Wednesday, Nov 14 --- Day 12

New Orleans, here we come! The caravan left Houston early this morning to get a head start on our drive to New Orleans. As the I-10 continues East the landscape becomes progressively greener and the atmosphere more humid. Long stretches of the freeway are built on stilts above miles and miles of swampland. The last stretch into the city crosses a portion of the Southwest corner of Lake Pontchartrain, with the downtown visible far in the distance. This approach makes for a gorgeous view.
Crossing the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge

Raised freeways cross miles of swampland

An oil refinery in the distance... a common sight on the gulf coast
Vestiges of Katrina were visible as we passed a crumpled blue house washed up against the shore of the lake. More on this later

We arrived at Loyola University early in the afternoon. What a school! We are guests in one of the campus dormitories and it has been nice to meet local students. After a late lunch, Carlos spoke to an advanced Spanish history class about the his torture experiences in El Salvador and the role of the SOA in US foreign policy.

Martyrs Week at Loyola U


Later in the afternoon we visited with a local representative of the nonprofit Interfaith Worker Justice. We learned much about working conditions for minorities, local economic policy, and the extensive reconstruction corruption in New Orleans post Hurricane Katrina. Please visit this page on the IWJ website to learn more:

http://iwj.org/actnow/gccre.html

Tomorrow we have several speaking engagements and will take part in a vigil for the Jesuit Martyrs and a sendoff event for the 30 Loyola students travelling to protest at Ft Benning this weekend. We also hope to squeeze in a tour of the city, so be sure to check back for pictures.

Before I go, I've got to mention one thing: This is my first trip to New Orleans, and ever since Katrina I have felt a need to see with my own eyes the damage done not only by the storm itself, but by the ensuing corruption, scandal, and outright injustices committed by those in power who have "guided" reconstruction of the city. Tonight we swallowed hard as we passed through a decadent middle class neighborhood in mid-town on our way to the IWJ. Within two blocks, we counted no less than five homes - their first floors gutted - with huge piles of debris awaiting removal in the front yard. At least two homes had trailers parked in the driveway, presumably for residence during renovation. This is over TWO years after the storm... and in a nice neighborhood. I fear we've only seen the beginning, however, and there shall be much more to report after tomorrow.

Be well!