VN NOLA [katrina related]
grandpa_shig
5,799 Posts
dudes. its not often that i read. but here's an article about a small vietnamese community in new orleans and how theyve managed to rebuild despite receiving the same amount of aid as the rest of NO.A Community Wastes No Time Starting OverA predominantly Vietnamese American neighborhood has become a model of recovery due to its residents' initiative.By Ann M. Simmons, Times Staff WriterMay 15, 2006 NEW ORLEANS ??? Twenty days after Hurricane Katrina struck, Ken Pham started gutting, tiling and repairing the roof of his flood-damaged home in New Orleans East.With his family safely ensconced in an apartment in Baton Rouge, Pham slept in his sodden house on a leather sofa he salvaged from the street. Working most days and into the night ??? with help from friends ??? Pham has almost managed to restore the 1,800-square-foot, four-bedroom home where he has lived for 22 years. When his insurance money ran out, he used his savings. His determination to rebuild is simple."I'm no longer in Vietnam. This is my home now," Pham said as he stood on the small porch and gestured inside.When pressed on why he came back, the longtime shrimper began to cry. "There is a very close relationship in this community," he said. "That's why I returned."Pham's passion is shared by most who live in this predominantly Vietnamese American enclave, where rows of new roofs are interspersed with blue tarps, and neatly manicured lawns with primped flowerbeds contrast with piles of trash and storm debris that litter the public median strips.In the post-Katrina world of uncertainty and inconsistent city services and utilities, Vietnamese Americans here have become models of self-help and recovery. About 1,500 of the neighborhood's 2,500 members of Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church have permanently returned, according to Father Vien Nguyen, pastor of the church, which is the community's anchor.Nguyen estimates that 4,000 Vietnamese live within a one-mile radius of the church, and the majority of their homes have been gutted. Of the estimated 50 Vietnamese-owned businesses in the area, 45 are up and running, the pastor added. The steady rate of return has compelled Nguyen to add a third church service on Sundays. About 8,000 to 10,000 Vietnamese lived in New Orleans East before Katrina, Nguyen said, with 20,000 to 25,000 in the greater New Orleans area. That is a fraction of the more than a quarter-million Vietnamese who live in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties.Nguyen said that the community's relative success at rebuilding had been due to a combination of factors. This section of the city got 4 feet or less of flooding, compared with the 8 feet or more that swallowed other areas. Nguyen's church helped returnees find temporary shelter and provisions while they repaired their homes.And the community shares a history of starting over. Many residents here have roots in three villages in northern Vietnam, Nguyen said. Their relatives migrated south as a group in the early 1950s, and after the communists took over in the south in 1975, fled to America. Thousands were resettled in New Orleans East with the help of the Catholic Church and due to the availability of low-income housing here. The Vietnamese themselves often refer to the neighborhood as Versailles, after an apartment complex many of the original refugees moved into, but the area is sometimes identified as Village de l'Est, the name of a housing subdivision in the neighborhood. Pooling resources has always enabled the Vietnamese to provide financial assistance to one another; such sharing became crucial after Katrina."We work together as a community, so when we come back and there are others who need help, we are willing to help," said Nguyen, adding that there was never a doubt that the people of the neighborhood would return. "The question was only, when?"Nguyen said Vietnamese men are typically competent handymen, and there are skilled laborers among them. Many have been able to gut their own homes, repair their own roofs and do electrical wiring.Other community members who own small businesses such as restaurants and grocery stores have ensured that consumer goods and services are available as people return and rebuild.Other storm-damaged communities have the determination to return and rebuild, leaders from other neighborhoods said. How successful they are has to do with the amount of flooding suffered in a particular area, the number of displaced residents, and the availability of basic services and utilities. In large parts of the city's Lower 9th Ward, for example, electrical power has not been restored. Residents have been advised against even bathing in the water in some neighborhoods. On a recent tour of New Orleans East, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) commended the Vietnamese community's progress in rebuilding as "exemplary," but said it was "unconscionable" that residents and business owners had to tackle so much themselves, without adequate government assistance. Kerry said that some of the Vietnamese business owners he spoke to told him their personal funds were running out. "They still need additional assistance," the senator said in an interview.Phuong Thi Nguyen, 77, returned four months ago after her son finished gutting, painting and tiling the four-bedroom house where she has lived since 1984. The family didn't need a trailer. They lived in their makeshift kitchen until the pounding of hammers and buzz of chain saws fell silent. As she stood in a backyard flush with watercress and mustard greens, she spoke of the joy of being home from her temporary refuge in Austin, Texas. ADVERTISEMENT "In the place where I was, there wasn't any Vietnamese family. I couldn't go anywhere. I felt imprisoned," said Phuong Thi Nguyen as she clutched a traditional cone-shaped non la hat. "Now I can attend church at my leisure."Two nearby commercial strips boast the resurgence of beauty salons, grocery stores, video rental shops, and at least one pharmacy that belongs to Kinh Van Nguyen.He estimated that when he reopened his store on Dec. 5, he was the only pharmacist within a 30-mile radius. His business suffered little water damage, but looters stole about $75,000 worth of goods, and the lack of air-conditioning when the power went out destroyed much of his stock.Thieves also ravaged his mother-in-law's convenience store next door. So Nguyen knocked down the wall between the two establishments, turning the businesses into a joint venture selling pharmaceuticals along with rubber sandals, hats, blankets, kitchen supplies and fashion jewelry."I guess the Vietnamese community ??? we don't wait for things to happen. We make them happen," said Nguyen, 40.But the situation is still far from perfect. Community leaders feel their efforts to bring people home are being stymied by the city's recent decision to place a landfill for Katrina debris about a mile from the subdivision of Village de l'Est.Residents fear that the dump will pollute the air and contaminate waterways, alongside which they have planted vegetable gardens. While acknowledging the concern, Rodney B. Mallett, a spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, said, "The chances of health hazards are very, very slim." Last month, a U.S. District Court judge rejected a motion for the landfill to be closed. But on Tuesday, the Louisiana Senate's Environmental Quality Committee approved a bill that would require the state to determine whether the material could be placed at existing city dumps.Wednesday, Mayor C. Ray Nagin announced the suspension of all dumping in the landfill for 72 hours, after a meeting with community members. "During this suspension time a team of joint exper
ts will test the debris materials to make sure that it is not toxic," Nagin said. "If reports show that this material is toxic, we will shut it down." [/b]anyways, just thought it raises some interesting questions re: immigration. here's an insular immigrant population that has contributed to the rebirth of NO despite minimal government aide. in fact, i think its safe to say that this population has outperformed more "established" citizens in the same predicament and income bracket. thoughts? or is this like totally "last year" like trucker hats?
ts will test the debris materials to make sure that it is not toxic," Nagin said. "If reports show that this material is toxic, we will shut it down." [/b]anyways, just thought it raises some interesting questions re: immigration. here's an insular immigrant population that has contributed to the rebirth of NO despite minimal government aide. in fact, i think its safe to say that this population has outperformed more "established" citizens in the same predicament and income bracket. thoughts? or is this like totally "last year" like trucker hats?
Comments
Actually something I should also add is the consideration that Vietnamese folks aren't necessarily the targets of institutional racism in New Orleans as are blacks...so any comparisons between the 2 groups should be weighed accordingly. In other words, New Orleans East and the Lower 9th Ward are completely different playing fields.
Also, it's been overemphasized that NOLA blacks were as a whole dependent on the city/state/feds for their income/housing/etc. Sure, plenty were/are...but there are also plenty of blacks who were self-sufficient before Katrina who now find themselves facing inpenatrable roadblocks to rebuilding that range from entire neighborhoods being condemned to utilities not being turned back on in certain areas to building codes not being re-established in certain areas and so on.
Point being, if you want to celebrate Vietnamese rebuilding in NOLA, you'd be best to let it stand on its own two, rather than try to play it off against what blacks have supposedly had to deal with as far as the government specifically targeting them for mass removal from the city.
im talking about "people" that have lived here for more than a generation or two and feeling a sense of entitlement to government aide. for the most part, new immigrants do not seek handouts most probably out of fear. and by new immigrants im talking about latinos, asians, whatever. which is why most social services have "outreach" programs because a lot of target populations just arent accessing the services. you want to make this a black thing than go ahead. im talking about the perception of immigrants as somehow taking away services from "real americans".
But playing along...The electricity that is running in those Vietnamese-run stores in New Orleans East...is that a hand-out? Because that's a service that is being denied in other neighborhoods.
Point being, who's to say that the Lower 9th Ward wouldn't be showing positive signs of rebuilding by now if only the people from there weren't handcuffed from doing so?
Shig its your move
on a serious note has anyone ever heard John Henrik Clarke speak on the blueprint the Japanese have set up as to how to build a successful community/ nation? really interesting take on the idea of becomiung economically sound.
again, im not talking about who's black or chinese here. im talking about immigrants and the perception that they bleed our resources. and, i'll say it again, when it comes to handouts and who thinks they deserve what, you know the 3rd 4th generation folks think they are more entitled to it than say 1st gen. legal immigrants. yet, immigrants are the ones that are the scapegoats. was i talking about "american blacks" when i say "established americans"? not entirely, but im not excluding them from criticism either. im not trying to take away from the long history of oppression they have faced, but i am indeed advocating for taking things into their own hands. folks (and by folks i mainly mean people not affected by katrina) are still expecting the government to do something for them and i think its time they give up on that. the government is like car insurance. you are obligated to pay, but dont expect them to help you when youre in need.
dude is a fountain of quotables.
I love it.
depends on who has the better finishing move
I'm actually in agreence here with many of these points. From what I've read, watched and seen otherwise, first generation immigrants are not the types to look for handouts. They make the effort to change their life by doing things as drastic as...well...moving to a foreign land. It seems that with time and the glorified stories of how hard immigrants worked that later generations feel the previous generations were exploited and they, as the offspring, should receive some benefits.
The "American blacks" thing from Archaic is pretty spectacular. kind of like saying hello to someone and they turn around and reply "what you say about my mama"?
I think both of you would really enjoy John Henrik Clarkes work.
Shig I know you aren't much for books, but youre in luck, before Henrik Clarke died a documentary was filmed on him that included his thoughts on many social plights. heres some info about it A Great And Mighty Walk
Deserving of the special "Icon of the Month" award for May.
someone please explain to me how wanting this to be dealt with is a hand-out? why is this word even being used? this is the kind of shit people get wrapped up in that distracts them from the actual problem: there is a disaster area festering and the folks with the money and all other means to clean it up are doing sweet fuck all.
good on anyone who takes it onto themselves to bring some decorum back into their lives. i'm glad this particular community got props - hopefully they will inspire some folks to also do what they can. but there are lots of families in the Ninth Ward who are hauling shit out of annihlated homes, repairing buidlings and trying to clean up debris who aren't making the news. and there are some seriously insurmountable logistical problems down there that cannot be dealt with save for governmental / $$$ private sector involvement - no matter how much get up and go folks might have.
Yep, people in New Orleans should get to rebuilding their failed levees with uncollected garbage and their bare hands. They should protect their wetlands with all of the money they've saved since their jobs blew out of town with the storm. They should immediately convert the electrical systems in their houses to run on their own farts. Or better yet, they should all move to New Orleans East and do as the mighty Vietnamese have done.
Forget that services and monies that are rightfully theirs have been stolen from them during their worst possible time of need.
Yeah America, just move on to your next problem that you have no intention of ever solving.
Seriously Shig, you potraying ANYONE in New Orleans as just sitting on their asses wiating for Captain Save a Ho means no less than you bit down hard on an absolutely false bait put on the hook for you by racist imperialists who thanks to the consent of people like you are raping the city as they see fit.
And considering that there are currently thousands of illegal Mexicans waiting to do the bidding of Dick Cheney when NOLA folks would much rather do their own bidding with their own local labor force...I don't think there are many NOLA people who are ready to hear how great open borders are right about now.
not to mention he was blessed with the skills to build a fuckin house
HA ! listen to this asshole
here we go......bootstrap talk
enjoy your thread Shig
wassupers paycheck. man i had to order the 5 lbs. hollenbeck just to bide my time! hope you had fun out here. i was er, um, well, flaking about.
This is perhaps the most offensive thing I have ever seen on Soulstrut. The way slurs are thrown at hillbillys around here, just because they are ignorant, makes me sick. Hillbillys are no more afraid of a race thread than any other ethnic group. To hear the people on here talk you would think they are all a bunch of people living in the hills named martha and billy. Nothing could be further from the truth. And dispite what you have heard they do not have a superior sense of smell.
Of the estimated 50 Vietnamese-owned businesses in the area, 45 are up and running, the pastor added.
Nguyen said that the community's relative success at rebuilding had been due to a combination of factors. This section of the city got 4 feet or less of flooding, compared with the 8 feet or more that swallowed other areas.[/b]
Nguyen's church helped returnees find temporary shelter and provisions while they repaired their homes.[/b]
Thousands were resettled in New Orleans East with the help of the Catholic Church[/b] and due to the availability of low-income housing here.
Other storm-damaged communities have the determination to return and rebuild, leaders from other neighborhoods said. How successful they are has to do with the amount of flooding suffered in a particular area, the number of displaced residents, and the availability of basic services and utilities.
In large parts of the city's Lower 9th Ward, for example, electrical power has not been restored. Residents have been advised against even bathing in the water in some neighborhoods.
Kerry said that some of the Vietnamese business owners he spoke to told him their personal funds were running out. "They still need additional assistance,"[/b] the senator said in an interview.
Two nearby commercial strips boast the resurgence of beauty salons, grocery stores, video rental shops, and at least one pharmacy that belongs to Kinh Van Nguyen.
He estimated that when he reopened his store on Dec. 5, he was the only pharmacist within a 30-mile radius. His business suffered little water damage[/b], but looters stole about $75,000 worth of goods, and the lack of air-conditioning when the power went out destroyed much of his stock.
anyways, just thought it raises some interesting questions re: immigration. here's an insular immigrant population that has contributed to the rebirth of NO despite minimal government aide. in fact, i think its safe to say that this population has outperformed more "established" citizens in the same predicament and income bracket. thoughts? or is this like totally "last year" like trucker hats?
Thank you for the article. It is a great story of persaveriance and a testament to immigrant toughness.
On the other hand it does not support your contention that they have outperformed more established citizens.
I think business owners in all neighborhoods with minimum damage have reopened their business. It is those neighborhoods where the poorest people lived, that were the most damaged, that have yet to have the electricity and water restored, that are suffering. Were not talking handouts here, we are talking about the deliberate destruction of whole neighborhoods and communities.
anyways, point taken dan. like i said, i did in fact read this article and realize that the whole of NO wasnt hit with the same intensity all over. but for the umpteenth time, im pointing to this article as an example what most new immigrants will do in times of hardship. if i was comparing/contrasting anything, it is the new immigrant to the more established immigrant. and that it takes a good 40 years of residency in this country before anyone feels they have the exclusive right to the social services.
anyways, point taken dan. like i said, i did in fact read this article and realize that the whole of NO wasnt hit with the same intensity all over. but for the umpteenth time, im pointing to this article as an example what most new immigrants will do in times of hardship. if i was comparing/contrasting anything, it is the new immigrant to the more established immigrant. and that it takes a good 40 years of residency in this country before anyone feels they have the exclusive right to the social services.
Fair enough.
The name Nguyen is now in the top 5 most prevelant surnames in at least 5 states including Nebraska, Oregon and Washington so the Vietnamese people are a rapidly growing part of our population.
This complimentary statement is intended to stand on it's own and holds no hidden messages or mind twisting innuendo.