Smokin' Jo's Helping the Homeless

A friend and I fed two groups of homeless people under the Claiborne/Canal bridge this weekend. My friend Joanna (in pics) owns a restaurant, Smokin' Jo's, and does small catering jobs. She had food left over this weekend from a job and we set up shop along Claiborne to hand out chili dogs, hamburgers, beans and salad. Some guy pulled over to hand out bags of clothes to people because I guess he thought we were some social service agency. We were Smokin' Jo's meals on wheels. We headed over to Duncan Plaza to set up our free hot dog stand, but there were too many ppl to serve and we didn't have enough for everyone, so we donated the last of it to a shelter.

In an earlier post I highlighted Duncan Plaza where there has been a growing homeless encampment across the street from City Hall. That same area and surrounding streets have now been completely overtaken by homeless in tents and sleeping on mattresses around public buildings. A group called Homeless Pride are the organizers at the center of the protest.

The State is set to tear down two buildings in Duncan Plaza and are planning to displace the Homeless Pride encampment any day now. There have been some social service agencies on the ground registering people for shelters we think. Councilwoman Stacy Head has tried to stall the demo project due to finding adequate shelters for the homeless, but the State has not moved the their Dec. 21st start date for the project.

Housing Armageddon

If you've heard any news about New Orleans lately, it would probably be concerning the eminent war that is brewing around housing issues.

In an earlier post, I referenced the closure of several major public housing developments. Well... we've found out that HUD doesn't intend to open them. Public Housing developments at: Lafitte, B.W. Cooper, St. Bernard, and C.J. Peete will soon be bulldozed to make way for private development that will include mixed-use, market-rate units and a fraction of "affordable" units. See article:http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-25/1197268043214040.xml&coll=1

HUD hasn't responded with any alternative living situation for former residents, who are among the cities poorest, and who are largely the folks who are still displaced. These families are still able to live around the country by using FEMA $$ to pay their rent and living expenses--this will all end in 2009! Most residents here are bracing themselves for thousands of New Orleanians returning to the City and not having a place to live in 2009. Remember there is no Road Home $$ for renters. Renters will be at the mercy of their landlords who have in some cases tripled rents.

People here are calling this the next major humanitarian crises in New Orleans. One protest group has resorted to threats of burning new condo developments that rise in the place of public housing units. The fact is public housing has been a crutch for some families for generations. There has been a lot of dependence on a variety of assistance from the Federal gov't. for poor families across the country. Of course there are populations who genuinely need assistance, i.e. the elderly and disabled. However, to try to change the "hand- out" mentality of able-bodied individuals and prepare families for true independence you have to prepare a long-term plan. It may take another generation or two; this mentality certainly wasn't created overnight. It dates back to slaves and slave owners. Some in the South still carry that, "Master will take care of me," mind set; however meager the crumbs, some people made a living off of them and had no other legit plan.

There needs to be education and skills development, financial and emotional counseling for families, childcare assistance and so much more in place before you simply cut everyone off. Pray for New Orleans, again.

The Saints

I organized my first tailgate party with a friend for the Saints home game on Dec. 2. It's such a popular thing to keep up with the Saints. You could strike up a convo with anyone on the streets about the team. Football is the biggest thing in town right now. The City nearly shuts down every time the Saints play. There have been huge disappointments with the Saints this season. Last year they were a game away from the Superbowl and I heard the City was going nuts for weeks. This year they may barely make the playoffs. I'm not a sports fan and especially not a football fan, but you can't help but get involved because of the local attention paid to the team. The team represents a sense of solidarity and pride for New Orleanians. The Saints winning season last year gave everyone something to rally around and feel good about a year after most of their lives were changed forever.

What I need to get the bottom of is why they are referred to locally as "Who Dat?" I know that it is derivative of New Orlean's Cajun slang meaning "who is that", but that doesn't explain how it became associated with the Saints. I've heard two confusing and different stories about the nickname. Neither satisfied me.

Either way Geaux Saints!! That's local French vernacular for Go Saints!!

New Orleans' Soul Food

You've probably heard by now that the food here is exquisite. It is quite possibly the best food of any region on the Continent. Not only are there many Cajun and Creole dishes unique to this region, but here, mouth-watering soul food is the staple. People here don't wait for traditional holidays to eat things like mustard greens, cornbread stuffing, candied yams, gumbo, etc. New Orleanians eat like this everyday. Hence, one of the fattest cities in America.

I've had the good fortune to work near some great soul food and creole restaurants. On any given day I have a selection of: red beans and rice, smothered pork chops, stuffed chicken breasts, homemade made man n'cheese, jambalaya, gumbo, and all the seafood you could ever want. Shrimp, oysters, blue crabs, crawfish, and did I mention shrimp. I've never seen shrimp in so many dishes.

Best of all right, around the corner from the office there is a Daquiri shop; Yes, there are establishments that sell only Daquiris; Most impressive, some of them even have drive-thrus!?!. Insane- Only in New Orleans.

Dirty South

I have to admit, it's strange being from the West Coast and living in the South, really. We hold such stereotypes about the South and Southerners right? Being Black in the South makes me especially sensitive about the cultural dynamic here. I try to maintain a curious and opened mind even when others 'respectfully' don't. I've been called 'girl', I've been totally ignored by white woman, I've experienced the aggresive white male/black female entitlement flirting, and I've met some quintessential 'southern gentlemen' whom I respect to the fullest, but have to let down in the end. bummer.

One of the best things about being here is being among Black people who are comfortable with and proud of their identity--who understand and embrace their identity. For this reason alone, I love it here. New Orleans is simply an extension of the Caribbean Islands and West Africa. It is evident in the food, music, people's style, creole accents etc. My landlord told me one day that New Orleanians are "Island People." They stay close to home, cook amazing food, and love their families and extended family gatherings. I've witnessed this with the extravagant baby showers and birthday parties of my co-workers. For New Orleanians there is no occasion to small to party. Celebrate life always!

Biloxi

You know those historic cities that sound so romantic or nostalgic: Savannah, Birmingham, Biloxi? They largely hold significance because of an era in time or a film (Gone with the Wind, Biloxi Blues) that took place there. The bottom line is these are Southern cities with a lot of history. I realize I'm just some social geography buff, but since moving here I had been dying to go to Biloxi, Mississippi. I had never even been to MS so that was an adventure all by itself. My friend Adrienne from the Bay came to visit and we set off one Saturday afternoon to Biloxi. The drive is a little over an hour from NOLA. We got there late in the afternoon, but we were a little underwhelmed. This area had also been devasted by Katrina and had little to no action. As we drove down the beach front avenue looking for a boardwalk or restaurants, all we found was a big, tacky, pink casino. Most buildings looked torn apart by the storm or entirely vacant--a little depressing.

We didn't have anything to explore except nature itself so we ventured onto the beach area. Once we hit the sand we knew this was a special place. Ok, ok not like Sosua, Dominican Republic special, but Biloxi special. The white sand was super fine (like Jessica Alba, j/k) and seemed to melt beneath our feet. We laid out under umbrellas on lounge chairs for a bit. The late-afternoon weather was ideal with a light breeze and plenty of sun. The Gulf water was really warm and shallow, but we didn't get in. Little jelly fish carcases(below) washed up on the shore and we found a juicy one to play with. We spent the last moments there playing in the sand, making sand designs, and perfecting our cartwheels for nearby toddlers who were with their families. The best things in life really are free!

Katrina: 2nd Anniversay of the Great Flood

Down here you hear things like The Storm, or Katrina used often to describe time. If you ask someone where they live or where they work, they often start of with, before The Storm . . .or after Katrina. Their point of reference is The Storm, . . .or is it?

Since arriving, and working within the activist realm, I also here folks refer to the Great Flood. No, I'm not being dramatic here. Many people want to make a distinction between the Storm and the Flood. The storm did relatively minor damage to the city compared to the flood that ensued from the levees failing. Of course the storm damaged the roofs of structures and broke out the windows of many buildings, but it was the flood that wiped out entire sections of the city and left thousands dead and hundreds of thousands homeless.


In NOLA leading up to the 2nd anniversary, I spotted a slew of film crews, celebrities, politicians, and city employees cleanining up the streets (me w/ Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, right). The City hosted many events to mark the anniversary: the Hope and Recovery Summit at UNO, the International Tribunal (pissed I missed), A Day of Presence, Candelight vigils, and festiv 2nd line marches that New Orleans is world famous for. I was able to attend a few events via volunteering and doing outreach with work. It was a sombering week. In the months since, things have returned to normal or semi-normal. More and more residents are returning to the greater New Orleans area and living with family members while the try to save their homes. More on saving their homes soon . . .