Join the Work to Defend Katrina Survivors: International Tribunal August 29
Numerous organizations are organizing an International Tribunal on the government crimes committed against the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast before, during and after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Tribunal will be an opportunity for survivors to speak out about the crimes committed against them and for all participants to join in holding the government accountable.
Almost two years after the government-organized disaster following Katrina and Rita, tens of thousands of families are still displaced, public housing and schools have not been restored and health conditions remain dangerous. Homeowners have not been compensated and many are being blocked from rebuilding. In many ways, the failure of the U.S. state is most clearly visible in the government-organized Katrina disaster. This failure and the open refusal by government at all levels to address the continuing crimes and defend rights have confirmed for many the necessity for new arrangements of governance, arrangements that empower the people themselves. People want and need a government that represents them and provides for their rights, a government where they are the representatives and their demands are implemented.
The International Tribunal is one such mechanism being built to represent the drive of the people to decide their own affairs and affirm the rights of all. It is taking place from August 29-September 2 and organizers are asking all concerned to join in popularizing it, participate in gathering testimony from survivors, assisting displaced survivors to return to the New Orleans, and joining in the event. Buffalo Forum will be sending a delegation and encourages all concerned to join in these efforts. Contact Buffalo Forum at 716-602-8077, buffaloforum@usmlo.org. Below we reprint materials from the Tribunal organizers (see www.peoples hurricane.org for more information).
The Charges
Hurricane survivors have serious charges against the federal, state and local governments for violating their human rights. The charges can be divided into three categories: (1) Pre-Katrina/Rita, (2) Katrina/Rita storm, flood, occupation, and removal (evacuation) related abuses, and (3) post-Katrina/Rita.
The charges include:
• Crimes against humanity
• Ethnic cleansing and genocide
• Racial discrimination
• Denial of the rights of displaced persons and the right to return
The Goals
• Hold the U.S. government accountable for its crimes against humanity
• Demand financial restitution and justice for the Survivors of Katrina and Rita;
• Advance the Katrina-Rita reconstruction movement
• Build a global campaign against the U.S. government’s program of ethnic cleansing
• Demand that the U.S. government adhere to UN guidelines on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Why a Tribunal?
“They carried out a campaign of terror and genocide” - displaced survivor
The charges are clear against the United States government by the people of New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast region displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. On August 29 through September 2, 2005, the world witnessed the monumental failure of the U.S. government to protect and respect the lives of the working people, the majority of whom were African-American and poor. This failure is the direct result of race, class, and gender oppression inherent in the U.S. government throughout its 230-year history.
Since Katrina and Rita, the government has:
• Forcibly removed tens of thousands of New Orleans and Gulf Coast residents
• Disenfranchised tens of thousands of African-American voters
• Refused to adhere to its own policies and procedures pertaining to the security and well being of internally displaced persons (IDPs)
• Grossly mismanaged resources for the reconstruction of the region, including awarding no-bid contracts to big corporations connected to the Bush administration
• Eliminated environmental and worker protection laws
• Unjustifiably criminalized thousands of Survivors, particularly the displaced
• Set up a reconstruction process that excludes effective input, oversight, and control over the process by the majority African-American population
• Currently threatening to seize large portions of New Orleans owned and occupied by African Americans to ethnically cleanse the city to prevent the return of its historic majority.
Countless abuses were and still are being committed against African-American, working and middle class communities of the Gulf Coast by the U.S. government. The U.S. government must be held responsible for these crimes against humanity. This is why we are calling for an International Tribunal for justice and restitution.
Almost two years after the government-organized disaster following Katrina and Rita, tens of thousands of families are still displaced, public housing and schools have not been restored and health conditions remain dangerous. Homeowners have not been compensated and many are being blocked from rebuilding. In many ways, the failure of the U.S. state is most clearly visible in the government-organized Katrina disaster. This failure and the open refusal by government at all levels to address the continuing crimes and defend rights have confirmed for many the necessity for new arrangements of governance, arrangements that empower the people themselves. People want and need a government that represents them and provides for their rights, a government where they are the representatives and their demands are implemented.
The International Tribunal is one such mechanism being built to represent the drive of the people to decide their own affairs and affirm the rights of all. It is taking place from August 29-September 2 and organizers are asking all concerned to join in popularizing it, participate in gathering testimony from survivors, assisting displaced survivors to return to the New Orleans, and joining in the event. Buffalo Forum will be sending a delegation and encourages all concerned to join in these efforts. Contact Buffalo Forum at 716-602-8077, buffaloforum@usmlo.org. Below we reprint materials from the Tribunal organizers (see www.peoples hurricane.org for more information).
The Charges
Hurricane survivors have serious charges against the federal, state and local governments for violating their human rights. The charges can be divided into three categories: (1) Pre-Katrina/Rita, (2) Katrina/Rita storm, flood, occupation, and removal (evacuation) related abuses, and (3) post-Katrina/Rita.
The charges include:
• Crimes against humanity
• Ethnic cleansing and genocide
• Racial discrimination
• Denial of the rights of displaced persons and the right to return
The Goals
• Hold the U.S. government accountable for its crimes against humanity
• Demand financial restitution and justice for the Survivors of Katrina and Rita;
• Advance the Katrina-Rita reconstruction movement
• Build a global campaign against the U.S. government’s program of ethnic cleansing
• Demand that the U.S. government adhere to UN guidelines on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Why a Tribunal?
“They carried out a campaign of terror and genocide” - displaced survivor
The charges are clear against the United States government by the people of New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast region displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. On August 29 through September 2, 2005, the world witnessed the monumental failure of the U.S. government to protect and respect the lives of the working people, the majority of whom were African-American and poor. This failure is the direct result of race, class, and gender oppression inherent in the U.S. government throughout its 230-year history.
Since Katrina and Rita, the government has:
• Forcibly removed tens of thousands of New Orleans and Gulf Coast residents
• Disenfranchised tens of thousands of African-American voters
• Refused to adhere to its own policies and procedures pertaining to the security and well being of internally displaced persons (IDPs)
• Grossly mismanaged resources for the reconstruction of the region, including awarding no-bid contracts to big corporations connected to the Bush administration
• Eliminated environmental and worker protection laws
• Unjustifiably criminalized thousands of Survivors, particularly the displaced
• Set up a reconstruction process that excludes effective input, oversight, and control over the process by the majority African-American population
• Currently threatening to seize large portions of New Orleans owned and occupied by African Americans to ethnically cleanse the city to prevent the return of its historic majority.
Countless abuses were and still are being committed against African-American, working and middle class communities of the Gulf Coast by the U.S. government. The U.S. government must be held responsible for these crimes against humanity. This is why we are calling for an International Tribunal for justice and restitution.
