November 8, 2009
We will be expanding our membership and the Books To Kids Project. Watch for us to grow!
Kate, Polly, Carol, Mike, Jim, Gordon, Elaine and Nikki
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July 26, 2009
- Biodiversity, Study
- Swimming
- Horseback Riding
- Conflict Management Training
- Arts and Crafts,
- Hiking and Creek Walks
- Recycling and Gardening,
- Star Gazing through a Telescope,
- Performance on stage,
- Playing Musical Instruments
- Sroriy Telling
- Making New Friends.
To find out how you can assist
or participate in the Kids To The Country program,
please email us,
or write to: KTC,
425 Farm Road, Suite 3, Summertown, TN 38483
The video below gives a good overview of the program.
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March 25, 2009
United
Peace Relief and Plenty International are back in the Gulf
Coast area for reconstruction. Frank Fanto from California
is back with a group of volunteers and are working in the
Pointe Aux Chenes area and on the island. Those that have
been following our reconstruction projects will remember
Frank and volunteers came last year and helped in Pass
Christian, MS and New Orleans. Thank you Frank and the
volunteers! More pictures and details to follow...
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March 13, 2009
Interesting interview and article and video from The Nation.
AC Thompson on Victims & Vigilantes
By GRIT TV
There has been a lot of talk in recent weeks about post racial America. But it was just over three years ago that Hurricane Katrina battered the Gulf Coast and revealed just how ugly America's racial and economic divide remains. After an 18 month investigation, journalist A.C. Thompson published a report, Katrina's Hidden Race War, in The Nation that details vigilante violence in the city of New Orleans in the days after the hurricane. Most of the early stories covering these vigilantes were largely sympathetic. But as Thompson outlines it is a much more complicated tale. Although there has been a large response to the story online, there has been no official comment or effort to investigate the shootings.
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March 10, 2009
This article also from The Nation.
By Melissa Harris-Lacewell & James Perry
When New Orleans flooded in August 2005, the Democratic Party was a shambles, locked out of the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. For nearly a decade the Democrats played defense against a Republican onslaught initiated by Newt Gingrich's Contract With America. After September 11, Democrats had joined with Republicans in giving President Bush unprecedented executive authority, thereby helping to erode civil liberties at home and authorize ill-advised aggression overseas. In 2004 Democrats were keenly aware that a solid majority of Americans believed it was unpatriotic to protest the Iraq War. So instead of articulating a clear alternative to Bush's militarism, they nominated John Kerry on the strength of his record as a solider. Even so, they found it impossible to outmaneuver the existing commander in chief.
In August 2005 the Democratic Party had no clear leader, no identifiable platform, no winning national coalition and little political courage.
Then the force of Hurricane Katrina devastated the inadequate levees surrounding New Orleans. Americans watched as the city flooded, the power went out, and food and water became scarce. They watched as emergency shelters became centers of disease, starvation, agony and death. The nation watched in horror, but no mass evacuation began and Air Force One did not land. As the crisis wore on, the public became increasingly confused by and angry about the lack of coordinated response to alleviate human suffering and evacuate trapped citizens. As the waters rose, President Bush's approval sank.
In the midst of this crisis the Democratic Party found its voice. The suffering in New Orleans allowed it the first sustained and successful opportunity to criticize the Bush administration. Along with the newly emboldened mainstream media, Democrats asked: how can a government that is unable to get water to an American city for three days be trusted to prosecute a foreign war? The Democrats' 2006 midterm win, widely understood as a referendum on the war, was also made possible by the images of New Orleanians trapped on the roofs of their homes.
New Orleans's inadequate levees revealed how crony capitalism reduced border defense to profit motivation rather than government priority. Not even the Gulf Coast's critical oil industry was sufficient to make levee maintenance, repair and reinforcement a national spending priority. Michael Brown's incompetent leadership of FEMA revealed the Bush administration's utter disregard for citizen safety compared to personal patronage. The choices that made New Orleans unsafe meant that the entire country was vulnerable.
Not only did the Bush administration's bureaucratic failures in response to Katrina give Democrats a way to effectively critique Iraq but the racial politics of Katrina temporarily and jarringly reawakened America to the painful realities of racial inequality.
Those who were left behind in New Orleans were vastly disproportionately black. As the images of racialized suffering poured into American living rooms, the country confronted the possibility that racial bias might have delayed the federal government's response. Many Americans were ashamed of what they were seeing on their televisions. The disaster allowed ordinary Americans to witness stark racial poverty and entrenched residential segregation, which normally remain hidden. Even President Bush was forced to acknowledge the legacy of American racism during his speech in Jackson Square.
A yearning to soothe this national shame and heal the gaping racial wound that was reopened by Katrina is partly responsible for America's enthusiastic embrace of Barack Obama. American willingness to confront racial injustice dissipated as quickly as Bush's promises to rebuild the city, but Katrina had awakened a deep desire to prove that America is not a nation marred by racism. Barack Obama's personal narrative of interracial understanding and ascension from the working class to the White House was a balm for America's aching racial scar. Though he was a relative newcomer to national politics, his biography and political commitments to racial healing were appealing to a country still reeling in the aftermath of Katrina. Obama did not need to directly propose race-based policies; he could embody American hopes for racial healing in his very person.
The televised suffering in New Orleans set the stage for the Democratic win in 2006 and Obama's victory in 2008 as surely as the televised brutality against civil rights demonstrators in Selma set the stage for passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
African-American voters whose social conservatism led them to flirt with the GOP in 2004 were cemented once again to Democrats after Katrina. White heartland voters who rallied behind Bush's war effort were shaken enough to consider Democrats after watching Republicans utterly fail to respond to Katrina. Americans of good conscience responded with tremendous charity to the survivors of the storm, but they did more than that: they readjusted their political lens.
Katrina is the wedge that opened the door for Democrats, and this new Democratic administration and Congress owe a particular debt to the people of the Gulf Coast. President Obama and his party must repay that debt.
They can begin by passing the Gulf Coast Civic Works Act (HR 4048). This bill uses job creation and infrastructure investment to promote economic growth along the Gulf Coast. Democrats can then address housing because little pre-Katrina affordable housing has been replaced. Recognizing that there are few job opportunities to pay for increased housing costs, Democrats have already extended the Disaster Housing Assistance Program, which was set to end in March, but they need to confront long-term solutions to the continuing housing crisis in the city.
Negotiating with FEMA has been one of the most difficult aspects of the recovery process for elected officials. FEMA, acting as a government insurer, is in part responsible for the cost of repairing New Orleans's storm-damaged infrastructure. However, the agency has consistently low-balled repair costs, leaving the city's infrastructure broken and incomplete. The Obama administration can send a strong signal by ending the haggling and forcing FEMA to immediately allocate fair payments to cover infrastructure repair costs.
It was the failure of inadequate federal levees that flooded New Orleans. The Obama administration has a special responsibility to ensure that these levees are repaired to a higher standard. As the Obama administration rebuilds American infrastructure, Gulf Coast levees deserve high priority.
Scientists have consistently found that a core cause of the recent increase in hurricane damage in Louisiana is coastal erosion along the southernmost section of the state. Some estimate that the state loses the equivalent of a football field every 38 minutes. The administration should agree to a long-term program to rebuild America's Gulf coastline. There is no better place to begin the work of a new green economy than in New Orleans.
Consistent with his emphasis on accountability and transparency, President Obama should review all disaster-related Community Development Block Grant expenditures by Gulf Coast states to ensure that funding is properly allocated to recovery efforts. And because it will like take at least a decade for the Gulf Coast to recover, Congress should agree to revisit and re-evaluate the federal recovery effort on an annual basis every year that Obama is president.
Delivered on Mardi Gras night, President Obama's first address to a joint session of Congress promised that the United States was poised for rebuilding and recovery. These are words with concrete meaning to the people of New Orleans. So it was ironic that Louisiana's Governor Bobby Jindal offered the official Republican response. Even as he was prepared to turn back millions in federal aid to his state, Jindal invoked Hurricane Katrina in his rebuttal of the president's economic recovery plan, suggesting that private enterprise is sufficient for tackling the massive and continuing work in New Orleans.
President Obama and Congressional Democrats cannot allow this appalling revision of history. In 2005 Katrina effectively ended the Bush administration's control of public discourse. The failures of the Bush administration in the aftermath of the storm ended GOP dominance and allowed Democrats an opportunity to govern. Democratic victory was possible because the people of New Orleans suffered. This is a debt Democrats must repay.
**Photo: Milvertha Hendricks, 84, center waits in the rain with other flood victims outside the convention center in New Orleans, Sept. (AP Image)
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February 2, 2009
Jim and I headed to the bayou. We dropped off books at the Native American elementary school. This was an awesome stop and I'm so glad I was able to go. I took lots of pictures of the children and school, which I will make a disk and send to you sometime this week.
I met the principal Dawn who is just wonderful. I gave her a small "More Than Warmth" quilt and she would like to make a quilt with Judy, so I'm planning to make that connection.
Dawn has some stories. She told us there are 149 children who go to her school. She said out of those 149, 101 do not live with their parents (need to verify those numbers with Jim, he wrote it down). Some children live with anyone who will offer them a place to sleep (and who knows what % of children are taken advantage of). She described one house or trailer filled with multiple couples. Each couple has a bedroom and all the children sleep in the living area, totally unsupervised. One young boy had his cell phone taken away by the police when there was a porno sting and the boy accidently plugged into the sting (how did he afford a cell phone?). Dawn said there is a lot of drug abuse. And she told us of multiple stories of spousal abuse. One woman faked a pregnancy so her husband wouldn't beat her because that was the only time he didn't hit her.
Jim gave out books and he had such great books to give out. Boxes and boxes of new books and the children were so excited. And Dawn was equally excited. He told me his connection was this character Jim Paul from Kentucky. When he told me, I immediately knew who he was. Although I never met Jim Paul, Eleanor from Pass Christian had given me his phone number as a way of getting supplies. He was a big help to Eleanor and her distribution center but she likes to joke about what a character he is. I may need to give him a call to see about helping out in the bayou.
I saw some of the children from the Island and Pointe Aux Chenes at the school. They all go there. I think Dawn will be a great connection for what we're doing.
We then went to Pointe Au Chenes and the Island. I am not under the impression there is much of the above going on here. The children here look fairly happy and healthy with lots of grandmothers and grandfathers as support. And the school seems to be a good support for them also. Amazingly people have fixed up their make shift houses and are back living in them. Kind of reminds me of old farm. These people are so resilient.
I went to see Margaret Verdin, the woman whose house was so devastated and she needed the hospital bed. I could not believe they already moved back in. Margaret and her husband were there, along with their multiple children and grandchildren (which we missed for Christmas and they asked about it - I felt bad!). The house did not look bad, in it's make shift way. The hospital bed was there and working somewhat. Her husband is handy. They could not get the feet part to work but the head worked (most important). She said she feels so much better sleeping in it. I told her I would still check out those beds in Biloxi and see about upgrading her later on. I took pictures of Margaret's house.
The 80 year old woman Marcelite Naquin who was living in the shack using a bucket for a toilet and rusty washtub for her bath had moved into her old house, which had been condemned. Roger her son had actually fixed it up and they seemed comfortable. I took pictures of the house. They even have a working shower and toilet which Roger put in. Amazing!!!!
I did my follow up with the children, taking pictures. I gave out two More Than Warmth quilts, along with pictures. We visited Uncle Chris in the wheelchair and Jim got to meet him and the children. They still have their Christmas tree up. The addition is coming along and just needs the interior walls, etc.
Well, that is my update of the day.
Love,
Elaine
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December 20, 2008
You guys rock! Our latest effort is a perfect example of networking. Networking has paid an important part in the successes United Peace Relief has experienced over the years. On a recent visit to Pointe Aux Chenes, Elaine Langley of Plenty met Margaret, a woman whose hospital bed was damaged during Hurricane Gustav. She immediately began to put the word out to organizations that might be able to help locate one. Elaine contacted Christine with Aidsail and Carol with United Peace Relief. Christine contacted Neil with Operation USA in California. Neil was able to locate a hospital bed for Margaret in California. The brainstorming began to find a way to transport the bed from California to Louisiana. In the meantime, Carol contacted Laura of City Action Partnership. (Laura helped us find a clinic in need of supplies when United Peace Relief closed the free clinic in Pass Christian, MS.) Laura put out the word to her contacts and very quickly another clinic let her know that the Salvation Army in Biloxi, MS was closing its warehouse and...they had a hospital bed! Gordon with Voices for Peace agreed to go to Biloxi with his truck, get the hospital bed and deliver to Pointe Aux Chenes.
Thank you Elaine, Laura, Christine, Neil, Gordon and Carol.
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December 18, 2008
Elaine Langley of Plenty is interview by the Times-Picayune about her Christmas Project on the Bayou. Go Elaine!
Holiday help needed in bayou community
Coastal villages ravaged by storms
Thursday, December 18, 2008
By Amy Hubbell
Sometimes people ask if I think I'll run out of stories for this column. Usually I think "No way. Algiers is full of interesting people and interesting stories." Occasionally I panic before a Thursday deadline, but due to my ability to procrastinate, not from a lack of interesting Algerines.
This week, I didn't have to worry at all. On Monday, out of the blue, I received a call from what may be our newest interesting neighbor.
She started to explain why she was calling, then got a bit tongue-tied. Apologizing, she said "I just woke up." Now, at 1:15 in the afternoon, that's not unheard of from a New Orleans resident. She had a particularly good reason though. "I'm a night nurse at West Jeff."
Having been back and forth to Louisiana several times since Hurricane Katrina, doing relief work "down the bayou, past Houma," Elaine Langley moved to Algiers Point from Tennessee just three months ago. She bought a tree at our Christmas Tree Sale, eager to help the neighborhood library. Afterward, she noticed a couple of trees still at the Gulf Pizza Station, and called to ask what we were planning to do with them.
The relief work she does is with the Biloxi-Chitimacha Indians, of which I was embarrassed to admit I knew nothing. She said that they live "way out on the Gulf, and they keep getting hit over and over again" by storms. She mentioned Pointe-aux-Chenes and Isle de Jean Charles, places that no longer have any protection from hurricanes.
Hard hit by Rita, Gustav and Ike, these people are struggling to survive. Living in Louisiana, Langley is able to continue her efforts to help, right now focusing on 33 children from 6 months to 15 years old. She talked about a boy and girl, ages 6 and 7, who lost both their parents and are living with their uncle, who has cerebral palsy.
Langley wants to make sure all of these children have a good Christmas, and she's loading up a rented truck with whatever she can find for them, including -- now -- a Christmas tree.
Despite the horrible rain on the weekend of the library tree sale, we had very few trees left. We gave a couple to neighborhood churches and a couple to community groups. Now, our very last tree is going to the end of the earth. And the end of the earth is coming to us. After I talked with Langley, I looked up Isle de Jean Charles. She had said, "You have to take this road that's disintegrating to get out there." The island, four miles wide before Hurricane Katrina, is now only a quarter of a mile wide. "They're still living in the houses" devastated by the storms. "You just think 'Oh, that's condemned!' But they don't complain. It blows your mind."
It's hard to imagine that these children have lost not only their homes, and in some cases their parents, to recent storms. They're also losing their land. It's outside the planned levee system, so when they are adults, they won't even be able to go back to visit the land on which they once played. It will be part of the Gulf of Mexico. With the land, much of their culture may disappear as well. They have names that sound familiar -- Naquin, Brunet, Foret. As fellow Louisiana residents and possibly relatives, we are all losing a part of our heritage, as well as our land.
Langley, her tree and her moving van are heading "down the bayou" on Saturday morning. If you have anything to spare -- toys, clothing, coats, blankets, household items, nonperishable food items -- please call her at 931.215.4163. She said she's "getting to know everyone and they've lost some weird stuff," including a hospital bed. Give her a call and find out if you have anything that might help. She mentioned that this won't end with the holidays, but will be a continuing effort.
It just so happened that, when Langley called, I was in the middle of reading Mike Tidwell's "Bayou Farewell," about the disappearance of Louisiana's coast. After our conversation, I skipped ahead to read more about the land of the Biloxi-Chitimacha. While we're probably all aware that Louisiana is losing a significant part of its land each year, it's heartbreaking to read about how it's impacting individuals and entire cultures. There may be little we can do in one day to solve the bigger problems, but it would be nice if we could help a few children have a nicer Christmas.
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December 9, 2008
Elaine from Plenty International reports:
I am beyond amazement with how people are helping with this Christmas project. I've put a few signs up at my hospital in West Jefferson and people are calling me and beginning to donate. I just received a box of used canned goods. There are promises for additional used children clothes and toys.
My neighborhood here at the Point did a fund raising for the local library selling Christmas trees (we bought one to help support their project). I talked to a woman named Amy who is head of the library project and she is donating a beautiful Christmas tree, free of charge which will be used for the brother and sister who lost both parents and are living with their wheel chair bound uncle, who would otherwise not have a tree. Amy also is going to help get the word out via her email system. Now I'm concerned "will I end up with too many donations?" Not a problem! I can handle it! Looking like she may be a support beyond this Christmas.
Also got a call from TN and someone is donating a TV, small dining table, household items, etc. close to the Williamson hospital.
The Swan Trust party on the Farm (which will celebrate also, the work in the Gulf - Tony is coming with us) will also include people bringing a special ornament to be put on this very special Christmas tree.
Love you guys and see some of you this weekend!
Elaine
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October 26, 2008
Elaine from Plenty has made another trip to the Bayou and reports:
Cal and I went to Pointe Au Chenes and Isle de Jean Charles yesterday. Cal is getting a much deserved massage right now because after working all week, plus overtime, exhausted as he was, he took the 3 hour round trip drive and helped take pictures of children for 5 hours, plus waited patiently while I interviewed 25 children making a list for Santa Claus. It was exhausting but oh so rewarding!
We went out to The Island once again. The road out there is disintegrating. The water was much higher and kind of scary, wondering how much longer it'll hold up. There is a sign now, substandard road. Lots of people fishing along the way though. Basically has become a one lane road. If I rent a moving van, we may want to load up Brenda's car for distribution out there. Only a total of 6 children on the Island. I found a family who just moved there with 3 children, age 12, 2 and 6 months. The house was in a shambles and dad was fixing it up. I said to the 12 year old girl, why did you move here? (and I'm really wondering why!) She said they moved next to their cousins. The dad was black, children mixed, mom not home, figuring mom was Biloxi Chitimacha and they must be very poor to move there. Beautiful children! Chris Roman and Louise (Farm store) are going to take care of the 12 year old who was so sweet and taking care of the two younger ones. Did not know about this family, found them because of toys on the porch. As we passed the house, I yelled at Cal, "Stop". Once again, it was one of those, felt like I was taken there by some divine intervention. Roberta will be doing the dinner November 14th or 15th to help with fund raising for this trip. Don't forget the "Donation Can" and maybe a donation box for canned goods. I'll put a letter in the Free Press for all this. Maybe we could get the children's pictures on some websites with a short plea for help, Plenty blog, Gordon's site, maybe NO Voices for Peace, Farm web. I'm in the process of connecting with Williamson's staff for Christmas adoption. Hoping we get some needed supplies for house repair too. I'll be downloading children's pictures shortly!
Love all you guys,
Elaine
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October 16, 2008
We volunteers returned to visit the families in Pointe Au Chenes we had met during the first relief trip. Once again we met with Teresa Dardar, a native Biloxi Chitimacha who was the neighborhood caretaker. Many families had made good progress cleaning swamp muck out of their houses, but much remained to be done. We are planning to assist in the transition to Phase II, which involves rebuilding structures, painting, and general repair. Phase III will replace destroyed household and personal items.
Teresa introduced us to a couple named Babae and Bernice Billot. Cleaning supplies and personal toiletries donated by the Red Cross remained stacked on a pallet in their basement. Because phone service had not been restored, it had been difficult to notify households of the arrival of the supplies. Even after the word went out, there was no one to distribute the supplies. We were excited to have the opportunity to refill our vehicles and distribute this material to the needy families of this devastated area.
Health problems complicated Margaret's poignant story. An accident a year ago required replacement of her left hip, which now contained a metal plate. The storm destroyed her hospital bed, and without it she was unable to get herself up in the morning, making her totally dependent on her family. I told her I would do what I could to find her a hospital bed. She was also diabetic and needed a glucose monitor in order to check her blood sugar. Miraculously I had one in my bag to give her that had been donated by United Peace Relief.
We also visited the Isle de Jean Charles, also known as The Island. This area is especially vulnerable to the strong hurricane winds and flood waters. Before expanded commerce depleted the wetlands and global warming caused heavier storms, people made a comfortable lifestyle through fishing and gardening. After the double storm hit and the waters receded, a barren land covered by thick mud remained. Trees, stripped of their leaves, were now laden with swamp grass. Houses lay in uninhabitable ruins, and families occupied other structures that had suffered heavy damage. Wooden walkways leading over small bodies of water to houses were in shambles.
Despite the barren landscape and the ruin left by Hurricane Gustav and Ike, the spirit of this tribal community remained undiminished. Not one person complained, and all smiled in appreciation of our help. Their ancestors have called this Island home for generations, and it's vulnerability to intense weather has not extinguished their deep love and attachment to it. For most of them, rebuilding is the only option.
Elaine Langley
Registered Nurse
Plenty International
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September 21, 2008
Below is a report from our trip to Point Au Chene with some pictures of this wonderful and uplifting community. United Peace Relief and Plenty International are putting out the request for a donated travel trailer for the Marcelite Narquin and her family to live in. This community does not receive FEMA assistance and it will probably be a long time before the State of Louisiana gets any type of reconstruction program off the ground. If you or someone you know can help, please email to carol@unitedpeacerelief.org or elaineml@bellsouth.net.
Years ago, this community thrived on local fishing and community gardens. With the influx of commerce that have contributed to the eroding coastal land, along with the increased temperatures of the surrounding waters due to global warming, more frequent and powerful storms are continuously destroying their way of life. This strong, proud people who never complain or give up, continue to hang onto to their culture and community and refuse to give up.
Elaine Langley
Registered Nurse
Plenty International Volunteer
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September 18, 2008
Update from LA flooding:
The streets in Chauvin were clear to drive on but many houses and streets were still under water. We saw people with buckets and mops walking through knee deep water toward their houses. A very ominous task indeed. Unfortunately we did not have the time to stop and talk to individual families.
We did meet with the executive director of United Saints, a grass roots organization. Partners with Hands On and Hope Force, they have set up camp in a fire station in Chauvin to help people clean up and put blue tarps on roofs. Their plan is to go further south when roads are passable.
My good friends Carol and Mike from United Peace Relief, who I met during Katrina have been doing hurricane relief work in Baton Rouge for the last two weeks. They are taking a two day break in NOLA with us before heading home to Florida. A day trip on Sunday is planned, hoping the roads will be passable so we can access the area further south and meet with Chief Albert and the people of that area.
Will keep you posted. Am sending a picture of the flooding from a side street in Chauvin. Everyone's back yard is the levees that breached during Gurstav and then again with Ike.
Love,
Elaine
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September 6, 2008
As you know, Ward was instrumental in the Veterans For Peace disaster recovery efforts in 2005. For the first month his home was the only place we could get packages of donations shipped. His driveway was turned into a drop point for truckloads of supplies for Katrina relief. Now his home has been hit by hurricane Gustav. Can United Peace Relief help him with a chainsaw or two, extra chains, sharpening files, two stoke oil, gas and generator to light up his house power his fridge and fans? Volunteer labor would be great but tools and power are what are really needed now!
All is NOT OK...south Louisiana is devestated, but especially Baton Rouge...On a personal level, my house was hit by 2 huge oaks, one in front, and one in back, but all humans and animals OK...will need some structure work on the house, a new roof, etc.... more bumbed out about all the great trees and my "Stonehenge" garden being wiped out...my cypress outbuilding also took a huge tree right in the middle, and it's destroyed.... My first step will be a weeks-worth of chain-saw work to get access to my house,etc., in order...One of my sons lives right between 2 hospitals, so he will get power before anyone else, by default...they are saying 7 days before general electricty to 50% of the city, and maybe 2-3 weeks for the rest...this is a city of 600,000, and the RNC parties on, having manipulated the media to saying all is well...THAT is the story...
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December 15, 2007
United Peace Relief's second reconstruction project this fall. Thank you to all the volunteers and especially to Frank for the story and pictures.
It was a difficult trip. I have been trying to come to grips with the emotions since I returned. Some of the issues were the constant search for the needed material, working on old and funky housing. The added fact that they had been sitting under water didn’t help. It was my second trip to the Crescent City. In April of 2007, I took 17 Mendocino High School students to St. Bernard’s Parish, to help on the Katrina rebuilding. This trip was to work with a smaller grass roots organization called Plenty, with a group of construction skilled people.
There is a spirit there that makes New Orleans what it is. It’s a tough place to live. Requires that you keep you eyes open and your doors locked. We worked long days. The living conditions were rough, but we usually tried to find an interesting place for dinner and then some music most nights. Music is everywhere. N’Awlins must have the highest percentage of musicians of any place I’ve ever been. Funk, jazz, blues, rock and roll, soul, all abound and can be found just about any night. Brad Pitt had Jerry Lee Lewis and the Neville Brothers playing at his “Make It Right” grand unveiling. I was lucky enough to catch a show with Ellis Marsalis one evening. The food is enough to help fill anyone’s waist line. Jambalaya, gumbo, crawfish etouffee, shrimp boils, fried chicken, Creole, grits, po boys, beignets. A wonderful mix of flavors brought about by the wonderful mix of cultures.
But, what affected us most were the connections with the people we worked with. Ms, Emma, an 87 yr old Honduran woman. She gutted her own house, at least as far as she could reach, all 4 ft, 3 in. of her. We put the finishing touches on her home. She can now move in and have her FEMA trailer removed from along the side of her house. We threw her a surprise birthday party on completion day, her first birthday party ever.
Linda, a young grandmother, trying to raise 3 young grandchildren in a house with no interior finish, electricity or heat. Her “Road Home” money has not come thru yet, so there was no money for materials.
Then there was Mr. Washington, an 85 yr old black man. Born and raised in the 9th ward. A tough and determined man, but he finally met his match. Mr. Washington’s project is where we spent most of our time, as he was being evicted out if his FEMA trailer. The trailer was in a park that was on private property, and the owner wanted the property back.
We needed to get his bath and kitchen done, gas lines run and connected, water heater hooked and vented and the electrical completed, in order to pass the inspections necessary for Mr. Washington to move in. It was a push. Required the installation of all the fixtures, sheetrock, trim and paint, but before we could complete everything, FEMA collected all his belongings from the trailer and brought them to the house, a few days before our anticipated completion. FEMA paid for one night in a motel for Mr. Washington, but he preferred to be in his house, even if it meant sleeping on the floor and running a generator for power.
His was the only house on the block that had been rebuilt so far. At night he locked the metal security gates at the doors and windows. Just a couple of weeks ago, the police towed away five stolen vehicles that somehow had been deposited in the back yard of the house next door. Well… by Thursday night, the house just needed its inspections, and we would have a functional house, but it was just a day too late. Upon arriving on Friday morning we found Mr. Washington on a mattress in the kitchen. He had passed away in his sleep.
The four of us, who had worked so hard to get things done for him, were crushed. Could it have been the stress of getting the house done before he had to leave the trailer? Could it have been not having any heat? Might it have been the carbon monoxide from the generator? Could we have worked faster? We will never know. No 85 yr old person should have to deal with such stress. As I drove back the French Quarter, I passed the trailer he had been living in. It was still there. Maybe if some faceless bureaucrat had put off the evection long enough to get things 100% complete, Mr. Washington might have had some time to relax and feel secure in his own home before moving on.
So we face up to the fact, that there are others in as desperate need as Mr. Washington was, and it makes us more determined to keep things going. We’re going back. Join us, help us. There will be a second trip this coming April with Mendocino High School students. We need funding to make the April 08 trip work. Help make this a Community supported event. Donations can be sent to the following address:
MUSD
Box 226
Mendocino, CA 95460
Atten: Loretta McCord
Memo: A/E week NOLA Trip
As they say in the Big Easy, ….”Laissaz le bon temps rouler.”
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December 8, 2007
Two of the recent United Peace Relief reconstruction crews worked with Plenty on Mr. Washington's house which was apparently finished except for inspection and utility turn on by the City of New Orleans. We unfortunately received this message from Plenty.
“Tony and Kenny went to Mr. Washington's house this morning and found him on a mattress on the floor. He had passed away during the night. He apparently didn't want to go to the hotel room that FEMA had arranged after evicting him from his trailer. He had a weak heart but the way he was treated by FEMA was heartless. Our crew had just finished his house but the water and electric had not been turned on. They were hoping to have that done today. He was a sweet man. 87 years old, a lifetime builder and resident of the Lower 9th Ward. Vernon Washington. May he rest in peace.”
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November 15, 2007
On Monday, we packed up the stuff in the house in the 8th Ward to move it so the electrical around the baseboards could be repaired. I had met a man named Bruce in the elevator at our hotel earlier (he had struck up a conversation over my "Arrest Bush" t-shirt) and he and his friend said they'd like to help, so I brought them along. On their way back to the hotel after working, they asked if I could take them to the Lower 9th. As we crossed over the canal, we looked down to our left, and saw a big, virtually empty, field with poles sticking up everywhere. It was the neighborhood situated right behind the levees that broke. Most of the houses had just been, literally, washed away, or had been bulldozed afterwards. Only a handful of houses were left, all devastated, but the telephone poles were still there...as were the driveways, house pads, and cement stairs leading up to...thin air. We drove up & down a few streets, feeling as if we were in the "Twilight Zone," and incredulous that it looked not much different from how it must have looked shortly after Katrina...except that there were weeds everywhere, and a couple of white trailers. In front of one was an upturned table, where a survivor named Robert Green had written the names of loved ones he'd lost and some heartfelt suggestions. His wife and granddaughter had died on the same day, August 29th, '05, and he had a headstone for them right there, in front of his trailer...a pole coming up out of the middle of it with, ironically and heartbreakingly, an American flag. The flag, and his message, brought us to tears.
What a sobering time! But how inspirational to see survivors so determined to see it through, and to see people who traveled there from near and far to help. We were only able to stay for a few days, but so many of you devote so much time and energy to helping the people of New Orleans rebuild their homes and their lives ~ it's amazing. I'm sure I speak for all my Dallas/Ft. Worth travel-buddies when I send you our utmost admiration and applause! We're honored to have been included in a small part of what you do!
Peace and love ~
Leslie
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November 5, 2007
United Peace Relief had a booth at the Voodoo Festival in New Orleans. We had great success in reaching many people. So many were interested in what we are doing and plan to do. We even sold a few raffle tickets. Thanks to Plenty International and New Orleans Voices For Peace were were able to show video of our work in the past right at the booth. We are took a short break from the Voodoo Festival to attend United For Peace and Justice's "End The War Now" march. We met a great and very motivated group from Texas at the march that stayed with us throughout most of the week to help with reconstruction in New Orleans.
United Peace Relief, peace activist group from Texas and Plenty International were able to accomplish much at several houses in the 8th Ward and Arabi. We painted, hung sheetrock, wired, plumbed, replaced screens, packed and moved. Hard work but the friendships we gained were worth it all. Video slide show available at the VIDEO page.
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February 16 - February 25, 2007
Polly from Ukiah, CA, Kate from Detroit, MI and Carol from Tallahassee, FL returned to the Gulf Coast! They spent three days in Jackson Square selling raffle tickets for the Seven Sisters Quilt. The quilt was a big hit and sales were good but we still have tickets to sell so please go to the Raffle page and order yours. We are anxious to get this quilt to a nice home -- maybe yours! Below is a video of our time in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras. Thanks to Gordon of Voices For Peace for documenting this for us. Thanks also to Kevin Curley for our beautiful stay at Bayou Liberty and all his help in finding places to set up our sales table. Watch for the quilt to be on display at various concerts and festivals in the North California area this spring.
Polly, Kate and Carol also spent time visiting the organizations on our Volunteer list. The list has been updated at the Volunteer page so be sure to pass the word that volunteers are still needed in the area. We are sad to see that Second Helping and Grassroots Volunteer Network have closed. Both of these organizations did much wonderful work for Waveland and Biloxi. They will be sorely missed in Mississippi. Restoration Point is still going strong and looking forward to the next group of volunteers from United Peace Relief. We were able to visit Animal Rescue New Orleans. This group is doing such great work. There are so many abandoned animals. We did our best to pet as many as possible while we were there. They need volunteers to feed, clean cages, walk dogs and give these animals the attention they deserve. Emergency Communities has opened a community center in the Lower Ninth Ward called The Goin' Home Community Cafe. This is a family-friendly place for residents of the Lower 9th Ward to get together and relax. They are providing internet, library, laundry facilities, meals, house gutting, tool lending and community activities for the returning residents. It is located at 6030 St. Claude Avenue, New Orleans. They are housing volunteers; and once spring break is over, they will be needing volunteers to help with this project. We were able to visit and talk with volunteers and residents. Kate has been going there almost everyday to help out and give massages.
There are many neighborhoods in New Orleans who are working so hard to come back. United Peace Relief is looking into "adopting" such a neighborhood and concentrating efforts, volunteers and funds in one specific area. We will be working to set up such a project in the next couple of months. Stay tuned for details and donate or buy a raffle ticket to help get this project up and running.
Don't forget about New Orleans, South Louisiana and Mississippi. This will be a years-long endeavor and we will need your
Special thanks and a great big hug to Gordon and Voices For Peace for the Free Hugs campaign video here.
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December 27, 2006
Our second reconstruction group from California arrived safe and sound in Pass Christian. Jim at Restoration Point put them straight to work on Florence's house. Florence is a long-time resident of Pass Christian who is confined to a wheelchair. Jim says our group has helped bring this project very close to "move in" day. This will be the first time Florence has had her home wheelchair accessible. Restoration Point has tried very hard to make sure that all aspects or this reconstruction are accessible and safe for a person with disabilities.
Thank you Robert and his group from California and thank you Restoration Point for all your hard work. Here are a few pictures of Florence, Jim of Restoration Point, the California group of volunteers and Florence's house.
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September 1, 2006
Pass Christian, Mississippi now has a permanent clinic with a physician on the premises. Therefore, we have closed the United Peace Relief free clinic and will be focusing our efforts on reconstruction. We have enjoyed staffing and working in this free clinic and are thrilled they now have a permanent physician in town. This beautiful community has not seen the last of United Peace Relief -- reconstruction is next on the agenda!
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