Kartrina AftermathEssay Preview: Kartrina AftermathReport this essayRacism and classism are very big issues in the world today. The state, local and federal governments slow response to assist and evacuate the left behind poor, mostly Black people of Katrina is an example of racism and classism today. As explained by reporter Mike Davis (2005), “the ultimate revelation of Katrina was how the promise of equal rights for poor African Americans has been dishonored and betrayed by every level of government.”(Johnson) I feel the response of the local, state and federal authorities to the Katrina disaster was inadequate and it demonstrated the continuing relevance of race and class for many reasons. They had a plan in place for an evacuation, there were resources to help people they just werent used, and if the circumstances were different it wouldnt have happened the way it did.
Karen S. Wilson (2003) In the years over the last 20 years, I have used social media to share my frustrations with the Obama administration and others. Many of the articles I’ve read contain examples of white politicians and officials blaming people for not doing something to end Black people’s economic crisis and ending a racial division within government. That is not what this blog is about: it isn’t about blaming the African Americans.
Karen S. Wilson (2003) “Kartrina Aftermath: a series on race, poverty, and the response to Katrina. Part 2 of a 5 part series that is part of a series on ‘What is the future of the nation of America?’ A more focused approach is, ‘What are you really talking about?’ The authors show us that the answer to the problem of our current situation is to focus on the problems that people have with us as a people. That is what I hope the series will get to. A better idea is to do the necessary research and look for solutions. We will be looking for all available available resources and I encourage anyone to come and join us in our discussion about everything from the state of the black economy to all the major social issues we have as Americans.”„Johnson‟(“Johnson) In 2008, I started out as a journalist in Philadelphia.  I have written an essay on racial and economic inequality at the local level – the city doesn’t provide social services for Black and Latino people.  I also write on social justice movements and Black issues and my focus at this blog has centered on “Black Issues in Philadelphia” and social justice for poor Black people. I do not have a specific focus on public service; I want to draw attention to all issues of racial and economic inequality. A lot more can be found in this blog post. I have also written a series called “How the American state is undermining Black Lives Matter and has the US government going after you as well” – The book on social justice needs to be seen and referenced. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/19/health/8392636. page 1250#8245 “There is an important thing to note … ”  there is a “there” within that line of defense here. In the United States that line of defense is the US government”. This is a real problem with black lives on the streets and with the United States government. The problem with Black lives on these streets is that they are treated harshly in many ways by the Government of the United States. It is their business to keep people in poverty and to keep them in prison.  This government is doing a good job of keeping black and white people in poverty. Those who continue to be held in jail for being out of touch with the realities in life and to continue to be oppressed in some way will do harm to their jobs and will have to live with the economic consequences of that loss of hope. But this is why if they are freed from the chains and shackles of “their prison” for being held in prison, then they will get a better life .Â
John C. O’Connor ’17 “One of the main concerns being posed is to explain what black and brown people are going through. This would give the general public the opportunity to understand and support their issues before they engage in these policies. This would also show the people of the West to the problems they face and to who these
Thousands of people watched their homes, loved ones, memories and lives be washed away with nowhere to go. The state and local officials are supposed to by law, be responsible for the management of the first response to any disaster.(Williams) Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin did not do their part. There was a plan in place, it just was not followed. “The actions and inactions of Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin are a national disgrace due to their failure to apply the previously established evacuation plans of the state and city.” (the heartland institution) Their lack of taking action was the cause of many peoples lives. Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin cannot claim they were surprised by the extent of the damage and the need to evacuate so many people. There were detailed written plans in place and they were ready to evacuate more than a million people.(heartland) The thing that bothers me the most, is that lives could have been saved. If the plan was implemented than a lot of lives would have been saved. There were so many buses that could have been used to evacuate people. Though they gave the warning that a hurricane was coming, they failed to provide help to the people who couldnt afford to just leave.
Response plans at all levels of government lacked flexibility and adaptability. They were not flexible, and acted as if they couldnt adapt once it happened. Officials at all levels seemed to be waiting for the disaster that fit their plans, rather than planning and building scalable capacities to meet whatever Mother Nature threw at them. The fact that the people there were majority black I believe didnt make them speed the process up. The citys evacuation plan states, “The city of New Orleans will utilize all available resources to quickly and safely evacuate threatened areas.” The city had enough school and transit buses to evacuate over 12,000 citizens for one trip.(Gonzales) Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin delayed ordering a mandatory evacuation 19 hours before the disaster. (Tom Foreman and Mike Ahlers) The failure to order timely mandatory evacuations, the decision to shelter and not evacuate the remaining population led to deaths, thousands of dangerous rescues, and horrible conditions for those who remained.( (Tom Foreman and Mike Ahlers) It was an incomplete evacuation. We really cant just blame one person, every person that was supposed to be of authority played a part in the slow response. The people of New Orleans counted on the people that are supposed to be of high authority to do their best to save them, and they failed. (Stapp, Katherine)
After speaking with some family member who lived in New Orleans, all of the people I spoke with believe the slow response was based on race and class. This topic is very touchy, people lost their lives, family, friends and homes. My aunt was living in New Orleans; she was trapped in her house. Though I didnt experience it, it did affect me. I havent seen one of my cousins since before Katrina. No one knows what happened. He wanted to evacuate but he didnt have the finances too. It makes me mad that he had to lose his life because transportation wasnt provided for people who were not financially right. Speaking with one of my cousins “water was not given to us until four days.” My uncle said “I was trapped in my house for four days.” To me this is ridiculous, especially when in California, when that fire started; the response didnt take any time. The response was different when the circumstances were different.
In conclusion racism and classism has always been a big issue and still is today. I do believe the response of local, state, and federal authorities to the Katrina was inadequate. I also believe the slow response was based on race and class. There were so many things that just werent