Hurricane Katrina was tied for the costliest hurricane to ever make landfall in the US. It made landfall in the American south, but hit the city of New Orleans particularly hard, leaving several thousand people either dead, injured, or homeless. With the fatalities between 1,245 and 1,836 people dead and $125 billion worth of damage, it is often revered as one of the most destructive and reckless storms in US history, rivaling that of Hurricane Irma and Harvey.
On August 25, President George W. Bush issued a state of national emergency before the storm. New Orleans, a city that is almost completely next to the water, was at increased risk of flooding. Stores and public schools in the area were all shut down, and cruise ships changed routes to avoid the high winds. Most people boarded their windows and stocked up food and water as if it were a normal tropical storm, and most people were completely unprepared for the damage that would befall their town.
Most people that were unable to evacuate in time crowded into the city's Superdome stadium, a structure that most were sure would hold up. It stayed mostly structurally sound, but what occurred inside was nothing short of apocalyptic. Emergency generators for power failed, and the citizens were running out of provisions. National guard had to patrol the area because it eventually got so bad. Three people died shortly after they all crammed inside the stadium, one of which was a suicide. There were also two people and a child that were raped while in these cramped conditions. 400-500 people with critical medical conditions had to be bused out of the stadium. There were very limited bathrooms, and people were actually being shot and their belongings were being stolen. No one could get in touch with their loved ones, and no one could enter or exit the stadium without national guard's approval. It was as close to the apocalypse as one could get.
After the storm stopped, thousands of people were still homeless and without food or water. The federal government faced criticism for this, and were accused of not paying as much attention to the post-apocalyptic majority-black town as they should. The National Guard was merely patrolling the neighborhood, and not offering nearly enough aid. In the words of Kanye West, "Bush doesn't care about black people."
Friday, April 5, 2019
Thursday, April 4, 2019
1992 LA riots
The Los Angeles riots in 1992 began when five Los Angeles police officers chased African American Rodney King and two passengers. After the police officers arrested King and his passengers, when King exited the police vehicle, it was caught on video that the officers tasered, forcefully beat, and handcuffed King; King was supposedly under the influence of PCP, causing aggression. As technology was rapidly developing during this time, this footage was able to be rapidly distributed across the entire nation, horrifying people ranging from activists to the LAPD police chief himself.
Consequently, four of these officers were charged with assault and excessive force. However, these officers were acquitted of wrongdoing on April 29, and that same day, the mayor Tom Bradley chastised the jury for wrongly ruling that this was not a crime. This comment was one of the prompts for the riots began out of outrage towards the rulings. Starting from Florence Boulevard and Normandie Avenue, rioters beat many motorists, prompting violence to spread across Los Angeles, with police officers taking a long time to respond. In a single day, dozens were left day, bringing Mayor Bradley to sign a curfew.
On May 1, two days after the riots commenced, Bush ordered federal officers and military troops to put Los Angeles under control, the first time so many forces were used in civil disorder since the King assassination riots in 1968. By the next day, much of the riot had been kept under control, and 30,000 people gathered in a peace rally in Koreatown. However, violence still continued afterwards in a less organized fashion, and federal troops stayed as long as until the end of May. Two of the four initially convicted police officers had their sentences revised, being sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.
Although the major conflict was over police brutality towards African Americans, a different minority was also considerably affected: Korean Americans. Koreatown was particularly targeted due to previous tensions building up between African Americans and Korean Americans. During the riots, with most of the police having gone to defend wealthy white neighborhoods, Korean shopkeepers organized their own defense line using their own firearms. Eventually, police were redirected to Koreatown after seeing how gunfire was exchanged in Korean neighborhoods. After the riots, Korean Americans responded by increasing activism through activist organizations among other means. Due to the lack of police response, the Korean American community lost its faith in the LAPD.
The involvement of many different ethnic communities during the 1992 Los Angeles riots is an example of how race dynamics have become far more complex than just black and white. Even though the original cause may have been focused on the black-white conflict, as the riots progressed, different groups such as the Korean Americans were drawn in. One consequence was that more people bought their own firearms for self defense in case another event like this would happen again. Even now, police discrimination is a major topic of discussion and debate; although the law may claim equal rights, there was and still is a long way to go.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/riots-erupt-in-los-angeles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots
Consequently, four of these officers were charged with assault and excessive force. However, these officers were acquitted of wrongdoing on April 29, and that same day, the mayor Tom Bradley chastised the jury for wrongly ruling that this was not a crime. This comment was one of the prompts for the riots began out of outrage towards the rulings. Starting from Florence Boulevard and Normandie Avenue, rioters beat many motorists, prompting violence to spread across Los Angeles, with police officers taking a long time to respond. In a single day, dozens were left day, bringing Mayor Bradley to sign a curfew.
On May 1, two days after the riots commenced, Bush ordered federal officers and military troops to put Los Angeles under control, the first time so many forces were used in civil disorder since the King assassination riots in 1968. By the next day, much of the riot had been kept under control, and 30,000 people gathered in a peace rally in Koreatown. However, violence still continued afterwards in a less organized fashion, and federal troops stayed as long as until the end of May. Two of the four initially convicted police officers had their sentences revised, being sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.
Although the major conflict was over police brutality towards African Americans, a different minority was also considerably affected: Korean Americans. Koreatown was particularly targeted due to previous tensions building up between African Americans and Korean Americans. During the riots, with most of the police having gone to defend wealthy white neighborhoods, Korean shopkeepers organized their own defense line using their own firearms. Eventually, police were redirected to Koreatown after seeing how gunfire was exchanged in Korean neighborhoods. After the riots, Korean Americans responded by increasing activism through activist organizations among other means. Due to the lack of police response, the Korean American community lost its faith in the LAPD.
The involvement of many different ethnic communities during the 1992 Los Angeles riots is an example of how race dynamics have become far more complex than just black and white. Even though the original cause may have been focused on the black-white conflict, as the riots progressed, different groups such as the Korean Americans were drawn in. One consequence was that more people bought their own firearms for self defense in case another event like this would happen again. Even now, police discrimination is a major topic of discussion and debate; although the law may claim equal rights, there was and still is a long way to go.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/riots-erupt-in-los-angeles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Obergefell vs Hodges and the long road to equality
Unlike a lot of US history, I actually remember this monumental leap forward in Civil Rights. The Instagram posts with the #lovewins and the elation. I remember the rainbow flags and decided to finally allow gay marriage in all 50 states. I watched it all from 4000 miles away in an airport hotel in Athens with no real understanding of what was happening.
For years leading up to the monumental decision to allow same sex marriage in all 50 states, many states had slowly been lifting their ban on same-sex marriage. Massachusetts was the first state to do so in 2004, more than a decade before the official federal ruling in 2015. California and many other Liberal states legalized the practice before the Federal ruling. Prior to the ruling itself the case the United States V. Windsor overturned the Defense of Marriage Act which prevented the recognition of Same-Sex Marriage at a federal level. Windsor sued the Federal government after her longtime wife died and the government sought to tax her estate because they did not recognize Windsor and her wife as a legal couple. This paved the way for further cases to reach the supreme court and in fact, Obergefell vs Hodges is itself an amalgamation of several different cases.
Plaintiffs in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee sued on the basis of discrimination for two separate issues. One, that many states would not issue same-sex marriage license and two, that many states would not legally recognize a same-sex marriage license from out of state. Ultimately both of these issues would come to the court. Many of these lawsuits actually succeeded in their goal to achieve equality at the local court however 4 of the 6 cases that made it to the circuit court were dismissed. However, the case was once again elevated to judicial review in the Supreme Court where it was retitled under one case Obergfell (one of the plaintiffs) and Hodges (Ohio health director). Here the decision to legalize and recognized same-sex marriage in all 50 states was achieved by a 5-4 decision. Although many hailed the decision as being a major leap forward in civil rights and activism others criticized the ruling for being an example of judicial activism and unconstitutional.
To me, it already seems archaic and bigoted to prohibit two people from marriage simply because of their sexual orientation. It seems that most of the country now agrees, as support for Marriage Equality has reached 67 percent which is up from just 27 percent in 1996.
For years leading up to the monumental decision to allow same sex marriage in all 50 states, many states had slowly been lifting their ban on same-sex marriage. Massachusetts was the first state to do so in 2004, more than a decade before the official federal ruling in 2015. California and many other Liberal states legalized the practice before the Federal ruling. Prior to the ruling itself the case the United States V. Windsor overturned the Defense of Marriage Act which prevented the recognition of Same-Sex Marriage at a federal level. Windsor sued the Federal government after her longtime wife died and the government sought to tax her estate because they did not recognize Windsor and her wife as a legal couple. This paved the way for further cases to reach the supreme court and in fact, Obergefell vs Hodges is itself an amalgamation of several different cases.
Plaintiffs in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee sued on the basis of discrimination for two separate issues. One, that many states would not issue same-sex marriage license and two, that many states would not legally recognize a same-sex marriage license from out of state. Ultimately both of these issues would come to the court. Many of these lawsuits actually succeeded in their goal to achieve equality at the local court however 4 of the 6 cases that made it to the circuit court were dismissed. However, the case was once again elevated to judicial review in the Supreme Court where it was retitled under one case Obergfell (one of the plaintiffs) and Hodges (Ohio health director). Here the decision to legalize and recognized same-sex marriage in all 50 states was achieved by a 5-4 decision. Although many hailed the decision as being a major leap forward in civil rights and activism others criticized the ruling for being an example of judicial activism and unconstitutional.
To me, it already seems archaic and bigoted to prohibit two people from marriage simply because of their sexual orientation. It seems that most of the country now agrees, as support for Marriage Equality has reached 67 percent which is up from just 27 percent in 1996.
Black Monday -- Event and Showtime
Black Monday
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been watching this show called Black Monday. It follows the events leading up to the stock market crash in 1987, but it is fictitious. It was the largest stock market crash in Wall Street history, but the truth is that no one really knows what really caused it. It has been a great mystery in history even to this day. This television series on Showtime, however, illustrates one theory of how this crash happened….
On October 19, 1987, the largest one-day percentage drop in stock market history. Companies such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 22.61%. The stock dropped 508 points resulting in 1738.74. In an instant, everything was lost and there was no way to explain it. Wall Street went into chaos and many couldn’t process the extent of what had happened and how much money was lost.
Especially at this point, Wall Street was ruthless and centered around side deals and deception. There were a lot of back door deals led by selfish and greedy CEOs. The Showtime television series documents and follows a series of characters -- some of which who are already involved in the deception and others who ultimately get sucked into it all. It showcases the horrors and the faults in the stock market and just how fragile the entire system really is.
Although there isn’t a lot of information on the specific event, it paints a bigger picture in that it exploits the inconsistencies and cracks in the stock market system. It shows just how easy it is for everything to fall apart and how fast everything can just disappear without a trace. I think that this show is important because it deals with a big part of American culture, and also creates a story around it. There will always be a mystery around Black Monday, but the inherent weak system that is the stock market is not.
Note: I really recommend this show. Don Cheadle, Regina Hall, and Andrew Rannells star in it and they do an amazing job. FYI it aired on Showtime.
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
The Mississippi Murders of 1964
On June 21st, 1964, three civil rights workers (two white and one black), James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner set out to learn more about the burning of a church in Mississippi.
Police arrested the 3 men for speeding and then were released after posting bond. They were not seen after that. The three had last been seen heading southeast on highway 19 and then the remains of their station wagon were found on Highway 21 northeast of Philadelphia. It was in a marshy area about 50 feet off the road and gutted by a fire.
Their bodies were finally found in a wooded area on August 4th, 1964. They were never seen again after their arrest until their bodies were found dead and brutalized and murdered at the hand of evil individuals. The FBI arrested 21 white men on December 4, 1964. Those arrested were considered innocent until proven guilty.
Finally, on June 21, 1989, the families of the 3 slain civil rights workers were finally given an apology for what happened 25 years. They became household names and finding who did it became an obsession. A former leader of the KKK was finally arrested and charged with the manslaughter of the 3 men.
As Obama states, "Here today inspired by their sacrifice we continue to fight for equality and justice in which they gave their lives."
Police arrested the 3 men for speeding and then were released after posting bond. They were not seen after that. The three had last been seen heading southeast on highway 19 and then the remains of their station wagon were found on Highway 21 northeast of Philadelphia. It was in a marshy area about 50 feet off the road and gutted by a fire.
Their bodies were finally found in a wooded area on August 4th, 1964. They were never seen again after their arrest until their bodies were found dead and brutalized and murdered at the hand of evil individuals. The FBI arrested 21 white men on December 4, 1964. Those arrested were considered innocent until proven guilty.
Finally, on June 21, 1989, the families of the 3 slain civil rights workers were finally given an apology for what happened 25 years. They became household names and finding who did it became an obsession. A former leader of the KKK was finally arrested and charged with the manslaughter of the 3 men.
As Obama states, "Here today inspired by their sacrifice we continue to fight for equality and justice in which they gave their lives."
Grace Lee Boggs
Grace Lee Boggs has been a part of almost every single major movement in the US in the last 75 years. This includes the Civil Rights, Labor, Black Power, Women's Rights, and Environment Justice movements.
She was born in 1915 in New York City to Chinese immigrant parents. Her father ran a popular Chinese restaurant and in order to buy land, he had to buy it through an Irish contractor because back then Asians were prohibited to own land. The waiters at her father's restaurant would tell him to "take her out and put her on the hillside, she's just a girl". Being born female on top of Chinese restaurant led her to believe that alto of things was meant to be changed. The idea of an Asian American movement back then to her was unthinkable.
She received her BA from Barnard College in 1935 and her Ph.D. in Philosophy from Bryn Mawr College in 1940. She then married James Bogg an African-American activist and moved to Detroit. Her earliest inspiration was A. Philip Randolph, an African-American labor leader who fought for equal hiring practices in defense plants.
Grace became more involved in the Black power movement in the 1960s. She identified more closely with Malcolm X's views than Martin Luther King because she believed that "King's concepts of nonviolence and Beloved Community (w)as somewhat naive and sentimental". However, in 1967, race violence increased in the city of Detroit and she realized that King's concepts were more effective for a cultural revolution. She learned that rebellion is not enough. Since then, Lee has dedicated her life to helping realize King's vision of Beloved Community.
She even wrote an autobiography called Living for Change, which is now widely used in university classes on social movements. In 2004, she helped organize the Beloved Communities project.
Here is a quote from her that I would like to leave you with ... "“Love isn't about what we did yesterday; it's about what we do today and tomorrow and the day after” "
She was born in 1915 in New York City to Chinese immigrant parents. Her father ran a popular Chinese restaurant and in order to buy land, he had to buy it through an Irish contractor because back then Asians were prohibited to own land. The waiters at her father's restaurant would tell him to "take her out and put her on the hillside, she's just a girl". Being born female on top of Chinese restaurant led her to believe that alto of things was meant to be changed. The idea of an Asian American movement back then to her was unthinkable.
She received her BA from Barnard College in 1935 and her Ph.D. in Philosophy from Bryn Mawr College in 1940. She then married James Bogg an African-American activist and moved to Detroit. Her earliest inspiration was A. Philip Randolph, an African-American labor leader who fought for equal hiring practices in defense plants.
Grace became more involved in the Black power movement in the 1960s. She identified more closely with Malcolm X's views than Martin Luther King because she believed that "King's concepts of nonviolence and Beloved Community (w)as somewhat naive and sentimental". However, in 1967, race violence increased in the city of Detroit and she realized that King's concepts were more effective for a cultural revolution. She learned that rebellion is not enough. Since then, Lee has dedicated her life to helping realize King's vision of Beloved Community.
She even wrote an autobiography called Living for Change, which is now widely used in university classes on social movements. In 2004, she helped organize the Beloved Communities project.
Here is a quote from her that I would like to leave you with ... "“Love isn't about what we did yesterday; it's about what we do today and tomorrow and the day after” "
Monday, April 1, 2019
Anita Hill
Anita Hill was born a bright, perseverant, black woman in a small town in Oklahoma. Later in life, she went on to pass her bar exam and became a lawyer and assistant for then-assistant Secretary of Education Clarence Thomas. They both worked in the Office for Civil Rights, and but Hill quit mysteriously and went on to be a law professor at various prestigious universities.
In 1991, President George H.W. Bush nominated Thomas for the office of Supreme Court Justice. He was fairly inexperienced, with just over a year serving as a judge, but was very qualified in every other aspect. Hill later revealed to the press that she had, in fact, been a victim of sexual harassment when she was working directly under Thomas. In a case very similar to Christine Blasey-Ford's testimonial, the three-day trial was broadcasted on national television.
Hill disclosed that she first felt uncomfortable when she had been working for him for about three months. She described that he often discussed sex at work, as well as pressured her to go out with him. She also revealed that he spoke about his sexual prowess frequently and often directly to her. In an incredible act of bravery, she represented herself in front of a panel of all-male judges that frequently questioned her sanity and memory. She was accused to just have female hysteria, although not directly.
Thomas vehemently denied the claims. He claimed that his was merely a '“circus. It is a national disgrace,” Judge Thomas said. “As a black American, as far as I am concerned, it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas.”', according to the New York Times.
Justice Thomas was eventually instated into the Supreme Court later that year. American women were outraged. This is believed to be the origins of the #MeToo movement. Hill also inspired women such as Christine Blasey-Ford to hold men in high places accountable for their actions. She continues to be an inspiration for both women and survivors of sexual harassment and assault to this day.
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