‘New Orleans is an anti-war issue’

When Hurricane Katrina hit, anti-war groups were gearing up for a major national demonstration in Washington. Within days, it was clear that the people of the Gulf, particularly in New Orleans, had become the latest victims of a government that will spend hundreds of billions on an imperialist war while slashing funds for human needs at home.

Nellie Bailey

The Troops Out Now Coalition here, which had a conference planned for Sept. 10 to make a final push for the national protest two weeks later, immediately broadened the focus of its meeting. The war had come home, and this coalition, which encompasses many Black and Latin@ organizations as well as labor militants and anti-war activists, was deeply involved in relaying the demands of the besieged people of New Orleans to the anti-war movement as a whole.

Highlights of the conference were an eyewitness report from Teresa Gutierrez, who had returned that morning from Louisiana; a summary by Nellie Bailey of the Harlem Tenants Council of the apocalyptic problems that New York would face in the event of a similar disaster; and the presentation of a people’s program by Larry Holmes on behalf of one of the conference workshops, which drew on demands drawn up by independent community groups in New Orleans.

Gutierrez and John nie Stevens of TONC had interviewed many survivors of the hurricane, in both Hous ton and Loui si ana. She charged that, based on what the delegation had heard, the government had made a decision to “let the tragedy happen,” and she challenged the anti-war move ment and all progressive forces to extend the greatest solidarity to the displaced people of the area. (See Gutierrez’s report in this issue of WW.)

Bailey presented to the conference a detailed report prepared by Black Workers for Infrastructure Revitalization on the deterioration of New York City’s water, electric and sewage systems that make it “another New Orleans in the making.”

Although experts have said that $90 billion needs to be invested in the city’s infrastructure to make it safe, little is being done. Meanwhile, half the men in Harlem can’t get work and the military are trying to lure the youth with false promises of jobs and education.

What can the movement do about this increasingly critical situation?

Larry Holmes of TONC brought to the conference a program for action based on demands generated by meetings of grassroots leaders in the Gulf area. These include:

* Stop the real looters; freeze the awarding of Katrina reconstruction contracts by FEMA until local community organizations, leaders, activists and trade unionists have made public their ideas and plans.

* Local people must control the $52 billion reconstruction fund for New Orleans and the Gulf Coast—not Halliburton and President Bush’s rich friends.

* Stop the execution of Frances Newton. If the State of Texas executes Frances Newton (making her the first Black women to be executed in Texas since 1853) in the wake of Katrina, this legal lynching would be a continuation of the brutal war of racist repression against the Black population of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

* End the military occupation of New Orleans—no forced evacuations.

* Let human rights observers
into New Orleans.

* The right of return for all the people who have been forced from their cities and towns. Katrina must not be turned into an excuse for ethnic
cleansing and gentrification.

* Accept the 1,100 medical doctors offered by Cuba and the resources Venezuela has offered.

* Pay the prevailing wage. Congress and the president must rescind the waiver of the Davis-Bacon Act.

* Extended unemployment benefits, back pay and a guaranteed job for all workers displaced by Katrina.

* The establishment of an
international commission of inquiry into the U.S. government’s response to Katrina.

* Money for Katrina recovery and human needs—not war. Bring the troops home now!

Holmes stressed that TONC would continue to consult with community organizations in the Gulf area as they further elaborate their demands. The Troops Out Now Coalition is urging other coalitions also organizing for the Sept. 24 rally in Washington to support these demands and feature leaders from New Orleans on the platform.

Larry Holmes