insight

Remember thy neighbor, not thy government

Dear readers, I have a favor to ask you. Take the catastrophe that you saw these last few weeks with Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Never forget it. Let this tragedy be yet another spark of passion and an example of what can happen when we forget about governments and money and instead focus on each other.

Remember the living hell of the Superdome when 9,000 poor people were told they would find sanctuary, but instead found squalor. Imagine the sickening defeat that must have weighed in their hearts when they realized there was no food, no first aid, no medicine, no fans and no hope that assistance would be on its way.

Think of what it must have felt like to look around and realize that stadium-constructed to entertain the comfortable and benefit the rich-only to find that those around you were poor people of color; our red white and blue style untouchable caste.

Remember the bodies stacked up on the sidewalks, filling with the stench of death a town that was trying to have hope. Try to feel the heat and taste the sickness in the air. The news said "Help is on the way!" as they hung the cloud of an imminent malaria epidemic and elevation of poverty over your head.

Remember how the police deserted, the president continued vacationing and the secretary of state went out shopping. Do not let that sense of abandonment, the realization that the rich and powerful in this country really do not care, escape you.

Remember that, on the night Louisiana was leveled, Donald Trump, Bill Gates and the Walton family went to sleep that night in mansions that could house hundreds or, if sold, could feed even more. The National Guard was busy shooting down Iraqis.

Remember those who were so desperate to survive they were inspired to take up arms and loot the city. Let the image of their Styrofoam rafts and outraged faces haunt our memories so that we will never forget what desolation looks like.

Remember who came through in the end. Hold in your hearts the spirit of those who were abandoned, trapped in a drowning city, yet came together sacrificing and risking what they could to pull their community through this tragedy. These were people so used to the indifference so many millions of poor Americans faces they knew the only people who would reach out were their own kind. They united and organized.

Do not forget this indifference when you hear silly phrases like "business with a heart" or "compassionate conservatives." Next time a war is to be declared for the good of humanity, let the memories of this tragedy flood behind your eyes. Think back to how the president and his cabinet had the ability to help but did not want to interrupt their comfortable lives. Think of how they let Louisiana drown next time you are asked to put your life on the line and trust the U.S. military not to hurt civilians.

Do not be fooled into thinking there wasn't enough penicillin, gauze and potable water in this nation to help Louisiana. There was and it could have been there in New Orleans and Biloxi had pharmaceutical and beverage companies forgotten their profit-margins for a moment to consider how much good they could do if they poured millions into humanity rather than advertising.

Actions speak louder than words. Those in public office and those CEOs tucked tail and retreated to plush office chairs while Louisiana drowned. Collectively, we have our time now to turn our backs on them. Do not go to their next big sale or dedicate yourself to their bad television programming. Next time the government declares a war refuse to show up.

Do not forget the communities that sprouted, filled with altruism and family spirit between strangers. No one was obligated to pitch in, but they did. Anyone watching the news saw those people struggling through chin deep water to pull out children or attempt to hold back water. Journalists put down their microphones and hand-fed the starving. In a moment of crisis and in a moment of desolation, these people were not just in Louisiana.

The day after Katrina, I walked through a few blocks of Section 8 homes only to stumble upon a family holding a bake sale to raise money for hurricane victims. Cuba offered doctors. European countries sent food, money and equipment. All these people from completely different nations and backgrounds forgot the borders and distance that divided them to unite as a part of a larger global community pitching in wherever they could.

Through the devastation of Hurricane Katrina something beautiful and completely natural occurred. People organized, collectivized and solved a problem to the best of their ability. It is in our communities that we find strength, growth and support.

Remember that those who claim to protect it abandoned Louisiana. Remember when the people refused to let Louisiana crumble. Remember the power of community and human spirit. Exemplify this community struggle, commemorate the losses and always consider that life can and will go on without this system when we place our priorities on each other.