Race and Katrina
But New Orleans is not the only county in dire condition. St. Bernard and Plaquemines, east and south of Orleans parish, are just as flooded, just as hard hit. We have all heard the county board chairman (anywhere else) of Jefferson parish, immediately west and south of New Orleans today on MTP--and Jefferson is 70% white. St. Bernard is 88% white; Plaquemines is 70% white. TV crews just haven't gotten out to the 'burbs, and there are, of course, no well-known, well beloved landmarks out there. Their toll and their travail (and their lawlessness) have simply gone uncovered, except on the nola blog. This truly was an equal opportunity catastrophe, and the death toll, like the bravery and the horror and the predation and FEMA's failures, is going to be equal opportunity as well.
I really think this needs to be said and noted, and its getting overlooked.
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Think Progress has a great post about how race and class are being ignored. Some sad statistics in there.
September 5, 2005 1:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Katrina was NOT an "equal opportunity catastrophe". Residents of the outlying areas - to include my poor, white in-laws - had greater access to routes and means of escape.
September 6, 2005 2:40 AM | Reply | Permalink