Upcoming visit

This weekend, I am going to be visiting New Orleans again. I am upset by Mayor Nagin's comments yesterday that New Orleans will once again be "chocolate."

Speaking to a fraction of the crowd typically drawn to a holiday parade honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin on Monday predicted that displaced African-American residents will return to the rebuilt city and it "will be chocolate at the end of the day."

Is this really such a bad thing? I am not opposed to his idea, but I just don't like the way his sits with me for some reason. Maybe that's because I want to believe that New Orleans is a nice roux with a bunch of stuff thrown in to make some great flavor.

On this visit, I plan on doing some things to help my friends and neighbors. I will attend the rally on the levee at the Army Corps of Engineers building. I will drive around aimlessly and ask people if they need help. I will get dirty and moldy and clean and help rebuild. You know why? Because people need help. Money is nice. But money doesn't take down sheetrock. Money doesn't clean china or heirlooms or refrigerators. Money helps pay the bills on a non-usable piece of property. I get the feeling that people would rather have their houses and lives back to some kind of normal More than money can provide. So I am going to help people house by house. If you are in need of some help, let me know. I will be there Friday afternoon until Monday morning, ready, willing, and able to work.

UPDATE: Nagin apologized for his comment, according to CNN this afternoon. Still, I would rather him concentrate on getting things done instead of giving speeches. That's the problem with politicians - they "look" like they know what they are doing.

View this

This video is interesting, but it doesn't show what happened during Rita.

Compromise

I have read this article by Wade Rathke of ACORN. I plan on finding out more about ACORN, but I am getting the strong sense that there is no plan that can work because no one will compromise. FLASHBACK STORY: When I was in college, I had a roommate that I couldn't stand. Another friend had a roommate that he couldn't stand. When I suggested that perhaps we consider trading rooms and, therefore, roommates, I was met with universal anger. There was no compromising. No one wanted to give up their room no matter how miserable they were. As a result, I moved out never to return or talk to any of them. (Maybe I was rash and young, but don't miss the point.) If people don't start communicating (the "leaders" and businessmen and developer and residents) and compromising (agreeing that some things may need to change though others may not), then ill will will prevail. People will think there is some sort of conspiracy (as has already happened).

My advice to the" leaders" of New Orleans, the state, and the country:
Did you learn nothing from the Hurricane? Communicate. Don't just expect that people have a voice. Post actual bulletins in actual neighborhoods. Talk to people face to face. Drive through a ward with a bullhorn or speaker on top of a car. Who in the hardest hit neighborhoods has power? a working television? a working radio? a telephone? Get up, drive around, talk to people, tell them what is going on. Be a CIVIL person and be accountable to the people who elected you. Stop missing the boat on this. You send a bulldozed into a neighborhood full of people who haven't seen a "leader" in months, and you are asking for trouble. Go there. Allay fears. Comfort. Empathize. Make people understand what you are trying to do. Don't expect them to know.
My advice to the New Orleanians who are angry (rightfully):
Make your voice heard, but try to think about the big picture. Don't dismiss ideas without hearing them. I hope to god that it doesn't turn out that the levees were destroyed on purpose, but give the people in charge the benefit of the doubt. They need you to be strong. You won't like every decision that is made. You aren't supposed to. That's why those folks have to run for office every so often. If they do enough good in your eyes, vote for them again. If they don't, vote them out. But for the sake of the city, give them a listen. (I am with you on this point: the city council and mayor and the public officials that you have elected need to be making decisions about your city. Business men and developers who worship the dollar shoud not be deciding anything without YOUR approval.)

Now, everybody just play nice. Help each other . Rebuild our city, already. Start with the levees.

Letter to Congressman Dent

I wrote this letter to Congressman Dent, Senator Specter, and Senator Santorum today. Of course, the office is closed for "staff training" and then again on Monday for Martin Luther King, JR. Day. I hope he calls me before I head down to New Orleans next week.

Here is my letter:

Congressman Dent, Senator Santorum and Senator Specter,
While I understand that it is a long way from Pennsylvania, I am asking you to vote for any and all bills that help to rebuild New Orleans. Not only is New Orleans important to me (I was born, raised, and was able to convince my wife to marry me there this last summer), but it is also a vital area to the nation. Its port, its cultural importance, and its people are all crucial assets in the fabric of the United States. To lose this dynamic and vibrant and important city would be beyond words. I know that there are other issues - immigration, medicare, the war on terror - that need to be discussed and reviewed and decided upon. However, New Orleans is an issue that is beyond discussion and review. Americans of all colors, rich and poor, have lost their homes, livelihoods, hobbies, jobs, and friends. And America is in danger of losing an entire city.

I was there when the hurricane approached and evacuated with my mother. I returned in October to find that improvements and other promises have not been fulfilled. It is my understanding that these promises still have not been fulfilled. New Orleans needs levees. New Orleans needs financial assistance to rebuild infrastructure and schools and hospitals. New Orleans needs help in a bad way. I am asking for your help. Everyday that you wait is one day closer to the next hurricane.

I am always willing and able to talk about my hometown. I love it, and I can't believe that it is gone as I knew it. If you get a chance to see it, you should. For the most part, it has been devastated and defies description. Please help the people of this great country, of the great State of Louisiana, and of the great City of New Orleans forego the loss of a prized jewel.
Sincerely,
Stephen Mitchell

Arrgh.

I am reading this article (referenced by Polimom). Whoa.

Regionalism? In New Orleans?

This could be the first step in something great. The rest of the state of Louisiana views the metro area (and New Orleans in particular) as a drain on all the rest of the state. Part of that is because of widespread incompetence and corruption. The fact that so much state money flows to an ineffective judicial system, a redundant policing system, and rampant crime does not make for a nice picture (this on top of the complete and utter failure of the independent New Orleans School Board for the last 30+ years). I think people would be much more inclined to respect a place and support an historical and cultural outpost if the money that was sent there was used to improve the image of the state instead of lining the pockets of political hacks and cronies.
So we didn't get a regional levee board yet. At least someone seems to be getting it. We are stronger together than as individuals. This works in terms of parishes, too. If we could just get the school board to follow along...

What happened

Read. Then you can tell me.
I wasn't there. I don't know, but this story seems to confirm the things I heard in the days after Katrina. It seems that the first stories we heard were true and everything after has been attempts to "fix" or "mend" the rumors that New Orleans was a dangerous place. That's no rumor. That's the truth. Remember?