Articles by Volunteers

by Edwin Lopez
Photo by Peter Lucak
June 19, 2008

On Tuesday, June 17 a coalition of concerned citizens gathered in front of the St. Bernard Government Complex. They posted a stream of yard signs along Judge Perez Street and waved signs exclaiming that MRGO must go. Catching the attention of passing traffic, both in and out of Chalmette, participants of the event encouraged drivers to pull over and collect yard signs and bumper stickers to take with them. The purpose of the event was to raise local awareness concerning the now de-authorized Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (otherwise known as MRGO).

The man-made76 mile canal was constructed in the 1960s as a shortcut for large vessel coming in from the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to Hurricane Katrina criticism befell the use of the outlet due to the small number of ships that passed through and the multi-million dollar maintenance costs. Also of concern were the detrimental effects on the natural wetlands. As Katrina approached, MRGO served as a funnel that intensified the storm surge that entered the Industrial Canal and contributed to the breakage of the levee.

The restoration of the channel is imperative due to the loss of natural wetlands that could have served as a barrier to the surge. When the outlet was opened it allowed salt water to enter inland and eventually kill an entire forest of trees. Although the Army Corps of Engineers already plans to fill the canal, the coalition is concerned that it may not occur in a timely manner and stressed the need for restoration.

The coalition made the following press statement, “The MRGO Must Go campaign applauds the Corp's decision to plug the channel, but is asking the public to take action to ensure the channel is plugged on time. The campaign also asks the public to ensure the White House and Congress keep the Corps focused on restoring the MRGO-damaged wetlands that used to protect New Orleans and St. Bernard.”

by Eugene Yacobson
June 7, 2008

New measures intended to eradicate blight could mean dramatic increases in inspections, citations and fines for owners of damaged properties throughout New Orleans. The measures, approved by the City Council in March, are part of a plan to round up as many as 500 properties per month and put their owners on trial for failing to make appropriate repairs.

Among the changes outlined by the new measures are expanded definitions for “public nuisance” and “blight,” new forms of enforcement, and stricter penalties. City officials now have the authority to access private properties to make repairs at cost to the owner, subpoena owners for enforcement hearings, and levy crippling daily fines.

A property or lot may be declared a “public nuisance” if it is found to have grass in excess of 18 inches tall, abandoned or discarded machinery or building material, unsecured debris, uncovered holes, standing water and/or “conditions that could allow vermin infestation.”

by Eugene Yacobson
May 29, 2008

Marking the start of what organizers hope will be a consolidated, community-driven effort to advance the rebuilding of the neighborhood, a town hall meeting drew a crowd of more than 100 Lower 9th Ward residents last week.

“This is the beginning of the end of all this foolishness,” said meeting organizer Ward “Mack” McClendon to a standing-room-only crowd. “This is the beginning of the end of all this red tape of a problem that we didn’t cause.”

Organized and hosted by the Lower 9th Ward Village, a community-led nonprofit, the meeting served as an open forum for residents to name the problems that continue to besiege the area. Residents shared, both vocally and via confidential note cards, issues that have hindered reconstruction and frustrated locals since Katrina.

The Lower 9th’s main roadblock to progress, many attendees said, has been miscommunication on several levels.

Article and Photo by Edwin Lopez
May 22, 2008

Mr. Williams leaned forward as he drove a large wrench toward the wall. Swaying back to gain momentum he again thrust his 60-year old body forward to unscrew the pipe he had been battling with for several minutes. He pushed again and in a swift motion the pipe came loose. The room was dim, but a small sliver of sunlight revealed a layer of floating dust. Beads of sweat covered his forehead. Mr. Williams leaned back to stand upright. He took a quick deep breath and with a smile stretched across his face he said, “Okay, no smoking in here.”

The gas pipe Mr. Williams held in his hand was a stumbling block for the volunteers who arrived in the early morning. 30 plus volunteers from across the country, the majority of whom were women, worked with a sense of urgency to drywall his home. They measured and cut sheetrock to the sound of beating hammers, the hum of power drills, and old school R&B/Soul music. Everything about the work crew seemed to howl college student: from their youthful look to their working attire composed of shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flop sandals.

Warren and Anita Williams evacuated New Orleans the day before the storm. Anita drove 23 hours to Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Hopeful about his return to New Orleans, Mr. Williams rejected the phone number for requesting a FEMA trailer. When he arrived in October 2005, he realized the water had risen over seven feet. The pressure of the storm surge raised everything in the house, lifting and tumbling their furniture about. He eventually got on the phone and requested a trailer.

Article and Photos by Edwin Lopez
May 14, 2008

On May 12, Seedco Financial celebrated the grand opening of the Southeast Louisiana Fisheries Assistance Center. Located in Belle Chasse, the new Center hopes to help stabilize and formalize the local fishing industry and to help it to grow in the coming years.

Considered a “one-stop” shop for commercial fisherman, the Southeast Louisiana Fisheries Assistance Center will offer financial services, training and advisory services, technical assistance, and workforce support. According to a press release, the Center is the first of its kind and will support the needs of commercial fisherman of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, and Orleans Parishes.

The commercial fishing community of Southeast Louisiana has endured a number challenges that include competition from foreign imports and a national economic downturn. In addition to this Hurricanes Katrina and Rita wiped out the commercial fishing infrastructure of Southeast Louisiana. Docks, vessels, and commercial outlets were destroyed. “Katrina came down hard,” said one of the organizers of the event.

by Eugene Yacobson

On May 2, far from the crowds and caravans of JazzFest, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School in the Lower 9th Ward was filled with the sounds of brass, blues and general jubilation. The occasion was the 1st Annual Peoples’ Festival, organized by Common Ground Relief, and featuring such JazzFest heavy-hitters as Big Chief Victor Harris and Fi Yi Yi, the Rebirth Brass Band and Michael Franti with Spearhead – all playing free of charge.

Lasting for more than four hours, the festival raised both funds and spirits - $4,500 of the former (all in donations from attendees of the concert), the latter in quantities indefinable. But the occasion had an even deeper purpose than raising money for the Lower 9th’s rebuilding efforts: to reflect the spirit of a different side of New Orleans, and to demonstrate that, for all its post-Katrina troubles, the neighborhood is back.

The venue and performers were symbolic of the Peoples’ Festival’s intentions. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology, which remains the only educational institution in the Lower 9th, was gutted and re-opened in 2006 by hundreds of volunteers defying open threats of arrest, becoming a nexus of hope for further grassroots rebuilding efforts. Similarly, the performers at the festival were far from the benign big names of JazzFest that draw tourists from all over the world, but instead many were lesser known local acts, whose music resounds with the struggles of this city’s neglected communities. Bluesy singer-songwriter Sista Otis, New Orleans rapper Truth Universal, the aforementioned Fi Yi Yi Mardi Gras Indians, Revolution Second Line dancers and the explosive Rebirth Brass Band which featured guest vocalist Cyril Neville of the Neville Brothers were all inspired to dodge the big clubs for an evening, join together and play free music for the people of the Lower 9th to express their solidarity.