"We believe that kids and adults often times are self-medicating because it is cheaper to get marijuana than it is to pay" for prescription medication, he said.
Bell says many area residents probably suffer from untreated or undiagnosed post-traumatic stress.
August 29, 2005 - the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, was hit by Hurricane Katrina. Soon after was Hurricane Rita. In between the two, the levees were obliterated in strategic places and a lot of other stuff happened that never got on the news. Over these four years, I've said my piece in closed forums, but I feel that I am going to end my part in the conversation once and for all (unless, of course, I deem it necessary to educate some ignorant soul) and state my case.
I, personally, am not from New Orleans. I have been there numerous times - my father used to live there many years ago; nevertheless, my experience is not of a direct New Orleans resident. My experience is that of a graduating senior in Baton Rouge with close ties to New Orleans, as majority of the residents of Baton Rouge do.
Some people may not know this, but I was not born in Baton Rouge, much less in Louisiana. Because of my family ties, BR has been a part of my life for longer than I can remember. I did not have an official address there until my high school years, though. Regardless, 'home' for me and those who I know who are born and raised natives is Scotlandville, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Home of the Fina stations, the Square, 'Jiggas,' and annoying trains from the surrounding plants that will slow down your whole day if you aren't fast enough to catch it before it blocks another crossing.
When Katrina descended upon us (BR) we lost power for a few weeks (some places for a month plus), trees were obliterated, houses were obliterated by trees, and all of the regular Hurricane occurrences took place. One thing that I, personally, was not used to was the aftermath. There was a terrible influx of people coming from the southern region of the state. People from New Orleans, Metarie, St. Bernard Parish, and all of the other surrounding parishes flocked to Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport, and every other place where they had family and possible bed to sleep in.
One of my most distinct memories of that time is sitting around the radio in the house. Everything was extremely quiet outside. The wind was the only music to be heard. People had their doors open and some were barbecuing their previously frozen meats in hopes that they would not have to deal with spoiled food- the community was obviously a community. The radio, however spoke of the waves of people coming into Baton Rouge whether passing through or dropping their anchor. I remember my father saying that he had to go stock up on gas for his and my step mother's trucks, but not fully understanding why he would do that - 'gas stations always have gas,' I thought.
Boy! was I naive. The sudden onslaught of people not only rendered the gas stations inefficient, but people began to 'clown,' as one would say. What began as incredible lines twirling around the gas stations and down the streets turned into angry people and all sorts of atrocities that the residents of Baton Rouge couldn't believe. I vaguely remember reports of people being assaulted in the lines and people stealing from one another. Walmart, what I would consider the equivalent to a shopping mall to a Southerner, among other places was sold out of just about everything. People began to riot, I do remember, at different Walmarts (I think the one by Cortana was the one on the news) and caused the chain to close at 8 p.m. rather than stay open 24-hrs like they usually do. The city was overrun with people that were somewhat foreign to it and disrupted the economical balance on a scale that, at that time, I couldn't comprehend. All that I knew was that it was bad. As reports say, Baton Rouge had the third highest number of evacuees, but I beg to differ simply because there are people who chose not to give information upon immediately settling and what is not factored in is those who stayed for a short amount of time, still taking resources from the city.
I also remember a member of my extended family in BR whose family was living in New Orleans. She took them in out of family obligation, as so is Southern custom (there were 8-12 of them in total), and I can still remember her complaining in a conversation to someone else that they (the NO family members) were making no effort to get a job (although all employers offered priority to New Orleans residents) and were at the house most of the day drinking and smoking (although they did cook everyday they were there). There lie the problem with many of the evacuees that came - they took everything but gave almost nothing. Given many of them settled in Baton Rouge, it has been known as the sister to New Orleans for many years as the residents have extremely close family, business, and cultural ties; nevertheless, many of the NO residents were used to doing nothing constructive towards accepted American society and they continued to do such. However, this isn't going to be entirely a rant...so I'll get on with the facts.
Not only were the evacuees given employment priority, around 10,000 students flooded the East Baton Rouge Parish Schools. Hear this - just EAST Baton Rouge Parish, not Baton Rouge cumulative. Scotlandville Middle, which was closed down for the typical reasons, was reopened for some 800 New Orleans students who needed an education in lieu of disaster. My high school, Scotlandville Magnet High, was one of those high schools. The New Orleans residents did go through a lot, I must admit - being promised a paid graduation package and, at the last minute, the administation oblivious to that promise, among other isolated and widespread things. Many of them were living in trailers, in shelters, and some were fine - their families were well prepared and they transitioned like any person moving from one city to another. Disheartening to many Baton Rouge residents, however, was the attention pressed towards the New Orleans students. I, personally, was graduating senior at the time. My personal sentiment was that with the commotion of the storm and the aftermath, many opportunities that I could have had by way of scholarships and pre-college training was put to the side. Not that I am complaining that those who were in more need than I were being attended to, but it is a fact that this was the case at many schools that did not increase their staff (when I say increase staff, that is to say counselors and administrators, not instructors).
Another large part of the turmoil was the level of crime that came along with the aftermath of the storm. Aside from the riots at various markets, malls, and shops, there was an obvious spike in crime in Baton Rouge. Now, BR isn't the safest place to be at all times - there is a lot of 'hood beef' that takes the bulk of crimes. In high school, for example, metal detectors were brought in when we (Scotlandville) played Glen Oaks (our rivals) due to the fact that there was a high probablity of violence occurring. I have vivid memories of being at a party or even school function where the biggest worry was someone from Glen Oaks coming and starting something that would cause the function to be shut down. Regardless, if there wasn't enough going already, when the New Orleans residents came there was more 'hood beef' to behold. Baton Rouge residents were determined to keep 'their city.' There were more issues caused by BR residents trying to assert their dominance over their own turf than NO residents trying to impose in addition to the already heightening hood beef at the time. It came to the point where negativity was expected. It was not completely like that - at my high school, for example (perhaps because we were seniors and didn't care about petty things as much) my social circle made jokes but very rarely were their confrontations dealing with the difference in background much less violence. All that mattered is that we all graduated.
I tried to stay in touch with a few of those evacuees that came to our school - many I have fallen out of touch with at some point or another. One in particular, I remember, returned shortly after graduation. He told me that it wasn't the same - he was going to leave and go to either Houston or Atlanta. He said that every time one would dial 9-1-1, the National Guard would come rather than NOPD. He was fearful for his safety - martial law was in full effect (whether or not it was legal at the time or not and whether or not it was for the reasons that the news/Nagin reported) and the South's legacy of racism (which had already reared its hideous face in one way or another) was thick in the Bayou air.
A family member of mine went to work with the rebuilding effort, she returned with mold spores in her lungs from the waste that had accumulated in the air and water after the various plants has been flooded and destroyed and the sewers had overflowed. The Lower Ninth Ward was a cesspool of bacteria and waste. Driving in New Orleans for months thereafter was eerie. There was no light but the Bayou moon and stars to guide you. No street lights, city lights (in most places), no house lights, no other cars, and few animals rustling save the birds in the day.
Everyone knows what comes after this - the predominantly white area was rehabilitated first, the Black area was left longer - was allowed to fall under more depreciation. Primarily white contractors bought up the predominantly Black-occupied land, gentrifying the area at a rate and in a way that was and is so dastardly but, at the same time, completely legal. Many residents that tried to return were not allowed to and were even further outraged when they learned that their homes would not be recovered due to whatever excuse was given at the time.
This brings me to the quote at the beginning of this post:
Bell says many area residents probably suffer from untreated or undiagnosed post-traumatic stress.
Undiagnosed or untreated mental illnesses due to this disaster - Post traumatic stress disorder or Post traumatic slave syndrome? The article is saying that marijuana is the choice self-medication for these victims. Marijuana, however, has been used by the Black community for years upon years. Not to mention William Jefferson and George Washington (among others) with their own hemp farms. It can be easily grown and it is generally cheaper in the South. During the time of Katrina, one half of an ounce would cost as little as 20 US.
I'm saying this to say that although officials are just now paying attention to some of the so-called issues of the Black community, they are in complete ignorance of the context of many other these things. 'It's due to the trauma of Katrina and displacement,' they say with a false sense of authority. 'Bullshit!' as my Daddy would say, who tends to have a more informed sense of authority. I feel that Black Americans tend to self-medicate themselves with marijuana specifically not only because it is a part of the healing culture of the world but also because it is something that provides so little negative repurcussions especially in comparison to the drugs that they will be prescribed for those same ailments that they smoke for.
The marijuana use, the drug trafficking, the drug involvement as a whole has nothing to do with Katrina in the least - it, just like the people who have no socially acceptable jobs, people who have hood beef, and a government that cares nothing about a demographic until they are put in the international spotlight (cite partitioning of Africa, Civil Rights Movement, the Presidency of Barak Obama, the stealing of oil from Africa), is a part of a larger cycle that has been going on longer than 500 years, much to the history-maker's dismay.
Katrina is but a chapter in this book of pain that Diasporic peoples have engraven in their DNA and genetic code. It is but another more real understanding of this relatively new concept of racism that did not exist in 'the beginning' (and no, I'm not talking about the Bible's beginning, I'm talking about the real beginning), it is an example of injustice that is more fresh in the minds of our generation - it also something that is being forgotten in this Obama administration.
Melting pot this, American society that - reality is that everyone on this earth came from Africa. Reality is that there are some that don't look like their ancestors anymore. Reality is that there is a jealous animosity that manifests itself in different conscious and unconscious ways. Reality is that Coonery is alive and kicking and biting and permeating your skull. . .. whoa...tangent - back to reality..
Katrina - yes - Katrina is a horse that is dead. STOP BEATING IT. Things happen. All of this 'remembrance' is for those who didn't know before figure out what they still don't know and will not understand. If your grandmother died, would you want to relive her death year after year after year? In the news? In magazines? In classes at school? I wouldn't. So why do that to those hundreds of thousands that lived through Katrina and Rita and the millions that were directly affected by the same?
Personally, I don't think it's very nice or fair, to beat a dead horse that is.
Despite such, my heart still goes out to those who I was connected with before, during, and because of the storm. My heart goes out to my family members that suffered and those who I don't know that suffered as well. My efforts are still strong to dispell myths of the truths of the situation and I trust that they can heal from this despite the media's unrelenting need to regurgitate painful things just because they have nothing better to fill their news slot with.
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