Saturday, May 24, 2008

Capitalizing on tragedy

There are numerous "disaster tours" that bring busloads of tourists into the Lower Ninth Ward every day. The buses drive slowly through the mostly unused streets of this lost neighborhood, each with dozens of cameras rolling and clicking behind tinted windows. It's kind of sick that these tours exist, yet it's probably good for people to see how this place looks THREE YEARS LATER. In a way, I was one of these tourists, coming here with no intention of lending a hand, but something made me volunteer, and I feel very good about it, even if it's only for a few days. --> The house we've been helping rebuild is split into three seperate apartments. Its current owner did not own the building until after Katrina. A fellow volunteer told me he'd prefer to work on a house owned by someone who wants to move back into their pre-Katrina home after being displaced by Katrina. I kinda feel the same.
The owner is really nice, but it just doesn't seem right to be helping someone profit off of tragedy.

More drywall

I'm doing more drywall today. --> Here's a picture of the system of communication they used to account for people after the flood. I don't know what the writing means, although I think there's something about it in the Spike Lee film. I'll try to find out something about it before I leave.