Black and white issue?

Some black leaders say federal officials responded slowly to Hurricane Katrina because many victims are African-Americans

BY DEBORAH BARFIELD BERRY AND J. JIONI PALMER | WASHINGTON BUREAU

September 3, 2005

WASHINGTON - A growing chorus of black lawmakers, civil rights leaders and academics questioned Friday whether race played a role in the government's slow response to the crisis in the gulf region.

"Many of these Americans who now are struggling to survive are Americans of color," said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. "We cannot allow it to be said by history that the difference between those who lived and those who died in the great storm and flood of 2005 was nothing more than poverty, age or skin color."

While the government has stepped up relief efforts in recent days, "it's simply not fast enough," Cummings said in an emotional news conference.

Homeland Security officials dispute charges that race or class played a role in their response, arguing that the public would be proud of their efforts, including evacuating 22,000 residents as of late Friday and sending in more National Guardsmen.

"I completely disagree with the notion that race is a factor or that their socioeconomic status is at all a factor ... This is a catastrophe," said Russ Knocke, a spokesman for Homeland Security. "We're here to save. We're here to help ... And we're going to be there to help recover."

Black lawmakers, angry and frustrated, complained that the administration has fallen short. "I'm ashamed of America. I'm ashamed of our government," said Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.).

Ron Walters, a political scientist at the University of Maryland, said there is little doubt that race and class are factors. He pointed to the response to recent hurricanes in Florida "where the population was predominantly white, where FEMA got cracking in a hurry."

"Somebody has to fill in the blanks as to why the response was different," Walters said. "We have a traditional response - that a black life is not as valued as a white life."

It's not surprising that people question whether race and class have slowed the government's response because of the "very troubling history of racism in this country," said Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP's Washington bureau.

Shelton said the NAACP has gotten calls from officials in stricken black communities outside of New Orleans complaining they haven't heard from federal officials. He also cited reports of boats filled with whites being evacuated while blacks were left behind.

Many African-Americans already tend to distrust government officials so the seemingly slow response does little to shake that perception, said David Bositis, a fellow at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Bositis said that skepticism and the government's inability to improve relations could prove detrimental in crises.

"We don't expect them to do right by us, so we have to shame these people into doing what's right," said Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.).

Further heightening the debate were comments by Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), likening the violence in New Orleans to Mogadishu, a city in East Africa. Gary Flowers of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition denounced King's comments. "It is un-American to blame the victim. It was the citizens who were abandoned by the United States government," he said.

Black leaders complained that federal officials knew the hurricane was coming and that New Orleans, which is predominately black, was vulnerable to flooding. Still, they didn't do enough to prepare and haven't done enough to help survivors.

Calls for evacuating mean little to many who don't have a car or the means to get out of the city, let alone pay for shelter elsewhere, they said. More than one-third in the city live in poverty. They said many residents went to the Superdome as instructed but are still suffering.

Pedro Noguera, an urban sociologist at New York University, said the calamity in New Orleans is especially felt by those at the lowest rung of the economic ladder. "New Orleans is one of the poorest cities in the country. Large numbers of people have been living on the margins for a long time," he said.

Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, said he and others are pushing federal officials to consider using military bases to house victims. "I don't think this response can just be handled by FEMA and local units of government," he said.

Beyond the government, black lawmakers and groups are calling for private industry and citizens to help. "Where are the hotels of America? Where is the Hyatt?" said Jackson. "Where are the airlines we bailed out after 9/11?"