New Orleans Has To Change To Grow

Edit- Added link to a counter-point---
(WARNING------This is not a short quick post)

Everyday, the city of New Orleans and its residents struggle to rebuild. Rebuild their city, their lives, and their homes, but lets be honest. New Orleans wasn't a shining beacon of prosperity and productivity even in pre-Katrina times. One of the poorest metropolitan areas, leading the nation in violent crimes (in 1994 there were 425 homicides. That rate of 86 homicides per 100,000 has yet to be matched by any other US city), trailing the nation in education. I love the city just as much as any body else, but the good ole' days weren't necessarily all that good. In a city with so much misfortune with everything from politicians on down to football teams (GEAUX SAINTS!), we have learned first hand how to be optimistic and turn obstacles into opportunity. But when it comes to one of the most heated topics in reconstruction New Orleans, public housing, it seems residents have lost some of this vision.

In order to understand the situation some background is needed. Since about 1940, various public housing "projects" have been all around the city. Low income families are able to live in these government assisted developments. Any one who knows much about urban planning know that placing high numbers of low income people in a concentrated area tends to equal bad things. Well these areas have become the slums and ghettos of the city. The many violent crimes that undoubtedly occur all around the metro area, are highly centralized around theses areas. The housing projects don't just harbor a significant portion of the city's crime, but they also showcase some of the worst living conditions in the city. Most of these complexes have had little or no modernization or refurbishing since their original construction. Doors and windows are cracked and broken, frames are plagued by termites, many conditions are just barely humane.

Now fast forward to 2004. After demolishing one of the aforementioned projects, the River Garden development opens in its place. The development itself is built with historic New Orleans style architecture and as opposed to cramming all the poor people together, is a mixed income area where many of the low-income families that lived in the projects on that site before, were able to get government assistance to live in the new area. Despite the projects positive intentions backed with data from city planning case studies, many residents protested the demolishing of the projects, claiming it was a way to "kick the poor residents out of New Orleans." (Keep in mind this is still in pre-Katrina times.) At this time, roughly 5,100 families live in public housing projects.

Needless to say, Katrina did a number on many homes, both new and old alike. When faced with the task of rebuilding public housing in New Orleans, the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) decided it would be best to demolish the 4 largest housing projects, that were all but emptied in the aftermath of Katrina, in favor of these new River Garden style developments. To put the situation nicely, plans haven't progressed so smoothly. The protesters have even gone so far as to file a lawsuit against HANO. Protesters, which included public housing residents, attorneys, college students said that HUD is tearing down 4,500 apartments at a time when New Orleans is failing to provide rentals for the working poor. As "Demolition Day" (Dec 15) draws near, the former residents and preservationists have increased their protesting efforts, fighting te plan every step of the way. On Dec 10, the protesters struck a blow to HANO. The six member Housing Conservation District Review Committee that had supported (with votes of 4 - 2) the demolition of two of the projects, split 3 - 3 on another development. As anti-demo supporters celebrated their victory, HANO released some specifics of its plan.

The cost of restoring these developments just to pre-Katrina conditions would cost the city and its residents $130 million. Modernizing the buildings and bringing them up to code would cost $745 million, while demolition and redevelopment would cost $597 million. Not only would the project save the city nearly $150 million, the project would result in 5,108 units, a 608 unit gain. More and better, all for less. Also currently 300 livable units sit empty (before Katrina it was almost 2,000) as an answer to the argument that low income families have no options as far as housing. Around that same time, a poster began to circle the city. The posters depict a flaming condominium and declare “For every public housing unit destroyed, a condo will be destroyed. If there will be no homes for us and relief from high rents, there will be no homes for the rich either.”It’s signed “Sincerely, the angry and the powerless.”

I think my heart shed a tear. This is not what my city...... our city needs right now.

Despite the horror that was (and still is in many parts of the city) Hurricane Katrina, we are being presented an opportunity not only restore the city, but to improve it. It was no secret that these areas were scars on the beautiful face of the Big Easy and symbols of urban decay. I can understand the plight of conservationist that argues none of New Orleans should end up ultimately lost to Katrina. I personally have gotten into painful arguments about whether or not the city should be saved and rebuilt at all, but everything wasn't golden and some things are not worth saving. Preserving some of our historic neighborhoods such as the Treme area, yes. But not the pitiful excuse for acceptable housing that was the New Orleans projects. I don't want to get into the sociology and psychology of slums and ghettos, but long story short, it equals bad. So let's stop fighting progress in the name of restoration. (I think its significant to note that had it not been for said protesters, the entire redevelopment project would have been completed by now, whereas now the project is set to be completed by 2010)

These times are hard for everyone that for some reason loves New Orleans despite her many flaws and imperfections. We leave good jobs and good schools all over the nation to come back to New Orleans for no other reason than, its home. No one was treated fairly by FEMA and alot of people , are still felling the long lasting effects of that. We have seen first hand the effects of waiting for someone else to fix our problems instead of fixing them ourselves. But one thing the storm did do is give everyone a chance to take a step back and reexamine the city and its problems. "Even our poorest citizens deserve better conditions than these. Lets do something about that." Yet the same citizens that would directly benefit from such upgrades are the main ones fighting it. Rent is high for everyone. Insurance is high for every one. Living in 2007 New Orleans takes alot of hard work and sweat from everybody involved. This seemingly small step has potential to greatly affect the future of the city. Less slums, more desirable image, more business in the area, better wages, better teachers and thusly better education for our children. I don't think River Garden is the start of a New Orleanian utopia, but it sure as hell beats the projects.

Read

Counter point

Don't Miss The Real Message

I had been kinda debating for a while as to how exactly to say this without sounding like a kangaroo jack, and initially just wrote it off. But the topic keeps jumping back in my brain.

Coming through life, we have all heard more than our fair share of motivational (or otherwise) phrases and sayings. Most have good intentions and good messages, but every know and again, I run across someone doing something quite foolish, and quoting a saying as their defense. For example, one thing we tell our ladies is that they only deserve the best . Now don't take this as me going against that notion, because I plan on telling my daughter the same thing. The difference is, as opposed to just giving her that, and letting her find meaning in it through the material based world we live in, I will teach her what it means to deserve and demand the best. I have seen people end up in situations they weren't happy with because they were trying too hard to stick to a saying or phrase, when in actuality, they were missing the entire purpose of the message by taking it out of context. Maybe I am just too much of a realist to cosign to blind followings of sayings, but I really see it as a problem that can and has affected some people negatively. Knowing how to extract the meaning and appropriately apply it is a skill that is often times overlooked. I dont want to be long winded so in closing, don't use these uplifting and powerful words to paint a masterpiece so grand, that you cant see whats really going on behind it.

Black History Month is Racist

In response to Adrianne Curry's boycott of BET and Black History Month:

Read

She makes a valid point, but unfortunately America is not yet at that stage in collective thinking. It is very difficult to truly teach and preach equality when we find so many different categories by which to segregate ourselves. I'm not gonna get into naming these things but people are historically elitist to a certain extent, but now we have gotten clever and masked these actions by making them formal rules or policies that apply to everyone in theory, but only a certain few in practice. I feel black history month is necessary and relevant in today's world because it "forces" at least some parts of the story that are often times left out, to be told. Hell, alot places only talk about MLK and Malcolm X or Langston Hughes anyway. I am all for exposing the country to more Native American or Jewish history, however ( I may have a slight bias here) considering the number of "blacks" in America, the blatant injustice that has extended well beyond slavery into 2007, and the numerous contributions made by that same group to America, it is nothing short of pathetic how little those people are recognized or celebrated. Black history month is a necessary evil if you will. It sucks that we have to explicitly set aside time in the year to ensure that the people that have been labeled as "Black" can have their story told, but I also know that somewhere, that story wouldn't be told in the absence of such an event. Eventually maybe people in general, not just Americans, will grow to be fully accepting of all people as people and honor their stories and achievements and compile them into the great human diaspora, but until that day comes, alot of people have to be force fed.

I Think I Think 2 Much: Relationships

I'm tired and its late. For those that have been on the receiving end of some of lunar rants, you should already know that the night brings out my analytical side. Well on this evening / morning I've turned my all seeing eye towards Chris Rock's latest film effort, I Think I Love My Wife. For those who haven't seen the movie, Rock stars as a middle-aged investment banker Richard Cooper, that is happily married to the mother of his two kids. Unfortunately he is (as only he can exclaim) "Bored out of his fucking mind!!" That is until Kerry Washington (from The Last King of Scotland and to the guys reading, she was in She Hate Me) shows up as super sexy ex-girlfriend, and predictable madness ensues.

Now while this movie isn't the pinnacle of greatness in movie making, storytelling, or anything at all for that matter., it does raise some interesting things about relationships in general. (Hell, Chris Rock is known for his blunt honesty.) The entire movie plays out with Rock basically deciding between his wife and his ex. A friend of mine is famous for his adage of ,"A man is only as faithful as his options. As long as you you remain his best choice, he isn't going anywhere."
Well long story short, Cooper is looking at his options. On one hand he has his wife. Great mother, independent woman, loving wife, but routine and in his eyes boring. On the other he has Nikki, Washington's character, who is young, fresh, wears sexy panties, and needs Cooper. Nikki is the brand new Porsche while his wife is a minivan. Nikki is everything he feels he is missing in his relationship.

So the Porsche is the better option right? Not necessarily. When you want to be flashy at the club, yes. You just want to look good, sure. Live fast, you only live once, and all that other stuff. But when you have weight you need to carry, you need a minivan. When there is baggage, when or when someone else is depending on you for a ride, you need a minivan. A Porsche is flashy, a minivan is functional. The minivan isn't gonna roll 24s, nor will King Kong reside in its cargo bay, but down the line its the best choice for you. (Of course this whole analogy is relative to what you need in your life, but your smart and get the idea, right?)

Everyone who has been in a relationship before knows there will be hard times. And any guy or girl for that matter would be lying if they said they never for one second entertained the idea of being either single or with someone else in their head when those tough times were their toughest. Relationship difficulties are a universal occurance and are probably one of the most relatable experiences. Everyone is differnet, yet they are all the same. Im not discouraging anyone from looking at their options. I just ask that when you are looking at your options, make sure the bling from the chromed out Porsche doesn't blind you, when you know damn well yo kids cant ride in that.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

Stop With the Stop Snitchin' Foolishness: Follow Up

Thankfully, I am not the only person with the sentiment that the Stop Snitching movement is crap. In a recent SOHH conducted survey, 86% of respondents said that unlike the Pink Panther himself, would in fact tell the police if the serial killer was in "4E". That to me is a positive sign that fellow hip-hop fans are also tired of violence and crime ruling our neighborhoods.

SOHH Survey

Stop With the Stop Snitchin' Foolishness

Anderson cooper did a story on the movement and how in urban area's police are having a hard time getting cooperation when tryin to solve crimes, but not just from witnesses (because poorer people or people living in less wealthy areas tend to not like police anyway.) Victims are also not cooperating and they think its partially because of the commercialization of stop snitchin. In the interview Camron says, and i quote "If the serial killer is next door, I'm not gonna go run and tell anybody. I'm gonna move, but i aint gonna be like the killer is in 4E." Also a dude got killed at the video shoot for busta's touch it video, and of the 20 or so people in the room when he got shot, including Busta himself, not one will coop with the police cause they don't wanna lose "street cred". Not to mention the tagline for Lil Kim's show on BET that chronicled her days before going to jail for purjury was, "She's going to jail with her mouth closed and her head held high." Then black people are quick to complain about why we cant come up and grow as a people. We blame the whiteman or the mexican, and look at what we do to each other. We complain about being forced to live in bad neighborhoods but when in reality, we creatin the bad neighborhoods by not snitchin. Whites snitch all the time, and look at their neighborhoods. We don't snitch, but we are scared to come home at night because we might get robbed. Not that their arent bad white neighborhoods or good black ones, but you get the point. We are too busy trying to be cool and have street cred and all this stuff, that we dont report crimes that happen on our block or in our homes. We spend so much time and energy trying to be hard that we just end up makin life hard for ourselves, our families, our kids, and everybody else in the process. And then we wonder why we are in the predicament we are now.

To clarify, I'm not saying to go be a taddle tale or whatever term you would like to use, but I am saying that we should stop complaining about problems that we perpetuate through our mindset. Just so that there is no confusion, I am not a snitch but if the serial killer lives in 4E and I know he/she lives in 4E, so do the cops. Not because I like seeing my brothers and sisters (of any race) behind bars, but because I'm tired of seeing those same brothers and sisters in body bags.

Read

I'm Growin Up

On April 18, 2007 I will turn 20 years old. Looking back through the years and recognizing how while I have lived a lot of life and learned a lot of things, its still only the beginning. I am definitely at a checkpoint in life where you up the difficulty. Switching from rookie to pro if you will.

For instance, previously you were "the kids". Now there is a generation below you. Before if one of your friends had a child, the response was, "Aww, poor ______." Now that response is shifting to, "Awwww, thats wonderful!" and soon enough it will be, "Well its about damn time!" Hell, when my parents were my age, they had less than five years until I was around and asking whats for dinner. I don't have the slightest clue what I would do with a child now or anytime in the foreseeable future. The closeness of all these things are really hitting me lately. In two years I need to be doing something I plan on doing for the rest of my working life, married two years after that, with a family in another three. Damn.

Think about this. Now your expected to give more Christmas gifts than you get, or at least as many, cause its not about you anymore, its about this new generation. This generation that doesn't know the original Power Rangers, or that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles real enemy is Shredder and would never work with the Foot (and why isn't April a TV reporter anymore? What is this businesswoman/South American ancient history buff/ninja crap?).

But its just a part of life that all of us go through. I enjoyed my childhood and my adolescence. Now its time to move on to adulthood. Bring it on, I'm ready.

Another sign that your old, not only do you kind of forget that your birthday is coming up, you have absolutely no clue what you want for it!