Hurricane Katrina 10 years later

Good day New Orleans, Mississippi  and other affected areas. Recently Beyoncé made a video that touched on Hurricane Katrina. This upset a lot of people.  The comments ranged from racist charges from the right to what took so long and why did she bring that up again? I have news for you. If you have a problem as big as Hurricane Katrina not talking about it and trying to forget about it won't make the pain go away. As a matter of fact the pain never goes away. Think about it. All of us have experienced loss. It could be rape, murder, A.I.D.S., finances, or a number of other woes. Even rich people have issues. I was in the Post Office a few years back. A group of total strangers just out of nowhere started talking about their experiences during Hurricane Katrina. They were of all colors and backgrounds. These people were experiencing what the military refers to as PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Talking about your inner demons with someone is the only way to truly heal. Think about it. Almost 11 years later and Hurricane Katrina seems as fresh as it happened yesterday. Heck in New Orleans East some parts still look like 2005. I will pray for all of you whether you like it or not. I will pray that we can get over ourselves with our manufactured hatred and see that we are more similar than different. Thanks for reading. #Eracism

My comment on Beyoncé and her new video concerning Hurricane Katrina.

Henry Glover anyone? I guess we forgot. Danziger bridge shootings anyone? I guess we forgot about that too. Gretna Police pointing shotguns on Orleans residents on the GNO bridge? Guess we forgot about that. Idiots in Old Algiers Point shooting people being told by the Coast Guard to go by the river and wait for a boat to take them to safety. They even bragged on camera about shooting blacks that meant them no harm. Not one of them went to jail. Hurricane Katrina was horrible for all involved. It also showed how far we have yet to go. Orleans residents were refugees that were looting. St. Bernard residents that were doing the same exact thing were just getting shampoo for their hair? The Mayor even let the tourists skip the line when rescue finally arrived 5 days later. 5 days later?? In America???? The richest country in the Universe? While most cops did an admirable job under the worst circumstances, there were many bad apples. Cops stealing DVD'S out of Wal-Mart. Cops stealing cars (brand new mind you) and abandoning their posts. Was Beyoncé wrong? No. She is late to the party. Nina Simone anyone? Music is supposed to make you talk. Make you think. Make you comment. Get a reaction. Guess what? The experiment worked.

Amadou Diallo & how Mayor Giuliani fumbled the football. 41 shots! Courtesy of The Washington Post

In the wake of the death of an unarmed African immigrant named Amadou Diallo -- killed in a hail of 41 bullets fired by New York City police -- and a state court's decision not to convict the officers involved in the man's death, Giuliani said the officers followed "standard procedure." Yes, "standard procedure" left a man with no criminal record and no weapon with no life left in his body. But according to Giuliani -- while still mayor and ostensibly the boss of a police force with its share of known problems and a series of high-profile shooting deaths and alleged police abuses in its record--  that was not something about which to be alarmed.