Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself

Gretna, Louisiana -
Demographics
Population - 17,423
Caucasian - 75.1%
African-American - 12.3%
Hispanic - 12.5%

New Orleans, Louisiana -
Demographics
Population - 484,674
Caucasian - 28.05%
African-American - 67.25%
Hispanic - 3.06%

Distance from the Ernst N Morial Convention Center, New Orleans to Gretna -
2500 feet (give or take a few).

Number of New Orleans storm survivors allowed into Gretna -
0

Directly across the banks of the Mississippi from the now infamous convention center in New Orleans lays the town of Gretna, Louisiana. After Katrina passed, Gretna officials organized a bus caravan to transport 6,000 New Orleans storm victims to another evacuation center, located 16 miles away, and far from Gretna. However, upon hearing word of a small fire and looting at the mall serving as the bus pickup point, Gretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson Jr. switched gears. Rifle bearing officers with police dogs were sent to guard the bridge between New Orleans and Gretna, effectively shutting off an escape route for the victims. No further New Orleans citizens would be allowed to cross.

"They had been told in New Orleans, they were looked in the face and told, "There's something over there for you,' " Lawson said. "Then they got mad at us when they got here and realized there wasn't. It was promised as a land of plenty, but it wasn't. We were in disarray."

Mayor Ray Nagin told reporters, "When we allowed people to cross the Crescent City Connection because people were dying in the convention center, that was a decision based upon people. Now, if they made a decision based upon assets, to protect assets over people, and to have attack dogs and armed people with machine guns, then they're going to have to live with that."

I cannot begin to represent the level of desperation experienced by those in the convention center. Children were separated from their parents, while others died amongst them. Reports of crime filled the cable news networks for days after the catastrophe. Much as would be expected in any major city in the United States, some citizens suffered from drug withdrawals. Unable to get their "fix" and without fear of the police, (what day did they arrive at the convention center, anyway?) this drug filled rage came out against other Katrina victims trapped in this ungodly situation, unable to leave the building.

The pictures we saw on television were primarily those of the elderly, children, the infirm, and the poor. They are the weakest members of our society, whom our government's sole responsibility is to help, not hinder. The government failed to help its people to protect the assets of a few. To think of these people being herded from one part of New Orleans to another, only to be stared down by dogs and police officers at the border to the next town flashes back to a much darker period in our nation's history.

If a crisis were ever to happen upon the people of Gretna, should their actions today dictate the help they receive tomorrow?

Do unto others...