Self-Determination of Blacks Helping Blacks Impacted by Hurricane Katrina
A delayed report of Ser Seshs Ab Heter-CM Boxley
Because they have very little information and or news from the “media,” up north and out west many people have insisted that my person complete and submit the following report of activities, events and occurrences in the Deep Southwest relative to the impact and reactions to hurricane Katrina and Rita
Relief Recovery Reconstruction Reparations and “From Outrage to Action”
A Deep South Report by Ser Seshs Ab Heter-Clifford M. Boxley From the historical Forks of the Roads Enslavement Markets Sites Natchez Mississippi
In response to Hurricane Katrina’s Impact, the subsequent flooding of New Orleans and Government’s Benign Neglect of Blacks in New Orleans seen around the world provoked a wake up call heeded by Blacks who instantly understood it is time to help our own by providing relief and refuse.
Uniformly from all corners of the United States there was a consensus that Blacks were destined to see that their help went directly to blacks and not through standard American charities such as Red Cross and Salvation Army.
From the reports of the America’s regular white media in the main the story of massive actions of blacks helping blacks were omitted and limited to highlighting high profile civil rights, professional athletes, other entertainers and personalities. How many of us know that the New Black Panthers rescued over a hundred persons in New Orleans that were trapped by floodwaters and took them to Houston Texas in buses?
Natchez Mississippi and throughout the State of Mississippi and the balance of Louisiana outside of New Orleans are inundated with New Orleans and surrounding areas including Mississippi’s Gulf Coast residents who fled hurricane Katrina.
Much of Southwest, Eastern, Central and Northern Louisiana as well as all of Mississippi are the original homes of thousands of New Orleans area residents who returned to live with relatives and or friends. Thousands of others are still living in shelters in the rest of Louisiana and Mississippi. Churches operate many shelters.
It is not known how many are operated by African American churches. But the number of African American churches providing relief and shelter to New Orleans area resident impacted by Hurricane Katrina is substantial and in the majority across the board.
African Americans elected officials, community volunteers, social and civic clubs and Afro Greeks organization were greatly involved in providing relief, some as Red Cross Workers.
The point that must be made is how Blacks were/are very determined to see that our help went and go directly to blacks and especially those in the rural and semi-isolated communities of the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf and similar parishes in Louisiana, as well as black operated relief distributions sites in the Deep South all the way to Texas.
From a personal experience my person served as the expeditor for Dr. Demitri Marshall of the Port Gipson Mississippi Family Medical Center who was identified by the December 12th Movement of Brooklyn New York and others areas of the U. S. for shipments of relief supplies.
Once Dr. Marshall received a call from a donating source he relayed the contact to my person and I hooked up the donated deliveries directly with African American communities sites and persons who either were operating relief distribution centers or were delivering supplies to black operated communities or shelters.
Eighteen wheels trucks loaded with relief supplies sent by Brooklyn N. Y. based December 12th Movement dropped their loads in Laurel Mississippi via the State Conference of the NAACP; in Baton Rouge Louisiana at Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church Shelter, in Donaldsonville Louisiana via River Road African American Museum and in Jackson Mississippi via the Mississippi Disaster Relief Coalition. A smaller load from Southern California was dropped off in Mossville, Louisiana. December 12th people provided me with 1000 hours of phone card minutes, which allowed me to make long distance calls.
Project Sentinel Fair Housing Program of Palo Alto California sent my person $500 in Wal-Mart gas cards. This allowed me to travel to the hurricanes impacted areas of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Southwest Louisiana as well as areas in between to make direct contacts assessments with people on the front line of providing relief and organizing meetings to deal with needed information from FEMA, the Red Cross and other agencies.
Black Activists organize for Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reparations
On September 15th 2005 in Jackson Mississippi a wide range of Blacks activists consisting of local Muslims, Christians, Pan Afrikans, community organizers, artists and representatives from New Orleans and Brooklyn N. Y. met and formed the Mississippi Disaster Relief Coalition.
On September 17th 2005 an even larger and broader group of Black Activists on a national level including the New Black Panthers, Illinois Black United Fund, National Black United Front, ENCORBA, and representatives on the ground in New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, Mississippi and Atlanta gathered at Southern University and formed the Black Activists Organizing Coalition on Katrina Relief.
The common thread that bound these coalitions is Self Determination of Blacks helping our own.
Action programs and resolutions of demands tied to the concepts of:
Rescue/Relief: Mobilization and coordination of material things to help our people.
Recovery: Jobs development, housing, education, fundraising and legal actions.
Reconstruction: Black self-determination is to get all that we can get under our own people’s control such as contracts and economic development.
Reparations: Obtain African and international support for reparations.
Demand Resolutions:
Designated the experienced and trusted Illinois Black United Fund as the source for black people to donate money that can be redistributed to black organizations providing rescue/relief, recovery and reconstructions services directly in and for the New Orleans and Gulf area Black victims of the Katrina disaster and blatant American Racism.
Emphasis was placed on the fact that there must be a legal attacked waged that includes filing law suits for services, saving homes and those jailed for various reasons.
Reports made from those directly involved in rescue and relief work were given by persons from:
New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana.
Black Activists who were on the ground in New Orleans, including New Black Panthers members reporting, presented a timeline report of the happenings in New Orleans and Louisiana.
Mississippi.
The Mississippi report was mainly about the relief efforts carried out by Blacks and the planned National Heal the Black community event to be held in Jackson.
Houston:
The Houston Texas report was mainly about what happened in the Astrodome. Some whites obtained FCC license for one-mile radius radio communications and talked to each other in and around the shelters. A lot of young people have been arrested in Houston. They have no family contacts. The poor of Houston is being pitted against poor from New Orleans in competition for housing. Fights are breaking out in schools. Whites were taken to hotels in Houston. City of Houston gave a city park to the New Black Panthers to use for working with the youth, but no resources.
Dallas:
The Dallas Texas report was mainly about what happened in the Reunion Arena mass shelter there. Dallas is competing for conventions that would have gone to New Orleans. Struggle around housing, jobs and food stamps.
Atlanta:
The Atlanta report centered on the amount of unity among Blacks and the one-stop relief center that DeKalb County established. Also, the millions of dollars raised by rap groups and others for relief with an understanding that the funds were to go directly to Black folk in need and not to Red Cross.
Inspection Visit to New Orleans
On September 18, 2005 two vehicle loads of the Black Activists Organizing Coalition on Katrina Relief visited New Orleans to inspect the devastation and desolation. We entered New Orleans from U. S. Highway 10 via Claiborne Street. We could see the Superdome and the damaged roof. Helicopter landing and soldiers were seen at the Superdome as we drove east into New Orleans.
1st Stop: Tulane St. Stopped across from Tulane Medical Center and witness a clean up crew of twenty or thirty mainly Latinos men and few Black men dressed in what looked like space suits of plastic cleaning up around the Medical Center. They were outfitted in plastic helmets, pants, gloves, another long outer covering of plastic from shoulders to feet, boots and gas masks types (not mouth covering cloth type, but ventilating breathing military type masks) Tall buildings had many windows blown out that were boarded or just left opened. At the ground levels many businesses had blown out windows and display windows that were opened and or boarded up. An awful and powerful smell came up from the sewer drain across from Tulane Medical Center. So powerful and awful we scrambled to get the hell away from there.
2nd Stop: City Hall and other Tall Buildings in City Center. Tall building had many windows blown out and some had been boarded up. In this area of the Podryas Center the army was using as a staging area and soldiers and army vehicles were all over the place. Several refrigeration trucks were parked at City Hall and presumed to be there for freeze-drying records for preservation purposes.
3rd Stop: Ashe Cultural Center on Oretha Castle Haley St. The Center seemed to be intact. No water or hurricane damaged was observed. The surrounding neighborhood of Ashe Cultural Center appeared to be relatively free of flood damage, but as we traveled more westward to Jackson and Washington Streets neighborhoods the devastation was staggering to see in reality. There were no people and we saw blocks after blocks and miles after miles of what looked like a neutron bomb had been dropped into a war zone and left all buildings, streets, plant life, trees, autos and everything else in a dead brown twilight zone. Watermarks streaked along the base of building in uniformity, some three or four feet and other buildings and houses up to the top of doors.
4th Stop: The 11th or 12th Ward west of Claiborne and Delachaise streets area. Along the way abandoned cars were strewn all along Claiborne Street’s high ground median. Funeral home hearses, new cars, old cars, sports cars, Mercedes Benz, Lexus, SUVs and all. Some seemed to have been tossed around by flood waters, others seem to have been intentionally parked on higher ground but still were inundated by water up to their roofs. All we could see and witness for blocks upon blocks and miles upon miles were empty houses and businesses damaged beyond belief. Then there was those tic tack toe like markings spray painted on buildings and houses that gave you an eerie feeling of death’s presence. The whole vastness of the devastation subdued and humbled us into a realization that it will take thousands and legions of Black people from across America and from outside America to come and help Black people bring back the neighborhoods in New Orleans. At Delachaise near Claiborne we visited with a 56 year old man and an 86-year-old female elder. They did not evacuate and rode out both the hurricane and flood by taking refuse on the second floor of a neighbor’s building that was being rehabilitated. The man said he lived in another block and the elder woman said she lived next door. Both were brought together in their second story refuse by “God” they said and had bonded in survival. They had plenty of food and water and the utility workers came by everyday to check on them as the whole neighborhood had been evacuated. The elder female said she had worked in all kinds of work involving digging in the earth for farm products. She had seen a long life and if it’s time to go, evacuating would not stop that time. She stated that the society was caught up in “too much sex and God was trying to tell them something with the hurricane.”
Our 5th and final stop was an attempt to get into the much-publicized 9th Ward. As we drove along Claiborne Street to the east side of New Orleans the same scene of blocks upon blocks of devastation and high water lines smeared homes and businesses. There were no people in sight. Automobiles of all kind littered the landscape and the high ground under Interstate 10 East overpass. After seeing hundreds and hundreds of cars left standing and sitting in all kinds of unimaginable positions and seeing the same with flat tires from driving in streets that had been littered with boards and lumbers with nails that had been torn from building by flood water or blown to bits by the hurricane you concluded that people of all incomes and life styles were trapped in New Orleans by the flood. They survived the hurricane on Monday only to wake up Tuesday in four feet or more of floodwater. They could not drive out of New Orleans no matter who did not have or had a motor vehicle. We drove farther along Claiborne and turned up Canal Street to Broad and proceeded to go east. Here and there along Broad we saw Black people trying to salvage their businesses. However, we were stopped and turned around by soldiers as we drove to the fringes of the 9th Ward. We went upon Interstate 10 Highway and continued East in hopes of finding a way to view the inundation that submerged the 9th Ward and New Orleans East. Again, after going over the high rise bridge portion of Interstate 10 and existing on the street that led to the University of New Orleans and Southern University New Orleans we were stopped by soldiers and turned around. On the drive east and back west as far as your eyes could see was gut-wrenching devastation. You could see holes punched in roofs and knocked out attic windows that were escape hatches and you visualized people, youth, elders, men and women scrambling through the hallow holes to keep from dieing while hoping for some one, anyone to come and rescue them from the murky water and the greatest horror of their urban lives. This was the sight for miles upon miles.
Leaving New Orleans on Interstate 10 West the devastation could be seen on both sides. Hundreds upon hundreds of roofs were covered with blue plastic covering to keep out whatever. Boats were parked in strange places and positions all the way to the 610 and 10 highways interchange. You wondered how did that boat or this boat get there?
I remarked to Baba Hannibal Afrik, Sister Anana and students from Hinds County Junior College who were also in the same vehicle that it is going to take cadres of construction workers, educators, volunteers, organizers and so on from throughout America and the world to come and do the work necessary to bring back the neighborhoods. (Fck) Mardi Gras and the French Quarters! Bring back the neighborhoods or there ain’t going to be any New Orleans I shouted!
People with deep African Spirit (not to be confused with western religions) and not so seduced by America’s materialism and hopelessness will make it back. I wondered out loud what will people draw upon when they came to the next level of being back in New Orleans and their homes, businesses and neighborhoods are in nearly or complete and absolute devastation? I wondered what it is going to be like across America when the third level of reality sets in….the one when FEMA and Red Cross funds runs out; impatience raises in homes and shelters where evacuees have taken refuse; and when the reality of getting back to New Orleans may take months if not years set in?
This one is going to be for the long haul. But if several millions Civil War era self-emancipated enslaved Ancestors and Foreparents with nothing but their African Spirit and self determination will succeeded in laying down the development foundation upon which the New Afrikans in America now stand, Blacks of New Orleans with the rest of us helping can and will do more than survive. Marcus Garvey as Katrina and Rita provided a new opportunity for us Blacks to pull together. As Baba Hannibal Afrik said to my person over the phone “this may be our last wake up call.”
Beyond rescue and relief is Black Self-determination for reparations. Whites don’t have the same charge, history, or struggle as Blacks. Whites benefit from their white supremacy domination system. Blacks benefit from the crumbs gained in struggle against and within such white supremacy domination system. Examples: Making money vs. jobs; Mardi Gras (fun orgies), business as usual, wealthy district protection and French Quarters operations vs. neighborhoods and cultural revitalizations.
Civil rights organizations and other kind of leaders let the current white supremacy domination system highest leaders off the hook by falling for “this is not the time to play the blame game” in the critical crisis of black survival days of the man made flooding of New Orleans. They let the spin-doctors spin their way out of what the world was made aware of as exposed by Marcus Garvey as Trina and Rita hurricanes and subsequent flooding.
Subsequently
I attended a bring the people back home march and rally led by Jesse Jackson and others in Baton Rouge that featured Governor Kathleen Blanco who should not have been allowed to be there. But you know what that was all about when labor unions and Jesse and Al were involved as Democrats.
I participated in Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney led rally at the New Orleans Convention Center and march to Gretna Louisiana in response to the Gretna law enforcement people who refused to let people fleeing the subsequent flooding of New Orleans pass through on U. S. Federal Highway 90. At first the N. O. police said they would arrest people crossing the Mississippi River Bridge. When the organizers of the rally and march said they were going anyway and prepared to be arrested, the police changed their position and escorted the march. Gretna police who did not seem to like the fact that their city was marched on met us at the Gretna city limits. The march ended with a rally on an empty lot in Gretna.
I have attended a number of meetings of mainly people from New Orleans East who meet every Monday at True Light Baptist Church in Baton Rouge under leadership that has emerged from the evacuees in an organization called New Orleans East Unified and Whole. These meetings have an average attendance of 200 to 300 people seeking answers to their New Orleans Katrina crises. They have had FEMA, Red Cross, New Orleans Mayor, New Orleans Sewer and Water Department Heads, Entergy Power Company and many others come before them and give accountability and information. These are mainly middle-income property home and property owners who had to evacuate New Orleans East. My question to my person is will these middle-income black people become militant or revolutionary enough to fight the fight (feet and street heat) that must be in order to help them? We will see!
Since being back in the deep southwest I have notice that the people are affected by a plantation culture of having or expecting “leaders” to do or not do their bidding. But such Black leaders, even the Mayor of New Orleans must have come to know that being a political or church or civil rights leader does not equate to shakers and movers power in the big house white supremacy domination system.
In the West Bank community of New Orleans I visited Common Grounds. This is a coalition of whites and some blacks from all over the U. S. and from outside of the U. S. who have set up a people relief service organization. They operate a free people medical clinic and supplies distribution center. FEMA and Red Cross did not consider high blood pressure and diabetics as medical emergencies. Local brothers and sisters who now have the voluntary help as stated above are providing this revolutionary medical action service. Doctors, nurses, Para-medics and others are treating people’s health needs and saving lives. The Common Ground Clinic have a website up that post their medical supplies needs and wish list items. A member of the Quakers in Boston sent the clinic $1100 dollars collected by inmates of a prison. I had them send the money in gas cards so the clinic volunteers could make house calls throughout New Orleans area.
I have made several trips back to New Orleans on several occasions. There are people there now. Many streets have the debris cleaned, fence repaired, trees removed and so on. Some areas have power, streetlights are working and stores are open. But you still have to have permission to get into the 9th Ward. There are areas where there are no people, no lights and nothing being done. The strangest thing to me was seeing no children except in a few mainly white neighborhoods where a few schools were operating.
FROM OUTRAGE TO ACTION
The People’s Hurricane Relief Fund & The Mississippi Distress Relief Coalition presented FROM OUTRAGE TO ACTION State of Emergency Survivor’s Conference Thursday & Friday - December 8 & 9, 2005 in Jackson, Mississippi & Saturday, December 10, 2005 March & Rally in New Orleans, LA. Conference Agenda From Outrage to Action State of Emergency People’s Conference Youth Speak Out was held December 8, 2005 at Jackson State University School of Business. Survivor’s Assembly & Conference December 9, 2005 was held at Anderson United Methodist Church December 9, 2005 Rally/Cultural Program Louisiana & Mississippi Artists Survivor’s March For Self Determination & Right to Return December 10, 2005 march and rally in New Orleans, LA took place beginning at Kongo Square (where Natives Americans and enslaved African people historically gathering to do ritual dancing, singing, drumming and sold their goods); marching up Rampart Street to Canal Street; down Canal toward the Convention Center making a U-turn back up Canal and on to City Hall.
I was at the Jackson
conference on December 9th and at the March and Rally in New
Orleans on December 10th. This two-day event has set the agenda and work
action for dealing with human rights in America and abroad. The minutes,
resolutions and presentations must be obtained from the organizers of the
event. Summaries of presentations and issues and action items were done in
power point computer program and must have been saved for dissemination
around the world. This was a historic and very necessary event in that it
combined the issues and actions of both Katrina survivors and supporters
into a working action agenda of which its parts can be carried out by a
variety of groups, organizations and entities and so on regardless. “No Mardi Gras!” “No
Mardi Gras!” “No Mardi Gras!” was the Cry the second level of the fight is
on! KEEPING UP ON THE NEW ORLEANS AND GULF COAST BLACK NEWS
One of the Best Ways to Keep Up With New Orleans Happenings From an Africans in America Perspective is to Email Vincent Sylvain and Ask Him to Add you to his Email Newsletter. Here is the website: vincent@sylvainsolutions.com The following article below taken from Vincent’s newsletter postings serves as a summary for this report. Terry B. Jones, NEW ORLEANS DATA NEWS WEEKLY NEW ORLEANS, LA -- As New Orleanians are making decisions about the rest of our lives, whether to go back to the city we all love or make our future in another city in America, what is the real reality, meaning will the town we loved ever be the same? And what are the real chances of going back, especially for the lower and middle-income citizens? If you’ve gone to New Orleans recently, it is obvious that there is new money alive and well in the city. New restaurants on Magazine Street, contractors in the Uptown area, builders, investors, and many Mexican workers now populate the city. While lower and middle class neighborhoods are still in shambles. What does this mean? After attending a few of the town hall meetings, it is clear, at least to me, that the Mayor, City Council and even the Governor are fighting to keep some sort of control and regretfully not doing very well with it. So who is driving the train? Maybe the federal government [President Bush], or maybe private investors who cannot be seen in the forefront. (You know those folks never show their faces!) Whoever is driving, we know for sure middle and lower income New Orleanians, are not their primary concern. But don’t think for a minute, there isn’t a plan. There is. The lack of initiatives to attract folks back and the influx of monies from around the world, signal that there’s clearly a plan. You’re just not in it. So what do we do? Well, we can continue to beat up on our local elected officials, which seems to me to be a diversion plan. You see in any good strategic battle, you divert the attention one-way so that what is really going on is out of sight. You only see and do what they want you to see and do. The question is, will we go for the okeydoke, or like Malcolm X, said, be “bamboozled or hoodwinked.” Or do we go directly to the source. The best way to win any battle is to know your strengths. Understanding of the 300,000 people who left New Orleans, 85 to 90 percent of them are lower or middle class. Each one of their families, had to have had at least 500 relatives who did not live in the city. And as they matriculated throughout the country, they impacted over 200 people per family. Now, the effect, if those relationships could be unified, understanding the impact socially and economically of people who understand the importance of New Orleans to come back, and the need for the government to put New Orleans back in place, could be overwhelming to both the government and private sector. To simplify it, I mean We the People. And isn’t that what America is supposed to be about? Which it makes it very interesting that FEMA will not release the names and addresses of the displaced residents of New Orleans. But it makes sense, doesn’t it? How can you ask the opposing team to help you win? This is a clarion call to all residents of New Orleans and friends and families. It is time to galvanize all of the compassion and turn it into action. It’s time to act now! In the next issue, we will post all of the names of the members of Congress along with their contact information. We will also include a form letter for you to sign, cut out and mail to the members of Congress, letting them know that you intend for them to do everything necessary to make it possible for us to return home. We will not accept no for an answer. We are Americans. It isn’t about New Orleans People, it’s about American People! And out right to be safe, and secure in America. But that can only happen when the true American dream is realized. Basically I am saying that we can’t sit here and wait for things to happen, we have to stand up, Americas and make it happen for us all! When I asked “Who is driving the train in New Orleans, the real question is “Who should be driving?” The answer is of course, We The People! Only together can we make a difference. Terry B. Jones, Publisher, NEW ORLEANS DATA NEWS WEEKLY Yours in Struggle Ser Seshs Ab Heter-CM Boxley aka Goboa Wa Arathi Peace and Blessings P. N. I can still use help with gas and phone minutes as you know or may not know I voluntarily working for the cause is what I do and have done for the past 40 years. P. O. Box 2188 Natchez, Ms. 39121 Phone: 601-442-4719
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Copyright © 2006. Ser Seshs Ab Heter-Clifford M. Boxley, Natchez, Mississippi. All Rights Reserved.
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