Saturday, April 01, 2006

New Orleans Voter Rally

CNN reports that earlier today, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton led a rally in New Orleans in support of the displaced residents who will not be able to vote in the April 22nd city election. Less than half of the 450,000 residents have returned since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the region in September 2005. The rally included a march across the Mississippi River bridge that connects New Orleans to Gretna where residents trying to flee the excessive flooding in New Orleans were turned back.

plez sez: I'm torn. I agree with the protest, because this appears to be an attempt to disenfranchise those New Orleans residents who have not been able to return. I'm sure a number of the displaced residents are more concerned with rebuilding their tattered lives than an election. And considering the fact that the elections are 3 weeks away, it is going to be difficult for the city to just cancel or postpone the elections. I wonder why this rally wasn't held a few months ago.

Now, I'm at a bit of a loss as to why the march across the bridge was included in today's rally. It would appear to me that the rally would be a lot more effective with an emphasis and concentration on the main issue of disenfranchise, rather than diluting the day with bitching about something that they cannot do anything about.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

plez:I'm sure a number of the displaced residents are more concerned with rebuilding their tattered lives than an election.

Roderick: But whoever is elected is going to determine how the city is rebuilt or if it is rebuilt.

plez: And considering the fact that the elections are 3 weeks away, it is going to be difficult for the city to just cancel or postpone the elections. I wonder why this rally wasn't held a few months ago.

Roderick: I think they were waiting on the ruling against postponing the elections which just came last week, and you know how we black people are always on NST anyway. LOL

plez:Now, I'm at a bit of a loss as to why the march across the bridge was included in today's rally.

Roderick: I guess it was good ole Negro symbolism.

plez: It would appear to me that the rally would be a lot more effective with an emphasis and concentration on the main issue of disenfranchise, rather than diluting the day with bitching about something that they cannot do anything about.

Roderick: After I read your statement I re-read the article to find out what you were talking about, and I still don't understand how what was discussed during the rally didn't relate to helping those who are disinfranced to vote.

Could you specify what Al and Jesse were bitching about that was irrelevant to their main objective?