Through Whose Vision and in Whose Interest Will New Orleans Rise Again?

With the exvacuation of New Orleans, almost done 5 days after the storm, I've found an excellent commentary at Radio BC about rebuilding New Orleans. My words: Well, it looks like the rich are about to steal from the poor again, and take that coveted land away from poor Black people. But thank goodness commentator Glen Ford can articulate it eloquently. Listen to his words here in Windows Media Player (it's only 3 minutes and 14 seconds). Or read the transcript. But this it the blurb I'll highlight to entice you (emphasis mine),

"[...] As we have witnessed, over and over again, the rich and powerful are very quick to reward themselves as soon as disaster presents the opportunity. Remember that within days of 9/11, the Bush regime executed a multi-billion dollar bailout for the airline industry. By the time you hear this commentary, they may have already used the New Orleans disaster to bail out the insurance industry – one of the richest businesses on the planet. But what of the people of New Orleans, 67 percent of whom are Black?

New Orleans is a poor city. Twenty-eight percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Well over half are renters, and the median value of homes occupied by owners is only $87,000. From the early days of the flood, it was clear that much of the city’s housing stock would be irredeemably damaged. The insurance industry may get a windfall of federal relief, but the minority of New Orleans home owners will get very little – even if they are insured. The renting majority may get nothing.

[...]

In place of the jobs that have been washed away, there could be alternative employment through a huge, federally funded rebuilding effort. But this is George Bush’s federal government. Does anyone believe that the Bush men would mandate that priority employment go to the pre-flood, mostly Black population of the city. And the Black mayor of New Orleans is a Democrat in name only, a rich businessman, no friend of the poor. What we may see in the coming months is a massive displacement of Black New Orleans, to the four corners of the nation. The question that we must pose, repeatedly and in the strongest terms, is: Through whose vision, and in whose interest, will New Orleans rise again."

The displacement of Black people was the foremost question in my mind. I'm anxious to watch the rebuilding of the city, and see how many can even afford to return to their home based on the high value that will be placed on the land and the expontential tourism that will flock to New Orleans to witness this "new" place. Ground Zero became the newest hot spot in this nation after 9/11, with many people going to "pay homage" in between Broadway shows and 5th ave shopping. I'm sure the Gulf Coast will become the newest vacation spot as the rich luxuriate in cities that "turned themselves around" after Hurricane Katrina.

Of course the displacement brings about another important issue: the influx of more Black poor into neighboring communities and the reactionstowards them. Already we are classifying victims as "refugees" while we reprimand them for thier courageous survival acts, and we know how this nation likes to treat refugees, immigrants and the poor. I commend Kanye West for having the heart to directly challenge us all and our actions immediately after this catastrophe. especially with regard to how we view the the poor Black in this nation as a whole. Mr. West speaks about the fact that he went shopping while people were dying, and of course, we know that he wasn't the only one. At least he has the bravery to tell the truth and correct his actions. We know that's something our rich government won't be doing.