Trail of Tears - Part Deux?

The catastrophe in New Orleans was so riveting that my brain nearly shut down. Eventually, however, I had to contemplate the future - not from the government or regional level, but from the individual's perspective:

• Where will residents go?
  
• Can they go home?
  
• If so, when?
  
• Will their home be habitable?
  
• Can it be repaired?
  
• If not, who will pay to demolish and remove it?
  
• Once it is gone, can they rebuild?
  
• Will they owe property or other taxes in the meantime?
  
• Can they retain title to the land till they rebuild
  
• The SCOTUS sanctioned eminent domain. Will they be victims? Louisiana has legislation pending. Will it be passed?
  
• Will essential public records be saved?
  
• etc ... etc ...

They're tough questions, but it gets worse. Consider that individuals and families may be scattered across 20 states or more. More on the flip.

Evacuees will face nearly insurmountable challenges to protect their interests:

• How can they assess damage from a distance? - from Ohio? from Texas? from North Carolina?
  
• Can they recover/replace/provide their personal documents?
  
• Can they find/afford a lawyer?
  
• etc ... etc ...

Anyone with a brain knows that the development sharks and barracudas (aka rich wingnut carpetbaggers) will be circling:

• 'here's $15K cash for your land - you really need the cash, right?'
  
• 'sorry, you missed a tax payment - you forfeit'
  
• 'you missed a building progress payment - sorry, you forfeit'
  
• 'the building code is tougher now - it costs $125/sq. ft. to build - can't afford that?, sorry - but i'll be happy to buy your land for $7500 cash'
  
• etc ... etc ...

Next thing you know, New Orleans will look like a Vegas parody of the amazing 'gumbo' that America has enjoyed for two centuries.

These are salt-of-the-earth people. Check out the marvelous neighborhood descriptions at this site. 10% of New Orleans Parish over 25 are veterans. Can they individually face down these snakes? I doubt it. They'll need help.

If the progressive community wants to do something important (I'm sorry, but casual 'fucks', a free bed for a week and general fulminations won't cut it), it will mobilize to help these folks preserve their rights:

• Find the evacuees (not refugees!) in your community and offer help.
  
• See if one of these lawyers will help. If not, find some others who will.
  
• Form a network of volunteers to help evacuees reconstruct their paper trail and assert their rights
  
• Use the Internet - IM to willing lawyers, IM volunteers on the ground, download municipal forms and help evacuees fill them out ... etc.
  
• Publicize the inevitable travesty. If evacuees are going to be raped, at least record and document the crime.

If the Democratic party wants to be relevant, it will lead the fight. It will give authenticity and credibility to the helpers. It will be competent, confident, ruthless and relentless. It will publicize the fight. 'If it can happen to these people, it can happen to anyone - in Miami,
Tampa, Jacksonville, Galveston, Houston, LA, SF, San Diego, ...' (ads and editorials in Spanish?)

Let me finish by stating that I am categorically NOT accusing the wingnuts of orchestrating this situation. The sad fact is that they won't have to lift a finger. It is the fundamental entropy of a calamity like this. Ethnic cleansing will occur naturally and all they have to do is lurk and scavenge the benefits.

It will take a herculean effort to prevent them from succeeding.