Ethnic Cleansing In The Bayou
As expected, New Orleans has moved to demolish public housing damaged by Katrina. In it’s place? A new, “mixed” income development. A lot folks saw this coming, figuring it was too good of an opportunity to move out “undesirables” and create new opportunities for developers and mortgage companies.
In fairness, I should note that the project was approved by the City Council, with all of the members, both black and white, voting “yes.” However, if the New Orleans council is anything like the one in Memphis, this shouldn’t be any surprise. Black leaders in another Delta town, Memphis, have for years abandoned their own people, taking money under the table, over the table and even in gift boxes from unscrupulous white developers and business people. Fortunately, the FBI in Memphis decided to focus on the real terrorists and put a few of ‘em of in jail.
The New Orleans Council hall was apparently stuffed with supporters while nearly all the protesters were forced to remain outside, barricaded by a militarized police force. At least two protesters were greeted with stun guns and mace and taken to area hospitals.
I have no doubt the existing dwellings are unsuitable for habitation. Then again the whole city is unsuitable for permanent human habitation thanks to its low elevation, global climate change and rising sea levels. The Army Corp of Engineers can dig, dredge and shift dirt around all it wants, but the ultimate fate of New Orleans seems certain. The only question is when will the Crescent City once again find itself under water and tax payers will be handed another multi-billion dollar clean up bill.
A fair and sensible solution would be to get rid of the ruined buildings and replace them with decent homes for low income families in higher elevation areas. Turn the vulnerable areas into park land. Work on establishing some viable solutions to solving the family and education problems that lead to poverty, violence and crime.
But that won’t have the same return for developers as the proposed plan, because the “land is too valuable not to develop” (I say its too valuable to develop, but what the f&^% do I know) and mixed income houses will have a much higher price tag than subsidized housing. Don’t typically don’t see a lot of wood flooring, marble, Viking Appliances and swimming pools in low income areas. These units will be sold at hefty prices, creating revenue for the government, the developers and the bankers. Instead of subsidized housing for struggling families, you’ll have some big old fat mortgages. Property values go up and so does the government revenue machine, otherwise known as tax collection.
Plus, you can keep those black, drug addicts out of your city or at least segregated to specific areas. Make it safe to build a shopping center with a Gap, so the home owners can clothe their kids in sweatshop style and not worry about “gettin’ jacked.”
All you gotta do is find a way to move the poor folks, mostly blacks, out. Less violence more profit.
This is always been our way in the South. We have some pretty innovative ways of making sure the blacks and other undesirables stay on their side of town or in this case, out of town altogether. Just make sure the housing is financially out of reach and watch the realtor’s steer people to neighborhoods where they’ll “fit in.”
And people wonder why I want to get the hell out of here.