I am now back on wheels. Yesterday Don Paul, the organizer of rebuild green which is the first website I have worked on since being here, brought over an extra bike he had at his place. So yesterday I rode around the area, and got to see yet more deserted neighborhoods all representing so many people who have not yet been able to return. New Orleans is a unique city, and especially the Lower 9th Ward (where the reconstruction is the slowest) because of it's high level of home ownership. In the Lower 9th Ward, figures vary, but the median household income is much lower than national and Louisiana averages yet home ownership is higher than average. Therefore many if not most of the houses that remain abandoned represent somebody's "piece of America." These people are now spread around the country having either given up on their home, or trying to raise the funds to return and rebuild. Trouble is the city is trying to condemn them before they can get back. This is why it is so urgent to get the houses gutted and cleaned so that they are not condemable.
New volunteers have been arriving as a part of the Common Ground Relief "Fall Campaign." It is nice to no longer be the "new guy" and see new faces. I'm still living at St. Mary of the Angels school. The makeup is a real interesting mix of people that appreciate living in this community as they don't have an alternative and people from all over predominantly college age that have come to help out leaving behind the comforts of home. There is such a strong mission that conflict seems rare. Most of the people who live there are known as "gutters" or the ones who gut the houses. The others prepare meals, keep the house clean, and there is a crew that are the bio-remediation team who go in and test the levels of toxins both in the houses and in soil throughout the city.
Today is St. Francis of Assisi's feast day. We have been looking at picture for our desktops depicting St. Francis. This evening everyone wants to watch "Brother Sun, Sister Moon."
About Me
- Geoffrey
- It is better to love God and serve everyone rather than to try and figure It all out. After working in business management for both for-profit and non-profit businesses, I came to realize there must be something missing because I didn't see peace and happiness at the end of the path I was on. I then was blessed in learning about Peace Pilgrim whose message has gradually become the guiding force in my life. I have spent most of the last 12 years living in community as I feel that sharing resources, both material and personal is the most efficient means of living. During this time I was blessed to come into contact with many alternative ideas. I strive to be a very conscious consumer. If I need to buy something, I try to find out just where it came from and decide upon the source that has lead to the least suffering and the most sustainability. I sometimes find that others are very resistant to learning about this because it is much easier to walk into a store and buy what we thing we need. Since giving my life up to service, I have always had everything I needed provided, and living without a whole lot of possessions has made life much more rewarding and free.