Keeping New Orleans and its citizens alive and connected
In wake of Katrina, organizing at the grassroots level continues
By Deyva Arthur
Green Party of New York State

Aimee Allison, speaking on Sept. 6 to demonstrators outside Oakland's  Federal Building, condemns the slow response by the Bush  administration to aid Hurricane Katrina victims and accuses the  federal government of discriminating against victims who are largely  black and poor. Photo: Friends of Aimee Allison

A few days after the devastating tragedy in New Orleans and other parts of the southern coast, Leenie Halbert, acting co-chair of the Green Party of Louisiana, wrote after evacuating: "There is just so much going on-trying to find info-trying to hold it together, trying not to succumb to the anger I feel over what didn't need to happen…trying to be the strong one for my little sister/fellow refugee who doesn't know if her grandmother made it out, hasn't heard from her father, her sisters, trying to find out if my cousin made it out…. It's so much that I need to keep it together for."

"The federal government's response to the disaster showed utter indifference to the fate of black people, poor people, the elderly and the sick who were caught in the hurricane's path," said Malik Rahim, a recent Green candidate for New Orleans city council. "Property rights have been given greater priority than the threat of starvation, disease and death." 

Greens indicated the growing number of hurricanes and the level of destruction were preventable, the consequence of higher water temperatures demonstrating global warming, over-development of coastal plains and a neglectful lack of planning by the Bush administration before and after the tragedy. 

The GP-US called early on for firing Michael Brown, the former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Brown has since resigned). It also called for Bush and chemical corporations to be held accountable for the haphazard storage of toxic products near neighborhoods predominantly populated by African-Americans.

Many Greens throughout the country have offered their homes and support to victims of the hurricane. Members have been organizing relief efforts in places like Baton Rouge, as well as getting supplies to those still in affected areas. Bart Everson, a New Orleans Green, escaped the city and has set up a website for Katrina refugees to post information and find missing family at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/katrina-refugees/. 

For more information, go to www.gp.org/katrina2005/.

Please also see Louisiana's state report in this issue (submitted prior to the hurricane).

Back to Fall 2005