Notions

Interacting with New Orleans started in our cab ride from the airport to the hotel. Our driver was an older guy with a thick accent and welcoming tone, a 40 year resident of Slidell who gave us his own personal tour as we drove through the city. At first, it was pleasant to have the sights pointed out, but when the conversation turned to Katrina, things took a decidedly negative turn. As we crossed over one of the levees that broke, our driver gave us his own personal views of what Katrina did to the city. He began by saying that the publicized violence is false, a production of the media. He told us that the only violence to speak of was between rival gangs who were in a war for territory post evacuation of the city. He then went on to tell us how pleased he was that Katrina had cleared out the "projects". He felt that Katrina had done a service to New Orleans for this reason. Morgan and I looked at each other in shock. I don't often get smacked in the face with this kind of overt racism. I'm curious to see how much of this kind of animosity I get exposed to during my time in the city.