I came across this story of a
family that went to a youth camp in Falls Creek, OK, to donate food and clothing for Katrina evacuaees that were on their way to the camp.
Jesse Jackson was right when he said "refugees" was not the appropriate word for the poor souls dislocated due to Katrina. But he was wrong about why it is not appropriate. It's not appropriate because they are detainees, not refugees.
Falls Creek, while beautiful, is desolate, not being near any population center. Evacuees who enter the youth camp will not be allowed off the premises, upon pain of not returning. The plan is that they will remain there for five months. They will not be allowed to cook, nor even have refrigerated milk or fresh vegetables. No one can come and cook for them. They cannot leave to attend church services. No donated clothes were accepted.
Why, you might ask? According to the FEMA official on site, 'It could cause a riot. You don't understand the type of people that are about to come here....'
The family was sensible enough beforehand, after hearing some FEMA stories, to take a camera and they've included pictures, which makes this story more believable. There are pictures of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol cars guarding the camp, the paucity of clothes for 5,000 people, and the 'troops' who have taken up residency in a nearby church, .
There is only one way to describe this. Inhuman and despicable. We are now 'detaining' the evacuees of Katrina, who having been traumatized once, will now be traumitized a second time.
Please read this family's story.
[Update] I canged the title, as I felt it was misleading, and did not convey the sense that the story was about evacuees.