America Looks in the Mirror, and Sees How Ugly it has Become:
Racism, Price Gouging, and Fear after Hurricane Katrina
FEAR
"So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself..."
-Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933.
Fear is a base human emotion that we've inherited from our ancestors, who needed it to survive in harsh environments teeming with large predators such as wolves, sabertooth tigers, and bears. Fast forward thousands of years later... most of humanity now lives in cities and no longer has to live in fear of the large predators that preyed upon our ancestors. Yet, with all that has changed in those thousands of years, humans still live in fear- we live in fear of ourselves.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I have found that the lack of leadership, as well as the media, contributed to the spread of irrational fear that has gripped parts of this nation. What follows is my attempt to chronicle the fearful and racist responses of other Americans.
Media Coverage
When the levees broke and water flooded 80% of New Orleans, drinking water and sewage systems soon failed. Furthermore, without electricity or lines of communication, citizens of New Orleans grew desperate by the hour.
Faced with a lack of basic needs like food, water, shelter, and communication with the outside world- the people of New Orleans were forced to rely on themselves to survive, because of a slow response by the federal government,
Some broke into stores out of necessity and sheer desperation. Some of the media overwhelmingly focused on this lack of social order and the looting in New Orleans. Video clips of "looters," were played over and over and over again. During a benefit concert that aired on NBC on Sept. 3, 2005, rapper Kanye West said:
"I hate the way they portray us in the media. If you see a black family, it says they're looting. See a white family, it says they're looking for food."
West was referencing to racist media coverage during the disaster. Check the following links for an example:
Photo Captions From Katrina Stir Debate
Photograph captions describe a black man "looting" and a white couple "finding" supplies in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Lack of Leadership and Hysteria
In response to the looting, the state and federal government responded, but only to worsen the public's perception of the people of New Orleans.
Louisiana Governor Blanco gave a rather bellicose statement and said:
"They have M-16s and they're locked and loaded," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said of 300 National Guard troops who landed in New Orleans fresh from duty in Iraq. "These troops know how to shoot and kill, and they are more than willing to do so, and I expect they will."
Source: "New Orleans in Anarchy With Fights, Rapes"
Associated Press. Sept. 2, 2005.
Meanwhile, President Bush said:
"I think there ought to be zero tolerance of people breaking the law during an emergency such as this, whether it be looting, price gouging at the gasoline pump, or taking advantage of charitable giving, or insurance fraud," Bush said. "It's very important for the citizens in all affected areas to take personal responsibility and assume a kind of a civic sense of responsibility so that the situation doesn't get out of hand, so people don't exploit the vulnerable."
Source: "Bush: 'Zero tolerance' for looters, price gouging." Houston Chronicle. Sept. 1, 2005.
Blanco's statements reassured nobody, and only compounded the mass hysteria following Hurricane Katrina. Meanwhile, Bush's lack of leadership and the excruciatingly slow response of federal agencies and the military under his command, worsened the situation on the ground.
Perhaps one of the worst incidents of this national tragedy occurred at the Crescent City bridge, where armed police officers from Gretna and sheriffs deputies from Jefferson Parish aimed their guns at fellow Americans and shot at the air to keep them from escaping New Orleans. You can read more about it here:
Dry Crescent City Bridge : Keep Escaping Walkers off - shoot them.
Evacuees Feared by Locals
As evacuees were transported out of New Orleans and into shelters across the country, many volunteers and kind citizens received them with hospitality, while others feared their mere presence. On September 5, 2005, Barbara Bush toured the Houston Astrodome, and said the following during an interview with NPR:
Price Gouging and Racism
In Baytown, Texas, outside of Houston, there were reports of price gouging at hotels. The Baytown Sun reports:
Comfort Suites, 7209 Garth, admitted quoting rates more than double what they quote on their Web site to people they thought might cause problems at the hotel.
General Manager Manisha Gandhi explained that customers they deemed undesirable were given inflated rate quotes to discourage them from staying at the hotel. An African American man, who is now staying at the Baytown Community Center, filed a report Monday with Baytown police about the exorbitant rates at Comfort Suites.
During that investigation, Gandhi told Baytown police that the "main office" authorized her to set rates anywhere below $199. An online quote for the period of Sept. 1 through Sept. 3 indicated a room with two adults at Comfort Suites would cost $80 to $87. The rate she told police she was quoting was $198.95, but she assured them no one was actually paying that much. She said she was just making the inflated quote to ensure she had a safe and quiet hotel-by keeping out the people she described as "rowdy."
"I just didn't want problems in the hotel," Gandhi said. "That was the wrong decision and I'm sorry about that, but no one was charged $199."
Source: "Hotel focus of AG probe." The Baytown Sun. August 31, 2005.
This despicable c*** (excuse my language but I'm pissed) of a hotel manager considered people, who have lost everything- from their homes, their jobs, in some cases their family and friends, to be "rowdy" and a threat to her hotel. What have we become when we lose compassion for those who have lost everything?
To their credit, the company that runs Comfort Suites denied Gandhi's claim that the main office had authorized her to raise rates.
Choice Hotels International said Gandhi's claim of authorization to double the rates is entirely false. In fact, the corporate franchisor said they sent a representative from the corporate office to stay in Baytown and ensure business was conducted fairly in response to the problem.
"We have taken measures to change this," Anne Madison, spokeswoman for Choice Hotels International, said. "We sent a very strong and clear message that Choice Hotels International does not condone price hikes in any shape or form."
You can see some video here: Houston-Area Hotel Charges $200 For $79 Room
Armed and Dangerous
The MSNBC.com Katrina Blog reported on the growing tensions in the suburbs outside of New Orleans.
Aside from the hassle, there's fear in Baton Rouge and these surrounding small towns, that Katrina also pushed the criminal element into their neighborhoods.
Ivey says he keeps his gun on hand at all times. "I'm scared...," he says. "My family is scared."
Source:
"Tension in the Teeming Suburbs." MSNBC.com. Sept. 11, 2005.
This is not good. Considering that there are armed and fearful Americans among us. What have we become?
Furthermore, KRT issued the following report titled: Fearful Southerners buy firearms at torrid pace.
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Gun sales across the South boomed after the first reports surfaced of armed looters roaming the streets of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. And images of shots being fired at relief workers only elevated fears in some communities.
Now, as hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes are being resettled, gun store owners say they're being flooded by a demand for guns--particularly in Southern states and others where many of the hurricane victims are being relocated.
...
On the ground, there is mounting evidence to suggest firearms are a hot commodity. Take the neighborhood surrounding the Astrodome in Houston, where gun stores say they're selling at a brisk pace.
"Basically, what we are seeing is people who are just afraid," said Valde Garcia, manager of Bailey's House of Guns near the Astrodome, where thousands of Katrina's victims have been housed temporarily.
What has become of this nation when citizens arm themselves against one another, when police aim their weapons at citizens fleeing from a destroyed city? and when citizens fire on rescue crews in helicopters