I’ve been waging a battle with the garbage collectors over the last two months here in slum-lord land. Two weeks ago an “official” can was delivered to our real home in Sugar Hill (and our contractors are there and they are armed), but I have not received a city-sanctioned can for the hovel that we currently reside in. (And yes I will have to buy another can for my rentals since we don’t have two street numbers, but we own half a block.)
Here’s some accounts.
I’ve called many times to get an official can for this rental, but to no avail. Now the “workers” won’t pick up my cat litter bags (must be the 25# rule thanks to our City Council members in April). They took the lid off my trash can two weeks ago in a pouring rain and now it is a Superfund Site. I have two bags of litter on my stoop that the “boys” can’t find the energy to throw into a truck.
So this is the result of contracting with minority-owned businesses? Satellite tracking for garbage cans? A 25# limit on trash weight? Trash cans that can hold 120#s easily, but it will exceed the weight limits?
(Yeppers, here comes the tirade, but do remember that I am Black and White, Creole if you please, and everything else that percolates in New Orleans outside of the Asian folks. I only take the side of the common person… the Commons so to speak.)
So we have a Black-based administration making contracts with “minority-owned” businesses for City services. First off, if the majority of the populace in New Orleans is Black, how does a Black-owned business become “Minority-owned”? How is it that we as citizens are paying twice the amount we used to pay for garbage removal and then we find out that anything above 25#s is not acceptable to be taken from our curbs?
Betts and I pay to have the debris removed from our home from our rebuilding. This stuff is not storm material, but the trash from making the place right. This is a cost that we accept because we do strive to be good citizens (unlike the folks that filled our dumpsters with their crap that they weren’t willing to pay to be removed. Yes… my Black relatives.) That amounted to $450 a pop from our purses, and no “Thank You” from the majority in our neighborhood that “used” us.
Still, we will continue to be good neighbors on our part. That’s just how we are.
So where the fuck am I going with all of this? There are basically two kinds of people in this world: those who only can “see” that which is colored or has the same thought-process they live by, and the rest of us who are part of the polyglot society that this Republic was founded for.
We, the polyglot culture, evaluates folks on their character, not skin color, religion (I’m sadly lacking here, but I have my reasons) or philosophy. People are people, and we have to live with each other in this world. Let’s play nice, okay?
Here in New Orleans we have the chance that most places will never have: we have to rebuild our homeplace. The populace of this place must remove the Race-blinders and embrace the all that is trying to rebuild this area. (Well fuck the gang-banger/crack assholes and the White money-pigs) What we do here and now determines the Future of our Nation. This is the proving ground. This is where America learns it’s next lesson.
This place is where the Future begins, and all of us here have a front-row seat. WE DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF AMERICA. We here in NOLA, at this point in time and space, control the destiny and path of a Nation. Never doubt that one kids. This is the place where the Social Contract comes into play, and it’s up to all of us to reaffirm our support of what this country is to be… black, white, yellow… doesn’t freakin’ matter. We are all equal in the One’s eyes.
So how did I get from a shitty trash contract to this pronouncement?
It is time here to end the Negro Administration of the City. Black, White, Asian and Creoles need to become the moving force in this area. No more Class-warfare, no more Race crap. This is all of our homes and lives, and it’s time that all of us take control of our city. I “see” the possibilities, I know that we are capable, but I doubt the courage of conviction…
Prove the old Swamp Witch wrong darlin’s. Let’s create the New World.
And meanwhile we must deal with the mess that our disgraced Negro D.A. left us concerning his Racist actions. (Once again my relatives disgust me.)