Mission 2010: Can We Save New Orleans?

Katie Silberstein

As stated on the Mission 2010 website, Group 5 will be focusing on “City design: Race, class, and neighborhoods in New Orleans: history, preservation of culture and diversity, current redevelopment plans, social and environmental justice.” The following sources are predominately concentrated on the political aspect of this complex problem, though some do cover the essentials of the environmental aspect.

References

Barnes, F. (2006). Post-Katrina Politics. The Weekly Standard, 11(32), 8. The lackluster response of New Orleans political leaders to survey the damage shows the prevalent apathy about the city’s future. Republicans are likely to take control in the state in the coming election, since much of the black Democratic bloc has moved away and Democratic terms in office are ending.

Bernard, B. P., Driscoll, R. J., Kitt, M., West, C. A., & Tak, S. W. (2006). Health Hazard Evaluation of Police Officers and Firefighters After Hurricane Katrina - New Orleans, Louisiana, October 17-28 and November 30-December 5, 2005. MMWR.Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 55(16), 456. This is a descriptive passage detailing the dangers to safety workers, including toxic mold and unstable structures.

Davis, M. (2006). Who is Killing New Orleans? The Nation, 282(14), 11. A left-slanted analysis of the race and class issues following Hurricane Katrina. Davis believes that the government conspired to keep African-Americans from finding safety during the hurricane, and that now much is being done to prevent the reestablishment of any black culture in the area. He sees a great deal of discrimination in all of the actions taken thus far by local, state, and national officials, and fears that racism will return with the force it possessed before Reformation and the civil rights movement.

Dreier, P. (2006). Katrina and Power in America. Urban Affairs Review, 41(4), 528. This disaster laid bare the social, racial and political workings of the nation, and any long-term success in recovery will come from community cooperation.

Elliott, J. R., & Pais, J. (2006). Race, Class, and Hurricane Katrina: Social Differences in Human Responses to Disaster. Social Science Research, 35(2), 295. This uses surveys of New Orleans to gauge the responses of people from differing socioeconomic backgrounds to the disaster.

Giroux, H. A. (2006). Reading Hurricane Katrina: Race, Class, and the Biopolitics of Disposability. College Literature, 33(3), 171. A deep and heated analysis of race and class throughout political history, tracing back to its roots.

Kusler, J. (1992). Wetlands Delineation: An Issue of Science or Politics? Environment, 34(2), 6. Calls for inclusion of more wetlands under government protection for the sake of protecting inland inhabitants.

Lavelle, K., & Feagin, J. (2006). Hurricane Katrina: The Race and Class Debate. Monthly Review, 58(3), 52. Images from the media have made the contrast among races and classes more visible, thus heating the already touchy topic even further.

Macionis, J. J., & Parrillo, V. N. (2006). Cities and Urban Life (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall. Explains the establishment of the urban society throughout history.

Mann, C. C. (2006). The Long, Strange Resurrection of New Orleans. Fortune, 154(4), 86. Tired of all the political red tape, the citizens of New Orleans banded together to bring back their city. It seems that more can get done without government interference. Bring New Orleans Back (BNOB) is a grassroots organization meant to rebuild the city as the citizens see fit.

Mitchell, G., & Werde, B. (2005). An Urban Music Industry Ponders a Rapper's Words. Billboard, 117(38), 5. Kanye West speaks out against George Bush’s treatment of the Katrina situation. Namely, on the Hurricane Katrina telethon, he says, “George W. Bush doesn’t care about black people.” The power of the media is once again emphasized.

Neglect in New Orleans. (2006). The Nation, 282(14), 3. Political corruption is getting in the way of the recovery process in New Orleans. The allocated funds coming from the government are nowhere near meeting the costs of reviving the New Orleans area. The help that is coming now is too little, too late.

Reaping the Whirlwind. (1993). Reason, 24(8), 26. Draws political comparisons between the reactions to Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina.

Reed, A.,Jr. (2005). Class-ifying the Hurricane. The Nation, 281(10), 6. Society has become based on favoritism, which detracts from recovery efforts.

Robinson, D., & Cruikshank, K. (2006). Hurricane Hazel: Disaster Relief, Politics, and Society in Canada, 1954-55. Journal of Canadian Studies, 40(1), 37. A case study on one hurricane should be able to help people with recovery from another.

Stokstad, E. (2005). Louisiana's Wetlands Struggle for Survival. Science, 310(5752), 1264. Considers how to save what little wetlands remain in Louisiana.

Voss, K. (2006). Hurricane Ergo Sum. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 87(6), 757. Hurricanes, or rather, weather, is what makes society function.

Wolffe, R., & Hosenball, M. (2006). Washington: The Next Storms; The Bush Crew Thought Katrina Had Died Down. Guess Again. Newsweek, 147(11), 28. A critique of the national government’s handling of the situation.

Woods, C. (2005). Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans?: Katrina, Trap Economics, and the Rebirth of the Blues. American Quarterly, 57(4), 1005. Mounting racial tensions contribute to the anger over the handling of Katrina.

Young, I. (2006). Katrina: Too Much Blame, Not Enough Responsibility. Dissent, 53(1), 41-46. Finger-pointing accomplishes nothing. Instances of blame are thoroughly examined.