To Be or Not to Be: The Horns of New Orleans' Dilemma

Mikaela says:
We've talked here on m-pyre about the importance of acting ethically in the rebuilding of New Orleans -- that to make ethical decisions we must be explicit and mindful of the issues about race and class that are inherent to rebuilding efforts.

Sunday's article in the New York Times raises incredible on-the-ground dilemmas facing decision-makers, including the mayor, the federal government, who will bankroll demolition and compensation costs, and bankers who will inevitably fund redevelopment efforts.

Even if these agencies do their best NOT to screw over residents of the 9th ward -- who are overwhelmingly black and poor -- the "right" decisions are not immediately apparent.

Some quotes that raise these essential questions:

A geography professor says: The flooded sections "should not be put back in the real estate market. I realize it will be an insult [to former residents], but it would be a far bigger insult to put them back in harm's way." The temptation will be to "open up spaces where there has been a lot of poverty," similar to the urban renewal projects of the 1960s. "Those were seen as a way of cleansing a problem. It didn't eliminate poverty; it just moved it.""

A resident says: "This is a natural disaster; it's nobody's fault. My daddy worked. He did not sit on his bottom. You're not giving us anything. What we rightfully deserve as citizens of this country is the same protection we give to other countries." She's suspicious that property owners such as her mother will be offered $5,000 for land that is resold for $500,000.

A historic preservationist says: "There is a built-in incentive to demolish. The first instinct after natural disasters is almost always to demolish buildings. It is almost always wrong."

The mayor says: "I am sensitive to the Ninth Ward and people talking about it like it's not people's homes. If we do have to do any mass demolition in the Lower Ninth Ward, I hope we figure out proper compensation" for property owners.

A 9th-Ward Neighborhood Association member says: "It's a scrappy place where people don't take a lot of guff, but a place where people really respect each other. It has heart and soul and beauty."

A community organizer says: "It would be negligent homicide to put people in the Lower Ninth. If you put people back in there, they're going to die."

On Rebuilding: So if the 9th Ward is not rebuilt and preserved as a cultural and historical heritage of its original residents, it must not be redeveloped at all. Not for a cultural museum. Not for a sports stadium. Not for an industrial park. Perhaps it could serve as wetlands restoration or a regional park. No one should make money off it if these residents are not allowed to stay.

On Compensation: And residents should be compensated for what their land would have been worth pre-Katrina at the very least. Even better, residents would receive compensation based on an average land price for the entire region, taking in richer neighborhoods whose higher ground saved them from a similar fate.

On Racist Loans: Some kind of federal legislation or oversight must be brought to bear on the loan process. It has been shown over and over that banks make racist and prejudiced decisions in handing out high interest loans to low-income and minority applicants. They must not be allowed to do that to an entire population affected by Katrina (or to anyone, ever, regardless of circumstance).

On Community Involvement: In general, rebuilding efforts throughout the city should be modeled on neighborhoods that worked well for residents who lived there. "Experts" in real estate development should not be allowed to decide what "good neighborhoods" are and what residents will like based on economic and developer models exported from other areas of the country with dissimilar cultures and histories.

No matter what happens, every effort should be made to establish a process for residents pushed out of their homes to help decide how and where to rebuild their communities.

It's the least we can do.