Staying

Yesterday our old dog was diagnosed
with a paw tumor, or maybe an infection,
maybe she will have to have surgery,
maybe not.

Last night, with a cone-headed Mary Elizabeth Peace
nearby, mournful in her plastic collar, pink
bandaged foot, sweet brown eyes -
I was again obsessed
with Lesepps Street, began searching
for word of Lee Grue and her family --
found pleas for information
about loved ones, pets, homes,
about Teal, Lee's youngest son,
who stayed behind.

I searched Bywater at Nola.com,
which took me to Craigslist New Orleans
and a phone number, eventually, for Lee,
and for another for a woman in Denver who is
the incredibly competent and organized
communication point for the
neighborhood.

When I talked to Lee, briefly, she said,
"He's probably staying there helping people."

In an hour, after as much time last night
on the internet, Lee had the first information
about Teal since before the storm.

And while cable news run loops of looters
stealing guns from department stores
and Homeland Security blames their incompetent
late start on two natural disasters, duh!
a hurricane and a flood, or blames the victims,
here's the story I just got -

Teal and some guys in Bywater stayed
behind. They have keys to everybody's houses
and have set up a barricaded, armed, compound to
protect the neighborhood. Yesterday Teal gave
his car to a group of people who finally were
ready to evacuate. They have food, water and
supplies, for now.

So I wonder, when the National Guard comes in
to Bywater to force an evacuation -
will they come with medals, accolades, an Ark?

©Susan Bright 9.04.05

*

Don't Shoot Them

This morning I got word from old friends in Bywater and the Quarter that many neighborhoods left behind small groups of residents to house sit and to take care of things. These people have keys to everybody's homes, etc. They are armed and have been protecting the old neighborhoods.

The National Guard, police and other Military people must immediately be ordered not to shoot these brave souls who have been almost the only order that existed in New Orleans for almost a week. Under the most dire circumstances, the "lost" infrastructure of New Orleans has been guarded by these people.

The media must stop repeating the administration's policy to blame the victims, and the military must be ordered not to shoot people as they walk out now, after keeping things together when no one else was doing it.

Housing

The U T School of Architecture and Theater Departments are "adopting" the Schools of Arch. and Fine Arts of Tulane Univ and Univ of New Orleans and that means that as they can get here, the faculty, staff, and students, and even some of their families are going to be needing homes for the rest of the semester.

If anyone has room in their home or a rental property that they can give up for the rest of the semester please contact Raquel Elizondo at rre@austin.utexas.edu .

And here is the site that Gary Chapman gary.chapman@mail.utexas.edu and others have put together.

Image courtesy of Sarah Tabbert*

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