EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATION Money for Hurricane Victims

EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATION Money for Hurricane Victims – Not for War

Where: Times Square (43rd and Broadway)
When: Friday, September 02, 2005, 5:30 pm
What: Protest to demand immediate relief for hurricane victims

As we watch babies die and people starve on TV, what is President Bush's response to this heart-wrenching crisis?

He grinned and said that the government would "do its part."

The U.S. Federal Government, more than any government in the world, has access to unlimited resources as well as state-of-the-art air, water and ground technology to aid in the rescue and relief operations. The criminal negligence displayed by all levels of government preceding and during this crisis sends a clear message that, to those in power, the lives of poor people, especially poor Black people, are of absolutely no concern.

Louisiana Governor's Kathleen Blanco warned that troops had orders to shoot to kill. She said "These troops are fresh back from Iraq, well trained, experienced, battle tested and under my orders to restore order in the streets." She went on to say, "They have M-16s and they are locked and loaded ...These troops know how to shoot and kill and they are more than willing to do so if necessary and I expect they will."

Join us today at 5:00 pm at Times Square to demand IMMEDIATE relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. At the protest, activists will announce plans for a Nationwide Day of Solidarity with the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The protest today is just the beginning of a movement to fight for relief and justice for the victims of the hurricane.

For five years the exact crisis resulting from the hurricane has been predicted in numerous reports and news articles. As even the mainstream media reports, the worst "looting" was carried out by the Bush Administration -- when it took the money that was supposed to repair levees in New Orleans and used it for the war in Iraq.

The suffering caused by this criminal neglect is felt by all who live in the Delta region. And those who have suffered the most are people of color. Seventy percent of New Orleans' residents are Black, as are a major part of the population of the surrounding area affected by the hurricane.

Because of the race of most of the victims, the government has so far chosen to focus on criminalizing people in the street who are taking what they need to survive instead of the desperation of the thousands of people who are literally starving for water, food and medical attention.

In the aftermath of this disaster, where there should have been a massive rescue and assistance effort mounted to save people endangered by the flood, and feed, house, and provide medical care under human conditions to victims, the government instead has stood by and allowed people to die and suffer needlessly. This injustice must end, but it only will if we stand up and demand it.

On Friday, September 02, at 5:30 pm, labor activists, community organizers, and antiwar activists will rally in Times Square to protest what they say is “criminal negligence on the part of the Bush Administration in preparing for and responding to the humanitarian crisis caused by Hurricane Katrina.”

Larry Holmes, of the Troops Out Now Coalition, said, “Now more than at any other time, the people of this country are watching the tragedy unfolding in the south, and wondering about the close to 300 billion dollars that Bush has wasted on the war in Iraq, and they are saying, ‘No More! – This has to stop now!’ The war and occupation of Iraq must be ended immediately, all of the troops must be withdrawn, and all of the technology, money needed to stop the dying and suffering must be sent to the hurricane victims immediately.”

Holmes noted that, “With every hour that passes, we see and hear new stories of the horror and devastation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. What makes these images more shocking is the realization that much of the death and destruction could have been prevented. Almost all of the death and destruction arising from the hurricane is the direct result of criminal neglect by the Bush Administration. This crisis was predicted in numerous reports and news articles and little, if anything, was done.”

“Now as we watch the people of the region dying from starvation and dehydration, it becomes clear that they have been abandoned by the Federal Government,” Holmes continued. “People are dying in the streets because they haven’t had any food, water, or medication in 4 or 5 days, and the President’s only response has been to issue a “zero tolerance” policy directed at the people who are trying to find ways to stay alive.”

“We cannot discuss the effects of this catastrophe without noting that those who have suffered most are people of color. Seventy percent of New Orleans’ residents are Black, as are a major part of the population of the surrounding area affected by the hurricane. The fact that absolutely no preparations were made for their evacuation, that no thought was given to meeting their basic emergency needs in the wake of the storm, and that even now they have been abandoned and ignored by the government, lays bare the racism at the core of U.S. society and at the heart of the policies of George W. Bush.”

Organizers say that today’s rally will launch a national campaign for emergency action. Help plan national actions to demand money for hurricane relief, not for war.