2 Years Post Hurricanes Katrina/Rita: Call to Action

[kiml122]

Originally Posted by MsDelta797

The lower 9th ward is impoverished when you compare it to the French Quarter and some areas of Uptown where there are mansions. This is a fairly large area and was 99 to 99.5 percent Black. It was very family oriented there, everybody knew everybody in the neighborhood. Alot of people owned houses and lived there for 30 or more years. People there worked very Hard at jobs that either paid minimum wage or a little over, what you call your working poor. Now, of course this doesnt apply to every individual there because there are exceptions. As far as a bad area, to me crime was all over the city, maybe a few neighborhoods in the lower 9(as we call it) were "hot spots" for crime, but again we have them all over. It still looks like Katrina just hit there. It's very overwhelming and heartbreaking to know that many people will not come back because they simply can't afford to do so. Almost the entire area would have to be demolished because there, at least the part I saw, was no water line. This is the area of the city that would need the most help.
New Orleans East, is also a part of the 9th ward, just not a part of the lower 9th ward. Many people that stayed there are your lower middle to upper middle class. Many people lost everything there as well.
Although I personally didn't stay in the lower 9th ward, I had family and in-laws that did. I have lived in the East.
Everyone is still waiting for the money from the government so that they can rebuild and that hasn't happened yet. Then there are the insurance companies that won't pay as seen on the documentary. So many people are stuck in limbo.
If any of my fellow New Orleanians can add anything Please do.
I hope that this shed some light and answered your question, Soror.

Yes Soror it shed a lot of light, and thanks for the history.

[CrimsonTide4]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/graphics/katrina_then_now/flash.htm

New Orleans and Biloxi, then and now

[AKA_Monet]

I am pissed off...

The Untied States ought not leave this much devastation on its own people.

Spike did a wonderful job relaying the thoughts and ideas of folks. Mostly all those he interviewed were affected in someway by Katrina, with a few exceptions.

The ironic part IMHO, was when one of the survivors saw these guys in uniform and asked them who they were, and they said they were the Royal Canadian Mounted Police from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...

I wonder when Dubya decided to get involved? When Ray Nagin lost it on the Radio? Or when the White House heard the President Hugo Chavez planned on sending support?

The other part that got me was when the radio DJ (I forget his name) was ranting (please don't read this word negatively) about the bigotry he noticed until he just broke down and cried...

It just goes to show you that outright plain hatred is very much alive and well in this country and it rears its demonic head when folks are in utter pain, dishevelment and devastation.

I'm waiting to hear what Chris Rock has to say about this...

[MeezDiscreet]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

The ironic part IMHO, was when one of the survivors saw these guys in uniform and asked them who they were, and they said they were the Royal Canadian Mounted Police from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...

that also struck a chord with me

[StarFish106]

Please tell me someone saw on the ABC World News the Katrina survivior Rockey Vaccarella drove his FEMA trailer to the White House to have a sit down with Bush. He got his time and this is what he said to the Media. But he also has strong Republican ties as well so it figures (IMO)...


"You know, it's really amazing when a small man like me from St. Bernard Parish can meet the President of the United States. The President is a people person. I knew that from the beginning. I was confident that I could meet President Bush.

And my mission was very simple. I wanted to thank President Bush for the millions of FEMA trailers that were brought down there. They gave roofs over people's head. People had the chance to have baths, air condition. We have TV, we have toiletry, we have things that are necessities that we can live upon.

But now, I wanted to remind the President that the job's not done, and he knows that. And I just don't want the government and President Bush to forget about us. And I just wish the President could have another term in Washington."

Link to full article is here: http://www.attytood.com/archives/003647.html

I wanted to him when he said that man deserves another term!

So this comes out right after Spike has shown his Documentary to the world? As to say see it's not so bad and neither is Bush... yeah right, don't think so..

Here is the video (you need Macromedia Flash 8 to see it)
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/guide?ca...349066#2349066

[aopirose]

I haven’t watched Spike’s documentary and I probably won’t, but my neighbor saw it. She grew up in the Lower 9. Her dad still lived there and had a small business nearby. She was even thinking of sending her son to Holy Cross high school, in the 9th ward, last fall (BK – Before Katrina) but decided to keep him here. (They are white btw.) Neighbor said that although she hasn’t been a fan of Spike’s, she thought that the doc was excellent. She has been going around the city since last September taking pictures and documenting everything. Since she is an avid photographer, she has lots of before and after photos. She has been trying to get me down to the NO Museum of Art for months to see the Katrina exhibit. I just can’t do it. It hurts too much.

Mr. aopirose and a sister’s husband came to check on our houses the day after. They took back roads to avoid the road blocks. They passed a cemetery and the tombs had been blown out. They didn’t see any bodies but there were more than a couple of coffins in the trees. I could not imagine how that could be. That is until we were driving along 90 and I saw refrigerators right there in the trees. I am talking about up at the top just hanging out like big ol’ fruit. Pictures tell a thousand words but seeing things like this in person could fill a book or two. My goodness the MS Gulf Coast too and the destruction from Rita which also had an impact on the New Orleans area. It was hard trying to sleep after that.

I still have occasional panic attacks. They strike at the oddest times. We went to the west coast to visit family and one day we decided to see the beach. I was really looking forward to it but I couldn’t get out of the car. The way the waves were crashing on the shore was so rough. It was like when a storm comes but that was normal for that area. I can’t fully express how scared I was at that moment.

Aside from the emotional trauma that people are going through, there are legal troubles as well. A good friend is a real estate agent. She had a client from NO East two weeks ago. The woman was in her late 30’s with a young daughter. They were rescued from the second floor of their home along with her husband. Hubby was a diabetic on a pump. When the electricity went out, the pump did too and he went into shock. The boats came days later but the husband was put into a different one. They haven’t seen or heard about him since. She knows in her heart that he is dead. She would like to buy another home but she can’t sell the old one. Why? Hubby’s name is on the mortgage and he hasn’t given his consent to sell.

There is so much to tell. You just don’t know. Sorry for the ramble. I hardly talk about it.

[AKA2D '91]

TVOne is airing a couple of programs that those of us in the GNO area have been privy to. If you love music, the show @ 8PM CT, highlights brass bands of NO.

FYI

[RedefinedDiva]

Originally Posted by AKA2D '91

TVOne is airing a couple of programs that those of us in the GNO area have been privy to. If you love music, the show @ 8PM CT, highlights brass bands of NO.

FYI

Thanks 2D. I will be tuning in. Hopefully I can hear some Soul Rebels and Rebirth!

[FeeFee]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

I am pissed off...

The ironic part IMHO, was when one of the survivors saw these guys in uniform and asked them who they were, and they said they were the Royal Canadian Mounted Police from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...


I'm waiting to hear what Chris Rock has to say about this...

I was also taken aback when the Canadian Police showed up.
You know Chris Rock got a whole lot to say. I can't wait either.

[neosoul]

I too can't hear what Chris Rock has to say...

I'm looking out for pigs flying across some horizon because Canadians are coming to rescue Americans... I wonder what the temp. in hell is like right now?

[kiml122]

I was thumbing through my new issue of Jet mag that arrived to today that has Outkast on the cover, and while thumbing through, there is a picture of a man and the caption says "Son Sues over Katrina Wheelchair Death". I looked at the picture of the man, and then realized that it's the man who had to leave his mom at the Morial Convention center. It's the man who was on Spike's doc. The one who had to leave his mom at the convention door and make the choice/decision to get on the bus. The man's mom was 91 yrs old, and the atty that is representing the family stated "Let's not forget, she survived the storm. The storm didn't get to her. She didn't survive the rescue"

That is such a powerful statement, and I can't even look at the pic without feeling such sadness. The article says that Ethel Freeman 91 (who was the mother of the man who had to leave her there) and an other covered body outside an entrance to the center came to symbolize the gov'ts slow response to the catastrophic storm.

[jitterbug13]

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 11) - Spike Lee will follow his documentary on Hurricane Katrina with a scripted drama for NBC set in New Orleans.

Titled "NoLa," after the local slang for the Big Easy, the project is a multicultural ensemble exploring the post-Katrina lives of New Orleans residents from different social and economic backgrounds.

"It's a show about the city trying to rebuild itself and the people who are trying to put their lives together," said Lee, who will travel to New Orleans this week with screenwriter Sid Quashie to meet with residents.

Lee began thinking about a TV series set in post-Katrina New Orleans while he was filming his HBO documentary "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts." Like the documentary, "NoLa" will be infused with humor. Lee is set to executive produce and direct the project if NBC decides to turn the script into a pilot.

"It's our goal to make great cinema for television," Lee said of his approach to the show.

Stylistically, he will pay homage to the great tradition of Italian neorealism, a 1942-52 movement in Italian cinema that involved such acclaimed filmmakers as Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini and spawned such films as De Sica's "The Bicycle Thief" and "Miracle in Milan."

Set among the poor and working class and filmed on location, Italian neorealist films contend mostly with the difficult economic and moral conditions of postwar Italy, reflecting the changes in the Italian psyche and the conditions of everyday life: defeat, poverty and desperation.

Lee is taking similar approach to the stories of Katrina survivors who are picking up the pieces of their shattered lives.

"NoLa" would be filmed on location in New Orleans.

"We don't have to build sets," Lee said wryly. "Things there still look like the city's been bombed out."

Taking another page from the book of Italian neorealism, Lee plans to add to the authentic feel of the show by having some of the most colorful people featured in the documentary -- like Phyllis Montana LeBlanc -- written into the script as supporting characters and appear as fictional versions of themselves.

What does everyone, especially those who live in the NO area, think about this? Good idea or bad?

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally Posted by jitterbug13

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 11) - Spike Lee will follow his documentary on Hurricane Katrina with a scripted drama for NBC set in New Orleans.

Titled "NoLa," after the local slang for the Big Easy, the project is a multicultural ensemble exploring the post-Katrina lives of New Orleans residents from different social and economic backgrounds.

"It's a show about the city trying to rebuild itself and the people who are trying to put their lives together," said Lee, who will travel to New Orleans this week with screenwriter Sid Quashie to meet with residents.

Lee began thinking about a TV series set in post-Katrina New Orleans while he was filming his HBO documentary "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts." Like the documentary, "NoLa" will be infused with humor. Lee is set to executive produce and direct the project if NBC decides to turn the script into a pilot.

"It's our goal to make great cinema for television," Lee said of his approach to the show.

Stylistically, he will pay homage to the great tradition of Italian neorealism, a 1942-52 movement in Italian cinema that involved such acclaimed filmmakers as Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini and spawned such films as De Sica's "The Bicycle Thief" and "Miracle in Milan."

Set among the poor and working class and filmed on location, Italian neorealist films contend mostly with the difficult economic and moral conditions of postwar Italy, reflecting the changes in the Italian psyche and the conditions of everyday life: defeat, poverty and desperation.

Lee is taking similar approach to the stories of Katrina survivors who are picking up the pieces of their shattered lives.

"NoLa" would be filmed on location in New Orleans.

"We don't have to build sets," Lee said wryly. "Things there still look like the city's been bombed out."

Taking another page from the book of Italian neorealism, Lee plans to add to the authentic feel of the show by having some of the most colorful people featured in the documentary -- like Phyllis Montana LeBlanc -- written into the script as supporting characters and appear as fictional versions of themselves.

What does everyone, especially those who live in the NO area, think about this? Good idea or bad?

Not from New Orleans, but I can see both the pros and cons of this show.

I wonder if the money from the TV show will be given to the rebuilding of NO, specifically those who are featured in the show. If so, definite pro.

Televising the rebuilding process means that New Orleans remains in our thoughts and won't be easily forgotten.

I wish Spike Lee well with the project and hope he maintains the integrity that we saw in the HBO documentary.

I would tune in to at least the first episode.

[AKA2D '91]

1. I still have not watched the last 2 acts of the doc.
2. I like the effort that is being made. However, can we get some of that manpower to help rebuild neighborhoods? Not to rebuild, but to CLEAN some of the neighborhoods? Many people are saying *bump* the government, let me go out and get more into debt by applying for loans to get SOME work started on their personal efforts to rebuild.

[20plgrl]

I can not stop watching the doc that Spike Lee did on the Katrina aftermath. It is too ironic the way the truth has to be seen on pay TV and not the nationally "free" networks. Why didn't we know that other people (countries) really do care about us? They sent reinforcements and assistance why not the US? Its pitiful and embarassing.
Order My Steps...

AKA Diva...82