I've noticed that a coupla folks have mentioned that it would be good to see the progress, over time, if there has been any, in recovering from Katrina. Before-and-after kinda photos...then-and-now kinda photos.
Some of those photos are bound to be heart-breaking...there is so much that is undone, left spoiling in the elements, lives undone and not put right. Some of those photos are heart-breaking and uplifting at the same time...people struggling against all the odds that have been stacked intentionally against them.
If I can, I wanna find some of those photos. And forgive me, please forgive me...I wanna push any that I find right in the face of the assholes who let Katrina happen, those who keep Katrina raw for folks...in the face of Heckuvajob Georgie and the Heckuvajob Boys.
In particular, I wanted to start with Heckuvajob Georgie. I looked around the web for some of his photo-ops. And eventually, I found one photo-op in particular...in the Lower 9th Ward. The area that took the brunt of the failure of one of the levees.
On 9 March 2006, Heckuvajob Georgie paraded his heckuvalazy ass around the city, the 6-Month Follow-up Photo-op Time. During that series of photo-ops, he looked in on the Lower Nine...even went into some folks' houses. I dunno, maybe he was trespassing, maybe he was kinda a looter and all. No maybe about it in my mind, actually...
So...lookit that concern on his face, as he's comin' out the door after traipsing around in somebody's house. Just lookit...he's got that concern thing down...
Can't ya just picture the depth of that concern, as Heckuvajob Georgie surveys the pile of people's lives on the curb? Probably what little they had, ruined by flood waters that he couldn't be bothered to do anything about - either before the storm when there was the chance, or after the storm rolled in, vacation-time and all...there's some kinda compassion there, idn't there?
So much compassion, there, has Heckuvajob Georgie, that he picked through the pile a bit, found him a nice piece o' pipe. Whatcha gon' do with that nice piece o' pipe, Heckuvajob Georgie? You want me to tell ya what you can do with that nice piece o' pipe, Heckuvajob Georgie, huh?
Hey, you toady-kinda fellas, why don't you go 'round up some working-men so that Heckuvajob Georgie can shake their hands - good photo-ops that, shaking hands with the guys doing some kinda clean-up stuff and all. That Heckuvajob Georgie, he don't miss a trick, no he don't, he's always finding some working-guys to shake hands with, on the scene and all.
Now...I figured I could find these photo-ops houses, especially considering that I found one photo that had an address number in it. Wouldn't ya know...it turned out that the Way was working, 'cause I not only located a likely spot for the houses to be situated...as well as locating the likely spot, that set of street numbers just happened to be between a street named Caffin, and a street most appropriately named...Flood Street.
So, off I went. To photograph the almost-anniversary appearances of the Heckuvajob Georgie Goes To The 9th Ward Photo-Ops Houses. I was figuring that they'd be that much more decrepit, six months after Heckuvajob Georgie's visit of concern. Noting, of course, that his visit of concern came only about six months after the fact of ruination, and all.
And, so, there I went. And so, there they were, and so, there they are...Heckuvajob Georgie's photo-op houses. Easy enough to find, if you know where to look.
And guess what? The people who own those houses...well, it seems like they were not content to just let their houses rot, not content to let their houses go, not content to let the republicronies stifle their desire to make at least a bit o' progress to recover. Now, mind you, those houses aren't in livable shape, not by a long shot. There's no one back inside those houses, they are not yet homes as they once were. Still, those folks are making some little progress. Progress in spite of all the barriers that Heckuvajob Georgie and the Heckuvajob Boys are putting in front of them. I dunno the folks that own those houses, tho' I gotta say...they are doing it. They have made some progress. And I gotta say, they are making that little bit o' progress to the ultimate chagrin of Heckuvajob Georgie. Sure, Heckuvaturd Rove might wanna turn this to their heckuvadvantage with another photo-op. Still, it's those folks' homes...and slowly, surely, even if there's so much devastation around them, there are people in the Lower Nine who are NOT GIVING UP.
So, here's those same two photo-op houses, 18 August 2006, almost six months later. The interiors of both houses have been gutted to the studs and rafters - and they are swept clean and with no mold on the inside - I peeked. The exterior of the house on the right of the photo has been freshly painted, the trim is being sanded and finished. You can see that both have somehow miraculously been strung for electricity. The yard areas are swept more-or-less clean and tidy. The one on the left - that's a make-shift ramp, they're coming back to do more.
In spite of all odds against them, in spite of all of the neglect by the authorities...the owners have made slow progess. They are not giving up...
And 'cause this is the Way of the Way, I gotta show the bad news, too. The three houses across the street from the photo-op houses - they do not appear to have been touched at all, it looks like they have been completely abandoned. The houses are somewhat boarded-up, the weeds and shrubs are overgrown. Unfortunately, Heckuvajob Georgie seems to be winning over on that side of the street.
Now, if I can, if I can, I'm gonna try to find some more then-and-now that I can show folks. 'Cause damn, and I do mean damn...They are not giving up....
Some of NOLA is just as bad as the day the water went down...still...some folks, they are not giving up...