dive into mark

written by my father, John Pilgrim, on February 24, 2006.

K-Paul’s Kitchen (Paul Prudhomme’s restaurant) is better than ever. Same fantastic food and excellent service. But now, they invited a Cajun street band to come in a play a couple of times while we were there. Marched in, played in each room, played in the open kitchen, then back out to the street.

Ran into our first parade on the way to K-Paul’s. Caught a few throws (doubloons, beads) and looked properly decorated. Good spirit at the parade, but noticeably smaller crowds. Saw the tag end of the parade on the way back from dinner.

Caught two parades last night at Lee Circle, which is a perfect place for us — just about 6 blocks from home, so we can walk down and back as needed. Great spirit again, but crowd was about 10% of what it was in 2004 when we were last here. There were also a noticeable number of Latinos in the crowd — a sign of the New Orleans of the future?

There is a desperate need for people to work. Much of it involves the clean up and repair. Each morning, at various random places around the city, groups of men gather. Mostly Latino, looking for day work. Trucks cruise by and hire them. The old hiring hall moved outdoors to gas stations and parking lots.

Some workers have come to the city and are living here, pitching their tents in City Park. There are porta-potties there, but nothing else. The city has started charging them $300 per month to pitch their tent.

Went to the site of the breach of the 17th St canal. Standing there, imagining how quickly the area was flooded and how frightening it must have been to hear a “bang” and know that the breach occurred, then to have water pouring through at amazing power and speed, quickly flooding the area in minutes and actually moving houses off their foundation. Of course, I think virtually everyone was already evacuated. It’s a middle/upper middle-income area, so the residents would have the money and cars to be able to evacuate.

Went to the Mid-City area, too. Largely black, very poor, just as devastated. Red Cross truck came through while we were there, distributing water and lunch. Small numbers of people emerged from their battered homes, grateful I’m sure for the help.

Many signs of good things happening in the city. Many volunteer groups, coming from all over the country (even outside the country — a group from France coming this summer) to help. Organized by church groups or other non-profits. In addition to providing valuable energy, the volunteers bring hope to the locals and take back important messages to family and friends about the current situation. One word always comes from every volunteer’s mouth: unbelievable.

The city and the state have both come forth with outlines of plans. The details are different, of course, but they share a common thread. Both expressly raise the question of whether all areas can and should be rebuilt. And both propose some payments to homeowners to bring them closer to being made whole after insurance and FEMA payments. Both also make those payments a combination of grants and low interest loans, and both provide for larger payments for people who are going to rebuild in the city. I can quibble with the details. I’m just happy both proposals deal what I think are the real questions.

Lots of good humor on the parade floats. FEMA, Corps, and Brownie make for great fun. And the Coast Guard, National Guard, and police get much praise and thanks. I know many people question whether there should have been Mardi Gras this year “because of all that’s happened.” My take: there should be Mardi Gras this year, because of all that’s happened. Now, more than ever. Thank goodness others agree.

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