2 Years Post Hurricanes Katrina/Rita: Call to Action

[MsDelta797]

Originally Posted by RedefinedDiva

Acts I & II have brought me through EVERY emotion that one can experience. This documentary is..... unexplainable. I appreciate Spike Lee SO much for this. He has captured so many of the emotions felt by those affected. He has also done a good job of attempting to present all sides of the story. I wanted to turn this off SOOOOOO many times and have cried so many tears, but I had to watch it.

Aside from hearing ol' girl buck on the airport security, there were a few other highlights tha made me throw my head back in laughter:

* When Michael Knight (9th Ward resident) said they dropped water on his boat like they were trying to sink it. He said, "I bet I won't ask no mo'!"

* Fred (Johnson?) stating "I ain't 'bout that leavin'!"

* "Swamp Thing" talking about he had never seen any boats in the projects He said that the boats were looking like cars.

Sistergreek,
I feel the same way. My husband, mom and I were watching it together and just remembering what frame of mind we all were in last year. It seems like it just happened yesterday, especially if you go to the East and lower 9th ward. I have a physical reminder of just how long ago Katrina was, which is my baby boy. For those of you from New Orleans, I was in Metairie at East Jefferson Hospital on strict bedrest (had been there since June 10th) and rode out the storm there with my husband and 2yr old son. The Thursday after the storm I was evacuated to Baton Rouge and had him at Womans Hospital exactly two weeks after the storm. So, he is my "Katrina Baby". I just say this because I do love my city and I am BLESSED that all of my family were found safe and sound. Ya'll (my southern drawl) we can never forget what happened here. Too many times I have read how people think that everything is moving along just because we did have Mardi Gras and it's not(at least not in the neighborhoods, there are some people back though). You can still see the water lines on the houses and some busy streets are quiet. Rebuilding is still an issue,because people haven't been given the funds they need, but that's another issue all together. Those of you that do watch all the documentaries, and there will be plenty as the anniversary approaches, just keep us and everyone that was affected in your prayers.

[MsDelta797]

I apologize for the double post.

As for General Honore,
I was like it took a Black man to get things moving. Ya'll remember his "don't get stuck on stupid" remark to the reporters asking silly questions? I think everyone was sad to see him go.

[Old Head Ape]

Being from the N.O. and knowing that because of the levee breaches, my parents and other relatives loss everything, it was kinda hard to watch. BUT I thought the documentary was excellent...It made me angry all over again...it was sad how the brother had to leave his dead mother...that tore me up....As we knew, the dopes in FEMA, Homeland, and the White House did not and DO not have a clue.....

[jessikay1922]

Just powerful! And moving! And sad! And most of all.... BALANCED!

[kiml122]

This was very powerful and moving thta I can't even describe it. The man whose mother died and then he had to leave her was just so sad. The kids whose mother needed the oxygen and died and then was left in the house with the kids was so sad. I mean the entire thing was just so sad. I mean what I want to know is how did the TV crews get to these people and you are telling me that Bush 7 the rest of the Gov't couldn't. That whole thing just wasn't right.

[pinkies up]

I live a couple of hours away from Biloxi, Mississippi and went down there two weeks ago. I promise it looks like the hurricane just left there. It's sad how we can get all this money to get those Americans out of the caves and rocks of Israel, but we see people on top of their houses, stuck on bridges, in water; we know where they are and they couldn't even send boats, airplanes, hell, drop some water and food from the sky. The government did nothing and if you watched anyother channel all they talked about was Jonbenet Ramsey. WTH!!??? There are people who are still missing!!!

[OrangeMoon]

George Bush I haven't forgot so please share with me why AOL reports a boost in your Presidential rating? America is the Captin Save 'Em for everyboby else but WE(the government) failed OUR OWN CITIZENS!

I should renounce my citizenship

[kiml122]

I will post more tomorrow, but the show just went off, and all I can say is AWESOME!!!!! Spike Lee did an AWESOME job....

I need to write some stuff down because I know that I am going to forget it tomorrow, but just remember the chick who said that she was born 12-24-63 and that she was going to f*cking die there, and the dude who was like he wasn't going to sell his house but he was going to throw up some sheet rock and wave and speak to the people as usual when they go by......

Terrence Blanchard and his mom

Wendell Pierce talking about his dad and him being jerked over by the insurance company

The young student who left and his mother stayed and when he came back, he saw that there was a ZERO on the door meaning no dead body found but then he realized that the doors were all locked, so there was no way that they checked the house. Here he is thinking that his mom got out and she is somewhere, and in the end she was found dead in the house....sad . That was truly heartbreaking

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally Posted by kiml122

I will post more tomorrow, but the show just went off, and all I can say is AWESOME!!!!! Spike Lee did an AWESOME job....

I need to write some stuff down because I know that I am going to forget it tomorrow, but just remember the chick who said that she was born 12-24-63 and that she was going to f*cking die there, and the dude who was like he wasn't going to sell his house but he was going to throw up some sheet rock and wave and speak to the people as usual when they go by......

Terrence Blanchard and his mom

Wendell Pierce talking about his dad and him being jerked over by the insurance company

The young student who left and his mother stayed and when he came back, he saw that there was a ZERO on the door meaning no dead body found but then he realized that the doors were all locked, so there was no way that they checked the house. Here he is thinking that his mom got out and she is somewhere, and in the end she was found dead in the house....sad . That was truly heartbreaking

In addition to the woman whose 5 year old daughter was with her dad and they did not evacuate. They found the daughter drowned in April.

All the stories about the trailers

Overwhelming is the best word to accurately describe all four parts as well as eye opening but necessary to watch.

[Obsession8]

Hearing the survivors talking about not having a home for the holidays also got to me, especially since *my* family used to gather at the grandmother's house for holiday dinners. It's just not the same anywhere else.

On a brighter note...

Ditto on all of Mrs. Montana-LeBlanc's "color commentary", esp. when she gave out her phone number (in response to what Barbara Bush said); she had me rollin'. Also liked when they talked about the culture with N.O. music, second lines, Creoles, etc. And, LOL at the Mardi Gras t-shirts montage! Gotta love that N'awlins spirit!

All in all, even with my initial reservations, I'm glad I watched this tour-de-force documentary. I love (most of) Spike's "joints" (haven't always agreed with his politics, though); this would rank in the top 5 of my favs (Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing, etc.). If he doesn't win an ishtload of Emmys for this next year (yes, I know this isn't about awards, but still...), the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is going to receive a very nasty letter from me.

(ETA: Kinda surprised Spike didn't interview Mike Tidwell, author of Bayou Farewell, which was my school's summer reading program book last year. He came to speak at our convocation a week before Katrina's devastation. Basically everything he "predicted" in the book came to fruition...irony just isn't the word.)

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally Posted by Obsession8

Hearing the survivors talking about not having a home for the holidays also got to me, especially since *my* family used to gather at the grandmother's house for holiday dinners. It's just not the same anywhere else.

On a brighter note...

Ditto on all of Mrs. Montana-LeBlanc's "color commentary", esp. when she gave out her phone number (in response to what Barbara Bush said); she had me rollin'. Also liked when they talked about the culture with N.O. music, second lines, Creoles, etc. And, LOL at the Mardi Gras t-shirts montage! Gotta love that N'awlins spirit!

All in all, even with my initial reservations, I'm glad I watched this tour-de-force documentary. I love (most of) Spike's "joints" (haven't always agreed with his politics, though); this would rank in the top 5 of my favs (Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing, etc.). If he doesn't win an ishtload of Emmys for this next year (yes, I know this isn't about awards, but still...), the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is going to receive a very nasty letter from me.

(ETA: Kinda surprised Spike didn't interview Mike Tidwell, author of Bayou Farewell, which was my school's summer reading program book last year. He came to speak at our convocation a week before Katrina's devastation. Basically everything he "predicted" in the book came to fruition...irony just isn't the word.)

I had a dream about Mrs. Phyllis Montana-LeBlanc last night. No really.

I really want to read a few of the books by the authors interviewed in the documentary. I also really enjoyed the history lesson -- Creole, funerals, slavery in Louisiana -- last night. It gave me deeper perspective.

"Rebuild, Revive, Renew" ~ Spike Lee

[kiml122]

Originally Posted by CrimsonTide4

In addition to the woman whose 5 year old daughter was with her dad and they did not evacuate. They found the daughter drowned in April.

All the stories about the trailers

Overwhelming is the best word to accurately describe all four parts as well as eye opening but necessary to watch.

OMG I forgot all about the little girl that died and they just finding her, and let's not even talk about that trailer BS.