Solidarity with Katrina victims
By and
PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Local activists marched and rallied in solidarity with the people of New Orleans on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Some 75 people chanted and marched through the streets of Providence, with a school bus carrying children and those unable to walk the two-mile route.
The event was organized by Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE), the Olneyville Neighborhood Association (ONA), City Life/Vida Urbana (from Boston), Safe Streets (from New Orleans) and the Right to the City Alliance.
Marchers stopped at four locations to highlight the displacement, unemployment, gentrification and criminalization of youth and immigrants in New Orleans and Providence. A woman from Safe Streets in New Orleans spoke about how happy she was that there were marches commemorating this tragic event.
The march stopped at the Department of Education, where students called for more fair treatment of youth within schools, stating that education is a right not a privilege. After stopping to call for more affordable housing, the march proceeded to the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office. Protesters decried ICE raids this year in Providence and Newport, in which nearly 100 people were detained.
A woman who was arrested during a raid of maintenance employees at the Providence courthouse spoke about how raids break up families. "It was unfair that we lost our jobs and the actual companies that knew what was going on didn't get punished," she said. Workers worked overtime and did not get compensated, she added.
The final stop was Rhode Island Hospital, where Sara Mersha of DARE spoke about gentrification in the south side of Providence. Lifespan, a large health network of Rhode Island hospitals, is buying up all the land in that area, pushing out people and leaving them with few options for affordable housing.
In front of the hospital, a woman from Louisiana talked about how the storm has displaced friends and family. She performed a spoken word highlighting the adversity within New Orleans and the strength of the people of the city to overcome it and rebuild.
