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FinalCall.com News
National News
From outrage to action: Justice after Katrina
By Jesse Muhammad
Staff Writer
Updated Dec 15, 2005 - 11:43:00 AM
NEW ORLEANS (FinalCall.com) - With the continued stress of being displaced from their homes, thousands of survivors of Hurricane Katrina returned to New Orleans to demand a change and the right to return to their homes in a demonstration organized by the People’s Hurricane Relief Fund (PHRF) and Oversight Coalition Dec. 10. Marching from Congo Square to City Hall, they demanded that city leaders restore the catastrophic areas of New Orleans.
Under the theme “Justice After Katrina: The People Must Decide,” a host of grassroots organization started working over a month ago to ensure the success of the march. With over 100,000 survivors of the massive flooding residing in Houston, Texas, a press conference was held on December 5 at the Disaster Relief Center to announce the unity and mobilization efforts to charter buses to New Orleans for the rally. Activist Malcom Suber of the Peoples’ Relief Committee and Suma Diarra was among the dozen survivors that expressed the need for a collective voice on the many issues facing evacuees and the lack of input in the rebuilding of New Orleans. Organizations in attendance included the National Black United Front (NBUF), the Nation of Islam, the New Black Panther Party and Operation OG1.
In Mississippi, the PHRF organized two major events in preparation for the gathering in New Orleans. On Dec. 8, a youth forum was held at Jackson State University School of Business, and hundreds gathered on Dec. 9 for the Gulf Coast Survivors’ National Assembly and Conference at Anderson United Methodist Church, which included performances by Amrir Baraka, Sonya Sanchez and hip hop artists Dead Prez.
On Saturday, Dec. 10, everyone charted buses from across the country for a massive gathering at New Orleans’ City Hall. The marchers then convened at Congo Square and headed through the city streets with a message that would reverberate throughout the city. Survivors held up signs reading “FEMA is Racist” and “Black Holocaust” as they yelled out “We’re Back! We’re Back!” While slowing down traffic, a New Orleans band played music to revive the cultural spirit of onlookers and marchers. From a stage outside City Hall, several speakers and survivors came forth to give their outlook on the state of New Orleans and the need for the people to speak with one voice.
“This government left us here to starve and to die,” organizer Malcolm Suber told the crowd outside of City Hall. “We are here to stand up and fight to ensure we get what we deserve.” He strongly urged the crowd not to rely on politicians to fix their problems or to welcome them with open arms back to New Orleans. Instead, he said the 300,000 people displaced from New Orleans need to come home and demand government to take action.
After Mr. Suber’s opening comments, several citizens of New Orleans came forth to share their personal pains and struggles with housing, bouts with insurance companies, eviction threats and the unceasing injustice they have faced the last three months.
“Do not give to the Red Cross because they have not given us nothing,” exclaimed Clarita Betheling of St. Bernard Parish, whose home was destroyed under 20 feet of water during the floods and has now started a women’s coalition for survivors. “The Salvation Army only gave us $50 vouchers for used clothes. We still need help!” she said.
Brother Sankofa, who was touched by the plight of the evacuees, flew in from Switzerland to show his support. “I am so happy to be here and to see this unity,” he shared. “We must continue to fight.”
The sentiment of the day was outrage at the treatment of the poor and many marchers expressed their feelings about the Bush administration. Several held up signs demanding that President Bush “stop blocking Cuban and Venezuelan aid,” while others held up signs charging Bush and FEMA with racist genocide. Several more survivors continued to share their desire to return home.
“We aren’t going to lose our culture or our city. We’re taking what’s ours,” stated youth leader Brandy Kelburn. Her words were followed by Joseph Jenkins, who is an elder of the New Orleans community.
“We have to do more than talk. We got to fight!,” said Mr. Jenkins. He and others questioned why was the government making changes without the citizens of New Orleans’ consent. According to organizers, the PHRF is demanding a Victims Compensation Fund as done after 9/11, representation on all boards that are making relief and reconstruction decisions, public work for the displaced workers and residents, transparency in the reconstruction process and many more items that are included in the People’s Declaration that was formulated at the Gulf Coast Assembly. Several local and national leaders came forth to give words of encouragement to the survivors.
“We are here to show our support and demand the right of return for our people,” stated Kofi Taharka of NBUF, who assisted in bringing survivors back to New Orleans from Houston.
Nation of Islam Southwest Regional Minister Robert Muhammad warned, “In 2005, we must keep our eyes on the skies because there is a God that is going to fight for these poor people with rain, hail, snow and earthquakes.”
“Go into the streets and get our people. Take them into your homes!,” challenged New Black Panther Party Chief-of-Staff Hashim Nzinga. “If you got space in your home, go get our people.”
“The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan forewarned us in the book ‘A Torchlight For America,’ about the difficulties FEMA would experience as the rapidity of catastrophes increased,” stated New Orleans Minister Willie Muhammad, who was among the thousands of marchers. “Hurricane Katrina exposed to the world what the New Orleans LOC worked to bring to the attention of the Essence Festivals partygoers in June of this year, which was the inequities that existed in this city as it relates to the Black community in New Orleans.”
Supporters of the march also included N’COBRA, the Millions More Movement, New York Solidarity Committee, the Million Worker March Movement, the Mississippi Workers Center for Human Rights and many more.
For more information on the People’s Hurricane Relief Fund, log on at www.communitylaborunited.net
