Gustav and New Orleans: Again, gov’t focus is on repression
By
Larry Hales
Published Sep 4, 2008 11:38 PM
What could be colder and more callous than this Sept. 2 Associated Press
headline: “Gustav revives question: Is New Orleans worth it?”
Gustav was approaching Louisiana. Local, state and federal officials had begun
posturing, assuring people in the U.S. that the “mistakes” made
before, during and after Hurricane Katrina would not be made again.
Preparations for the Republican National Convention were scaled down, though
police agencies continued to terrorize activists and the people of
Minneapolis-St. Paul to minimize protests.
George W. Bush’s speech on the opening day of the convention was
canceled. John McCain was rumored to be watching the storm to ensure “a
proper response.” The same for Democratic nominee Barack Obama. Mayor Ray
Nagin and Lousiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal issued mandatory
evacuations.
Nagin called Gustav “the mother of all storms” and issued a threat
to those who didn’t evacuate the city of New Orleans, saying,
“Anybody who’s caught looting in the city of New Orleans will go
directly to Angola [Louisiana State Penitentiary]. You will not have a
temporary stay in the city. You go directly to the big house, in general
population,” as he issued a “dusk to dawn” curfew.
On Monday, after the storm made landfall, the director of FEMA announced that
the federal government would not provide assistance to evacuees. People fleeing
the path of the storm would instead have to rely on charitable organizations
like the Red Cross for food and shelter.
A repressive force of police and National Guards numbering over 3,000 patrolled
the city with guns drawn. The front cover of the New York Post showed white
vigilantes holding automatic rifles and threatening to shoot
“looters.” One said, “I haven’t shot anybody yet, but
if I have to, I will.”
These are not the people the police were concerned with, even though white
vigilantes were allowed to roam the streets of New Orleans after Katrina and
were responsible for a number of deaths.
Neither are the police concerned about cops with itchy trigger fingers. Charges
against seven cops who, on Sept. 4, 2005, shot and killed several people on the
Danziger Bridge trying to flee New Orleans were recently dropped.
Yes, it’s worth it
To answer the question posed by the AP article: Yes, New Orleans is worth it.
Especially to the oppressed Black masses, for whom New Orleans is of great
historical and cultural significance.
It is a bastion. Its moniker—the Big Easy—is derived from the
relative ease of musicians to secure gigs. The city’s history is a
testament to the long, arduous struggle of Black people for true
liberation.
While fires and mudslides occur every year in California, often affecting
affluent areas, it is never suggested that the rich move. Rarely are suburban
sprawl and its effects on the environment questioned.
The oil industry in the Gulf Coast has caused the rapid erosion of marshlands,
leaving areas along the coast, especially New Orleans, more vulnerable to
storms. Marsh is a natural buffer but every year, because of industrial
development and the oil industry in particular, miles of this buffer are
lost.
While there has been a great deal of posturing regarding the response to
Gustav, the government of the U.S. capitalist ruling class has no answer in
times of disaster and crisis.
The major media touts the billions of dollars spent on disaster relief. Where
that money went to is lost in the shuffle. Of the reported $133 billion spent
for Gulf Coast recovery, only 30 percent was spent on long-term projects. Most
went to debris removal and the Coast Guard. (Southern Studies Gulf Coast
Reconstruction Watch)
The U.S. Human Rights Network observes that $14.8 billion was allocated to the
Army Corps of Engineers to repair levees—a job that is behind
schedule.
And what of today’s evacuees? The USHRN highlights the attention to
“security” and “law and order” by federal, state and
local governments.
Rosana Cruz of Safe Streets, Strong Communities in New Orleans says correctly,
“The most vulnerable people continue to be those in public housing,
people without ID, the undocumented, people with mental illness and
disabilities, and the hospitalized, so in considering how successful the
evacuation has been, we have to look at how many rights were respected and how
humane the process is.”
The USHRN makes the point that: “Essential social services on which
residents depend have yet to be fully restored, for example public housing,
elderly care services, homeless shelters, and shelters for women and
healthcare. Funds targeted for the reinstitution of social services continue to
be diverted to casinos, ports and other private business interests.”
It notes that people were put on buses without being tracked and were shipped
to places without family members knowing—similar to what happened after
Hurricane Katrina.
Thousands still have not been able to return to New Orleans since Katrina
struck. They are displaced across the country. The Lower Ninth Ward is still a
ghost town, with wrecked shells that used to be churches and overgrown grass
where there used to be homes.
Public housing is disappearing in favor of privately run,
“mixed-housing” units, leaving only a small fraction of low-income
housing. Rents continue to run 46 percent higher than they were pre-Katrina,
and, as the warnings from Mayor Nagin show, police repression is still
high.
Another hurricane will come. It is guaranteed, whether it be Hanna, brooding to
the east of Florida, or another later on this year or next. This capitalist-run
government has no plans to adequately provide for people’s needs and
cannot even ensure a minimum loss of life.
Gustav was much stronger when it struck Cuba, but that socialist island
sustained zero fatalities, removing more than 250,000 people from its path. But
in the affluent U.S., 12 deaths have been attributed to Gustav already.
This capitalist society is based on protecting the profits of a few. It wastes
enormous resources on imperialist war and plunder. It is rebuilding New Orleans
only to make it a playground for the rich. Only a society based on meeting
human needs, which empowers the most oppressed, can ensure that no expense or
resource is spared for the people facing natural disasters.
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
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