Katrina's Hidden Race War

A vigilante shot Donnell Herrington twice shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans.

In this Nation Institute/Hidden Driver exclusive, reporter A.C. Thompson talks with innocent victims and ruthless vigilantes about his expose on shootings of black New Orleans residents fleeing the city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and police misconduct after the storm. And people say we're living in a post-racial society? Hardly. Read the complete story, "Katrina's Hidden Race War" at The Nation.

Algiers Point has always been somewhat isolated: it's perched on the west bank of the Mississippi River, linked to the core of the city only by a ferry line and twin gray steel bridges. When the hurricane descended on Louisiana, Algiers Point got off relatively easy. While wide swaths of New Orleans were deluged, the levees ringing Algiers Point withstood the Mississippi's surging currents, preventing flooding; most homes and businesses in the area survived intact. As word spread that the area was dry, desperate people began heading toward the west bank, some walking over bridges, others traveling by boat. The National Guard soon designated the Algiers Point ferry landing an official evacuation site. Rescuers from the Coast Guard and other agencies brought flood victims to the ferry terminal, where soldiers loaded them onto buses headed for Texas.

Facing an influx of refugees, the residents of Algiers Point could have pulled together food, water and medical supplies for the flood victims. Instead, a group of white residents, convinced that crime would arrive with the human exodus, sought to seal off the area, blocking the roads in and out of the neighborhood by dragging lumber and downed trees into the streets. They stockpiled handguns, assault rifles, shotguns and at least one Uzi and began patrolling the streets in pickup trucks and SUVs. The newly formed militia, a loose band of about fifteen to thirty residents, most of them men, all of them white, was looking for thieves, outlaws or, as one member put it, anyone who simply "didn't belong."

Am I A Spectacle to You?! Are You (Not) Entertained?

Have you ever wondered why when it comes to minorities and non-Europeans the media is seemingly more than happy to show pictures of Africans and minorities in the worst light? When was the last time you saw a picture of a naked little white child with flies buzzing around and a stomach distended due to malnutrition. I'm waiting...you haven't! (According to missionaries I've talked to, donors stateside will not give or sponsor children if they look "too healthy" or appear not to "need assistance". What foolishness!) I get so tired of seeing minorities exploited on TV and print publications, just for the fact that "poverty sells". Unless a minority is scoring a touchdown, dunking a basketball, or performing comedy and making money for big business and advertisers, Western media doesn't tend to publicize them in a positive light the majority of the time. I mean how many times did we have to see pictures of Black "looters" trying to stay alive during Hurricane Katrina, while white "finders" were shown sympathy in the media? Most of the time when we see Blacks or Hispanics on the evening news (or "Cops"), they are wearing dreads and a white tee and being led to jail in handcuffs. Why is this? I believe there are several reasons. One reason is that reporting news of minorities sells papers and magazines because it only further reinforces the institutionalized and cultural biases of WASP's against others who are not like them. After all, if all I see are Blacks making mischief in the projects or getting arrested, I can say, "See! I told you THOSE PEOPLE were no good". What we see in the media then becomes self-fulfilling prophesy of what we wanted to believe anyway in order to make ourselves appear superior. Angela, a friend of mine, expressed her disappointment and disgust to tbt* (Tampa Bay Times magazine, a publication of the St Pete Times) for printing a disgraceful picture of a naked Haitian lady entering labor during Tropical Storm Hanna.

tbt* News Talk, Letters to the Editor 9/10/2008, p. 22
An insensitive photo

Re: Hanna can’t stop this baby (World in Snap photo, tbt*
Sept. 5)

I was a fan of your newspaper until last Friday. I am outraged by the photo showing U.N. peacekeepers carrying a pregnant Haitian pregnant woman in labor into a delivery area during Tropical Storm Hanna. She was naked from her stomach down!

Why would you choose to display such a private moment in your newspaper? I am a brown-skinned minority, and I am greatly offended. It makes the woman look like a National Geographic spectacle. Is that how you see brown-skinned minorities? Would you photograph a pregnant Caucasian woman (regardless of what country she is from) like that? I highly doubt it.

The persons who approved the publication of this photo are insensitive beings. How would you like a photographer to capture your mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, or aunts lying on a cot naked from the stomach down, pregnant and in labor, spread eagle and displayed for a large population to see?

Angela Esquitoria Steele, Tampa

Are You Prepared for Hurricane Weather?

Earlier in August, 2008, I published an informational post on hurricane preparedness as excerpted from The Weather Channel Hurricane Preparedness list for my readers of TheListbyKeto, my e-magazine started in 2006 after completing my MBA at University of South Florida. So I think it fitting that I republish excerpts of this guide for my blog readers as well, especially as the information herein is relevant to all residents of Florida and the South and Southwest of the US. In addition I've provided some basic severe weather definitions. As well, this weekend marks the 3rd Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina of August 29, 2005 whose effects were exacerbated by an incompetent, do-nothing government which had billions of dollars in aid overseas the day after after the Indonesia tsunami of December 26, 2004, but took 3 days to even react to Hurricane Katrina just a few thousand miles away and after President Bush's August 28, 2005 Katrina briefing on the possibility of a category 3 hurricane breaching the levies in New Orleans. Well, it will go down as one of the big failures of an administration that is synonymous with failure. But...at least the Florida Division of Emergency Management is more proactive in emergency management and allows citizens to create their own family disaster plan. Well...stay safe out there!

DEFINITIONS:
Hurricane Season (Atlantic): 1 June - 30 November
Hurricane Watch: Hurricane conditions, sustained winds greater than 73 mph, are possible in the area within 36 hours.
Hurricane Warning: A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected in the area in 24 hours or less.

Safety Before a Tropical Storm or Hurricane

Be Informed
Determine your insurance eligibility now. In addition to high winds, rain and floods are sometimes associated with hurricanes and tropical storms. However, damage caused by flooding is not usually covered in regular homeowners' insurance. The federal government insures against flood damage.

Find out more from:
Your insurance agent
National Insurance Consumer Helpline (1-800-942-4242); The Insurance Information Institute (1-800-331-9146) The National Flood Insurance Program

Learn how your town handles emergencies by contacting:
Your local American Red Cross chapter chapter or check the business listing of your white pages. Your local Emergency Management Agency (EMA)

Be Prepared
Pay attention to local weather reports. Purchase a NOAA Weather Radio and sign up for The Weather Channel's free alerts for your mobile phone or email..

Develop a Family Preparedness Plan that includes the following:
Decide where to go if at home, school, work, outdoors, or in a car when a tornado warning is issued. Update these plans every school year and as places of employment and residence change. Compile a family emergency supplies kit. Make certain everything you need is in one specific, easy-to-access location. These contents can be assembled over a five-month period on a weekly basis, and perishable items should be changed or replaced every six months. To learn more about assembling and refreshing supplies, see the American Red Cross' preparedness information.

Prepare Your Home
There are a number of cost-effective measures that be taken to strengthen the exterior and interior structural integrity of a house. Learn more:

• Preparing Your Home for Hurricanes
• Consider Hurricane Shutters
• Keep Wind and Water Out During a Hurricane

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