2010 NFL Season Kicks Off Thursday in New Orleans

Posted on September 9, 2010 by theurbanllama

NFL Ground Zero in the French Quarter - Sheraton Hotel on Canal Street.

The Saints are coming! The Saints are coming!

The 91st National Football League season unfurls its ever-expanding tentacles upon the nation tonight, when Drew Brees and the World Champion New Orleans Saints stage a rematch of last year’s NFC title game against drama queen Brett Favre, and the Minnesota Vikings.

Since the 2004 season, the defending Super Bowl champion has hosted the NFL’s kickoff game the following season. Slated to be a celebration to honor the victorious New Orleans Saints, along with their home city and the new football season, the NFL is hosting a one hour kickoff special.

NBC and the NFL Network will broadcast the “NFL Opening Kickoff 2010 Presented by EA Sports,” beginning at 7:30 PM ET , prior to the actual game at the Louisiana Superdome, which follows an hour later.

The NFL's multi-tiered stage takes shape in the French Quarter.

As many of you already know, my wife Mïa is working with her Jazz Fest brethren at Festival Productions, to put on this extravaganza for the NFL. They have tirelessly worked 12 to 16-hour days out in the rain, heat and humidity, for the past two weeks to facilitate the stage construction and manage on-site details in Jackson Square, where the event will be held.

Venerable broadcaster Bob Costas is hosting the festivities, which include a Mardi Gras-styled victory parade through the French Quarter for the Saints, and performances by the Dave Matthews Band and Taylor Swift.

The “Krewe of NFL Kickoff” parade should start at 5:00 PM. New Orleans musical acts such as the Rebirth Brass Band and the Soul Rebels will be performing aboard floats. Joining them will be marching bands from Tulane University, McDonogh 35 High School, Warren Easton Charter High School, Eleanor McMain Secondary School, West Jefferson High School and Sophie B. Wright Charter Middle School, who will be blasting out numbers in between the floats.

Also expected on hand are several former NFL players, including Marcus Allen, Jerome Bettis, Floyd Little and Thurman Thomas, as well as former Saints favorites Morten Andersen, Joe Horn, Michael Lewis, Dalton Hilliard, Pat Swilling and Willie Roaf.

The concert is free to the public, and revelers who venture to Jackson Square should be able to view it from numerous spots, with the help of giant video screens. Only fans with passes will be able to access official viewing areas between the stage and the cathedral in Jackson Square. People who have registered at the Web site http://www.1iota.com have a chance at securing those passes.

Statue of General Andrew Jackson and the St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square.

Keep in mind these festivities are not meant for those attending the game. It will be a sea of tourists and blocked streets from Decatur Street over to Poydras, where the Superdome is located. Aside from the NFL execs and VIPs, who will be escorted from the staging area to the game, those with tickets should think twice, or risk missing the beginning of the game, which promises to be quite an event in itself.

After the last song is played, NBC will cut away to inside the Superdome, where officials will unveil the division, conference and Super Bowl championship banners the Saints won last season to a capacity crowd of impassioned Who Dats.

NBC is describing its approach to this game as Olympics-level attention. Hopefully that doesn’t mean we’re going to be subjected to additional over-produced, melodramatic stories of Saints players and their families triumphing over some kind of contrived adversity. This is football for God’s sake, not figure skating.

What should be compelling all by itself is the emotion coming out of the Who Dat Nation from every bar and living room across the region, but especially inside the Superdome.

When they dim the lights and begin showing clips from the 31-28 overtime victory on the screens in the dome, everyone is going to immediately flash back to that moment when Favre threw the ill-advised pass across his body and the field, that wound up in the hands of Saints cornerback Tracy Porter.

That allowed the game to go into overtime, then Garrett Hartley iced it with his clutch 40-yard field goal, ending 42 years of struggle and frustration for the Saints organization and its fans.

A human statue mans his post by the horse and buggy stands across from the NFL stage being erected.

The emotion from that victory continues to resonate in New Orleans. With the Katrina anniversary having passed only last week, and the BP oil spill ongoing, it’s the Saints that have provided everyone some hope, and a momentary respite from the seriousness of reality.

After those clips play, and that Super Bowl banner drops, the noise inside the Superdome and around New Orleans will be deafening.

Mike Triplett’s story today in the Times-Picayune described it well.

The Saints have tried to prepare for the atmosphere. They snuck over to the Dome for a Tuesday practice and mimicked some of the theatrics so players would know what to expect. But it might prove futile to treat the moment like any other day at the office.

“When you lower the banner and drop that from the rafters, you get goose bumps just thinking about that moment happening,” said Saints linebacker Scott Shanle, adding that both the atmosphere and the memories of that specific playoff matchup will eliminate any notion of the Super Bowl champs coming out flat.

“When you look at that game, arguably it was probably the best played football game of last season,” Shanle said, referring to the intensity more than the actual preciseness of play. “And I think if you asked just an average football fan, ‘What rematch would you like to see?,’ I think it would probably be the Vikings and the Saints. It was a remarkable game, and there weren’t too many games I can remember playing where each team, one play here or there (could have made the difference). I mean, a lot of people say that a lot of times, but it was so close in every phase. We just happened to make a play at the right time.”

The NFL's version of wrought iron treatments for its balcony level on the Kickoff Special stage in the French Quarter.

That raw emotion could seal the deal for the Saints, along with the Vikings fate in this game. It’s going to be awfully hard for Minnesota to match the intensity level of the Saints.

Favre is a historic player, and one of the original tough guys, but I have a feeling some of those bruises from the NFC title game have yet to heal – at least mentally. Not sure how psyched Brett is going to be to face that defense again on the Saints’ home field, with all that raw energy surging through those defenders.

I’ve also heard the NFL is including some favorable Favre footage in the video montage to be featured before the game – as a tribute to this first ballot Hall of Famer. I can hear the boos already. Deafening and brutal.

Good luck Wrangler boy.

Enjoy the festivities and the game everyone.

“Who dat say they going to beat them Saints – who dat, who dat!”

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The Lower 9th Ward Bounce Back

Posted on September 6, 2010 by theurbanllama

9th Ward Church memorial and abandoned property, August 29, 2010.

Here are a couple shots from the Lower 9th Ward that I took on Hurricane Katrina’s fifth anniversary. Misconceptions continue to abound about this area. I hear people suggest it was full of thugs, squatters and hovels. In reality the Lower 9th Ward had the highest percentage of owner occupied housing in Orleans Parish. This neighborhood was a tight-knit community. Perhaps a little rough around the edges, but genuine through and through.

Admittedly this area should never have been developed, but that wasn’t a decision the residents made. It was a money grab. A cheap way to make a buck off sub-par land, that could be developed and marketed to African Americans at affordable prices.

A ramshackle residence on N. Derbiny and Lizardi, Aug. 29, 2010.

They weren’t grand abodes necessarily, but they were family homes, often multi-generational. Grandparents, their kids and the grandchildren all living together under one roof. While sometimes dysfunctional, this neighborhood had a rich social history, and strong roots that held people together through thick and thin.

Like many ill-conceived plans, the Lower 9 hobbled along in obscurity to much of the world. It was populated by a marginalized segment of society, who lived their lives, but existed in the shadows of greater New Orleans, voluntarily segregated, until 2005, when the levees were breached in the 9th Ward and houses were swept off their foundations. Then this dirty little secret went public.

The smart move would have been for the city to step in and declare the Lower 9th Ward off-limits, and designate it as green space. That way a flood-prone section of town would not again be put at risk, and rebuilding funds could be allocated elsewhere.

But this situation isn’t that simple. The argument sounds logical enough, but not to somebody who lived in one of these 4,000 houses that were laid to waste. It was their neighborhood – generations of families grew up here and you can’t just wipe that slate clean and expect people who lived in such a dense social setting to simply move on with life in say majority-white Utah.

Fats Domino’s flooded residence on Caffin Street, in the Lower 9th Ward, Oct. 2005. Domino and his family elected to ride out Katrina in their residence, partly due to his wife’s poor health. The family was trapped in their attic until a Coast Guard helicopter rescued them on September 1, 2005.

Between spineless politicians and legal ramifications, it was unrealistic to make the Lower 9 a green space. Like much of New Orleans, reality confounds stereotypes. This place is neither made up or operates like any other major city. Some people had the right insurance, others did not, and for whatever reason, mortgage companies failed to require adequate flood coverage when loans were secured. This ambiguity left a lot of folks twisting in the wind after Katrina.

The consequences of not officially closing this neighborhood, especially for those lacking flood coverage, meant there was little option but to return to the 9th Ward. While far from ideal, if you owe money on property, or can’t sell what’s left, that’s where you gotta go. These are proud people, and they’ve stepped up to the responsibility of making their life again in the Lower 9.

The remains of a residence on the 2400 block of Deslonde.

Even for those with sufficient coverage, there is nowhere else to go that could replace the sense of home that was present in the Lower 9, so slowly former residents return.

But for the same reasons some come back, others cannot. The sense of family and community was so prevalent here, it’s impossible for former residents to return knowing the tragedy, pain and lives lost on each block. Every house could be looked upon as a cemetery plot.

The archway still stands.

In 2010, the Lower 9 is in transition. It continues to have an unimaginable number of vacant and dilapidated houses, mixed with empty lots overtaken by grass and weeds. Yet on many blocks one or two houses have been rehabilitated.

Common Ground Relief headquarters in the Lower 9th Ward, 1800 Deslonde at N. Roman.

The non-profit social services group, Common Ground Relief, has been instrumental in helping to gut and rebuild houses in the area. Their goal is providing short-term relief for victims of hurricanes along the Gulf Coast region, and long-term support in rebuilding the communities affected in the New Orleans area. “Solidarity Not Charity,” is their war cry.

Home

A lot of these kids are trust fund refugees or “trustafarians.” They’re educated, from middle class upbringings or better, that have the luxury to drop out of society and become mutant social activists. It’s also a great way to rebel against your parents.

Others are protest kids, social worker-types, concerned citizens from wherever, along with the anarchy crew, that views society as having already failed, so they’ve stepped in to pick up the slack.

Regardless, these different tribes have coalesced into one cohesive work unit.

There’s a lot of dread locks, tattoos, and that not-so-fresh odor, but these folks grow their own vegetables and do some amazing work. There’s a distribution center, stocked with donated items, so volunteers can come in and grab whatever they need at no charge.

Common Ground Relief also set up a non-profit health care clinic at 1400 Teche Street, (504.361.9800). Malik Rahim, who is the mover behind both Common Ground projects, along with Sharon Johnson, and Scott Crow, established The Common Ground Health Clinic, in the Algiers neighborhood, on September 9, 2005, only days after Katrina.

It started as a fist aid station, and was staffed with “street medics,” who went out on bikes to offer care to those injured after the storm. Word spread quickly throughout the health care world of what Common Ground was doing, and the incredible need in New Orleans – and medical professionals from across the country and abroad answered the call.

The clinic is now staffed with rotating nurses, physicians, herbalists, acupuncturists, EMTs, social workers and community activists. The clinic has recorded over 60,000 visits – with no charge going to the patients.

http://commongroundclinic.org

Yes this is all a tad utopian, and commune hippie-like, but those at Common Ground are taking care of each other and taking care of those who lost everything, all while living within their means, which is a lesson our society could learn much from currently.

Signs like this from the “Make It Right Foundation” are cropping up in vacant lots across the Lower 9th Ward.

The other unmistakable change visible in the Lower 9th Ward these days is the presence of Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation. Pitt, a well-known architectural junkie, gathered experts in New Orleans, in December 2006, to brainstorm building green affordable housing in the devastated Lower 9th Ward after Hurricane Katrina.

That same group today comprises the non-profit Make It Right Foundation.  As stated on the foundation’s Web site, their mission is clear – “Make It Right is designed to be a catalyst for redevelopment of the Lower 9th Ward, by building a neighborhood comprised of safe and healthy homes that are inspired by Cradle to Cradle thinking, with an emphasis on a high quality of design, while preserving the spirit of the community’s culture.”

Makin’ It Right – 1708 Forstall at N. Derbigny.

The concept of Cradle to Cradle (C2C), or Cradle to Grave, looks upon structures as living beings, and puts them on a life-cycle, with a metabolism that is in tune with its natural surroundings. Elements of the C2C ideology include utilizing building materials that are either biodegradable or reusable, so metals and plastics can be picked clean to use in another property and the remains will not harm the environment.

Built off the ground, with solar panels and a green roof in the rear, this Lower 9th Ward house is completely sustainable, 1919 Tennessee Street at Prieur.

These are some of smartest, most cutting edge houses in terms of design and green technology available, especially for the price. All are built off the ground, or float, so they avoid the flooding issue and can be insured. They utilize photovoltaic solar panels to offset energy costs – and many have a living, vegetative roof component. These green roofs, or living roofs, absorb rainwater runoff, provide natural insulation, create an urban wildlife habitat and lower urban air temperatures.

As of December 2010, the Make It Right Foundation has constructed 150 homes. All have been LEED certified, for their energy efficiency and sustainability, making this once battered community in the Lower 9th Ward, the “largest, greenest neighborhood of single family homes in America,” according to the U.S. Green Building council.

http://makeitrightnola.org

There’s a red house over yonder – 1913 Deslonde at N. Prieur.

New Orleans continues to be the biggest social petri dish going. It’s hard to find a more distinct contrast between those with means and those without. New Orleans doesn’t really have a middle class. You’re either rich or poor. And the poor here are seriously marginalized.

The Lower 9th Ward is a microcosm of this experiment. Take a severely neglected minority population, mix in an epic natural and man-made disaster, include a so-called democratic government that fails to respond, and see what grows.

Thus far it’s predominately been volunteers, activists, church, social and college groups that have responded. Many of the Lower 9 residents have been neglected academically and socially for generations, making it extremely difficult for them to take large strides or compete on a basic level in this current depressed economy.

This is a big opportunity of the United States to show its true colors. This is an uncomfortable situation, and as the documentary about Al Gore’s global warming campaign put it, “An Inconvenient Truth.” The response has been fantastic, which leaves me to believe that our underlying values remain largely in tact.

It’s the lack of government recognition or accountability that’s so disconcerting. The responsibility for installing the levees, organizing and conducting a mandatory evacuation, providing assistance in the storm’s aftermath, and helping to get all of these citizens back on their feet was our government’s, and it failed at every one of these tasks and knows it.

This is a scary scenario for those in power. What happened ultimately was their fault, they double-talked over the top of it, but people came anyway, recognizing needs were not being met.

This creates a fragile balance between citizens and their government. Not only did the system fail in New Orleans, but our government maliciously contributed to the failure – and while that’s widely been documented, we as a people didn’t call our representatives on it.

It makes me wonder what will happen if this economic recession takes a dip for the worse, or the BP oil spill poisons our food chain, another terrorist attack comes about, or some other unforeseen calamity? How close are we as a society to the edge? There’s definitely a feeling we’ve been left on our own – like a modern regression to pioneers.

That’s certainly the feeling you get in the Lower 9th Ward. Finding a way to rebuild is on you. If you’re opening up shop in the Lower 9, put a flag in the ground to mark the territory and I’d advise bringing a firearm. Life is coming back there, but it’s dark on those streets at night and there’s no telling what can happen. I’d go so far as to say it’s inadvisable for the elderly, disabled or infirm to reside there – between accidents, crime and sudden health issues, the response time to that area by police and ambulance isn’t exactly immediate.

So plant that flag and welcome to the new frontier.

Corner of Tennessee and N. Claiborne, Lower 9th Ward, September 5, 2010.

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Published by:  Cedilla | Vol. IV | Missoula, MT | 09-20-10

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Jazz Funeral for Katrina V

Posted on September 2, 2010 by theurbanllama

A horse-drawn hearse delivers Katrina’s remains to her final resting place.

On a rainy Sunday afternoon, the mood was light in Jackson Square. It was Hurricane Katrina’s big five year anniversary, and while at several churches somber words ruled the day, here in the French Quarter it was a different scene, as singing, cheering and dancing were on display.

I was already in a reflective mood about Katrina – how life had changed during and after the storm, and where New Orleans, and the country stood five years later. The last thing I needed was a deeply depressing church service, or another soon-to-be corrupt public official chattering on about our indomitable character and ringing some bell. Besides there are thousands of people in New Orleans who lost everything, and those more severe anniversary events are a sacred moment where people can go who are still mourning.

I was looking for something a bit more uplifting and loose. It was a gloomy day already and somber events could push the day into the depressing, so I opted to attend a jazz funeral for my old girl Katrina – metaphorically speaking of course.

Pallbearers remove Katrina from her hearse.

For those not familiar with such events allow me to explain. Instead of your typical funeral, where there’s a viewing, crying, hugging and hushed tones, here in New Orleans they celebrate the life of a person. You place the deceased in a hearse, in this case horse drawn, assemble all family, friends and well wishers, get yourself a jazz band and take that party into the streets.

This is called a “second line.” It’s essentially a parade with all your well wishers, but it’s more than that. There’s a leader out front, usually with an umbrella, pumping it up and down, dipping the second line dance and keeping everything funky. The brass band is blowing, people are spinning and dancing, and folks are sharing a drink in the deceased’s remembrance. It’s a beautiful and holy tradition in New Orleans.

This second line began at the historic Hotel Monteleone, http://hotelmonteleone.com, located at 214 Royal Street, particularly well known for its rotating Carousel Bar, which I swear seems to speed up after a few stiff cocktails. The funeral then wound its way through the Quarter, picking up wide-eyed tourists along the way – they’re curiosity piqued by the revelry on display.

The Jaywalkers Second-Line Jazz Band kicked the sound up a notch as our happy procession of mourners arrived at St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square – the final resting place for Katrina on this day. We shared a big gospel tune to close the festivities and then a cheer went up around the Quarter.

Items hoped to be forgotten were placed into Katrina’s casket.

The driver of the hearse hopped down, and Katrina’s pollbearers joined him in a gothic display worthy of any Anne Rice vampire novel. They extracted the faux-coffin of our nemesis and placed it onto the ground. Contained inside was an eclectic mix of memorabilia from the days of Katrina, including bleach (from cleaning out nasty refrigerators), a tarp (to cover those holes in your roof), and MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat, that many subsisted on for months), along with a BP tool box foreshadowing the current oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

The ushers popped the lid on Katrina’s coffin and asked the assembled crowd if anyone had other items to add to the contents, to which a woman removed her veiled-hat and black gloves to be included. The lid was replaced and the coffin was taken into the cathedral for an interfaith memorial service.

Katrina only lasted a day, but her impact is five years strong, with every indication we’ll be back here for several anniversaries to come. That’s a big life to celebrate – worthy of several drinks to dull the pain.

Katrina on her way into St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square.

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Published by:  Cedilla | Vol. IV | Missoula, MT | 09-20-10

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A National Disgrace

Posted on September 1, 2010 by theurbanllama

A house remains untouched from five years ago in the Lower 9th Ward.

That is a term I heard bantered around often over the weekend in describing the governmental response to Hurricane Katrina.

That used to mean something. America was never big on having a national disgrace, but the reference seems to have lost some of its punch. Maybe so much evil has transpired here and abroad that we’ve become desensitized to the trauma, and consumed with life in the modern age. Are we too busy for a national disgrace?

I’m not exactly sure what the appropriate response to a national disgrace should be, but we don’t seem to have one. We let the Bush administration’s manipulation of the post-September 11th agenda slide, the Iraq War, Katrina, none of that ever boiled over. The escalating gas prices almost got people out of their chairs, but like with the BP oil spill, we would prefer to pay a little more for our energy consumption instead of actually changing our habits.

I’m not sure if it’s all the fabulous cable entertainment now offered, or the plethora of mind-numbing mood stabilizers this country is gulping down, perhaps both, but apathy is rampant in America.

It’s nearly impossible to point a finger at the precise cause. There are all these wonderful self-help items out there to improve our lives, and choices upon choices of everything, along with enough political talk-radio backwash to fill up every sewer in the country.

At some point it becomes easier to tune it all out. Why not go grab a four-pound Angus cheeseburger, a trough of fries and a vat of coke, go back to the crib and chill to some “Desperate Housewives.”

Some extensive saturated fats, a Xanax or two and cable will keep anyone numb all night. And that’s far easier than trying to figure out the intricacies of who was right and who was wrong – until the national disgrace goes down in your town.

Admittedly, the United States doesn’t have a very accessible system to register protests. Half the country doesn’t vote, so holding politicians’ feet to the fire is hard. Everybody works and has obligations, making it nearly impossible to arbitrarily attend a protest.

It’s hard to figure out a way to meaningfully impact an issue. And that makes it easier for the system to get over on us, and pushes the bar ever higher for what is considered a national disgrace.

I’m stepping off my Katrina soapbox now and moving on. But here are a few of the choicest moments from the scandal that I re-discovered while researching over the weekend.

Vice President Dick Cheney held up his role as villain admirably, as he is documented as calling the manager of the Southern Pines Electric Power Association on the night of August 30, and again the next morning, personally ordering him to divert power crews to electrical substations in nearby Collins, Mississippi, that were essential to the operation of the Colonial Pipeline, which carries gasoline and diesel fuel from Texas to the Northeast. The power crews were reportedly upset when told what the purpose of the redirection was, since they were in the process of restoring power to two local hospitals, but did so anyway.

FEMA deliberately slowed down its response to Hurricane Katrina. Michael Brown, as head of FEMA, on August 29, urged all fire and emergency services departments not to respond to counties and states affected by Hurricane Katrina without being requested and lawfully dispatched by state and local authorities under mutual aid agreements and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.

FEMA also commandeered 10 buses hired by the Astor Hotel to transport 500 guests to higher ground, instead telling the guests to join thousands of other evacuees at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

FEMA turned away three Wal-Mart trailers loaded with water, prevented the Coast Guard from delivering 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel, and on Saturday cut the Jefferson Parish emergency communications line, leading the sheriff to restore it and post armed guards to protect it from FEMA.

Mercifully, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff recalled Brown to Washington and removed him from the immediate supervision of Hurricane Katrina relief effort on September 9, and replaced him with Vice Admiral Thad. W. Allen from the Coast Guard. This was not in time to prevent President Bush from uttering one of the more unfortunate platitudes in American history, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”

You gotta love Bush – he’s the gift that keeps on giving.

A 2006 congressional report entitled, “Failure of Initiative,” found the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina a “failure of leadership” that left the people stranded when they were most in need.

“Our investigation revealed that Katrina was a national failure, and abdication of the most solemn obligation to provide for the common welfare,” the report said.

This came from a Republican 11-member House select committee that investigated the response to Katrina at the local, state and federal level.

The panel found that President Bush was not “fully involved,” Secretary Chertoff was “detached” and that then Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown was “clueless, said U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT).

I mention the above examples because there was so much happening during Katrina, that the television images of a flooded city perhaps overcame the statements and acts perpetrated by our government. They became lost in the background, but when you look back even briefly at what was allowed to pass as a government response, it’s mind-boggling.

You have to be impressed with the spin control, because someone should have been shot or jailed, but that never happened.

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Published by:  Cedilla | Vol. IV | Missoula, MT | 09-20-10

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KATRINA PLUS FIVE

Posted on August 30, 2010 by theurbanllama

A house comes to rest on an overturned truck once Katrina's flood waters recede, October 2005.

Five years is a long time. That would cover my entire undergraduate college career – from my first Long Island Iced Tea at Eastern Kentucky, to a bourbon-soaked farewell party in Iowa City. That’s a lot of drinking, and also represents a world of change in my growth and development.

Today we again visit that span of time in New Orleans as five years have passed since Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast.

Only a few dates stand out in my memory. A couple birthdays, my wedding, and that fateful day I graduated from college (as it remained in doubt until the final grades were calculated). That’s about it. Yet August 29, 2005, I got that one. It’s a rare and strange occurrence to have a mandatory evacuation order issued upon your city – and to know doom is coming to call ahead of time.

Thankfully Mïa and I weren’t directly harmed by the storm. Our condo was on high ground and we fortunately got out before the worst weather arrived, but it changed us.

Crosses and memorial next to a still blighted property in the Lower 9th Ward, August 29, 2010.

The damage, pain, death, and in this case, incompetence, remain ever-present. I have no beef with Katrina mind you. Atlantic hurricanes in August are a natural occurrence and can’t be controlled. I’m all good with Mother Nature.

Now the corruption between the business and political communities in Louisiana is another matter. That culture of graft and deceit allowed corners to be cut and sloppy building practices to be tolerated by the Army Corps of Engineers when they installed the original levee system that failed during Katrina.

It’s the same ignorance displayed in the decision making by President George W. Bush when he decided to remain at a fundraiser on the West Coast, and continue his vacation in Texas instead of recognizing New Orleans had become the victim of the most destructive and costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

A photograph captured this unfortunate moment, as Bush peered out the window of Air Force One, with a childlike wonderment on his face, as it appeared he realized the mistake he’d made. Not sufficiently enough to actually stop and check on the devastation, Bush only flew over New Orleans, electing to remain in the comfort of his climate controlled bubble and continued back to Washington.

Sorry for any inconvenience Mr. President. We don’t mean to cut your vacation short – it’s just we’re underwater and people are dying. We could use a hand or perhaps some leadership.

It’s the criminal lack of planning, oversight and execution seen by Governor Kathleen Blanco and Mayor Ray Nagin. Along with the epically stupid appointment by President Bush of Michael Brown to head FEMA, and as a result, Brown’s tragic handling of the initial federal response to Hurricane Katrina.

One of the over 35,000 houses that remain empty after Hurricane Katrina, Lower 9th Ward, August 29, 2010.

I may not have been stuck in my attic for days waiting for first responders to cut a hole through my roof, nor was I stranded at the convention center for days after the storm with no water – but those stories are all around me.

The anxiety is still palpable. This anniversary would have unearthed raw feelings anyway – it’s a yard marker, a time to reflect and see how far we’ve come, but BP’s oil spill arrived first, highlighting the vulnerability of our way of life along the Gulf Coast.

Our government, which is touted as the best around, failed us.

People can say, “Oh it’s just New Orleans, that place was messed up anyway,” but it wasn’t just New Orleans. The entire system failed at its most crucial moment – and the world witnessed it.

It can’t be explained away. The political establishment hasn’t even tried to justify this collapse because guilty parties exist on every level of government, Democrat and Republican.

It was impossible to miss this breakdown, but nobody wants to talk about it, so the wound continues to fester.

Yes everybody in southern Louisiana and Mississippi are survivors. They are hard working, resourceful, and passionate people, who love their culture and way of life. We put our best face on and took a step forward, but that doesn’t make this failure disappear.

A former home located across from the breached levee in the Lower 9th Ward that was swept away, October 2005.

Many don’t want to question what went wrong. Life is busy these days, and simply surviving is difficult enough in this economy. Besides, those are big doors to open and no one wants to answer that question. It doesn’t fit into a pretty box, and brings to mind how will the next big disaster be handled.

Five years of consideration and I can’t find an explanation for why it took five days for our government to deliver water to the thousands of people stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. It’s inconceivable.

They organized food drops within two days of the Indonesian tsunami.

Anyone watching CNN recognized there were thousands of people suffering at the convention center without food or water, yet Brown and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff claimed ignorance.

Yes it’s complicated politically, and no one likes playing the blame game. Still, a travesty occurred, and all the political double speak, blue ribbon commissions, and bell ringing on anniversary day will not erase this blunder.

It can now be added to the shameful list that includes the theft of the 2000 presidential election, the Iraq War, the housing bubble bust and the ongoing recession.

Interesting how all those items has fingerprints on them from the Bush Administration.

Five years gone. We have a new mayor and police chief. The Saints are world champions. The city looks great, and is filled with a refreshing entrepreneurial spirit. The education system is much improved and there are more restaurants than ever before.

A message of hope outside a flooded church in the Lower 9th Ward, October 2005.

The trend lines are positive, aside from the oil spill. We need to deal with the over 35,000 blighted houses that remain empty, but we’ll be healthy again. It’s just going to take a bit longer.

Over 100,000 people that lived in New Orleans on August 29, 2005, continue to live elsewhere.

My most sincere prayers go out to the 1,836 people who died during Katrina and to their families.

I can’t thank enough the Coast Guard and Vice Admiral Thad W. Allen, the National Guard, first responders, the men and women of the U.S. armed forces and Army Lt. Gen. Russell L. Honore, who together rescued the stranded and restored order in New Orleans.

And to the Red Cross who were so kind, along with church, student and community groups from around the country, that continue to assist with gutting and rebuilding houses.

Also to Brad Pitt, and his Make It Right Foundation.

Five years gone and we bow our head in mourning. Here’s hoping in five more we stand proud and celebrate the triumph of a revitalized New Orleans – and a people made whole once again.

A front yard memorial to a family member lost in the deluge of the Lower 9th Ward, October 2005.

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Katrina Anniversary Events

Posted on August 28, 2010 by theurbanllama

KATRINA REMEMBRANCE – New Orleans Museum of Art – Photographer Richard Misrach’s exhibit “Untitled (New Orleans and the Gulf Coast 2005)” will open Saturday. The museum will offer free screenings of the HBO series “Treme,” beginning with the first episode at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, and the final three installments airing Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

SHARE THE MOON – Le Petit Theatre Stage and Jackson Square Stage. First responders and their families will join professional musicians on two stages for a day of music, Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. in Jackson Square, and 1 p.m.-6 p.m., at Le Petit.

HURRICANE KATRINA FUNERAL AND BURIAL SERVICE – Saturday, 11 a.m., at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church, 2320 Paris Road, Chalmette. Archbishop Gregory Aymond will lead clergy and government officials in ecumenical burial services for Hurricane Katrina grief. Afterwards the Chalmette High Jazz Band will lead a second-line to the Katrina burial site.

LOWER 9TH WARD MEMORIAL CELEBRATION – Sunday, 8:30 a.m., at the Lower 9th Ward Monument, Tennessee Avenue at North Claiborne Avenue. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters will be the keynote speaker at a “Bravery, Strength, Resilience” commemoration.

LONDON AVENUE CANAL MARKER DEDICATION – Sunday, 9:30 a.m., at the London Avenue Canal breech, on Mirabeau Avenue between Warrington and Pratt drives. City Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell will lead the dedication.

KATRINA COMMEMORATION MARCH/SECOND-LINE – Sunday, 10 a.m., at Jourdan and North Galvez Streets in the Lower 9th Ward. Followed by a rally at Hunters Field, St. Bernard and North Claiborne.

JAZZ FUNERAL FOR KATRINA – Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal Street, sponsors a jazz funeral procession with the Jaywalkers Second-Line Jazz Band. Mourners and a casket will march from the hotel to Jackson Square, 1 p.m., Sunday, with an interfaith memorial service at St. Louis Cathedral at 1:30 p.m. Marchers are invited to place Katrina items in the coffin.

SECOND-LINE PARADE – Sunday, 1 p.m., begins at 1826 Tennessee Avenue, in the Lower 9th Ward. Parade to North Claiborne Avenue and back, ending in block party in the 1800 block of Tennessee.

CITY OBSERVANCE – Washington Artillery Park, across from the St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. Mayor Mitch Landrieu will preside over the anniversary ceremony, 6:30 p.m., Sunday. The event will feature performances by local musicians, a tolling of the bells at St. Louis Cathedral, and the lighting of candles in remembrance of those who lost their lives. Visit http://www.katrinafive.com

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Saturday’s Picture

Posted on August 28, 2010 by theurbanllama

Outside a carpet store on lower St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, October 2005.

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Late Night Entertainment

Posted on August 28, 2010 by theurbanllama

FRIDAY, AUG. 27, 2010

Tab Benoit and The Radiators at Rock n’ Bowl

Park the Van Records presents a free showcase at Tipitina’s

Rotary Downs plays late at Le Bon Temps

The Honey Island Swamp Band at d.b.a.

Gal  Holiday & the Honky Tonk Revue cut loose at the Circle Bar

SATURDAY, AUG. 28, 2010

Ampersand Concert Series Presents:

Pretty Lights at Contemporary Arts Center Warehouse w/guests Michael Menert and Force Feed Radio, 9:00 – tickets $25

Pretty Lights After-party at Ampersand

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Picture of the Day

Posted on August 28, 2010 by theurbanllama

Feeling the love in Gibson, LA - 70 miles south of New Orleans.

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Dispatches from the Gulf

Posted on August 26, 2010 by theurbanllama

Frustration mounts over a lost way of life in Grand Isle.

GRAND ISLE, LA. – As you cross the bridge linking the barrier island of Grand Isle to the rest of Louisiana, it’s a local tradition that all who pass “leave their troubles behind.” Now, more than 100 days after the BP oil spill began this tiny island has become trouble central.

A sense of the macabre has overtaken this idyllic beach community, located 90 miles south of New Orleans, since the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded on April 20th, killing 11 workers, and spewing an estimated 220 million gallons of oil into the Gulf.

Will Obama be as good as his word

Ever since paradise has been transformed into a massive disaster-response staging area – all the beaches are closed, helicopters crisscross the sky, BP’s cleanup workers have infested the island in their white hazmat suits, and the words “chemical dispersant” are banned from the lexicon.

Locals have voiced concern over the droves of mostly urban African-American and Latino cleanup workers – a race and ethnicity many in this nearly all-white community take note of – because of the increase in disorderly conduct around Grand Isle.

While virtually every hotel room is booked with cleanup crews, the charter fishing businesses, restaurants and bars are all suffering through a disastrous summer. Still the residents remain optimistic. Their gallows humor is evident at the Dock of the Bay bar at Grand Isle’s Sand Dollar Marina, where the aptly named Tar Ball Shooter (Jagermeister and grape Jell-O), has drawn steady customers.

 

The scene from the fishing pier at Grand Isle State Park, where all the beaches are closed due to oil encroachment.

Roughly 1,500 people live on this narrow eight-mile stretch of land year around, but during the peak summer months that number can balloon to 20,000, particularly during Grand Isle’s signature event, the Tarpon Rodeo, which had to be canceled this year for the first time in its 82 year history.

There’s little infrastructure on the island, no arcades, movie theaters, or even a McDonald’s. It’s mostly a commercial and recreational fishing community – so if the beaches are closed and you can’t go out on the water Grand Isle ceases to exist as a vacation destination.

A murky future faces all who reside amongst the marshlands of Louisiana, but for the permanent residents in this state’s southernmost outpost, the clock seems to be ticking faster.

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Published by:  IowaWatch.org | 08-03-10

Located on the main drag of Grand Isle, one resident vented frustration at BP by creating a graveyard outside their house to depict each of the things lost from the region as a result of the oil spill.

SpongeBob’s humorous sidekick, Patrick the starfish, mistakes BP’s oil for chocolate. This is one of a series of signs posted along the main drag coming into Grand Isle featuring the crew from Bikini Bottom.

Oil descends upon Bikini Bottom – a similar feeling the residents of Grand Isle are feeling even on dry land.

A plea heard round the island and across the Gulf Coast. When can we go fishing, eat seafood, not find oil soaked pelicans, and walk on our beaches again? Frustration boils over in Grand Isle.

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