"Some people celebrated the elimination of blacks from the community."

[rodeodance]

"Some people celebrated the elimination of blacks from the community."

........Locked out?

Race, class, money and power are inextricably linked in the US, and the flooding of New Orleans is proving a textbook example of how they intersect.

"In the wake of the flood, a small group of powerful business leaders and developers - the old blue-blood elite - took it upon themselves to plan the city into the next 20-30 years," says Lance Hill, executive director of the Southern Institute for Education and Research at Tulane University.

Carolyn Parker, who moved back to her Lower Ninth Ward home soon after Katrina
... while some people have returned in defiance of city orders
The problem was that "virtually no African-Americans" had returned to the city when those plans were being formed, says Mr Hill, who describes himself as a white liberal.

There were proposals not to rebuild historically black neighbourhoods, which alarmed African-Americans, he says. ..........

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5283522.stm

[marmar]

1. Apartheid by design....

:grr:

[azurnoir]

2. Republican urban renewal?

God's demolition; our city planning

[Waya]

3. ON THE "ART" OF STEALING HUMAN RIGHTS

The following is an excerpt from a speech on Human Rights - given at the Tobique Reserve in New Brunswick in 1958.

It pertains to the Human Rights (or lack thereof) of Native Americans but it seems the basic principles apply to Blacks and people of other Races some deem not quite as equals.



'The art of denying Indians their human rights has been refined to a science. The following list of commonly used techniques will be helpful in "burglar-proofing" your reserves, and your rights.
GAIN THE INDIANS CO-OPERATION - It is much easier to steal someone's human rights if you can do it with his OWN co-operation.

So..:

Make him a non-person. Human rights are for people. Convince Indians their ancestors were savages, that they were pagan, that Indians were drunkards. Make them wards of the government. Make a legal distinction, as in the Indian Act, between Indians and persons. Write history books that tell half the story.

Convince the Indian that he should be patient, that these things take time. Tell him that we are making progress, and that progress takes time.

Make him believe that things are being done for his own good. Tell him you're sure that after he has experienced your laws and actions that he will realise how good they have been. Tell the Indian he has to take a little of the bad in order to enjoy the benefits you are conferring on him.

Get some Indian people to do the dirty work. There are always those who will act for you to the disadvantage of their own people. Just give them a little honor and praise. This is generally the function of band councils, chiefs, and advisory councils: they have little legal power, but can handle the tough decisions such as welfare, allocation of housing etc.

Consult the Indian, but do not act on the basis of what you hear. Tell the Indian he has a voice and go through the motions of listening. Then interpret what you have heard to suit your own needs.

Insist that the Indian "GOES THROUGH PROPER CHANNELS." Make the channels and the procedures so difficult that he won't bother to do anything. When he discovers what the proper channels are and becomes proficient at the procedures, change them.

Make the Indian believe that you are working hard for him, putting in much overtime and at a great sacrifice, and imply that he should be appreciative. This is the ultimate in skills in stealing human rights; when you obtain the thanks of your victim.

Allow a few individuals to "MAKE THE GRADE" and then point to them as examples. Say that the "HARDWORKERS" AND THE "GOOD" Indians have made it, and that therefore it is a person's own fault if he doesn't succeed.

Appeal to the Indian's sense of fairness, and tell him that even though things are pretty bad it is not right for him to make strong protests. Keep the argument going on his form of protest and avoid talking about the real issue. refuse to deal with him while he is protesting. Take all the fire out of his efforts.

Encourage the Indian to take his case to court. This is very expensive, takes lots of time and energy and is very safe because laws are stacked against him. The court's ruling will defeat the Indian's cause, but makes him think he has obtained justice.

Make the Indian believe that things could be worse, and that instead of complaining about the loss of human rights, to be grateful for the rights we do have. In fact, convince him that to attempt to regain a right he has lost is likely to jepordize the rights that he still has.

Set yourself up as the protector of the Indian's human rights, and then you can choose to act only on those violations you wish to act upon. By getting successful on a few minor violations of human rights, you can point to these as examples of your devotion to his cause. The burglar who is also the doorman is the perfect combination.

Pretend that the reason for the loss of human rights is for some other reason that the person is an Indian. Tell him some of your best friends are Indians, and that his loss of rights is because of his housekeeping, his drinking, his clothing.

Make the situation more complicated than is necessary. Tell the Indian you will have to take a survey to find out how many other Indians are being discriminating against. Hire a group of professors to make a year-long research project.

Insist on unanimity. Let the Indian know that when all the Indians in Canada can make up their minds about just what they want as a group, then you will act. Play one group's special situation against another group's wishes.

Select very limited alternatives, neither of which has much merit, and then tell the Indian that indeed he has a choice. Ask, for instance, if he could or would rather have council elections in June or December, instead of asking if he wants them at all.

Convince the Indian that the leaders who are the most beneficial and powerful are dangerous and not to be trusted. Or simply lock them up on some charge like driving with no lights. Or refuse to listen to the real leaders and spend much time with the weak ones. Keep the people split from their leaders by sowing rumour. Attempt to get the best leaders into high paying jobs where they have to keep quiet to keep their paycheck coming in.

Speak of the common good. Tell the Indian that you can't consider yourselves when there is a whole nation to think of. Tell him that he can't think only of himself. For instance, in regard to hunting rights, tell him we have to think of all the hunters, or the sporting good industry.

Remove rights so gradually that people don't realize what has happened until it is too late. Again, in regard to hunting rights, first restrict the geographical area where hunting is permitted, then cut the season to certain times of the year, then cut the limits down gradually, then insist on licensing, and then Indians will be on the same grounds as white sportsmen.

Rely on some reason and logic (your reason and logic) instead of rightness and morality. Give thousands of reasons for things, but do not get trapped into arguments about what is right.

Hold a conference on HUMAN RIGHTS, have everyone blow off steam and tension, and go home feeling things are well in hand.'


http://www.dickshovel.com/rights.html

[azurnoir]

4. Great post

saw something similar happen in Minneapolis over the past 15 years. The late '50's early '60's HUD built predominately Black north side housing projects. They like many from in that era built using sub-standard materials, they were poverty stricken, dilapidated and crime ridden. The city made a couple of half hearted attempts to re-build and correct some of the problems and the MP LS police were kind enough to be willing to come in and "bust heads"m as crime control. The residents after years of struggle got together and sued the city. The premise of the suit was that the projects had segregated too many poor and minority people into one area, and guess what the people won their suit. What they won was ruling that the projects would be razed (dates specified} and that replacement housing would be constructed scattered around the city (dates unspecified}. The result the projects were razed totally within 5 years, displacing some 10,000 or more families. Where once there was a ghetto there are lovely condo's and plans for a golf course and hotel in the near future.one catch the prices for the condo's start $200,000 and up. The replacement housing? Minneapolis says it have about the first 1/3 done by 2030, 40 years after the projects were raised.

[rodeodance]

6. yes, i lived in Mpls during this time (the razing). but friends tell me

now there is very little new low income housing. Same thing is happening in Chicago.

[Vampgrrl]

5. NOLA

There are areas in New Orleans in the lowest elevation areas that should not be rebuilt to protect the long term viability of the city of New Orleans. There ought to be a newer part of New Orleans founded up river and linked by transit..but the Lower 9 flooded even during Betsy and it will continue to flood.

We need to stop living for the moment and consider how to make New Orleans a viable long term city.

[MasonJar]

7. Those so-called city planners are nuts. What makes New Orleans

New Orleans is its tradition of cosmopolitan acceptance of all people. Its jazz makes the city. Jazz is the provenance of the black citizens. If the city becomes like any other,no one will want to visit. The climate is bad, the mosiquitos (sp) are worse and the poor are poor. If the culture of wonder and caring and craziness and just plain fun goes, there will be no tourists. New Orleans thrives on tourism. Those Jackasses who want a regular city need to find a new place to raid.