Elysian Fields

Went to gut a house in New Orleans today. Most of the house was stripped down to the studs, most of the ceilings were out, most of the particle board floors were out. Looked like it was well on it's way. I'll tell you this, the next time I build a house in the land of hurricanes, I'm not going to use that particle board flooring. I'm going to make it a house that is easy to take down. We still haven't finished the finishing work on it.

I estimate that this particular house has seen 180 person hours to punch out both ceilings, pull everything out-- washing machines, refridgerators-- get up that nasty floor and drop ceiling, cart out hundreds of square feet of fluffy insulation. Some houses aren't this labor intensive, some are. And I couldn't help thinking while I was there about how many houses like this there are.

Driving from the railroad tracks to Elysian Fields and back on to I-10, back to the Hands On base in Center City, we passed hundreds of houses. Some of those people have the money to gut them. Some have been sold to the folks advertising quick cash for houses. Some are, I guess, still waiting to be pushed into a hole and buried. Some are being done by volunteers. I feel like a little mouse with those soft little feet scraping away at a big cement wall. The houses blipped by like I was in a moody driving shot in a movie.

Comfortably Numb came on the radio and Chet turned it up. I thought right then that probably the people in our government have no intention of seeing this city put back. US Housing Secretary Alfonso Jackson offers that "only the best residents" should return and he's supposed to be an advocate for the low income housing program. Why haven't the enormous resources of this country managed to make a bigger dent in this disaster in half a year? Why do I feel like it's up to us? Something about today just made me shut myself in a bathroom stall for a short minute and cry, first day in New Orleans slump moment, but I'm back now and soon I'll be carrying on and having a good time with the fresh happy group of volunteers from Boston Cares (YAY FOR THEM) and I'll think encouraging thoughts because New Orleans needs all of us, all the help she can get. Otherwise her people can turn to the "Big Money Blessing" on WILD 13-something AM where they're wild for Jesus (we could only pick up AM stations today at the job site). If she prays hard enough maybe she'll win ten grand on the radio.

I'm looking forward to the weekend. I'll get out of the ghost-neighborhoods and see the live part of New Orleans for Jazz Fest, really really lively.