The INDsider -> Mary Tutwiler TUE, NOV 3 10:58AM by Mary Tutwiler

Ed Blakely: New Orleans racist, lazy

Ed Blakely, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin’s former hurricane recovery czar, has some inflammatory words to say about the Crescent City. In an Oct. 16 interview with CalTV, the University of California-Berkeley’s online television station, he characterized the residents of New Orleans as racist and lazy. In the interview, posted on YouTube, Blakely began by talking about the problems the city had getting funding from the federal government, which slowed the recovery. But Blakely, an internationally recognized urban planner who has worked in New York, California and Australia, moved on to the subject of race: 

Everyone’s a racist. It’s part of what we have in this country, but it’s deeper, more viral, more visible and more entrenched in New Orleans than any place I’ve ever seen.

Now, the white community, there’s blood in the water, and they can recapture the political apparatus and kind of put their foot back on black people’s throats.

Unless the next mayor is very clever, it’s going to explode and there are going to be race riots.

It’s an appallingly irresponsible statement to characterize an entire city as a racist time bomb. (Blakely's most incendiary comments are in part two of the interview.) Blakely, who left New Orleans several months ago, appears to be tossing in a lighted match as he kicks shut the door behind him. The city is well rid of someone with so little respect for its people, culture and future. The Times-Picayune covered the story, which is followed by hundreds of comments from NOLA.com readers.

 

 

 



Comments (17)add
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written by queenbee , November 03, 2009 - 12:44 pm
OH, please stop....really. New Orleans has had black leadership since the ice age; so if anyone oppressed black folk it was....um....black folk. Lazy? You might have that one right. I know a lot of people who got Road Home money and purchased luxury items--telelvisions, SUVs, etc........
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written by chicken little , November 03, 2009 - 12:46 pm
wow, this guy sounds like a lunatic.
that being said, not sure i liked all the preachy comments in this post. i'm sure this lady has her own opinion, but if she is a journalist why do i need to know what it is?
seems to be a trend with this publication. it is hard to trust articles that contain so much opinion from the writer.
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written by O. Well , November 03, 2009 - 02:08 pm
"the residents of New Orleans as racist and lazy"

What else is new. NOLA has been going down (sometimes slowly) the tubes since World War II. Katrina just speedup the process.
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written by suze , November 03, 2009 - 04:05 pm
New Orleans is completely worthless. This city is so over hyped. Theres nothing good to say about it. The only people who actually like this place are the people who have never left here. Donald Trump tried to open up hotels and resorts here after Katrina, but put it all behind him saying that Louisiana was the most corrupt place he had ever seen and would never do business here again. These people won't ever get it together. Its a waste of tax dollars, and the rescue workers that died trying to save them after the hurricane, because they were too stupid to leave when they were told to.
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written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , November 03, 2009 - 06:59 pm
OH SUZE, DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS, TA MISS NEW ORLEANS ?
Ahm looking fo da "WRITERS OPINION, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^? LIL POULET!
DIS guy is truly ah DODO bird, das ah lunatic wid FEATHERS, lak ah POULET !
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written by ryan , November 03, 2009 - 07:11 pm
suze, is donald trump representative of ethical upstanding business trying to come to new orleans? trumps failed building had more to do with a slumping economy and the realization that he wasnt getting a free building. how many rescue workers died? i dont remember anybody holding a gun to thier head making them come down here. the question is, are you jealous of new orleans?
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written by Rob , November 03, 2009 - 08:20 pm
I felt far safer in NYC than I do in NOLA. The previous poster is absolutely right, NOLA is completely worthless and the city leaders like Blakely and Nagin are the reason. Katrin was a failure of local government not federal government. The only mistake the federal government made was assuming (initially) that NOLA has somewhat competent leadership.

Nagin is an idiot. Didn't he understand what mandatory evacuation meant? What happens when you put a few thousand people in an enclosed building for several days with no plumbing or electricity?

The sad thing is now they are trying to do to the country what they did to NOLA.
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written by doctorj , November 03, 2009 - 10:30 pm
Blakeley is worthless. The city is is precious. Katrina taught me that there is no such thing as the "United" States of America. You are on your own, buddy, if you realize it or not. We know ther truth from experience.
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written by Franky , November 04, 2009 - 12:52 am
I love how people look at the South in general and New Orleans in specific from such a haughty point of view. It is so easy for someone who isn't from our region to come in and become annoyed with the people here. We have a different culture from the rest of the United States and we happen to also be the poorest part of the nation. Time after time, studies have shown that uneducated people tend toward racism, depression, fanatical religious views, serious financial problems (including mis-allocation of given funds) and a host of other things... most of which you'll find here and elsewhere in the South (and coincidentally can be characterized into looking like laziness).

Is a band-aid in the form of some money and a house going to fix it? No. Why? Its the old adage, you know... the 'teach a man to fish' scenario. People who come in from a rich family in CA (while we welcome their help and assistance) need to leave their egos and frustrations behind them in order to make their time meaningful here, if they truly care about people (most people find it too frustrating to care), and can really put some effort and make a difference in this society. Its not fair that the rest of America has left us to rot here in poverty and lacking basic stuff, because we're the bad child or black sheep. Sure there are a lot of people still around from the old days of our past, which isn't long behind us, but our new generations should not be punished for old wounds. There is an opportunity to use that college education and help someone who needs it... right here in America.
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written by Morrow , November 04, 2009 - 09:14 am
I believe its easy for Mr. Blakely to blame his own lack of accomplishment on others. Why is it that we're only hearing of this after he's left? Why wouldn't he bring it up during the process? Now, granted, I do believe Nagin has no other interest but lining his own pockets & those of his family and friends. Maybe Mayor Nagin was difficult to deal with and get anyting accomplished. New Orleans was/is a great city. I don't hear Brad Pitt claiming everyone is lazy or corrupt or racist, and he's been dealing with New Orleans and trying to keep the recovery process going. Maybe the rest of this state should step up to the plate. New Orleans IS Louisiana. It is our history, our culture, or melting pot. Its much too great for us to let it go. I don't want New Orleans to be considered another Detroit, hopeless...
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written by Jack D , November 04, 2009 - 11:35 am
Mr. Blakely is right on point. I have lived in NOLA going on three years. The dynamics that run this city and provide a basis for it socioeconmic maladay are deeply entrenched. Because things are so deeply entrenched people in a huge sense feel that some things are justified and righteous. Whereas we "outsiders" don't see those things as ethical.
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written by Mary Tutwiler , November 04, 2009 - 11:49 am
The Times-Picayune published an editorial Wednesday morning titled "Ed Blakely, the czar that had no clothes." It begins like this:

"Ed Blakely has what might politely be called a superiority complex. He thinks he is great, and he'll tell you so a nanosecond after he meets you.

During his 31 months as the city's recovery director, New Orleanians had to endure his droning on about his supposed accomplishments and the inferiority of everyone else around him.

Even so, the arrogance and mean-spiritedness of his latest diatribe about New Orleans are breathtaking. Mere months after claiming on his way out of town that New Orleans was in the midst of "the fastest recovery that anyone has ever seen," he told CalTV in Berkeley, Calif., that the city won't exist in 100 years and is poised for race riots. The comments are irresponsible and out of touch with reality."

for the rest of the editorial go here: http://www.nola.com/opinions/i...had_n.html
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written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , November 04, 2009 - 04:19 pm
IF,the citizens of New Orleans, allow the bad weeds to spring up and over-run this beautiful, CULTURAL MECCA, shame on them !!!
Ed BLAKELY's, arrogant, egomania attitude as viewed by most, is
best defined by my friend, RICKY HARDY AS, "" IGNORANCEY ""! The rebirth of this beautiful, grand city, is in the hands of its citizens,
they either rid themselves of their CRYING TOWELS, roll up their sleeves and get their ass in gear or sink in self pity. RE: BLAKELY; MY ole friend, CATFISH JIM GARRISON, would in his best, diplomatic manner ,depict ED BLAKELY, thusly; HELL, HE WOULD'NT MAKE AH PIMPLE ON AH MANS , ASS !!
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written by suze , November 04, 2009 - 06:30 pm
I am from another southern state. I have no superiority complex, but these people sure do. When I first moved here I volunteered to help rebuild homes in the 9th ward - the short version of this is that I never did it again here. They are rude and lazy. You help these people and they turn around and try to sue you. You can't do anything for them. The rescue workers who died were part of the army, the coast guard, the navy, and marines. I assure you I would have made the same sort of arguments for helping these people before I actually lived here. Everything from the 200 million dollars in aid that was used to rebuild the superdome, the corruption, racism, drive thru daquiri bars, crime rate, and horrible driving, but hey they just call it culture down here.
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written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , November 04, 2009 - 08:52 pm
Suze, I would'nt diss ah Pilgrim.
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written by Seeburg62 , November 05, 2009 - 06:05 am
I am a native New Orleanian, and while I admit N.O. has major problems, this guy Blakely did NOTHING while arrogantly touting himself as the only person capable of guiding the recovery effort. A pure BS artist and other cities should take note.

Also, while there is racism on both sides of the line, things are MUCH better in N.O. than some other northern cities I've spent time in. Chicago is one example - you'd better not be the wrong ethnicity in some area after dark. We've lived amongst each other for almost 300 years. We were the only major city not to have race riots in the 1960's. I think that speaks volumes.
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written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , November 05, 2009 - 11:38 pm
Seeburg62, Don't feel like the Lone Ranger,ya have alot of back-up right heah in Lafayette Louisiana, THERE ARE DOERS AND THERE ARE THOSE WHO TALK OF DOING, SUCH AS THE PREMIER COUILLION, ED BLAKELY. ANY COUILLION CAN PLANT A SEED IN THE EARTH,OR GIVE AN INTERVIEW TO A CALIFORNIA MEDIA,("to break ground and pave the way for his next pay for no play score")BUT TO PLANT THE SEED, NUTURE IT TO MATURITY REALLY TAKES A PERSON DEDICATED TO HIS PROFESSION, AH COUILLION WOULD QUIT RATHER THAN ADMIT HIS FAILURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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