So much has changed in the past year, it’s difficult to remember what life was like before Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans used to be a vibrant city with a culture unique from any other in the world. In the national conscience, it was known for its decadence and its reputation for laissez-faire politics. What a difference a year makes. We all remember where we were and what we were doing when things changed. Some of us were evacuated. Some of us were celebrating an unexpected vacation from school. None of us understood the gravity of the situation around us. Even while some of us were volunteering-or in our case working-it was impossible to fully grasp the event that was Hurricane Katrina. One year later, we still can’t. As we hope you can tell from reading today’s special edition, we’ve spent an extensive amount of time in the city that was once New Orleans. Sure, the location is still called New Orleans, but it’s not the place we all remember-and miss. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the lower Ninth Ward. Walking down the seemingly endless blocks of destruction, it’s hard to imagine this was once a well-populated and vibrant area. Frankly, it was hard for us to accept that there are places like this in America. It’s much more reminiscent of war-torn countries thousands of miles away. But for us this neighborhood has come to signify the overall situation in the year following Katrina. It’s a barren, neglected wasteland that few seem to care enough about to save. In this way, New Orleans has become the antithesis of its former self. Sure, you could do many of the same things as before. People are still partying in the French Quarter. Beignets are still served at Cafe du Monde. Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras are still major events. But it’s not the same, and it likely never will be. New Orleans has always been more than a tourist attraction; it was home to some of the most eclectic groups of people in the world. This hodgepodge of personalities made New Orleans what it was. This culture is found in jazz funerals and gumbo, Decadence and Essence Fest. Its true culture is not reliant upon the tourist attractions for which the city has become known. Its culture is found in tightly-knit neighborhoods and the camaraderie of Catholic high school classmates. New Orleans is not complete without areas like the Lower Nine, Lakeview, Mid City and New Orleans East. It is not the same without places like Holy Cross and Arch Bishop Hannan high schools. Yet no one outside the city seems to care. We’ve previously written in this space about a state legislature that was “worn out” on the Katrina issue. Much has also been said about U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, who seems to care more about salvaging his joke of a political career than the people he claims to represent. On the national level it has become apparent that the proverbial calvary is not coming from Washington. Not now and not ever. In some ways, we applaud people like New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin. He seems to genuinely care, and he isn’t afraid to speak his mind to local and national media. Nagin was recently criticized over comments he made regarding the clean-up effort in New York City following Sept. 11, 2001. The truth is the two events and cities are not comparable. The disaster in New York was exponentially smaller in scope. The response was immediate. The country was united and the government pledged unlimited resources. We’ve seen no such commitment following Katrina. This saddens us, as Americans and as Louisiana residents. We expect more from our government. We believe we deserve more from our government. Unfortunately we’ve become resigned to the fact that it’s not coming. We’ve been abandoned by our country and left to fend for ourselves, led by inept state and local politicians. So where do we go from here? We don’t know, because no one has presented a plan of action. What does New Orleans need? It needs everything. Most of all it needs guidance and leadership to lead the city out of this abyss. New Orleans needs more than any current politician has to offer. It needs a hero. It needs someone who can galvanize the public into solidarity and cut through the bureaucratic red tape inhibiting action. From talking to contractors, construction workers and residents in the impacted areas, we believe the desire is there to rebuild and make the city better than it previously was. Consolidating that desire into action simply hasn’t been a priority for those we’ve chosen to lead us. When we toured the Ninth Ward last week, the contractors told us they got permission to begin the clean-up effort just six weeks before. We believe this is completely unacceptable, and we believe this inaction has led many of those the city needs most-its native sons and daughters-to give up and rebuild their lives elsewhere. There are a few areas with signs of life. Houses are being gutted in Lakeview, New Orleans East and St. Bernard Parish. But for every house with a FEMA trailer in front of it, there are multiple homes that have been completely abandoned. So why should we, the LSU community, care about the fate of New Orleans? New Orleans was the cultural epicenter of the Gulf Coast, and its influence was far-reaching. Why, for instance, do you think this University’s school colors are Mardi Gras purple and gold? We pride ourselves on our food, our music and our innate ability to “let the good times roll.” None of these would be true without the cultural and historical significance of New Orleans. Before we embarked on this effort, we didn’t know what we were getting into. This was- and is- one of the biggest news stories in recent memory, and we felt obliged to cover it. We began this effort as individuals from many different areas both in and out of this state. Today, we present this newspaper to you as New Orleanians. While you are sitting in class browsing through these pages, know that we’ve never been more passionate about an issue and never been more proud to cover a story. Know that our hearts are heavy as we present to you today’s edition of The Daily Reveille. New Orleans icon and jazz legend Louis Armstrong once sang, “Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?” We do, Louis.
—–Send letters to the editor at [email protected]