The 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina gives us much to think about and, unfortunately, it’s not all positive. What could have been one of this country’s finest hours continues to be a permanent stain on our humanity.
The most recent and long-anticipated news comes on the eve of the 5th anniversary, and that is the murders of two innocent, unarmed African Americans by the NOLA Police Department. Some of us already suspected what happened on the Danziger Bridge in the days following Hurricane Katrina, but now the police officers have admitted it.
All had been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice in its ongoing investigation into the cold-blooded murders of at least two black men. One was mentally challenged Ronald Madison, who received seven bullets to his body, five of them in the back.While he lay dying, an officer kicked and stomped his bullet-ridden body.
The other was James Brissette, a teenager who was shot seven times as he tried to dodge bullets to safety. Several others on the bridge were gunned down but lived to tell their stories.
NOLA police have a long and ugly history of brutality and corruption. As usual, few will remember the heroic efforts of the department during one of the nation’s worst disasters. Rogue cops did then what they tend to do regardless of the situation – to be violent and lawless. The officers have now admitted that they lied in their police reports and made up witnesses including “Lakeisha” to help support their lies. Guns were planted and evidence destroyed.
When you think of what happened to Madison, Brissette and even Henry Glover, who was killed in a separate incident and his car torched by police with his body inside, you know that resilience and determination can only go so far in situations like this.
What continues to happen, or not happen, in not just New Orleans but the Gulf Coast in general, is a result of a government and corporate partnership. Tens of thousands haven’t returned to New Orleans because the government has not delivered on its housing promises, ensuring there’s no place to live. The housing which is being developed goes for three to five times that of rental and mortgage rates pre-Katrina. Any public institutions that could attract more of the city’s poor or working-class citizens back to the city, such as schools and hospitals, have been kept on ice.
The villains who are controlling who gets to live in the new New Orleans are really no different than those who try to control who gets to live period.
At a time when man-made disasters like the BP oil spill and the breaking of the levees which caused major flooding, it’s not easy to keep drumming up sentiment for the victims. The lives of those on the planet are being made more difficult every day as corporate greed creates an ecological crisis of unthinkable proportions.
The lessons for the Gulf Coast affect all of us. We should not forget that thousands of residents have yet to be made whole, their fractured lives still waiting for government glue to put it all back together. We should step up our challenge of the government, the one that we pay taxes to care for us in our hour of need. We should demand accountability and retribution from the corporate bloodsuckers whenever they create havoc in our communities.
Yes, the strength of the people along the Gulf Coast is inspirational but they can’t do it alone. Pressure must be put on the Obama administration to turn up the heat on those in the Gulf who are deliberate blocking the way of families wanting to return or who are already there trying earn a living and to live a decent, productive life.
On August 29, 2010 don’t’ feel sorry for the Gulf residents as you re-live Hurricane Katrina through the images brought to us. Instead, re-commit yourself to being a part of the righteous bloc of humanity that will make this country a safe and thriving place for all of its citizens regardless of the region.