More fivecats New Orleans photos and narrative.

[aquart]

<http://fivecats.livejournal.com/> From his trip to New Orleans over a week ago.

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"Members of the New Orleans Vietnamese community are, apparently, a very tight-knit group. They all evacuated together, traveling to the same city. Within two weeks the men of the community had decided they were going to return to their homes, despite it not being “legal” to do so yet. I’m guessing they realized they had no say in what happened to their community and homes if they weren’t there to protect them and raise their voices themselves.

So they returned. They, undoubtedly, lived in primitive conditions for months, without heat, electricity, running water, etc. Still they stuck together, helped repair each other’s homes and made them livable again.

Finally, the petitioned the utility companies to restore power and water to their homes. The utility companies balked at the idea, saying they needed proof that doing so was going to be economically feasible (i.e. profitable) considering to do so meant going through areas where there were no other people living.

The Vietnamese men were able to demonstrate sufficient numbers that the utility companies restored services to their homes."

[al bupp]

1. This is a tremendous blog, well worth a visit

Thanks for the link.

[fivecats]

3. Many thanks

Thanks for the high compliment.

I was very fortunate to be given a tour of the area by a long-time New Orleans area activist who gave us a three hour long lecture, giving us the socio-policial and economic background that put the current situation in historic perspective as well as giving us individual stories (like the men from the Vietnamese community) to show how many of the people of the area are fighting back against the attempts of the powerful elite to remove their presence from the area.

There are several other entries from this tour at my blog as well.
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[al bupp]

12. You're quite welcome

I found your commentary on the experiences of the Vietnamese community in NO very interesting, and telling as well.

The photos are say a lot, too. Amazing how destroyed everything still is.

I will make it a point to check out your other entries.

Cheers, Al

[newyawker99]

13. Hi fivecats!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[fivecats]

16. Thanks for the welcome

'tis much appreciated.

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[fivecats]

2. More photos and commentary

Thanks again, Aquart, for helping to get the message out there.

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[Swamp Rat]

4. kick and recommended n/t

[lonestarnot]

6. Swampie! I think of you every time I see this destruction. Are you doing

alright?

[Swamp Rat]

7. I'm ok, thanks

:hug: Things could be better, but at least I have hot water and a roof now. :) :smoke:

[fivecats]

8. Images?

Do you have images posted anywhere of the area where you're living now?

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[aquart]

10. No small thing that. Good to hear.

[lonestarnot]

5. WOW piles and piles and piles. I will never forget!

[fivecats]

9. Hope

That's the hope.

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[Techno Dog]

11. Can you say

Number one campaign issue?

Fuck the republicans and their Katrina fatigue. We need to kick their fatigued asses all across America with this.

[intheflow]

14. Interesting blog.

:kick:

[fivecats]

15. Thanks

I try my best.

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[intheflow]

17. Oh, and I forgot to welcome you to DU.

:hi:

I've been a long-term relief worker in Mississippi, and am also a photographer. Check out my DU journal for my Katrina photo essays: intheflow's Journal

And if you're into phtography, and if you ever decide to contribute to DU to get a star, come on by the DU Photo Group. We'd love to see more of your stuff. :hi: (Not sure what you'll see if you click this link to the Photo Group, but here it is anyway. :) )

[fivecats]

18. Comments

I lack the cred or the account to leave comments on both your photos in the photo group and in your DU journal. I wanted to tell you how much I liked and appreciated your images, how striking the similiarities are between the images we each captured and how that speaks of the pervasiveness of the failures of government(s) in all of those regions. Instead I'll have to make do with saying it here and hoping you check back to read this.

I've written in my LJ that this no longer bears any resemblance to the country that I was taught that I lived in when I was in elementary school back in the '60s. I'm not sure that version of America ever really existed, but I know that at a minimum the things I witnessed in NOLA should never been allowed to fester and rot, forgotten, the way they have.

If you don't mind, I'd like to link to your photojournal in my blog entry later tonight.

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[intheflow]

19. P'shaw!

I'm not a professional photographer, which makes you infinitely qualified to comments on my photos. :)

Yes, you can link to my journal. Thanks for the compliment.