Minster: Race factor inhibits effectiveness
Politicians should worry less about race, more about solutions
Monday, November 5th, 2007
Ever since Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans in 2005, the crisis has been inseparably tied to race. New Orleans is more than two-thirds black, while the nation as a whole is less than one-seventh black. The enormity of the event and the perceived failure of government response has led to criticism such as that by Kanye West, who famously declared on live television, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”
Expanding the question beyond personalities and racial groups, we can ask, “Do government officials care about New Orleans residents?” In the final analysis, elected leaders have been forced into policies which harm the people of New Orleans by the fear of appearing racially insensitive.
When a destroyed city is overwhelmingly white, there is little variation in the response. The Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls, N.Y., was evacuated and demolished for fear of toxic waste contamination which has not been conclusively proven. Instead of waiting for confirmation, the federal government spent nearly $400 million to “clean” a questionably contaminated site.
The mostly-Caucasian Times Beach, Mo., was evacuated, purchased and destroyed in a move than some health experts now question as unnecessary. After spending $37 million on a project now called a mistake by former officials, the site is now a state park commemorating Route 66.
A city in northern Pennsylvania called Centralia has been sitting atop an underground coal fire for more than 40 years. In the mid-1980s the predominantly white city was evacuated and property was purchased under imminent domain laws.
It seems safe to say that, if you are white and your city is threatened by contamination or destruction (or even threatened by threatening), you will be forced to move. New Orleans, however, has made a point of pride of demanding the federal government spend taxpayer money to allow the rebuilding of a waterfront town that is more than 50 percent below sea level.
If this seems like a recipe for disaster, it is. Two weeks ago New Orleans experienced heavy rainfall that led to flooding in many neighborhoods. But as long as water continues to roll downhill (which, as of press time this morning, was still the case), New Orleans will continue to flood.
How many times must New Orleans be flooded before it’s no longer rebuilt? Instead of rebuilding, the city must be replaced, either physically (having residents move to safer areas) or functionally (designing a city that can withstand the laws of nature).
But again, practicality has met its match in the form of racial consideration. While Love Canal, Times Beach and Centralia were all predominantly white areas, New Orleans (and especially the lowest region) has mostly black residents. This takes government policy from the realm of disaster response and makes it a de facto racial response. This is the apparent logic behind Kanye West’s criticism, and this is the reason that the unfortunate people of New Orleans are being allowed to set themselves up for further tragedy.
A color-blind response would be evacuation, like what happened in previous cases. But because policy cannot be divorced from race, the easiest way to avoid charges of racism is to promote “solutions” that disproportionately hurt a single minority group. In the old days that would be called “racism,” but these days that’s just called “compassion.”
Minster is a Lawrence senior in economics.
Discussion
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This is an article that needs to cleary state and back up its claims (if there are any).
"In the final analysis, elected leaders have been forced into policies which harm the people of New Orleans by the fear of appearing racially insensitive"
I looked for some mention of these policies but didn't find any mention of them. Are you claiming that New Orleans should be evacuated and not rebuilt? Is that your 'policy'?
Love Canal, Times Beach and Centralia really don't compare to the enormity of the New Orleans tragedy so using them as a comparison doesn't work. Most of these were also man-made catastrophes so there are issues of responsibility involved. Evacuating these places was a much smaller task than evacuating New Orleans.
But what is your point? You point out that most of the evacuated towns and developments were caucasian so are you claiming that New Orleans wasn't evacuated because they were black? If so, then wouldn't Kanye West's response be correct?
"This takes government policy from the realm of disaster response and makes it a de facto racial response."
No it doesn't. The victims of Katrina were not all Black. And even if they were, it is still a disaster response (a failed one at that) not a racial response. This is the same logic that treated shootings at predominatly Black schools in the '80s as a 'black problem' but when it happens at white schools it's 'America's problem'.
And how about mentioning another important factor beside race: poverty.
Times Beach, Love Canal and Centralia were all relatively tiny towns with little historical significance.
New Orleans is not only a huge town that has huge historical significance, but also is one of the most culturally important areas of the United States. To simply buy out and abandon the Crescent City would be tragedy.
I agree that some portions of New Orleans probably should be part of a buyout because they are far below sea level. But there are other parts of the city that are at and above sea level, including the French Quarter, Uptown and the Garden District.
But to simply abandon a wonderful city because it just happens to be in a costly location is stupid. Sometimes, there are things more important than money. New Orleans is one of them.
Come on Route66...you can't expect a senior in economics to make a cost/benefit analysis can you?
Brandon's point is that you can't do a cost/benefit analysis (which, btw, would likely prove his point that N.O. should be moved to higher ground) because the issue of race has coerced policy makers to make decisions that are not based on cost or in the best interest of the taxpayer.
fstbrkgp sed:
"the issue of race has coerced policy makers to make decisions that are not based on cost or in the best interest of the taxpayer. "
Please give one shred of evidence that race is playing a part in decisions by policy makers. How have they been 'coerced'? The Bush administration has disregarded rules that guarantee a certain percentage of Federal money in rebuilding should go to minority contractors. This seems to be just the opposite of what you say.
Please stop trying to play the "oppressed white-man"
Route66News: good points. I agree that New Orleans is a much larger issue than the small towns, and to some extent that might undermine my arguments. However, they were the only towns I knew of that had been removed because of the continual threat of harm, which New Orleans, I believe, faces.
Linguo: from Mayor Nagin's insistence that New Orleans would remain a "chocolate city" to Kanye's insistence that FEMA mismanagement was racially-motivated, race has ALWAYS been part of the Katrina response. Rules that lengthen the rebuilding process at the expense of the displaced minority residents cannot really be said to "benefit" minorities.
s77white: you are a troll whose comments carry no meaning other than "I don't like the writer." I'm sure that, if I knew who you were, I wouldn't like you, too, so why do you bother reading and commenting?
fstbrkgp: Yes, a cost-benefit analysis of rebuilding the lowest areas of New Orleans was immediately stymied by politicians who branded any attempt to do so as "racially insensitive." What appears to me to be more racially insensitive is not making the hard decisions if the decision-makers are predominantly one race and those impacted are predominantly another.
BM: "s77white: you are a troll whose comments carry no meaning other than "I don't like the writer." I'm sure that, if I knew who you were, I wouldn't like you, too, so why do you bother reading and commenting?"
I don't think its very nice of you to call me names Brandon...all I've ever asked from you is citations and facts (which seem to not matter to you). Are you trying to be the next Cal Thomas or are you really as dense as you seem?
CASE IN POINT: "Yes, a cost-benefit analysis of rebuilding the lowest areas of New Orleans was immediately stymied by politicians who branded any attempt to do so as "racially insensitive."
Where did you get this information from?
Sure, s77, I'll do your homework for you. Among other sites, this opinion from DeWayne Wickham in USA Today (4/24/2006) illustrates my point:
"Returning New Orleans to normalcy ought to mean not only rebuilding the levees to protect the city from a repeat of last year's flooding. It should also mean working mightily to get the blacks who fled to return. Returning New Orleans to normalcy means reconstituting its black majority....
"Returning New Orleans to its pre-Katrina racial demographics ought to be the goal of both Nagin and Landrieu because race should matter in rebuilding the city. Most of the city's displaced people are black — and as a result most of the rebuilding effort should be focused on bringing them home.
"Returning New Orleans to normalcy means making it 'a chocolate city' again."
It's not about rebuilding a city, or about finding appropriate (i.e.: above sea level) homes for displaced residents. It's about a racial balance that must match that found pre-Katrina. Nevermind that racial groups are comprised of individuals who make independent decisions. What is to be done if more New Orleans blacks decide to stay away than New Orleans whites? Should they be FORCED back? The issue has devolved to navel-gazing, and meanwhile the city floods again.
Gee...thanks for doing my "homework" for me (I didn't ask you to do that, I just asked for some documentation for your claims). It looks like I'm going to have to keep waiting. Do you get all of your information from the Opinion pages in the USA Today?
BM: "The issue has devolved to navel-gazing, and meanwhile the city floods again."
The levees are being rebuilt and people are starting to return to the devastated city...not exactly "navel gazing." You do a great job at being obtuse Brandon...keep up with your studies!!
s77, you haven't won an Internet argument until you compare the other guy's position to Nazi policy, so here goes: Nazis were concerned about rebuilding broken levees. I win!
But still no sources cited...at least you are consistent.
s77: I'm sorry you expect 1,000 words of content in 600 words of space. You should either adjust your expectations or get used to disappointment. You don't refute anything I say, you just argue that I haven't told you exactly where it's from. Then when I tell you where it's from, you have a problem with the source. Two weeks ago you referred to me as a bowel movement, but then act hurt when I called you out for being the troll that you are. Site conflicting sources or stop telling me I'm wrong.
BM: "I'm sorry you expect 1,000 words of content in 600 words of space."
All I've ever asked you for was citations for your claims. This is not an unreasonable request. Your constant attempts to obsfucate the issue have not gone unnoticed. I assume you are continuing to cloud the issue with rhetoric and name-calling because you have no data to back up your claims.
BM: "Two weeks ago you referred to me as a bowel movement..."
Nope, never said that. I don't believe I acted hurt at your juvenile name-calling either. All I've ever asked for is some sources for your claims. All that you have been able to come up with was some quotes you took out of context from an editorial about the N.O. Mayoral elections from a year ago. Does the Economic School or the Journalism School support these slap-dash attempts at political/socio-economic coverage?
BM: "...a cost-benefit analysis of rebuilding the lowest areas of New Orleans was immediately stymied by politicians who branded any attempt to do so as "racially insensitive."
I have never seen this claim made before. Do you have any sources for it? Or are you going to pull a random quote out of an EDITORIAL (!) again?
Never seeing a claim made before now counts as the claim is untrue? Ignorance is the new truth?
Compare these two statements. "BM (how apt)" and "Nope, never said that." Do you always lie, or only when no one knows who you are?
BM: "Never seeing a claim made before now counts as the claim is untrue?"
Um, not necessarily but in this case...maybe. So I take your response to mean you don't have any sources for your claim? I'm not just busting your balls here Brandon, I honestly want to know if what you type here is true. I've never seen this claim elsewhere and am interested in if it is a true or not.
BM: "Do you always lie, or only when no one knows who you are?"
How do you figure that I lied? Not that I'm offended by your petty name-calling, just asking for some proof.
QUESTION: Have I ever referred to you (as you claim) as a "bowel movement?"
ANSWER: Nope, never did. I did cite your initials though, didn't know that was a crime.
Cited my initials to what end? Of what are my initials apt? You're lying again right now.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/21/new.orleans/index.html
Is this an acceptable source for you? Included here are such things as: "All New Orleans residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina should be allowed to rebuild if they choose, and the city will not stand in the way of reconstruction in areas considered vulnerable to flooding in future storms, Mayor Ray Nagin announced Monday." "The mayor said he had rejected a controversial proposal for a moratorium on issuing building permits in flood-damaged neighborhoods that don't have a viable redevelopment plan, which triggered anger at recent public hearings." "The suggestion by the commission that some areas of the city might not be redeveloped triggered a political firestorm among displaced New Orleans residents." "But critics complained that limiting redevelopment would discourage the city's mostly black diaspora from coming home."
So areas which lack viable redevelopment plans can still get building permits because no one wants to limit the return of the city's mostly black diaspora. Which is what I said. Articles that say the same can also be found at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/weather/july-dec05/katrina/index.html
and http://www.nola.com/katrina/
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