New Orleans May Never be the Same

I did not write this piece, but it expresses so well what I have been trying to come to grips with regarding the city of New Orleans.   My biggest complaint about the city is summarized in the first paragraph.  I grew so tired of its diehard defenders talking about its 'unique culture' that no outsider could understand.  My reply was always, a city can have a 'unique culture' and still be progressive and proactive, something N.O. was not.  In fact, it had become a ward of the federal government. Unless it received federal funds no major infrastructure or other large resident-oriented projects took place.  It couldn't even fund a police force without the assistance of federal monies.  And once these federally funded projects were completed, there were no local funds to maintain the changes so they again fell into disarray.  This cycle continues over and over.  It was becoming  more and more obvious that these federal funds would start to dry up and the city needed to adapt to these changes.  However, because of its residents' complacency regarding implementation of long range planning and their desire to maintain their 'unique culture', the status quo, a different type of external force for change has begun and should be a cause of great concern among the 'diehards.' 

Below appears an excellent assessment of the problem New Orleans now faces:

Before Katrina, I dreamed of a day when our precious city would be discovered by the best and brightest, who could come and save us from years of complacency to our political corruption, institutional racism, Third World economy and decaying infrastructure.

But even as the elite and educated newcomers flock to our great city, the recent migration has not caused the catalytic change I hoped for. The NOPD is a shrinking mess, while babies are being killed at an alarming new rate. Streets are crumbling faster than we can fix them with our soon-to-be dried up federal money. And the gap between rich and poor widens as the homeless beg for money at nearly every major intersection.

During the past two years, however, these harsh realities have not deterred the rich and famous from making New Orleans their new playground. City leaders are gushing over the new demographic and planning new ways to keep them here while attracting more.
Meanwhile, I see working-class jobs being replaced by recently settled college graduates, homes being bought up by out-of-towners who are out-bidding locals with outrageous amounts of cash, developers scooping up hot properties and demanding zoning changes to build out-of-scale and out-of-character businesses. And our public schools and hospitals are being privatized right under our noses.

Our leaders say we need all this to save our economy and our city. While some natives are being dazzled by the “shiny new trinkets and glass beads,” if we are not cautious, we could be robbed of our “gold.” I welcome all newcomers as a healthy addition to our city, but decry them as replacements for those of us here before the big K. As we wake up in the “boutique city”forecast right after Katrina, perhaps we should beware of all that glitters.

This unprecedented growth may seem like a utopia to some, but for many native New Orleanians, living in the new New Orleans has already become unattainable.

Cheryl Gerber
photographer
New Orleans