*VANITY* - Where do ~we~ stand in the wake of Katrina?

Yesterday as I sat and waited for an appointment with the director of a local agency for the homeless, I saw this quote on a poster on the wall. It's a great quote. I stared at it as I continued to think about the situation in New Orleans and the surrounding areas devastated by hurricane Katrina.

I've found the debate on Free Republic and elsewhere nearly intolerable in the wake of Katrina. As a political conservative with a long job history of helping the homeless and the poor, I have a much more complex view of people and poverty than some here. I am not one of those 'lucky' people who see only one small aspect of it and could therefore post quickly and sharply about what they saw. Those lucky people see losers who are receiving the deserved outcome for their poor decisions. They see lesser human beings and incompetent democrats as the simple and definable cause. It's not ~our~ problem, it's ~their~ problem.

When I looked at the faces of those people at the convention center, they were not foreign to me. I know them. I've spent years working with people who are poor and/or unemployed; some temporarily, some permanently…. Some good, and some very bad, and some still walking the line who could go one way or the other. They'll choose the path that looks like it will pay off. I've had impact at that moment of choice, in my work, and have helped some of my clients go the right way. Not all, but enough that I felt my desk and my job were not a waste of space and money. I learned a lot there.

I've learned from their stories that I had some things in common with them. I too, had spent some time being unemployed with a negative bank balance. I'd never sought help for it from some agency or charity, but that was because I had something they did not: A successful family and successful friends, who not only were there to help me when my life took a downturn, but also were there to expect more from me. These people, by and large, didn't have that. Many do not know anyone who ~is~ successful enough to help them. They may have seen successful people on TV, they may see them drive by in nice cars, but to the chronically poor those people look as foreign and hard to understand as street people do to the occupants of the nice cars. Neither sees the other as someone they could be. IMHO, they're both wrong.

But lets go back to the people in the nice cars for a minute, because they're the once I'm talking to now. The people posting on this forum who think they see the whole problem as the fault of the refugees. The ones that say it's not ~our~ problem, it's ~their~ problem. With that solved in their mind, they set out to post simple rants that make clear their view that they are superior to this problem, that they would never have been trapped the way the people at the convention center were. Those posters have seen all the conflicting images I have, but can file it neatly into their world view. They see only losers and looters, they see only people who they can't imagine being. And many punctuate their posts with simple racism that speaks more accurately than I would wish, of views that are still alive and well inside the republican voter base. To those whose only input is to classify this as a race issue I say you are not only outdated and shallow in your worldview, but unhelpful to those who will lead this country. You offer nothing we need.

I reject their views as not only wrong and uninformed, but as emotional and impractical as the world views often expressed by Jessie Jackson. To those who say these people are responsible for their own helplessness, or undeserving of help, I say "OK – close your eyes and think that. Now open them. Oops. They're still here. We still have to deal with the poor refugees of this storm. So now what?"

What do we do when we have to condemn an entire city and move them, willingly or not, somewhere else? It's easy to loathe the welfare programs these people have been living on when they were invisibly in the bad part of town…. Now the barrier that kept them from view is gone. The city that hid them from us has been condemned…. And man there's a lot of them.

I know well the people who will move in to help these people. They're good people, for the most part. I've worked with them and learned from them. When I was very new and conservatively naïve about charity and welfare and poor people, they told me the truth. The only difference between a social worker's outlook and the average suburban conservative's outlook is their assigned role in actually dealing with it. What the rest of us just opine about, they have in their inbox. They know who they're dealing with, they know which people can be helped, and they know which ones will not be helped. They help the ones they can, and they work their butts off and have a lot of good impact. I'm not talking about the leadership at these agencies, the ones who have to write grant proposals and talk in flowery language about helping the poor… And I'm certainly not talking about the pompous blaming bafflecrap we get from politicians. I'm talking about the front line workers… the ones who I've spent hours with, in break-rooms and in bars after hours, talking about our days.

Those who are very new to dealing with the poor often fit into one of two perspectives. They either(1) think that by classifying people as losers they have completed their participation in the subject, or they (2) think they want to help, and they think their acts of charity will be universally appreciated and accepted with the enthusiasm a stranded golden retriever would have toward their rescuer. These people aren't golden retrievers. They are people who bring with them such baggage as they could carry, often times the only baggage they have left is that they carry in their own minds. Some of them think life has been very unfair to them. And you know what? Some of them are right. These people have had a crappy thing happen to them with this storm.

These people have been tested, and are still being tested, by this challenge. Some have indeed reacted to the situation with utter incivility. The media loves to focus on them, and so we saw lots of looters. It's tempting in a crisis to focus on the one thing that is the most obvious, to the exclusion of everything else. As a pilot, I learned to avoid fixation and keep working the problem in emergency procedure drills, that fixation on one aspect of the problem can lead you to fail to deal with the rest of the emergency. Those lessons apply to this situation as well. Yes, we know there was a criminal element to this crisis. But also happening are other crises that don't stop happening just because we aren't looking at them. Real people who's real ability to get over this crisis is being tested. They need our help, and they are worthy of it. They aren't foreign to most of us, if we sat down and listened to what they have been through. I could be them. If I had been caught by this hurricane, this 'evacuation order' at many points in my life, I'd have been unable to consider, at a moment's notice, to pack up what I could carry and leave my home, perhaps indefinitely, without help from anyone. I am a republican, I am white, I am female, and I could be one of them.

What do we do now? As republicans, what do we offer these refugees? See, they are not the only ones being measured by this crisis, we are too. We want to lead this country, we ~are~ leading this country, and it's in our inbox.

I can tell you what I ~don't~ think we should do. I don't think we should talk down to these people or talk down about hurricane refugees as some class of people who all fit in the same box. Simply writing them off as the undesirables is not an option. That's WAY too easy to say, and solves nothing.

While the rest of the shallowly political on both sides argue and blame and say ugly things, I want conservatives to be measured as being better than that. The democrats in this country haven't had a good idea in years. Now is our chance to look at this enormous crisis with the practical, compassionate, Christian ideals that I know we possess. We need to pitch in and help, with both our effort, and our good example, and we should not tolerate those on either side who would put these refugees in a box, whether it's out of low expectations, or out of fear.

This has been a long rambling post, I know, for those who have stuck with me, but that's what I was thinking about as I stared at the Martin Luther King poster at the shelter.

Two of the most prominent, rdb3, and mhking, left. I am sorry for that, and trying to show them that many on this forum, do want them here.

They were great and are great people and excellent FReepers, and they will be back, imo.

FR is more than like your favorite ice cream flavor, it can be your wisest and best friend.......... you must come back to it or he or she.

But, in my one and only "get together" with the second FReeper noted, I found that he had a very thin skin at that time. Now, that happened just a couple of weeks ago, so maybe he was right on the edge of disillusionment and was irritated by many things. I don't know, but here's one relatively new FReeper who has been reading here for over six years, and I hope they come back......... and SOON! Because FR is the greatest site in the country, and they are needed here.

Two of the most prominent, rdb3, and mhking, left. I am sorry for that, and trying to show them that many on this forum, do want them here.

Thanks for posting this thread. I haven't been as frequent a visitor to FR lately because of some medical issues so I was just now catching up on the thread where rdb3 and mhking stated their frustrations and intentions to leave.

In reading that thread I came to the conclusion that quite a few of the posters don't realize how racist they sound. It may be because they actually are racist or it may be they don't realize how their posts come across as an us vs. them post.

Some people suggested when the people were turned away that they find a different route. Almost as if it's as simple as putting your car in reverse and driving in a different direction. Not so easy to do when one has been walking in heat, humidity and bugs for a couple of miles.

Others suggested there were businesses, shops and grocery stores in areas that weren't underwater. The question wasn't asked or answered about whether there were employees able to make it in to staff these places or whether the posters were unwittingly encouraging looting.

Other's blamed people for not evacuating before and for waiting until after the hurricane was gone. They forget the levees didn't fail until after Katrina had blown on through. Or they fail to think people saw things getting worse after Katrina moved on and they chose to leave then.

I'm like you in that there have been times in my adult life when I haven't been perfectly prepared. Sometimes I didn't see something coming when it should have been obvious to me. Other times it would have been financially impossible for me to do other than what I did. (And no, I never did anything immoral or illegal.)

Mike, I had written you a freepmail before I saw this thread. rdb3, I hadn't yet written you a freepmail because I found this thread and am responding here. I don't want either of you to leave. I enjoy both of your perspectives on differing topics. I hope you reconsider.

Is it going to be a lottery for people who never took care of themselves or planned for unforeseen circumstances?

Yes, it will be, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't help the people who can truly USE the help and could get a leg up with this.

It has been amusing to see folks on TV being surprised that there were poor people in New Orleans. They're used to seeing the city as Party Central, and they have gauzy notions of the French Quarter, the Garden District, Mint Juleps and spanish moss swaying in the breeze. In truth, that city has had it's own pathologies for years! My Aunt used to take her seven kids, and my sister and me to Mardi Gras every year back in the mid 60's to the early 70's. We knew even then that there were areas right on the edge of the French Quarter that you just did NOT wander into. That 'criminal element' has been there for years, and they preyed on everyone, poor people included. Those poor people decided long ago that the police didn't care what happened to them because even if they DID call with a complaint, nothing ever happened, then the thugs would come back and go after the complainers. After a while, those people just gave up. That's where the attitudes of the looters of non-essential things was born. Doesn't make their actions right, but it does explain why they felt free to do what they did.

Hair has seen these people in her work. I grew up with them, white and black, and there is a mind-set that folks who were given a different set of values have a hard time understanding, unless they've lived with or near it. It would never occur to us to accept grinding poverty as something we can never overcome, but many of the people we saw in New Orleans have done so because they've never known anything else. They've never had the opportunity to make something of themselves, or they haven't been in the position to take advantage of any opportunity that might have presented itself. They just didn't recognize it, or their attitudes had steeled them against it.

We, who do not live in that mind-set, see education as a way to get out of that lifestyle. Unfortunately, the public school system has failed the poor in large urban areas, and even if the kids DO bother to graduate, many are ill equipped to go on to higher education. Most just drop out because they don't see the need for further education. Again, their mind-set does not see education as a benefit, and it is frustrating because though they WANT the finer things in life, many don't see the connection between education and actually GETTING those things.

I see in this tragedy, a real opportunity for many of New Orleans' poor families. While they were in the city, they were mired in that mind-set and the poverty it produced. They didn't have opportunities, so they couldn't move out of the projects, or they were stuck in such low end jobs that they kept falling back further into the hole. The political climate didn't help, either. Now, for the first time in their lives they are free of that bondage, and are being offered a way out. Many will take it, and they and their families will never look back. This would be the silver lining to the cloud. Some will squander it because they either can't or won't change their attitudes. We can only continue to offer help in the hopes that one day, they'll change that attitude.

I think it's important to realize, that the people evactuated include a lot more than just those on welfare before the storm, but will be now.

There are many working people who would not have the cash or credit to just evacuate out to a hotel indefinately. Especially because they haven't just lost their house... their job too - gone. This level of damage is unprecidented in our history. As yet invisible are all those who ~did~ leave on their own and stayed in a hotel somewhere... who are also now without a job. We haven't seen them yet but I know there's got to be a lot of them out there too, quietly running out of money. How scary that would be.

It's going to be really expensive, but I don't really see as we have much choice. This is a huge and urgent need. Some of it will be wasted, but some of it won't. Not much we can do about that.

just as often, it's just because people are not blessed with the support network that allows them to get started and help them out when they fall on hard times.

So true! I have an older sister and an older brother who both lost homes to the storm surge in MS. They are fortunate in that they have a place to live until they can get their lives back together. They don't have to depend on the kindness or patience of strangers. The older sister and her husband are both retired, and they depended on their pensions and rental income from a house that was on their property. Tht rental income is now gone because the house is gone, so they'll have a limited income with which to re-build. Fortunately they're living with a younger sister, so they don't have to pay for housing while they're getting back on their feet. My brother and his wife are living with his son from a previous marriage and his wife and kids. Again, they have a place to rest before they have to get back to the business of working and building again.

The folks on the Gulf Coast of MS and LA have it particularly hard because they have to re-build, but have no where to live while they're doing so because there are no houses to rent in the area because of the massive destruction. This is where the FEMA trailers will come in handy. Folks can live in the trailers on their property as they're building their homes. Even for people not inclined to look for a handout, this is an important function of government, and one of which these families have no problem taking advantage, because they don't intend to live in those trailers forever.

The people who did not own homes will likely move away because there is not much in the way of rental property left, and their jobs are gone, anyway because the businesses were destroyed. Some will return, some will make new lives elsewhere. Again, if they have family in other places who are in a position to help, they'll be better off than others who don't have that support system.

I don't know how many times I would be counseling a client who was out of money and had a utility shut off notice or an eviction notice in their hand. (and this is without a disaster)

I would always ask if they had already asked family for help... Could they get help from their parents, siblings, and extended family? The answer was almost always no. Either the relationships were broken, or their other family was in no better financial shape to help, or they had parents with an attitude that once the kid was 18 - they're on their own, no help from them.

I know I still needed help from family after the age of 18. And what I tried to pass on to them was to remember that when their own kids need help later. I think the difference between those who have temporary setbacks in life and those who never recover is that family support system.

they had parents with an attitude that once the kid was 18 - they're on their own, no help from them.

I have a sister-in-law whose parents had that attitude. Once the girls were 18, they were on their own. Sorry, but I don't buy that. Doesn't mean you let your kids lie around in your house and be lazy bums, but you help out to get them started.

Our #1 son is in his last year of law school. He worked for a firm in Boston this past summer, and they've offered him a job when he graduates. Now he has over $100K in loans he has to re-pay, and we are very willing to let him live with us for a while until he can get into a better financial position. It would never occur to me to throw him out into the world without some help on our part. He may not stay with us long, but that would be his choice. He's a pretty independent guy, but he knows that we're here if he needs us.

I went to the cleaners yesterday and met there five delightful people. They were black and had evacuated New Orleans before the hurricane. They were staying with friends in Dallas and picking up clothes that were given to them which had been newly laundered.

We had a long, pleasant conversation about the situation in New Orleans, carefully avoiding politics but heavy on history. They lost everything and did not seem to be welfare recipients as they were careful to point out where they lived and it was not in the projects area. As a matter of fact, when writers describe the old gentry of the South these folks seemed to share that personality type, showing lots of grace and intelligence, but not of the same economic background.They may be the typical evacuee though never receiving publicity nor recognition.

As yet invisible are all those who ~did~ leave on their own and stayed in a hotel somewhere... who are also now without a job. We haven't seen them yet but I know there's got to be a lot of them out there too, quietly running out of money. How scary that would be.

I know some of these people. I am an evacuee who has recently returned home. Some of my relatives left when they were told to, stayed in a hotel, and have come back to their homes with no job. It is scary. There are good people down here and I have been very personally hurt by the things I've read on Free Republic. To many, we just don't seem to be worth saving or helping.

Thank God for all the wonderful people in this country who take a different view and are digging deep to help. New Orleans is a wonderful city, and at the same time it's not. I read in a quote today in the paper: "Anybody who knows New Orleans has a love-hate relationship with New Orleans." That's true. While I had stopped going into the city very much because of crime, I was thrilled, just a few months back, to be able to take my kids to Mass at the St. Louis Cathedral for my father's Confirmation. There's nothing like Mass at the Cathedral and beignets at Cafe du Monde. My heart is broken to see my city this way. I guess people can't understand that if they haven't visited here or lived here.

Anyway, thank you for this thread. Earlier this week, I decided to change my home page from Free Republic to something else. My husband, who reads FR daily, won't even look at it. I'm glad to see the people who disagree with the tone of the last couple weeks speaking up on this thread. God bless.

This informations is from an article posted on Channel 2's website in Houston, Texas.

The largest number of evacuees at Reliant City was on Sept. 4, when it housed 27,100 residents.

I haven't lived in Houston in several years but my sister and my son live there now. Reliant City evidently refers to a complex which includes a sports arena, a large (maybe the largest in Houston) convention center named the George R. Brown and the Astrodome.
(http://www.reliantpark.com/facilities/facilities.asp) for more information about the size of the facilities used and their various locations in Houston.

According to the Red Cross, more than 4,000 evacuees were still living in Houston's three largest shelters on Wednesday. The number of evacuees at each shelter by noon was:

Reliant Center -- 2,021
Astrodome -- 1,068
George R. Brown Convention Center -- 1,069

Houston has managed to help 23,000 evacuees move out of the three area's being used as shelters. I found the article interesting because of the help Houston was able to offer such a large number of people.

Here's the link:
http://www.click2houston.com/news/4973356/detail.html

Not everything is perfect as there is also this report from the FBI about out of state gangs and a fight which happened at one of the schools.
http://www.click2houston.com/news/4975025/detail.html

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