do.

I will PM you with the project info when the details are nailed down a bit more.

:hug:

[rateyes]

67. Thanks, LPYB....

for staying on top of this. I know your efforts have been relentless, and you put your money and time where your mouth is.

You are a true patriot.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

95. too kind. I'd love to go down there and actually do something

like volunteer like YOU did ! Maybe when my current assignment (I'm in NC) finishes.

Hey, I thought about you when I was there - thinking about that document we found and how Bush/Fema left off New Orleans from the Emergency proclamation.

You and I both know that was something evil going on there - guess it's one thing he will never be held accountable for! Add it to the list. I thought for sure the committee investigating the mess would result in something - but that kind of fizzled, didn't it.

[rateyes]

119. Yes, it did....

fizzle that is. I'm coming to the conclusion that Senate and House hearings/investigations are for nothing more than "show." It seems all that is cared about in D.C. is everyone protecting everyone else's posterior.

They are too afraid to make enemies of their colleagues.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

120. You are right - there are never any conclusions. Maybe there's

a report hidden somewhere - but never a big to-do - press conference - bottom line - this is what we found out. Man, if I could only run the place ! haha. I'd do what I just said and splash it all over the papers and get every tom, dick, and harry on every Sunday show talking about it.

[liberalhistorian]

72. I have been wanting to go to NO for months to volunteer

in a legal services capacity (I'm a paralegal), but I just don't have the money to do it. I'm a paralegal and lay advocate (independent tribal court representative-kinda like an attorney) on an Indian reservation, so I'm certainly no stranger to poorer living conditions. But I just don't have the money to be able to do it. If anyone has any suggestions on how I could do that, I'd be glad to listen.

[Synnical]

73. How much time do you have?

Legal Advocate - Description

The Common Ground Legal Advocacy Collective seeks 1-2 highly committed, full time advocates to join our team. Volunteers must be willing to commit to a minimum of three (3) months, for which free room and board is available. Longer commitments of up to one year are not only more helpful to the people of New Orleans, but are more productive for the organization and the volunteer. More information about Common Ground Relief as an organization can be found at commongroundrelief.org.


New Orleans is still a disaster area. In terms of legal advocacy, there are violations of civil and human rights that occur in New Orleans on a daily basis, even two years after the storm. In addition to the needed skills listed below, the ideal applicant will have a strong commitment to social justice in keeping with Common Ground's "solidarity, not charity" mission to work with the people of New Orleans as they rebuild.


Please note: This position does NOT require that you be an attorney, or even be a law student. Volunteer legal advocates must, however, be willing and eager to take on more responsibilities than are typically associated with volunteer positions. Legal advocates in New Orleans keep very busy, and must be able to grapple with a work environment in which unexpected challenges often arise. The legal collective juggles a wide range of projects, collaborations, and day-to-day responsibilities that change from week to week and from month to month.


JOB DUTIES:


-Coordinate, recruit, and manage core team of volunteer attorneys and law students for weekly free legal assistance clinic

-Assist with client intake, referrals, and information at free weekly clinic, as well as clients who call for assistance during the week

-Follow up with clinic clients during the week

-Be knowledgeable, or willing to learn about the main areas of clinic assistance, including but not limited to, landlord/tenant disputes, contractor disputes and fraud, insurance claim assistance, Road Home applications, small claims court filing assistance, pro se divorce, property issues, among others that may arise in the ongoing disaster recovery process

-Supervise ongoing weekly Orleans Parish Prison exit interview program

-Maintain consistent communication with our allies and organizational partners

-Coordinate, manage, and assign tasks and activities for short term law student volunteer delegations through Student Hurricane Network

-Attend a variety of meetings and hearings for various legal and issue advocacy areas such as demolitions, evictions, public housing, and the criminal justice system as they arise

-Coordinate legal observing teams for protest and direct actions as needed

-Attend municipal, traffic, or criminal court dates with clients on occasion, as needed



Skills

HELPFUL SKILLS:


-Ability to multitask and thrive in an unpredictable, informal, dynamic work environment

-Excellent organizational, research, and people skills


Women, persons of color, and LGBT volunteers are strongly encouraged to apply, as are people from the Gulf Coast themselves.


http://www.volunteermatch.org/results/opp_detail.jsp?oppid=352139

[liberalhistorian]

74. Wow, thank you; that's exactly what I'm looking for, and

I will certainly look into it! I would have more than the usual paralegal experience, too, since I'm also a lay advocate in the tribal court. This means I can act as an attorney and represent clients just as an attorney does, as long as I'm licensed with the tribal court, which I am. Thanks again!

[Synnical]

81. Glad to be of assistance

Hope you can help out, wish I was in a position to do so.

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale :)

[KamaAina]

102. Many NOLA nonprofits have AmeriCorps positions

you get a meager stipend plus a housing allowance, but it's better than full-on volunteering.

Note, however, that it has not been good enough to get me down there. Does that make me sort of like the "chickenhawks"? :shrug:

[peacebuzzard]

75. The aftermath of the storm

and the hideous... blatant.... corrupt... mismanagement, misappropriation, deceit, fraud, that led to the forced exile and abuse of this city's population and social/cultural community is the single greatest disappointment I know of. I lament for NOLA and its inhabitants, present and pre-storm everyday. eom.

search and rescue map 10/2005

[MasonJar]

76. I went with my aunt as a tourist to help them out in June 2006 We didn't

get to go to the 9th district but took a tour along Lake Ponchitrain (sp?) and there were sail boats still upside down in the middle of the street, dead neighborhoods, etc. Virtually nothing done. The French Quarter was basically unchanged. The librarians came just as we were leaving for their annual conference. Bless them.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

99. BTW - They told us they absolutely HATE it when people come

in there and gawk at them. There are actually tours set up.

Have to laugh - Librarians in the Quarter !!!

We saw the funiest thing - someone was selling these quirky action figures. One was a Librarian Action Figures another Albino Bowler Action Figure

[huskerlaw]

77. I was in NOLA in early July

and despite barely leaving the French Quarter/Garden District, I could tell that things were NOT ok.

My heart breaks for everyone who calls that city home.

[southern_belle]

78. k & r

Thank you for this diary.

[piesRsquare]

79. Thank you so much

...for your (excellent) post. I was in NO after Katrina, with the HSUS animal rescue team. Just did a presentation on it last Wednesday to a CERT unit.

I will pass this info around--and integrate it into my next presentation (whenever that is). I'll also see what I can do to help. I'm so broke right now that I'll have to get really creative to scrape up plane fare (I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area).

Anyone here in New Orleans (or in the vicinity) with a sofa (or floor space) willing to tolerate an AD/HD DU'er houseguest for a few days?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

104. OMG - I forgot about all the thousands of pets still homeless - There

is an official Katrina poster - where the proceeds go to the animal shelter.
http://www.gallerynineforty.com/store/index.php?cPath=1&osCsid=0e3cb260c83a75aa641478a6ae4f6511
Here's one:

[KamaAina]

82. I haven't been since Jan., damn me to hell

and no #^*$%^! vacations 'til our end-of-year reports are done, then none for me during next year's legislative session (I squeezed it in between the two)! :grr: Plus, Mom and Repuke Stepdad are gonna be asking about the holidays...

Absolutely, go! (or as they'd say, "Geaux!") Most of what you remember about the city (if you've been before) did not flood. And with the hotels so cheap (I scored one of the most venerable French Quarter ones for $99 a night from La.'s tourism website!), you'll have lots to spend on food, music, crafts, and making sure you put a fiver in the tip jar.

If you can, get out into the neighborhoods and see for yourself. I went several times to struggling-but-rebuilding Mid-City, past homes with the search and rescue marks still visible, to a neighborhood organization I'd been corresponding with:

http://www.pnola.org

to a meeting the guy directed me to, and best of all, to a Twelfth Night (beginning of Carnival season) party hosted by a prominent NOLA blogger and sometime DUer. The city has one of the best blogospheres anywhere:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=155&topic_id=3587&mesg_id=3587

and even had a bloggers' conference recently:

http://risingtidenola.com

The blogs are as good a means as any for those of us in exile (disclaimer: I lived there from '89-'91, and still maintain a sort of "dual citizenship") to keep up with what's really going on. And if you see a comment from "KamaAina", yes, it is yours truly.

[Synnical]

84. I sent my Congress Critters a letter just the other day about NOLA and Katrina

Via Progressive Secretary:

Two years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast rebuilding is still lagging woefully. Thousands of families still live in temporary housing and there is a serious shortage of schools, hospitals, and business establishments.

This is a national disgrace! The Federal Government must take a positive leadership role, and make easily available the billions of dollars that were promised two years ago.

Please ask Congress to keep America’s promise to the Gulf Coast by increasing oversight of recovery funds and allocating more resources for the region.

Just received this response from Bill Nelson (D-FL):

Thank you for writing me about government aid to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act (S. 1668) would authorize additional Federal funding to help provide affordable housing to those displaced after the violent 2005 hurricane season. It also would require more accountability on the part of government agencies, States, and cities that receive this Federal funding for restoration. S. 1668 is pending before the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. Although I am not a member of this committee, I will keep your views in mind should this bill come before the full Senate.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) response, particularly following Katrina, was woefully inadequate. I’ll continue working aggressively to reform FEMA and make it less wasteful and more responsive to the people it serves. If you need information on how to file for assistance from FEMA, feel free to call my office at 407-872-7161 or toll-free in Florida at 888-671-4091.

"would", "is pending"

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

[Laura PourMeADrink]

105. Wow, what a heart-warming response. NOT. Looks like a legal brief. nt

[Diclotican]

88. Amazing

Amzing.. This was the Nation who gave Europe, after WW2 the Marshallplan, and in the years after the War, was giving, allmoust at free a extremely volume of all what we needed, or wanted..

Now they cant rebuild New Orleans.. How the great have fallen .. God know what wil happend the next cople of year.. My feeling is tha NOT A THING WIL BE REPAIRED before this... This.. This O I cant write down what I really feeling about this administration, have not the word in engelish to say it... If I do I wil be banned posting on this site for the next 10 year or so.... Even if I put it in norwigian... You vil understand it anyway:(

Diclotican

Sorry my bad engelish, not my native language

[gateley]

91. For those of you who are familiar with NO, what is it that we can do

when we vacation there that will help the most? Due to your post, I've decided that's where I'm heading when vacation rolls around. Thanks for the awareness reminder.

[Suich]

100. I just asked my son in an e-mail.

He's been working in St. Bernard for a year and probably has some ideas. I've bookmarked this thread and will get back to you when I hear, ok?

Susan

[gateley]

103. Thanks so much! nt

[Laura PourMeADrink]

106. You can do Habitat!! Jimmy Carter - enough said. Here is the Info/Link

http://neworleans.craigslist.org/vol/425914108.html
New Orleans Locals: Become a Core Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: [e-mail]
Date: 2007-09-18, 4:50PM CDT


New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity is looking for motivated New Orleans locals interested in taking a leadership role on our construction sites. Core volunteers will work closely with Habitat staff members in order to eventually lead groups of volunteers on a monthly basis. No prior construction experience necessary, although you may want to try volunteering for a day before assuming this responsibility! What better way to contribute to the rebuilding of our city than by working with the hundreds of dedicated volunteers that show up to our sites while helping create homes for our amazing partner families. If you'd like to register to volunteer for a day or for more general information regarding the NOAHH please visit our website at "http://habitat-nola.org". If you've already worked with us and know you want to be a Core Volunteer feel free to email Brianna Hardy at [e-mail]
We look forward to hearing from you!

[gateley]

109. Thanks. It didn't occur to me that you could volunteer for a day or a few

with Habitat -- although now that I think of it, of course they'd welcome any help at any time.

[never_get_over_it]

112. I went to a conference in NOLA in Feb

my company hired a bus company to drive us to the airport to go home - when all my fellow workers left I went to talk to the driver - and asked did he feel our government let them down...he did I told him I was terribly ashamed and so terrilby sorry for it all - I gave him a 10 buck tip and wish I had done more.....

[Laura PourMeADrink]

115. cool. I noticed everyone was tipping big. And they really

appreciate it.

[KamaAina]

121. Wow! This is the first NOLA thread in the whole two years-plus with any legs!

Whenever I try to start one, it sinks faster than *'s approval ratings. What's your secret?

[Synnical]

122. .