September 2007 Archives

Greetings Family, Friends, and all Justice Loving People 

The International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is moving forward with its call for justice and restitution for the Survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Tribunal Organizing committee is currently working on three initiatives:

1. Distributing the Tribunal film and organizing a national speaking tour to promote the Tribunal findings and advance the building of a human rights movement in the US.
2. An international petition drive to support the findings and proposed remedies of the Tribunal.
3. Pursing Federal legislation to implement the demands and remedies proposed by the Tribunal.

The Film and Speaking Tour 

The Peoples’ Hurricane Relief Fund (PHRF), with the assistance of Big Noise Films, has produced a 40-minute video of the International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that is available for report backs, teach-in’s, and film showings now. 

PHRF and the Tribunal Organizing Committee are looking to use the film to promote the Tribunal findings a build the Gulf Coast Reconstruction Movement.  

To order the film or to organize a speaking event contact 504.301.0215 or email info@internationaltribunal.org. The Tribunal film is $21.50 ($1.50 for shipping and handling). Please make all checks out to Peoples’ Hurricane Relief Fund. Earmark “Tribunal Film”. Mail all checks to 1418 N. Claiborne Ave. #2 New Orleans, LA 70116.  

Petition Drive 

We are trying to get 100,000 signatures from around the US and the World for the Tribunal petition by December 8th, 2007. We must step up the pressure on the Bush regime to meet the basic demands of the Gulf Coast IDP’s.  

The Tribunal petition can be signed and/or downloaded at www.InternationalTribunal.org/petition. Please spread the petition around to all of your contacts, and get all of your family members, friends, and co-workers to sign on and join this initiative.

Please return all petitions to International Tribunal at 1418 N. Claiborne Ave. #2 New Orleans, LA 70116.  

Policy Development  

Following the demands and remedies outlined in the Preliminary Verdict, the Tribunal Organizing Committee is pressuring forward with pursuit of Federal legislation that will a) recognize Gulf Coast Survivors as Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s) and b) provide survivors with restitution for their loses.  

We are starting this pursuit by taking on the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and asking its members to take a leading role in the development of this legislation. We will follow this up by making identical demands on the whole Congress, the President, and the 2008 Presidential Candidates.  

You can take action in support of this initiative beginning October 1st, 2007 by signing on to the action blast at www.katrinatribunal.org.  

Make a Donation  

The International Tribunal needs your ongoing financial support to ensure its success. Tax-deductible donations can be made payable to PHRF, earmark “International Tribunal”, in care of the Vanguard Public Foundation. Mail checks to 383 Rhode Island Street, Suite 301 San Francisco, CA 94103. Online donations can also be made at https://www.vanguardsf.org/index.php?s=40.  

In Unity and Struggle, 
Kali Akuno
PHRF Executive Director on behalf of the Tribunal Organizing Committee  
Wednesday, September 26, 2007

click here to download 

The International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita calls on the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to introduce Federal legislation that a) recognizes the Internally Displaced status of Katrina and Rita Survivors and b) provides Restitution for their loses. 

The International Tribunal strongly encourages the CBC to adopt and champion the cause to have all those displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita officially recognized and treated by the United States Government, on all levels, as Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s). We encourage the CBC to develop and introduce a bill that recognizes this status and provides the resources needed to ensure that the rights it guarantees are fully enacted and enforced. Precedent for such a bill is provided by House Resolution 426 recognizing the year 2007 as "the Year of the Rights of Internally Displaced Persons in Columbia". Various aspects of HR 4197 also provide it. 

Consonant with this recognition, the findings of the International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita call for a Congressional Bill that provides restitution for IDP’s for the losses they incurred as a direct result of the governments failure to provide adequate protections through its management of the regions wetlands and water management systems, particularly the Levee system of New Orleans, and the human rights abuses they suffered as a direct result of their forced evacuation and dispersal at the hands of the Federal government and its agents. 

Both of these Bills are necessary in order to repair, restore, and rebuild the lives of those displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The International Tribunal would like to work with the CBC in drafting this critical legislation.  

For more information about the International Tribunal visit www.internationaltribunal.org or www.peopleshurricane.org. You can contact us directly at info@internationaltribunal.org or info@peopleshurricane.org. We can be reached by phone at 504.301.0215 or fax at 504.301.0306.  

In Unity and Struggle,
Kali Akuno
PHRF Executive Director on behalf of the International Tribunal Organizing Committee  
Wednesday, September 26, 2007

click here to download 

To All Our Friends and Allies in the Americas, 

The following is a list of initiatives the Peoples’ Hurricane Relief Fund (PHRF) and the Tribunal Organizing Committee are aiming to receive support on in the international arena, particularly in pursuit of the remedies proposed by the International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, held in New Orleans, LA on August 29th – September 2nd, 2007.  

1. We would like to pursue an audience or hearing with the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) to present the findings of the Tribunal and request its support for various international advocacy initiatives pursuant to the remedies proposed by the Tribunal.
2. We would like to pursue an audience or hearing at the Organization of American States (OAS) to present the findings of the Tribunal and request a human rights hearing through the Inter-American Court.
3. We would like to pursue an audience with the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), if possible, to present the findings of the Tribunal to the organization and advocate that the organization call for a hearing on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita at the United Nations (UN).

Intermediate actions we would like support for include the following:

1. Help spread and promote the Tribunal petition being circulated on our website at www.katrinatribunal.org.
2. Help promote the International Parliamentarian Conference called by Brazilian State Deputy Jose Candido and Algerian Parliamentarian Louisa Hanoune and being promoted by the MNU and CONEN of Brazil.
3. Help advocate for the policy recommendations we are proposing and promoting including: a) designation of the survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s), b) restitution for Katrina and Rita IDP’s, c) the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project (see http://www.solvingpoverty.com), and d) H.R. 1227 the House Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 2007 and S. 1668 the Senate Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act of 2007.

We thank you in advance for your consideration and support.  

In Unity and Struggle, 
Kali Akuno
Executive Director, Peoples’ Hurricane Relief Fund 
Friday, September 28, 2007

click here to download 

powered by ODEO

During the International Hurricane Katrina and Rita Tribunal we heard all sorts of testimony about white vigilantes ‘hunting’ down Black folks. This was in addition to the widespread police brutality. In some instances New Orleans police were seen riding with and working with white vigilantes who claimed they were protecting their neighborhoods.

Former Black Panther Malik Rahim of the organization Common Ground was witness to white vigilantes who were roaming his neighborhood in Algiers which is located on the West Bank of New Orleans. This was one of the few places in the city that did not experience flooding. It was the only neighborhood in all of New Orleans that still had safe drinking water.

According to Malik, Black people who discovered the what good shape Algiers was in came over seeking refuge. Sadly they found themselves being chased off or gunned down by mobs of angry whites who patrolled the neighborhood. Black people including Malik who were from Algiers found themselves being threatened by their former neighbors.

During his searing testimony Malik offered up a documentary he and his comrades from Common Ground put together. In the documentary we get to see and hear angry white people bragging about how they were shooting and killing Blacks while they were barbecueing. It seems so outlandish to the point of dis-belief until. They went out at night on what they called ‘pheasant Hunts’. Malik estimates that over 200 Blacks lost their lives to white vigilantes.

During his testimony Malik talked about military occupation and how soldiers who came straight from Iraq were brought over to patrol New Orleans. Algiers was ground zero for many of these troops. Malik talks in great detail about Black neighborhoods being under-seiged and Black people being terrorized as bullet ridden Black male bodies were turning up everyday.

New Orleans has long been a music capitol here in the US. It has been home to all sorts of jazz and blues greats ranging from the Meters to the Neville Brothers to Louis Armstrong to Wynton Marsalis to Fats Domino. Yes indeed New Orleans has always spoken to us through her music.

In recent years New Orleans has reached out to us through Hip Hop. there’s been a long list of rap stars that have continued in the tradition of bringing attention to New Orleans’ music heritage. Among the more notables are Juvenile, Lil Wayne, Master P, Silk the Shocker, Mystikal, Mia X the Cash Money Millionaires with Baby, BG, Manny Fresh Turk and many more.

Like most areas that have a roster of superstars there are those who are lesser known as far as the mainstream is concerned yet very popular amongst the common folk in the hood. In New Orleans that would include acts like Truth Universal, DJ Jimi, 54th Platoon and the man who lead the big march to kick off the historic International Tribunal for Hurricane Katrina and Rita-Sess4-5

Coming straight outta of the ravaged 9th Ward Sess 4-5 brings energy, a strong sense of conviction and determination to the table when he walks in the room. He’s seen a lot and lost a lot over the past two years but like most people from New Orleans, he’s focused on moving forward. We sat down with him the day during the second day of the Tribunal and he gave us some keen insight into the ins and outs of the Big Easy.

We kicked things off by talking about Sess’ home base the 9th Ward. He talked about the type of communities that existed there before community. He said in spite of the poverty the NO’s largest and most populated ward was thriving. There was a strong sense of family and culture. He noted how the upper 9th Ward was full of apartments and had two public housing units while the lower 9th ward contained thousand of home owners. Two years after Katrina houses remain in shambles for the world to see in a place that is pretty much a ghost town.

Sess explained that new Orleans folks have a spirit that helped them cope with the disaster they all face. Many of the people he knows have lost loved ones to the floods on top of losing all their possessions, however, for most people its about picking up the pieces and moving onward and upward. This is happening in the face of outrageous government neglect.

“There’s no time to mourn”, noted Sess when you have oppression all upon you”. People in New Orleans are about the business of survival.

During our interview we talked about the role some of New Orleans rappers played in the ongoing repair efforts. Sess noted that we can’t expect people like Master P or Baby to shoulder the entire load. Many of them have family and friends that they been helping out. However, Sess noted that he wished they used their celebrity more effectively. He looked at the efforts that David Banner put in the rebuilding of Mississippi and wished that some of the big names could’ve done newsworthy projects that would’ve better shined a light on those left out of the rebuilding efforts underway within New Orleans.

Our conversation expanded beyond rap stars as we discussed the types of contributions or lack of contributions put forth by those parent companies that distribute artists like Master P or Cash Money. It was noted that record labels have made billions of dollars off the music coming out of this region. The question that was raised was how much money did any of those major labels put towards recovery efforts? What sort of big events did these labels put together?

For example David Banner worked tirelessly and with little outside help to put on huge benefit concerts for Mississippi. Did we see anything similar being put forth by big time executives and label owners like Clive Davis, Jimmy Iovine, David Geffen,Lyor Cohen , Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, Doug Morris and others who may own huge catalogues of artists coming from New Orleans? How much money did these companies give? What have they done to help restore the region’s musical heritage and was it comisserate to the type of profits they made over the years?

Our discussion than switched to the role of established Black leaders. Sess 4-5 eloquently addressed the question as to how such catastrophe could take place in a city that is pretty much Black run. N.O. has a Black mayor, Black police chief and other key individuals who run the infrastructure of the this city. How could the aftermath of Katrina happen on their watch?

Sess 4-5 noted that many of those in power see their position as stepping stones to bigger and better things. Getting down and dirty to help uplift the people could be a career killer for many of these Black elected officials who tend to cater to white and corporate power bases. Sess concluded that many of those in office were about the business of looking out and protecting their own interests versus the interests of those most in need. The real heroes of the day were young brothers who stuck behind risking life and limb.

Our conversation next focused on the relationship between the police and poor Black folks in New Orleans. Sess broke down the politics behind how the police department works. It has long been corrupt. He said they have quotas that need to be met in terms of arrests. Officers have an incentive to go out and put cuff people because if they meet a certain number they get bonuses. The end result is New Orleans having one of the highest incarceration rate in the world. In addition it has the highest percentage of people with misdemeanors getting locked up. He noted that any little thing including littering or expired tags can get you jail time in new Orleans.

Sess 4-5 went on to add that the city’s economy is based upon tourism and incarceration. He then went into detail as to how one person getting arrested in a family can quickly drain resources while fattening the wallets of those who run the city. He talked about how residents have to pay for drug tests, court costs and every other service connected to their punishment.

Sess noted that up to 80% of Black males sooner or later will get arrested in New Orleans. The cops make it their business to enegage young brothers and make their presence felt. He himself has been arrested more than 30 times. You will get popped sooner or later for any little thing.

We then discussed the classism and ethnic heirarchy that exists in New Orleans and how even to this day in 2007, there is still a ruling class that rallies around skin color, with light skin Blacks or Creoles dominating the top echelons of political and business arenas. Its almost like New Orleans has a caste system that dates back to slavery.

Sess broke down how Katrina and the large scale displacement has impacted electoral politics. With so many Blacks removed from the city, the GOP for starters now have a fighting chance and a much stronger influence in city politics. Sess 4-5 also gave a run down of the Presidential race. he notes that none of those running have really made their presence felt and even if they did at the end of the day Black people would lose because all of them including Hillary and Barack are carrying out agendas for a power base that doesn’t have the best interest of poor Blacks.

We concluded our discussion by focusing on Black-Latino relations which have intesified during the reconstruction efforts. Sess noted that many of the immigrants arriving from Mexico are getting played by white developers who are paying them below market low wages in an attempt to lock out Black folks who have long been unionized and staples in the construction industry. On top of that these immigrants are getting abused. He also noted that many Latinos are now subject to being new targets for an aggressive police force that works on quotas. He said it would be best if Black and Brown came together and fought for a living wage.

Sess-4-5 is currently finishing up his new album called ‘The Louisiana Purchase’. He has his own record label called ‘Nuthin But Fire’ and he owns a record store. His video Blackman has caused a buzz.

A five-day International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita opened last night in New Orleans. The tribunal is bringing together hurricane survivors, international delegations, expert witnesses, a team of human rights and civil rights prosecutors, and a panel of US-based and international judges.

One survivor of the hurricane, Viola Washington said, "We are calling for an International Tribunal to bring charges of racial discrimination, forced eviction of pubic housing residents, violations of the right to life and health, and the denial of the right to return."

We speak with two activists from the People’s Hurricane Relief Fund

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/30/145217 

TRACIE WASHINGTON: Oh, no. No, not at all. We’ve got experts from MIT, all over the country, who have looked at the housing. I mean, that — and, you know, the proof is in the pudding, really, quite frankly. They wanted to close down all of the housing, and immediately after Katrina, some of the residents got word of this, and they went and they took over one of the developments, Iberville. And so, they were able to get Iberville open.

Some of these developments that are closed down took in no water. I mean, they were not damaged at all. Lafitte? No water. C.J. Peete? No water. But the decision was made to take advantage of an opportunity. Hurricane Katrina came. Look what we can do. We can keep these people away from here, bring in the bulldozers, tear down this housing, cut the unit space and occupancy by two-thirds, call it mixed-income, take that one-third that’s left and divide it into three, so we have a third of that space for public housing residents, and the rest we will use for market rate and, you know, a little bit below market rate. And that has always been the plan.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/04/144244

AMY GOODMAN: We’re broadcasting from New Orleans from the Lower Ninth Ward, so hard hit after this hurricane of two years ago you would think that it only recently happened, except for the tall marsh grasses that are almost completely covering much of the area.

As many of the homes were destroyed, grassroots groups here like People’s Hurricane Fund, as well as Common Ground Relief, are trying to save the houses from the destruction of the bulldozers, the damaged houses that people want money for to simply repair.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/31/1436217 

Two years after Hurricane Katrina drove out more than half of New Orleans, the battle over the right to return rages on. Prior to the hurricane over 5,000 families lived in public housing. Today, less than one quarter of them have been able to return home.

HANO, or the Housing authority of New Orleans, claims that its housing developments are unsuitable for accommodation but public housing advocates and residents argue that the buildings are inhabitable.

Last Friday over two dozen public housing residents and activists took over the HANO offices in New Orleans. They demanded that the government reopen the buildings.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/04/144238