Hello, world
This is the beginning of an experiment with blogging. I am a reporter (radio, mostly) who lives in the downtown part of New Orleans (not to be confused with the Central Business District- explanation later). I file stories mostly for Free Speech Radio News, Pacifica Network and also manage content for New Orleans Indymedia as well as recording public meetings for ThinkNOLA. A big thanks to Alan Gutierrez of ThinkNOLA for setting me up with this blog.
This weekend was nuts. Lower 9th homeowners meeting, as usual, except that this time the guest speakers from the Sewerage and Water Board didn’t show up. Gee, I wonder why? Eight months and the Lower 9th still does not have potable water and thus no FEMA trailers can be hooked up. The city says that it is doing everything that it can. Money is always an issue in this city, but give me a break- we are the wealthiest country on earth. If this had happened in Connecticut power would have been back on in two weeks. The big oil companies take the oil from this area, the whole nation uses the port, and the Feds screw us. Lack of money is as usual is shorthand for lack of political will.
I digress. Also, Democracy Now! came to town. Any of you reading this can thank Mike Burke of DN! and Eric Klein of FSRN for suggesting this.
Also, the Jeremiah Group held a mayoral forum. Well, it wasn’t what I knew as a forum. It was more like, seven candidates had to sit still and listen to the agenda of the Jeremiah Group/Industrial Area Foundation Network of Katrina Survivors, and then they got fifteen seconds to answer yes or no to a list of demands (agenda items). It was great watching big politicos like Landrieu and Nagin squirming in their chairs, having to say Yes Or No and then having their decision put up on a scorecard. Interesting inversion of roles, if only temporarily. When candidates said no the large african-american man sitting behind me heckled them- “That’s right- That’s a NO for you!”.
This stuff never makes it into the news reports.
That’s really why I am starting this blog- for all the stuff that doesn’t make it into the neat little three minutes that I usually get to cram the complexity of an issue into.
Great to see Brod Bagert of the IAF at the forum, too, looking dapper as usual in a new blue suit. I hadn’t seen Brod since we fought the St. Thomas redevelopment three and a half years ago.
Oh- and today the day laborer’s run for justice came to New Orleans. Got to watch several dozen day laborers in a circle at the foot of the statue of General Robert E. Lee at Lee Circle taking part in a native american ceremony.
This is why I don’t return phone calls on time, or sleep much. When it rains, it pours, and I honestly could not make this stuff up if I tried.