One of the levees which had protected New Orleans


9 September 2005

By: Ali Ismail

E-mail: aliismail_uk@yahoo.co.uk

Telephone: 0778-842 5262 (United Kingdom)


AMERICA’S UNDERBELLY IS EXPOSED IN LOUISIANA


The conduct of the disadvantaged is raising questions about race and ethnicity





The recent news from New Orleans, Louisiana is so shocking that it is difficult to absorb all the implications of what is most probably an extremely complex phenomenon.

My argument is that to a certain extent New Orleans is a showcase of how those ‘in the other room’, that is to say, those who are ‘Non-White’ but not Asian like ourselves perform in situations of dire emergencies. There is plenty of information-flow from over there to us; the problem is a matter of interpretation.
First, by way of background: much of the city is located below sea-level between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, so the city is surrounded by levees which is the largest such system in the world. Until the early 20th century, construction was largely limited to the slightly higher ground along old natural river levees and bayous, since much of the rest of the land was swampy and subject to frequent flooding. This gave the 19th century city the shape of a crescent along a bend of the Mississippi, thus the origin of the nickname ‘The Crescent City’ There were many warnings in the late 20th century that a major hurricane or a Mississippi flood could create a lake in the central city as much as nine metres (30 feet) deep, which could take literally months to pump dry.
According to the census of 2000, there were 484,674 people, 188,251 households, and 112,950 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 67.25 percent African-American, 28.05 percent White, 0.20 percent Native American, 2.26 percent Asian , 0.02 percent Pacific Islander, 0.93 percent from other races, and 1.28 percent from mixed races and 3.06 percent of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In terms of income, the median income for a household in the city was $27,133, and the median income for a family was $32,338. Males had a median income of $30,862 as against $23,768 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,258. Also, 27.9 percent of the population and 23.7 percent of the families were below the poverty line. Amazingly, of the total population, 40.3 percent of those under the age of 18 and 19.3 percent of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
What I am particularly anxious to impress upon you, dear reader, is that over 65 percent of the population of New Orleans is African American (Black) and that simultaneously over 40 percent of the under 18 population is below the poverty line. In other words, there are an awful lot of poor young Blacks in New Orleans. That is a fact of which the USA and the world is becoming keenly aware.
The other fact that I am anxious to emphasise is that the whole city is below sea-level to an average depth of six feet. That is a potential recipe for disaster if ever I know one. Furthermore, whatever the Feng Shui masters may have to say on the subject at hand, it is a truism that in this life when disasters strike it usually turns out to be the case that those with the least to lose end up losing the most. In flood situations it frequently happens that the poor and socially deprived end up living in low-lying flood-prone areas while the richer and more privileged ones are higher up beyond the reach of even the highest ripine and marine surges. That is the lesson of Bangladesh and it has now become the lesson of New Orleans.
The city suffered from the effects of a major hurricane on 29 August, 2005when Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf coast nearby. At the southern tip of Florida it was recorded as a ‘category one’ hurricane, then moved into the Gulf of Mexico, grew to ‘category five’ and turned north towards New Orleans eventually making landfall as a ‘category four’ hurricane. The city government ordered a mandatory evacuation of the entire city, the first such order ever given in New Orleans. However, due to the lack of logistical planning, particularly in respect of the thousands without cars, many inhabitants were left stranded. Because the eye of the storm missed the city by only 10 to 15 miles, strong winds ravaged the city, shattering windows, spreading debris and bringing heavy rains and flooding to the eastern areas.
The situation worsened on 30 August, 2005, when at least two levees, including one at 17th Street, were breached by the risen waters of Lake Pontchartrain. As much as 89 percent of the city was flooded with water reaching a depth of 25 feet (7.6 metres) in some areas. The most recent estimates of the damage from the storm, by several insurance companies, are US$ 10-25 billion while the total economic loss from the disaster has been estimated at approximately US$ 100 billion. If the storm damage totals reach the estimated maximum, it will be remembered as the costliest hurricane in American history.
Thousands may have died though a final count has not yet been possible. The city government has declared the it to be off-limits to residents and has warned that those remaining may be removed by force for their health and safety.
One fairly conventional viewpoint that came to my attention through the Sojourners organization was penned by Wes Granberg-Michaelson, the general secretary of the Reformed Church of America, writing in the Church Herald for the October 2005 edition:
‘New Orleans was built between the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, with much of the city below sea level. Its vulnerability to flooding from hurricanes was partly protected by the wetlands between the city and the Gulf. These act like a "speed bump," absorbing and lowering some of a hurricane's force. But they've been disappearing, making way for shopping malls, condos, and roads, so 25 square miles are lost each year - an area the size of Manhattan. And the city has kept moving closer to the Gulf.
Moreover, the levees and dams constructed to protect the city and "control" the Mississippi deprive the wetlands from the sediments and nutrients that naturally would replenish its life. There's a lot "unnatural" about this "act of God."
And then, consider the victims. Those who have suffered the most are the poorest, and most of them are black. Twenty-seven percent of New Orleans residents lived below the poverty line, and many of those simply had no cars, or no money, and no way to leave. That also isn't "natural." The poverty rate, and the gap between rich and poor, continues to increase in this nation, and that is a national disgrace. More to our point, that's a sin, condemned by literally hundreds of verses of scripture. Those most vulnerable to Katrina have been kept on society's margins by persistent economic injustice and racism.
I celebrate the tides of compassion flowing in the wake of Katrina. Organizations such as Church World Service and the Salvation Army bear the compassion of Christ to the desolate, homeless, and hopeless. And I still don't fully understand why, in the providence of a loving and all-powerful God of creation, things like hurricanes and earthquakes happen.
But I do know this. When I see the devastating effects of Katrina, I don't simply regard these as an inexplicable "act of God." I also focus on the sins of humanity. We've disobeyed God's clear biblical instructions to preserve the integrity of God's good creation, and to overcome the scourge of poverty. In the aftermath of Katrina, we desperately need not only compassion, but also repentance’.
That is what one would expect from the pen of a socially conscious Churchman. However, there are other viewpoints, very unkind viewpoints, which focus on the conduct of the largely Black shelter seekers in the New Orleans Superdome and Convention Centre where so many went after they were designated as places of (relative) safety from the floodwaters.
Jared Taylor of American Renaissance (www.amren.com) fame wrote:
‘If anything, conditions were worse at the Convention Center. Although on high ground not far from the stadium, it had not been designated as a shelter. It was, however, beyond reach of the high water, and soon some 20,000 people were huddled in its cavernous halls. There were no supplies or staff, and for several days neither FEMA nor the National Guard seems to have known anyone was there.
Armed gangs took control, and occasional gunshots caused panic. There was no power, and at night the center was plunged into complete darkness. Degeneracy struck almost immediately, with rapes, robbery, and murder. Terrible shrieking tore through the night, but no one could see or dared to move. When Police Chief Eddie Compass heard what was happening, he sent a squad of 88 officers to investigate. They were overwhelmed by superior forces and retreated, leaving thousands to the mercy of criminals.
It was not until Sept. 2—four days after the hurricane—that a force of 1,000 National Guardsmen finally took over from the armed gangs. “Had we gone in with a lesser force we may have been challenged, innocents may have been caught in a fight between the guard and military police and those who did not want to be processed or apprehended,” explained Gen. Blum’.
Mr Taylor then reiterated alleged events at the Conventional Centre which were too horrific for the more sensitive female readers of this organ to be exposed to. At all times, however, he was sufficiently undiplomatic to state that it was mostly ‘Non-Europeans’ who were looting, raping and murdering persons who, like themselves, were sheltering from a natural disaster.
That article by Jared Taylor entitled: ‘Africa in our Midst: Lessons from Katrina’ drew 241 comments from web-surfers. One of the more moderate ones from ‘Bethany’ ran as follows:
‘Powerful and penetrating words. New Orleans was another chilling warning to the Western world; but does the Western world listen? That people refuse to open their eyes is the real tragedy. White people everywhere should be unnerved by the savagery and brutality displayed once civil order evaporated.
Contrast Black New Orleans with the plight of poor White Mississippians, who braved devastation with typical White restraint and self-organizational skills. Glaring evidence of real racial differences.
But, White America's conditioning runs deep. Too much fear, too much denial......Too much guilt.
Nevertheless, as the future of the West grows darker, and Whites are confronted by an increasingly hostile non-White majority, they will seek out a voice that represents them’.
Mr Callum Smith of Stornoway said:
“I feel it is very significant that the richest country in the world can be brought to such poverty. I can see the Hand of God in it – that that part of America can be brought to poverty. I don’t go along with the science which says that it is a ‘natural disaster’. Looting? It shows how depraved Man is. It shows what we really are in our hearts.”
My point is that as time goes on and as technology makes the planet as far as us poor Homo Sapiens are concerned, an interconnected ball, the question will arise: ‘How much and how far can ‘Non-Whites’ integrate in a ‘White’ environment? This will be followed by an even more ominous question: ‘How acceptable will ‘Non-Whites’ be in a world in which almost all progress, management, administration and social order are driven by European genes?’
On that the futures of our descendants depend.

THE END