New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com

New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com (https://blackandgold.com/community/)
-   Saints (https://blackandgold.com/saints/)
-   -   As fans we need to read this... (https://blackandgold.com/saints/9997-fans-we-need-read.html)

JOESAM2002 09-04-2005 08:12 AM

As fans we need to read this...
 
I know this needs to be in the everything else thread but with the board reading like it has been lately I thought we all needed to read this. Halo feel free to move it when you want.

by Anne Rice

What do people really know about New Orleans?


Do they take away with them an awareness that it has always been not only a great white metropolis but also a great black city, a city where African-Americans have come together again and again to form the strongest African-American culture in the land?


The first literary magazine ever published in Louisiana was the work of black men, French-speaking poets and writers who brought together their work in three issues of a little book called L'Album Littéraire. That was in the 1840's, and by that time the city had a prosperous class of free black artisans, sculptors, businessmen, property owners, skilled laborers in all fields. Thousands of slaves lived on their own in the city, too, making a living at various jobs, and sending home a few dollars to their owners in the country at the end of the month.


This is not to diminish the horror of the slave market in the middle of the famous St. Louis Hotel, or the injustice of the slave labor on plantations from one end of the state to the other. It is merely to say that it was never all "have or have not" in this strange and beautiful city. Later in the 19th century, as the Irish immigrants poured in by the thousands, filling the holds of ships that had emptied their cargoes of cotton in Liverpool, and as the German and Italian immigrants soon followed, a vital and complex culture emerged.


Huge churches went up to serve the great faith of the city's European-born Catholics; convents and schools and orphanages were built for the newly arrived and the struggling; the city expanded in all directions with new neighborhoods of large, graceful houses, or areas of more humble cottages, even the smallest of which, with their floor-length shutters and deep-pitched roofs, possessed an undeniable Caribbean charm.


Through this all, black culture never declined in Louisiana. In fact, New Orleans became home to blacks in a way, perhaps, that few other American cities have ever been. Dillard University and Xavier University became two of the most outstanding black colleges in America; and once the battles of desegregation had been won, black New Orleanians entered all levels of life, building a visible middle class that is absent in far too many Western and Northern American cities to this day.


The influence of blacks on the music of the city and the nation is too immense and too well known to be described. It was black musicians coming down to New Orleans for work who nicknamed the city "the Big Easy" because it was a place where they could always find a job. But it's not fair to the nature of New Orleans to think of jazz and the blues as the poor man's music, or the music of the oppressed.


Something else was going on in New Orleans. The living was good there. The clock ticked more slowly; people laughed more easily; people kissed; people loved; there was joy. Which is why so many New Orleanians, black and white, never went north. They didn't want to leave a place where they felt at home in neighborhoods that dated back centuries; they didn't want to leave families whose rounds of weddings, births and funerals had become the fabric of their lives. They didn't want to leave a city where tolerance had always been able to outweigh prejudice, where patience had always been able to outweigh rage. They didn't want to leave a place that was theirs.


And so New Orleans prospered, slowly, unevenly, but surely - home to Protestants and Catholics, including the Irish parading through the old neighborhood on St. Patrick's Day as they hand out cabbages and potatoes and onions to the eager crowds; including the Italians, with their lavish St. Joseph's altars spread out with cakes and cookies in homes and restaurants and churches every March; including the uptown traditionalists who seek to preserve the peace and beauty of the Garden District; including the Germans with their clubs and traditions; including the black population playing an ever increasing role in the city's civic affairs.


Now nature has done what the Civil War couldn't do. Nature has done what the labor riots of the 1920's couldn't do. Nature had done what "modern life" with its relentless pursuit of efficiency couldn't do. It has done what racism couldn't do, and what segregation couldn't do either. Nature has laid the city waste - with a scope that brings to mind the end of Pompeii.


I share this history for a reason - and to answer questions that have arisen these last few days. Almost as soon as the cameras began panning over the rooftops, and the helicopters began chopping free those trapped in their attics, a chorus of voices rose. "Why didn't they leave?" people asked both on and off camera. "Why did they stay there when they knew a storm was coming?" One reporter even asked me, "Why do people live in such a place?"


Then as conditions became unbearable, the looters took to the streets. Windows were smashed, jewelry snatched, stores broken open, water and food and televisions carried out by fierce and uninhibited crowds. Now the voices grew even louder. How could these thieves loot and pillage in a time of such crisis? How could people shoot one another? Because the faces of those drowning and the faces of those looting were largely black faces, race came into the picture. What kind of people are these, the people of New Orleans, who stay in a city about to be flooded, and then turn on one another?


Well, here's an answer. Thousands didn't leave New Orleans because they couldn't leave. They didn't have the money. They didn't have the vehicles. They didn't have any place to go. They are the poor, black and white, who dwell in any city in great numbers; and they did what they felt they could do - they huddled together in the strongest houses they could find. There was no way to up and leave and check into the nearest Ramada Inn.


What's more, thousands more who could have left stayed behind to help others. They went out in the helicopters and pulled the survivors off rooftops; they went through the flooded streets in their boats trying to gather those they could find. Meanwhile, city officials tried desperately to alleviate the worsening conditions in the Superdome, while makeshift shelters and hotels and hospitals struggled.


And where was everyone else during all this? Oh, help is coming, New Orleans was told. We are a rich country. Congress is acting. Someone will come to stop the looting and care for the refugees. And it's true: eventually, help did come. But how many times did Gov. Kathleen Blanco have to say that the situation was desperate? How many times did Mayor Ray Nagin have to call for aid? Why did America ask a city cherished by millions and excoriated by some, but ignored by no one, to fight for its own life for so long? That's my question.


I know that New Orleans will win its fight in the end. I was born in the city and lived there for many years. It shaped who and what I am. Never have I experienced a place where people knew more about love, about family, about loyalty and about getting along than the people of New Orleans. It is perhaps their very gentleness that gives them their endurance.


They will rebuild as they have after storms of the past; and they will stay in New Orleans because it is where they have always lived, where their mothers and their fathers lived, where their churches were built by their ancestors, where their family graves carry names that go back 200 years. They will stay in New Orleans where they can enjoy a sweetness of family life that other communities lost long ago.


But to my country I want to say this: During this crisis you failed us. You looked down on us; you dismissed our victims; you dismissed us. You want our Jazz Fest, you want our Mardi Gras, you want our cooking and our music. Then when you saw us in real trouble, when you saw a tiny minority preying on the weak among us, you called us "Sin City," and turned your backs. Well, we are a lot more than all that. And though we may seem the most exotic, the most atmospheric and, at times, the most downtrodden part of this land, we are still part of it. We are Americans. We are you.

Euphoria 09-04-2005 12:13 PM

RE: As fans we need to read this...
 
Sin City is Vegas... I don't think they looked down or dismissed anyone. I think the local mayor, and the govenor had totally mismanaged the resources and there positions. They failed to have a 'plan' if the levee ever broke. They lied about having a plan and they lied that they have practice/drilled over and over in case something like this happened. Agencies I am sure we will know in time that they failed to respond in a timely manner and I am hearing this isn't the first time they failed to responed quickly...(Andrew). The magnitude of this just spotlighted the ineffeciencies of our agencies and our local and stage government as well as federal agencies. Things were set up to have the local and federal agencies handle such matters and they failed so the White House has to step in and take over.

CheramieIII 09-04-2005 12:26 PM

RE: As fans we need to read this...
 
I agree with you E, the management of the city by city officials has been the defining factor of this tragedy. Blame the feds for what they should have been prepared for all along. I thought the Mayor's job was to manage the city in good and bad times, not showing many management skills now is he.

saintz08 09-04-2005 01:06 PM

RE: As fans we need to read this...
 
Quote:

I know this needs to be in the everything else thread but with the board reading like it has been lately I thought we all needed to read this. Halo feel free to move it when you want.
Rebellion on the Saints board .

:lightsabres:

Euphoria 09-04-2005 01:09 PM

RE: As fans we need to read this...
 
if that was the case we need to change the name of the board to the Team without a home Saints

saintz08 09-04-2005 02:07 PM

RE: As fans we need to read this...
 
Quote:

if that was the case we need to change the name of the board to the Team without a home Saints
Welcome to the 2005 season of :

The Gypsy Saints

BrooksMustGo 09-04-2005 03:33 PM

Quote:

I think the local mayor, and the govenor had totally mismanaged the resources and there positions.
Maybe. It seems like the levees are still a federal issue since the state/city isn't responsible to fund/maintain them. The corps of engineers and fema bear plenty of responsibility too.

Quote:

They failed to have a 'plan' if the levee ever broke. They lied about having a plan and they lied that they have practice/drilled over and over in case something like this happened.
This could be pretty damning for the city and state though...

Quote:

Things were set up to have the local and federal agencies handle such matters and they failed so the White House has to step in and take over.
I don't know what I think about this. Declaring a federal disaster in advance of the storm seems mean the feds carry plenty of blame for dragging their feet too though.

I do wish that the state had forcibly evacuated the entire city before the storm hit.

I suspect that part of the problem will be from deciding who would pick up the bill for calling out the Guard.

I'm not real dogmatic about any of it though. There will be plenty of blame to go around on the way this was handled. .02

Euphoria 09-04-2005 03:50 PM

Army Corps of Engeneers and FEMA doesn't bare the responsibility of the levee breaking... the City and State does. THey plan for such things and suppose to have a team to immediatley respond to fix it. Army got in and was like..."where are these people, where is the equipment". They are being called in now to fix it. Fema only response to desaster relief...

BrooksMustGo 09-04-2005 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Euphoria
Army Corps of Engeneers and FEMA doesn't bare the responsibility of the levee breaking... the City and State does. THey plan for such things and suppose to have a team to immediatley respond to fix it. Army got in and was like..."where are these people, where is the equipment". They are being called in now to fix it. Fema only response to desaster relief...

maybe

spkb25 09-04-2005 06:34 PM

i think that the government should just take our entire checks and hand them out to everyone equally. this way everyone would have the same regardless of work ethic. that is what i belive because that is what gives people drive to succeed. but hey i am probably wrong as usual. communism communsim communism save us all. capitalism you reawrd the hard work of people please go away. you ugly monster.

spkb25 09-04-2005 06:42 PM

they failed the city by the 200 million already raised by the red cross in 4 or 5 days. dont remember the exact amount of days but it was 4 or 5. . they siad they could seee more raised then the 911 terror or the sunami incident. but hey we americans failed you. finally got a call back from the red cross today on taking a family in. but we failed you. all americans care regardless of anything. we are helping. but we failed. get a grip.

saintz08 09-04-2005 08:06 PM

Quote:

Army Corps of Engeneers and FEMA doesn't bare the responsibility of the levee breaking... the City and State does. THey plan for such things and suppose to have a team to immediatley respond to fix it. Army got in and was like..."where are these people, where is the equipment". They are being called in now to fix it. Fema only response to desaster relief...

Corps Prepares for Hurricane Katrina

In anticipation of Hurricane Katrina making landfall along the north-central Gulf Coast near New Orleans, the Mississippi Valley Division (MVD), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, based in Vicksburg, Mississippi, began preparations Friday to support hurricane response operations.

"Right now, we are tracking the path of Katrina," said David Sills, Chief of the MVD Emergency Operations Center. "MVD’s primary mission in response to hurricane threats is supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) emergency operations. Last year MVD personnel responded to four major hurricanes, so we've got a good idea how tough this mission will be if Katrina hits the Mississippi or Louisiana Gulf Coast."

"I am proud of our employees and their spirit of service in a time a need," said Brig. Gen. Robert Crear, Mississippi Valley Division commander. "Team members are all volunteers, some of whom have just recently returned from service in Iraq."

With an estimated 500 Corps personnel still deployed in support of the Global War on Terror, it will require an even larger contingent of Corps personnel to support emergency operations if Katrina comes ashore in our area of responsibility as a Category 4 or 5 hurricane. Anticipating potential requirements to pump water out of New Orleans, the Corps has begun discussions with partners to preposition assets to conduct un-watering operations should Katrina strike the southern Louisiana and New Orleans area.

And while still not knowing the exact path Katrina will settle on, MVD planners are not standing by and guessing what assets will be needed. The Corps has teams that are trained and ready to move into impacted areas with necessary support like ice, water, temporary power, housing and roofing, and debris removal. The division is posturing elements of the response plan from as far away as Hawaii so that it can most quickly react either to a strike on New Orleans or other parts of the Gulf Coast.

"Teams from our six districts and other districts in the U.S. are trained, rehearsed and ready to move into the area with FEMA and state emergency management teams as soon as practical," said Crear. "We also want to make sure our employees and their families are safe while providing continuity of operations."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducts its emergency response activities under two basic authorities: the Flood Control and Coastal Emergency Act (P.L. 84-99, as amended) and the Stafford Disaster and Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 93-288, as amended). Under the Stafford Act, the Corps supports the Federal Emergency Management Agency in carrying out the National Response Plan, which calls on 26 Federal departments and agencies to provide coordinated disaster relief and recovery operations.

The Mississippi Valley Division has a primary role in support of the National Response Plan. The plan describes the basic structure by which the federal government will mobilize resources and conduct response and recovery activities to assist states and local governments in coping with the consequences of significant natural or man-made disasters, to include terrorist events.

Within this plan, the Department of Defense has designated the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as the primary agency for planning, preparedness and response under the Emergency Support Function #3, Public Works and Engineering. The type of assistance provided by the Corps includes restoration of critical public services and facilities, including supply of adequate amounts of potable water and ice, temporary restoration of water supply systems, provision of temporary emergency electrical power, temporary emergency housing, structural evaluation of buildings and damage assessment, and clearance, removal, and disposal of debris.

The Mississippi Valley Division is responsible for emergency preparedness and developing plans for all hazards response. In addition, each of its six districts has a specific primary mission assignment for execution in support of FEMA under the National Response Plan. These missions are executed by a Planning and Response Team trained specifically for the assigned mission. These teams may respond within the Mississippi Valley area or may be deployed worldwide.

MVD includes portions of 12 states and encompasses 370,000 square miles.

The district offices that conduct the programs and activities overseen by the Mississippi Valley Division are located in St. Paul, Minn.; Rock Island, Ill.; St. Louis, Mo.; Memphis, Tenn.; Vicksburg, Miss.; and New Orleans, La.

Quote:

The Mississippi Valley Division is responsible for emergency preparedness and developing plans for all hazards response
Guess that plan did not work .

BrooksMustGo 09-04-2005 09:29 PM

Thanks for the post 08, it seems to clear some things up about the past week.

saintz08 09-04-2005 10:56 PM

FEMA has athorization on Sat . the 27th to begin .

Quote:

Emergency Aid Authorized For Hurricane Katrina Emergency Response In Louisiana


Release Date: August 27, 2005
Release Number: HQ-05-169


WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, today announced that Federal resources are being allocated to support emergency protective response efforts response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina.

Brown said President Bush authorized the aid under an emergency disaster declaration issued following a review of FEMA's analysis of the state's request for federal assistance. FEMA will mobilize equipment and resources necessary to protect public health and safety by assisting law enforcement with evacuations, establishing shelters, supporting emergency medical needs, meeting immediate lifesaving and life-sustaining human needs and protecting property, in addition to other emergency protective measures.
The parishes of Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn were designated eligible for assistance. In addition, federal funds will be available for public safety debris removal and emergency protective measures at 75 percent of approved costs.

Brown named William Lokey of FEMA to coordinate the federal relief effort. FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:08 PM.


Copyright 1997 - 2020 - BlackandGold.com