Lighting The Road To Freedom Data Zone Page 8 August Wilson’s Fences “The People’s Paper” September 23, 2006 40th Year Volume 36 www.ladatanews.com The Soul of New Orleans 100 Days and Counting The Rebuilding of New Orleans Page 2 VOTER PROTECTION HOTLINE 1-866-OUR-VOTE For the Louisiana Primary Elections TrailBlazer | The Ameede Family Saturday, September 30th, 2006 Page 4 Page September 3, 006 New Orleans Data News Weekly www.ladatanews.com COVER STORY Ray Nagin and Rebuilding New Orleans: One-Hundred Days and Counting Written By: Edwin Buggage | Photos By: Glenn Summers Like sand passing through an perceive as apathy on the part housing many residents of Class, Race and the LRA they fighting over who controls hourglass so goes the days of the of every level of government is public housing have voiced Race and class have been at the what when it should be just about lives of many New Orleanians; overflowing. While clearly some concerns about there right to center of the debate about what helping people?” where for many visible signs of progress has occurred; the return to the city. They see a happened in the city during and Months after the mayoral progress is an anomaly and the question becomes is it moving blind eye being turned to their after Hurricane Katrina. Jerome election, a bitter battle as Nagin road home seems one paved fast enough? plight as they’ve staged protests Booker, a displaced New Orleans pulled an upset victory against with obstacles and frustrations. in Iberville and more recently resident from the hollow shell of insurmountable odds, much One wouldn’t be hard pressed to A question of housing the still unoccupied St. Bernard the once vibrant Ninth Ward now of in the political and business say that the lives of many New As many neighborhoods Housing Development. Longtime resides in Houston, Texas and is community is at a stalemate. Orleanians over the past year struggle to recover, housing New Orleans Community activist the host of Nagin doesn’t feel they’re battle have resembled a soap opera with remains a ‘Community scars but think the plans of some all its melodrama. As the city has key issue Affairs’ a were foiled by his victory, “I don’t recently passed the One-Hundred to the city’s radio show feel there are battle scars, but they day mark into the second recovery. In on Houston’s haven’t figured out how I won the administration of embattled New an exclusive KPFT 90.1 election, and they are still trying Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, i n t e r v i e w FM. He to put their plans in place because continues his attempt to provide with Data hears many there was a big power move in residents comfort and answers to News Weekly of the issues place to reorient resources and many of the questions about the Mayor Nagin that concern now they can’t do that as quickly.” problems that continue to plague talked frankly d i s p l a c e d Additionally as many residents this devastated city. about many N e w desire to come home the Louisiana One year after Hurricane of the issues Orleanians; Recovery Authority(LRA) has Katrina, residents are still scattered facing the he is a vocal become a thorn in the side of about the country with a mix of city as it tries critic of the some New Orleanians. The hopefulness and hopelessness to rebuild. r e c o v e r y Road Home Program has so far about the place they once called “In our one- effort, one provided a bumpy road filled with home. Many of the reports are hundred day that in his roadblocks that’s slowing down not positive: a rising crime rate, plan one of opinion is the recovery in the city of New the continuing problems with the areas mired in red Orleans, one of its most vocal the school system and going to we wanted to focus on was the and child advocate Jerome Smith tape in addition to having racial critics is Mayor Nagin, “I think websites where fuzzy math is housing crunch so we have says, “They want to close down overtones. “This time black the LRA has strategically set up more the rule than the exception. taken adjudicated and blighted public housing and move black people came together and voted another bureaucracy. Starting Reports of calling 1-800 numbers properties and made those people out to Michoud, but I for Nagin, but now what? Now something like this from scratch to find the road home littered with available to developers and feel concentration on Ray Nagin that he’s in office everything he’s with a volume level of 100,000 roadblocks leading to nowhere, individuals so right now we have in these hundred days of the trying to do Governor Blanco is people they’re not going to get and continuously hearing our twenty-five hundred of those in rebuilding is sort of parochial it’s going to veto, and it’s bureaucracy much done anytime soon, also local Commander-in-Chief verbal peoples hands that are now being a narrow vision I think the major and red tape holding up progress the process is too involved and gaffes that constantly put him redeveloped with a specific target crisis is with our black children.” for people to get back.” “Also I overtaxing first you have to get on the wrong side of mainstream of placing low and moderate With fervor in his voice rising think it’s racial, I think the whites fingerprinted, take a photo and go writer’s pens and political pundit’s income persons in these homes.” to a feverish pitch he exclaims could sit around for four years through a three hour interview commentaries. His critics charge “We are also working with HUD angrily, “You look at the Lafitte and do nothing it won’t affect and what have they done thus far his reign in office is a failing and so that when we demolish public Project and you see two-thousand them, if someone white was in awarded four and a half million ailing administration spiraling housing that there is a one for one children disconnected from this office I believe we would see dollars to one-hundred and ninety out of control. Frustration fills replacement and we have those city and if those children were more progress than we have so people divided equally that’s the heart, souls and minds of commitments.” white the country would be in far, and my question would be twenty-three thousand dollars so many, as desperation, despair Although the mayor has stated an uproar this in my opinion is a for those in leadership why are the process is going to discourage he is committed to affordable and disappointment of what many national crisis.” Continued next page. DATA NEWS WEEKLY Mailing Address: PO Box 5033, Atlanta, GA 30302 INSIDE DATA (404) 223-5958 Fax (404) 223-5491 [email protected] Editorial & Business Office: 170 Northside Drive, Suite 506, Atlanta, GA 30313 State & Local News Health News Terry B. Jones Distribution page 6 page 1 CEO/Publisher Allison Randolph, III Cover Art Direction Contributors & Production Glenn Jones National News Dollars & Sense Edwin Buggage Paul Mainor for VP Advertising Lorinda M. Bullock MainorMedia Story page 7 page 1 & Marketing George E. Curry Lloyd Dennis Asali DeVan Contributing page Data Zone Commentary Edwin Buggage Larry Lucas Photographers Editor-in-Chief Mark Morial page 8 page 13 Renetta Burrell Perry Jamie Jones Newsmaker Noreen Bostick Cheryl Mainor Don Smith Glenn Summers page 5 Opinion Sports Managing Editor NNPA Newswire page 10 page 14 Please call (404) 223-5958 for subscription information. Dated material two weeks in advance. Not responsible for publishing or return of unsolicited manuscripts or photos. www.ladatanews.com New Orleans Data News Weekly September 3, 006 Page 3 COVER STORY Continued from previous page. a lot of people because its not that now so much money is the goals defined in the hundred back in their homes, and there drive the rebuilding process.’ So enough money to rebuild.” coming in the city we can’t get a day plan fails to deal with the is no indication on when or how I have purposely set up processes Many residents have taken larger piece of the economic pie larger human issues. In his view people are going to get back to where people can tell government matters into their own hands with a city with a large African- much of the improvement in the the city.” “At the local, state and what they want to see and people because the government has not American population and majority city has been done by entities federal level people who are in are coming up with plans for provided the tools and access black elected leadership.” outside of government, “In poor or minority communities are their neighborhoods, and we in to resources in an expeditious This troubling trend is terms of gutting peoples homes, being left out of the rebuilding government are going to have to manner this state of affairs has equation and the LRA and the react to that.” frustrated State Representative leadership at city hall are holding Ann Duplessis who represents up progress with their inaction Practical Considerations the devastated areas of New I feel concentration on Ray and lack of decisiveness and it’s As the city evolves during this Orleans East and the Lower the people who ultimately suffer.” recovery and during these one Ninth Ward.