Gentilly Girl- a part of the 99%

Over a year ago I started communicating with a few Yahoo groups that formed after the un-natural disaster called the Corps of Engineers Levees that royally screwed the people of New Orleans. I stayed on target about my concerns about the people here and our portion of the city. A few months later the original handful of us had created a voice for all of us in our section of the city. Our goal was to create a voice for a disparate grouping of smaller neighborhoods so that we could show a united front for ALL of the people within our part of the city, for all of our neighbors who wanted to come home.

One year later our association has accomplished the major goals that we originally wished for. We will be the first in the city in the rebuilding plan. Our original concept (created by many individuals) has proven valid for rebuilding under current State and Federal guidlines. Our association realised it’s purpose.

Or… did we truly realise our purpose? At the latest meeting of the GNOP via Concordia Speaks, there was a 3/4 white attendance where 40% had an income over 75,000 and 90% came from less-effected neighborhoods.

Do any of my gentle readers think I would stand for this sort of thing down here? You’re freakin’ damn right: I DO NOT!

The breakdowns of the attendance for these sort of meetings are not acceptable. The numbers DO NOT represent the true demographics of the city. Many are without ‘puters. Many work all week in order to be able to pay the bills and yet be able to buy some materials for the slow rebuilding of their homes on the weekend. Many aren’t even able to come home and be counted.

If your voice is not used, no one will hear it and recognize that you are there.

The way the current system is set up by the UNOP and our despicable Mayor seems to be directed towards disenfranchising natives from trying to repair their lives in post-Deluge New Orleans.

Excuse my French, but this doesn’t sound Kosher. I freakin’ ‘know’ what they are trying to do: eliminate the poor from the rebuilding of New Orleans. Strong statement, but I’m pretty much on a proper heading with this one.
What is happening here is racial deconstruction.

Since when do we only listen to the top 15% of the income families when it comes to this city. Are we trying for a new version of aparthied?

I pull in $12K a year on SSDI. The only reason i can make it here is through my partner’s earnings, and often it can get hard to balance everything. I walk around the city and wonder “how the Hell are these other folks getting by?”. It’s called spirit babes, but the working folks ‘miss’ the mis-directed, corporation enriching and racial bias of the ruling class through the UNOP process. It’s time to stand against the Quislings and work for ALL of New Orleans and Her people.

It’s time to stand up for New Orleans, and all that She entails.

This is not the time to  allow those who are looking to pad their resumes or their bank accounts with their “efforts” for the people of our city to win. We’re already living that through the actions of C.Ray and half of our City Council. We the people see the crap going down through the machinations of all of you to disposess a major part of the folks of this city of their birthrights. We see it, and hate it at the same time.

The thing is folks, we are NOT helpless. All we need to do is look at the actions by these others, their reasons for said works and decisions, and then parley it out in fundamental Human terms. Does what what they say speak for the needs of the people of the city? How do they benefit by taking certain stances that favor the moneyed crowd? Are they our friends or our enemies?

To illuminate the answer to the above questions, I will be posting certain examples of those that I see working not for New Orleans, but for themselves hiding behind that old volunteer excuse over the next few weeks. I trust some others will also rise to the task. There’s a lot of dirt to bring to the light.

I stand for full Federal reparations for each person of Orleans Parish pre-Deluge, and it is my desire to bring all who wish to return home to the city to do so. It’s the New Orleanian thing to do.