seven thoughts about new orleans june 2011
DESCRIPTION
Prof. Bill Quigley's presentation "Seven Thoughts About New Orleans" from June, 2011.TRANSCRIPT
Seven Thoughts About
New Orleans
1RaceRaceRaceRaceRaceRaceRaceRaceRace
African American Population in New Orleans
2Everyone Left
80,000 left behind
25% of New Orleans Do Not Own Car
100,000 people - 27% of NOLA lived below poverty line
8300 Prisoners Left in Cells
The Result
3Everyone
Suffered Damage
Many Never Made It Out 1,700 direct deaths
Danziger Bridge2 killed4 shot
Seven Police Officers Charged with Murder
Impact on Children?
African American Neighborhoods
Were Most Flooded
Feet of Water
Black – over 10
Dark red – 8 to 10 f
Red – 6 to 8
Yellow – 4 to 6
Blue - 2 to 4
Green 0-2
Scope of DamageMississippiLouisianaAlabamaFlorida
Katrina Damaged
90,000 Square Miles
Area from Boston to Baltimore
Inland hundreds of miles
4Our NeighborsDid Not Want
Us
Before we were close enough to speak, they began firing their weapons over our heads.”
St. Bernard Parish:
September 2005
Rent Only to Blood Relatives
Ordinance
Jefferson Parish Council Passes Resolution Opposing
Tax Credits for Housing. Member
Chris Roberts: "With the number of jobs out there,
nobody should be
on public housing unless you're ignorant or lazy." October 2005
We do not want “thugs” and “trash” from New Orleans
public housing projects.
Everyone with dreadlocks or che-wee
hairstyles will be stopped by law enforcement.”
Sheriff Jack StrainSt. Tammany Parish
Noose Around New Orleans for African-American and Moderate Income Renters
“We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn’t do it, but God did.”
Richard Baker, U.S. Congressman (R-La) Days after Katrina
6Privatization of New Orleans
• Public Schools to Charter Schools
• Public Housing to Private Developers
• Public Healthcare to Private Providers
• Public Oversight to• Private Oversight
September 15, 2005School Board Converts
First Schools to Charters –Meeting in Baton Rouge
Largest Union in LouisianaUnited Teachers of New Orleans
DECERTIFIEDafter 35 years
7500
people
lose
jobs
Refusal to Reopen Public Hospital –that saw 350,000 a year
Demolished 4000 public apartments
7The Money
Who Got the Disaster Contracts?
2% Rule of Gulf Coast
• 98% of the money distributed in a disaster ends up enriching corporations
• 2% gets to the people.
Example #1 – Blue Tarps on Roof
Example - Blue Tarps – 2%
• SHAW GROUP 1st got $175 a square to put on the tarps.
• Shaw subcontracted the work out to A1 CONSTRUCTION for $75 a square.
• A1 subcontracted the work out to a WESCON corporation for $30 a square.
• Who in turn subcontracted it out again to guys who did the work for $2 a square.
Shaw Group got contract for$175 a square (100 sq ft)
-subcontracts for $75/square earns $100 each square-
average roof is 1500 square feet – 15 squares
X 15
Per roof!
A1 Construction gets $75/square subcontracts out for $30/square
X 15
Per roof!
Roofers get $2 per square (of original $175)
Example #2: Ashbritt Inc of Florida• Received no-bid contract
for $579 million to pick up trash in Mississippi
• Miami Herald reports company does not own a single dump truck!
• MH also reported the company gave $40,000 in previous 12 months to GOP lobbying firm
Example # 3: Circle B Enterprises - Georgia
• Awarded $287 million no-bid contract to build FEMA trailers
• Company filed for bankruptcy year before• Company does not have a website• Company had no license to manufacture
trailers in GA.
Example # 4 – Disaster Capitalism
• $200 million in CDBG $ to bail out a private utility corporation, Entergy New Orleans.
• Parent Entergy Inc. reported a net cash flow of $777 million dollars for the third quarter of 2006.
• Louisiana is saying this $200 million in CDBG funds counts as low and moderate income people of New Orleans – most not even back.
Lagniappe
Analysis&
Lessons Learned
Self-Reliance
Value every single life equally
Don’t Wait for a Leader-Become One
Lesson: Prepare for Love-Hate Relationship
with Government
Disaster can be a lens to reveal structural injustices in our community
race gender class
Educational opportunity for us to learn about ourselves, our institutions,
and our communities
Justice-based Reconstructionwill NOT be funded
We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values
Our Hearts Must BeTotally Open
to Injustice and Painand
Totally Opento Hope and Love
Wherever you find tragedy and injustice
You will also find
resistance and
inspiration
Don’t Want CharityDo Want Justice
Do Want Solidarity
If you have come to help meyou are wasting your time.
But if you have comebecause your liberationis bound up with mine,
then let us struggle together.
Solidarity
Lila Watson – Aboriginal Activist Collective
Justice Challenge? Solidarity and Never Again!
www.loyno.edu/~quigley/