...Where were the governmental and mainstream relief agencies in all this? They were doing all they could, but it was obvious from day one that it wasn't enough. Jenka Soderberg is a freelance journalist and occasional Free Speech Radio News reporter who traveled to New Orleans post-Katrina. She explained that all of the shelters within three hours of New Orleans were either shut down or full. Only one FEMA center was open to the public. Blackwater Security forces staffing the center outnumbered the FEMA workers about 5 to 1. The remaining FEMA centers were solely for their workers and contractors. Each of these centers displayed a sign that read “No public services available at this site / Authorized personnel only.”
Volunteers from the Red Cross constantly defected and joined the ranks of the grassroots led efforts. http://photos1.blogger.com/photoInclude/blogger/566/1507/1600/Tent%20Raising%202.jpg
“In an April interview with NPR, acting Red Cross Director Jack McGuire admitted the organization had made major mistakes after Katrina, including not reaching out to community groups that were doing some of the best work in the area. The organization promises to implement a 'cultural shift' that includes working more closely with grassroots organizations, a tack the institution has historically shied away from. Kay Wilkins, CEO of Red Cross' Southeast Louisiana chapter, called Katrina 'the great equalizer' of relief organizations.” - Reason Magazine, Dec 2006.
Some governmental agencies harassed the cafes, saying they didn't have “permission” to be there. Nonetheless, individuals from various law enforcement agencies would occasionally lend a hand in the kitchen. A Mississippi state trooper in full uniform was spotted chopping celery. One volunteer said that various other “mutiny magic manifested.” Soderberg noted, “We've had National Guard soldiers sneak supplies out of their warehouses so we could distribute them directly to people, we've had Amtrak police sneak ice for our clinic from their stash….so many many examples of people trying to get supplies to the people who need them — even if they have to defy orders from above in order to do it.”
FEMA and the Red Cross continuously struggled to provide adequate aid to the desperate storm victims. Soderberg revealed that these agencies reached a point in which they began “turning people away, sending them to our tiny organization, common ground, for help. Let me repeat this, because I just find it so astounding: FEMA AND THE RED CROSS ARE SENDING PEOPLE TO _US_ (Common Ground) FOR HELP.” - Jenka's Journal, Nov 2, 2005.
The cafes' operations reached their peak on the first Thanksgiving after the hurricane when the Welcome Home Cafe shared a huge feast and the New Waveland Cafe held a parade for the town. A film entitled, “Rainbow Family & Christians Unite to Give Hope after Katrina” captured a parade watcher's heartfelt reaction: “All of these beautiful people from the Waveland Cafe and what they've given to us, we can never repay (tears up, happy tears). I know that Hancock County could not have made it without what they have done. And to give us this parade! (more joyous tears welling up)”. When asked if she'd ever had a parade like this before she rejoiced, “No and I think they're fabulous! They're the most beautiful people that there are!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3tT5F9ECpA ...
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