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September 10th, 2005 ![[image]](http://mowser.com/img?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blackinformant.com%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2FSolenca%2Fimages%2Fuser.png)
DuaneI was not planning to add too much to the site today; however, after finding the article below I thought it would be necessary for me to post it ASAP.
New Orleans myths: The numbers tell a different story
Written by Richard Baehr
[excerpted]
The basic major media premise all week has been that the 20% who were left behind were all black, and poor and the rich got out of town. This is simply put, nonsense – and racist. New Orleans is a poor city (more than twice the national poverty rate). Most of those who got out of town were not rich, and were not driving SUVs, as Tim Russert sneered on the air Sunday (in a disgracefully-conducted interview with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff).
[BI: I agree. Russert was completely out of character and has lost a lot of creditbility as a balanced interviewer in my book]
A little elementary math will address this canard. According to the 2000 census, New Orleans’ population of 484,000 included approximately 136,000 whites, and 326,000 blacks. The white figure includes 7,000 Hispanics who classify themselves as white on the census forms. If 80% of New Orleans residents got out early – and this is the Mayor’s number – then only about 97,000 residents remained. Assume all of them were black, (which of course they were not). That would mean that 229,000 blacks got out early, and 136,000 whites along with them. In other words, the successful mass evacuation substantially benefited black residents of the city.
Please continue to read this article…
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This is all factual but what about the near 300,000 people who were evacuated to the Houston area. I think census can be under-represented(i.e. when was the last time you filled out a form). There were a disturbing number of late evacuees that you seem to have overlooked. Not all the people left at the first evacuation. I think the idea should switch to helping these folks deal with the reality here and get lives on track to be prepared for the next storm or invasion or whatever other disaster that exists. Because a lot of us live to be taken care of instead of living to be able to take care of ourselves. None are responsible for being poor but the accpetance of being poor and unprepared in a situation like or similar to this one is the real challenge we have to overcome because as I saw on many stations noone cares for us (even though the outpouring has begun) so we have to do what the BET Telethon says SAVE OUR SELVES or forever be dependent upon late responses in a country that only becomes concerned for its poor after tragedy srtrikes. And thats another thing these people were poor before Katrina and there was little or no help at all. Think about that. It took a great tragedy for us to actually start helping the poor(NOT SAYING THAT ALL WERE) this is a fact I find disturbing but the fact that people have begun to step forward shows that we can eliminate poverty if we all focused on what causes it.
but what about the near 300,000 people who were evacuated to the Houston area
This underscores the point made in this excerpt even more. (Brian, it appears that you had an “ultimate” point that you wanted to address, otherwise you would have noticed what the author is saying here–forgive me if I sound a bit snippy because that is not my intent)
The author is simply debunking the myth that it was majority all whites that fled NOLA in “SUVs” intentionally leaving poor blacks behind to drown (this assumption can be seen all over the blogsphere)—this has nothing to do with the amount of people that were left behind
None are responsible for being poor
Grossly untrue!
Its true that many people are born into poverty in this country, but it is just a true that many (not all) can and have made the choice to get out of poverty. I’ve been poor.
I saw on many stations noone cares for us (even though the outpouring has begun)
I don’t know why I’m asking this, but how do you define CARE in a situation like this?
I define care as stopping when a pregnant woman is stranded on I-10 not just driving away.