Floodlines Part VII: Destiny - The Struggle for New Orleans' Future

The Promise of a 'Chocolate New Orleans'

• 🗣️ In 2006, Mayor Ray Nagin promised a "chocolate New Orleans", vowing the city would remain majority African-American after Hurricane Katrina.
• 💔 This promise, made to scattered evacuees worried about powerful interests changing their city, ultimately proved to be one he would not keep.

Leanne Williams's Journey Home

• 🏫 Leanne Williams, an honor roll student, faced bullying and trouble in Texas after evacuating, leading to her sentencing to reform school.
• 🏡 Returning to New Orleans just before her 16th birthday, she found the city rebuilding, but her family's Lafitte public housing project was slated for demolition.
• 🎓 Despite aspirations for college, Leanne faced significant hurdles, including financial aid issues and a false accusation of theft that led to job loss and eviction, pushing her to a suicide attempt.

Demolition of Public Housing and Displacement

• 🏗️ In 2007, the city council voted unanimously to demolish four major public housing projects, displacing thousands of residents.
• ✊ Protesters clashed with police outside City Hall, but the decision moved forward, promising new mixed-income units but ultimately leading to increased rents and displacement.

Alice Craft Carney's Clinic and Roadblocks

• 🏥 Alice Craft Carney, a nurse for nearly 20 years, lost her job when Charity Hospital did not reopen after Katrina.
• 🙏 Guided by a spiritual calling, she opened a clinic in the Lower Ninth Ward to serve her community, facing code violations, funding issues, and slow insurance reimbursements.
• 💔 The clinic eventually closed, leaving Alice to reflect on the immense difficulty of rebuilding while facing systemic obstacles.

Systemic Disparities and Gentrification

• 📈 Black families faced greater difficulties securing rebuilding funds than white families, particularly in the Lower Ninth Ward, where land and homes were often not reclaimed.
• 🏘️ Many residents believe the levees were deliberately blown up to push black residents out and facilitate land transfer to others.
• 📉 The city experienced a significant transfer of land from African-American homeowners to others, accompanied by a demographic shift towards a whiter, poorer population.

The Changing Landscape of New Orleans

• 🏡 Leanne Williams now lives in the East of New Orleans, finding it difficult to recognize her old neighborhood on Dauphine Street due to gentrification and displacement.
• 🎶 The vibrant culture, music, and community she grew up with have diminished, leaving her feeling that the city has become like a museum.
• 💔 The story highlights the profound loss experienced by those who returned home only to find their communities irrevocably changed, with many feeling that home no longer wanted them.