NAACP

[Brandon Clement]

The NAACP has been all over TV claiming that this is a racist thing since most of the people left in NO are black. They claim that help would have been there quickly if it was a bunch of white people stranded.

What about the white Dr.'s, nurses, sick and elderly stuck in the hospitals?
Since almost all of the Looters are black couldn't that be a racist thing?
Since almost all of the people shooting at police, National Guard and other rescue workers are black is that a racist thing?

I have never seen a group of people that get so much attention being critical of what other people are doing to help. They are doing everything they can to get attention to help their political cause at a time when the people they are supposed to be "helping" need help the most. How much money have they donated to "help" the cause? This group makes me sick.

 

[nickgrillo]

These type of organizations make me pretty sick as well... I haven't heard these "accusations", since I haven't watched a single bit of TV for the past day or so. IMO This group is extremely racist againest white people...

 

[Benjamin Sipprell]

I can't verify this claim on any news sources except for what Rev. Jessie Jackson has said ...

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/09/02/D.../D8CCAOI81.html

But if this is true that this is totally wrong ... this is a disaster and putting race into the equation is wrong ... if you want to put any issue into this then it should be intelligence ...

It shouldn't be the question of black and white ... it should rather be "Who was smart to leave ... and who wasn't ... and who couldn't"

 

[Carla Bisby]

The stat I heard was that 70% of NO is black and that many of them are low income. If that is true, then of course most of the people left there right now are black, there were more blacks than whites in the city to start with. I seriously doubt that anyone is purposefully dragging their heels because they are racist. Human suffering is human suffering.

 

[Tyler Allison]

It's an attempt by the NAACP to make themselves relevant in a culture that increasingly doesn't want or need them anymore.

 

[John Farley]

I admit I have wondered the same thing as the NAACP.

At the least, it is a well-established fact in disaster research that the people with the fewest resources are the ones who suffer the most in disasters. A good example is the Detroit tornadoes several years ago which some of you undoubtedly remember. Most of the middle-class suburban whites whose homes were destroyed had insurance. Many more of the African Americans in the city of Detroit lacked insurance, and as a result, lost everything. Resources make a huge difference in the impacts of disasters, and unfortunately in the U.S. race is strongly tied to resources. In most major metro areas like New Orleans, for example, black households are about 2 - 3 times as likely as white households to lack any motor vehicle. If you think I am wrong, look it up for yourself in the U.S. Census data. That right there explains why 60-100 thousand people in the city of New Orleans had no viable evacuation choices except the Superdome, Convention Center, or similar local emergency shelters, all of which now are places where a second evacuation must occur, in some cases after many unnecessary deaths. Thus, even if nobody has any racist intention at all in the rescue process, race (and income) make huge differences in your ability to survive a disaster. Anyone that says otherwise is engaging in self-delusion.

 

[Brandon Clement]

The fact that most of the remaining people in NO are african american or that the african american people are more likely to have no transportation is a sad fact, especially in the south. This was never in question. They specifically stated that the reason the help was slow getting there was because it was the african american population that was stranded and not the white folk.

I agree help has been slow getting there, but it was a huge storm destroying many, many more square miles than any other storm in the history of the nation. The storm also did more damage farther inland than any other storm I have ever seen. The fact that they made these comments during the worse national disaster in history is completely disgusting.

 

[Benjamin Sipprell]

At the least, it is a well-established fact in disaster research that the people with the fewest resources are the ones who suffer the most in disasters.

Resources make a huge difference in the impacts of disasters, and unfortunately in the U.S. race is strongly tied to resources.

Thus, even if nobody has any racist intention at all in the rescue process, race (and income) make huge differences in your ability to survive a disaster. Anyone that says otherwise is engaging in self-delusion.

A very good point ... you wonder when this is all said and done who will have insurance and who won't ... insurance like flood, fire, and life ...

This isn't about race and this forum shouldn't be locked ... I sympathize with those in NO ... but I don't sympathize with those who are saying "we can't get out because our car is flooded" and those who are taking full advantage of this situation of this matter

If anything black leaders and NAACP should rather act as a leadership role, raise money, and get volunteers down to that area instead about naggin' on no blacks in charge? Wait, isn't the Mayor black Mr. Jessie Jackson ... isn't he in a top position ... why does a person have to appoint black leaders ... why don't blacks work to become leaders?

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/09/02/D.../D8CCAOI81.html

Mr. Robinson ... tell your people since you are so African American to knock off the distruptions and remain orderly (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randall-robinson/new-orleans_b_6643.html)

At least the victims are becoming smarter than the mayor ...

http://www.local6.com/news/4929516/detail.html

 

[Will Tinder]

As much as I disagree with most of what the NAACP has been saying... hurricanes and floods do not discriminate and pick by race, color or creed... they do bring up one point that in the future, bears closer examination: The need for civil defense plans to be reorganized and re-examined to take into account the poor who are dependent upon mass transit and cannot evacuate.

I purposefully use the term 'poor,' because if you look at the crowds, there are whites and others in the crowds as well... they're predominantly black not because of racism, but simply because the majority of New Orleans is black, and a huge portion of New Orleans is poor.

And on the news, there are other stories touching this big problem from Mississippi, where poor whites were unable to leave because the hurricane came at hte end of the month, when they're finances were at their lowest. Articles from the Times-Picayaune from several years ago describing what a disaster like this would look like in the city describe the city's poor being, "left on their own." (NOLA.com, as well as quoted on news services) Which is what exactly happened for the first crucial days.

 

[John Farley]

If anything black leaders and NAACP should rather act as a leadership role, raise money, and get volunteers down to that area instead about naggin' on no blacks in charge? Wait, isn't the Mayor black Mr. Jessie Jackson ... isn't he in a top position ... why does a person have to appoint black leaders ... why don't blacks work to become leaders?

It is my understanding from news reports last night that Rev. Jesse Jackson assisted in arranging transportation to evacuate the 400 students who were stranded at Xavier University and now have been evacuated.

 

[Brian Brubaker]

Jackson questioned why Bush has not named blacks to top positions in the federal response to the disaster, particularly when the majority of victims remaining stranded in New Orleans are black: "How can blacks be locked out of the leadership, and trapped in the suffering?"

What does that have to do with anything???

Put someone in charge (even if they are incompetent) just because they're black???

If the Rev had any credibility left, this should remove the rest of it.

Why does anyone give this guy any air time or print space? He's a waste of pixels and ink.

 

[Benjamin Sipprell]

At least the victims are becoming smarter than the mayor ...

http://www.local6.com/news/4929516/detail.html

You think that is being smart? Quite the contrary.

I thought fleeing from a disaster was smart. What's your point.

 

[Benjamin Sipprell]

It is my understanding from news reports last night that Rev. Jesse Jackson assisted in arranging transportation to evacuate the 400 students who were stranded at Xavier University and now have been evacuated.

From the report I submitted online I saw that he was helping people out in Baton Rouge ... I have no doubts that he was helping people at Xavier as well ... he's not a bad guy ... but he shouldn't turn a situation of desperation and needs of the PEOPLE into one of race

 

[John Farley]

If anything black leaders and NAACP should rather act as a leadership role, raise money, and get volunteers down to that area instead about naggin' on no blacks in charge?

Benjamin and others, you will be pleased to know that the NAACP is indeed raising money just as suggested above. If anyone would like to contribute to their relief efforts, you may do so here:

https://www.naacp.org/disaster/contribute.php

 

[Kevin Bowman]

anyone remember that black congresswoman who wantved hurricanes to be named with African American names?

imagine if that happened and Katarina was really named lashonda or latroy. The NAACP, Jesse Jackson, ACLU would be on the steps of NOAA with lawsuits for racism