New Orleans Mayor Takes Swipe At NYC

Nagin Cites Failure To Rebuild Ground Zero While Defending Katrina Clean-Up

(CBS)  Confronted by accusations that he’s taking too long to clean up his city after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin defended himself by remarking on New York City’s failure to rebuild Ground Zero.

Nagin made the remarks in an interview conducted by CBS News National Correspondent Byron Pitts which will be broadcast on 60 Minutes, Sunday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. EDT.

On a tour of the decimated Ninth Ward, Nagin tells Pitts the city has removed most of the debris from public property and it’s mainly private land that’s still affected – areas that can’t be cleaned without the owners' permission. But when Pitts points to flood-damaged cars in the street and a house washed partially into the street, the mayor shoots back. "That’s alright. You guys in New York can’t get a hole in the ground fixed and it’s five years later. So let’s be fair."

Nagin is confident New Orleans will be whole again and will even be able to withstand another hurricane of Katrina strength, pointing out that taller and stronger levees are being built. It will take time.

"We’re into a five-to-seven-year build cycle … . At the end of the day, I see the city being totally rebuilt. I see us eliminating blight, still being culturally unique," Nagin says.

One example of new development Nagin points to is a 68-story Trump Towers condominium complex, a project that makes some critics wary that New Orleans will lose the heritage that made it unique.

"I think you are looking at basically a town that will be a playground for the rich for the next 40 years," Leonard Moore, a professor of African-American history at Louisiana State University, tells Pitts. "I look at the post-Katrina piece as a game of musical chairs….Once the music gets turned off, the white folks have a place to sit down, a place to sleep, a place for their children to go to school. We’re going back to a trailer."

Nagin says he is looking out for the poor, mostly black, residents who are dispersed all over the country, some of whom are waiting to return to the city.

"What I do have a problem with is some entrenched interests that are looking and salivating over certain sections of the city," Nagin says.

The mayor says these interests want him to keep those poor people from coming back so they can get rich developing the land.

"I don’t think that’s right," Nagin says.

But before any rebuilding can take place, the clean-up and restoration of the city’s infrastructure must be complete and it will be Mayor Nagin, recently re-elected, who leads the efforts.

"Should things have happened quicker? Yes. But everyone has their own style of leadership, and right now our political leader, our political father is Ray Nagin," says Oliver Thomas, New Orleans City Council president.

"So for the next four years, we’re going to sink or swim with him," Thomas tells Pitts.

[kdrakenj]

So you think "You guys in New York can%u2019t get a hole in the ground fixed and it%u2019s five years later. So let%u2019s be fair." Are you comparing a terrorist act to an act of God? You knew hours/day ahead of time to get people out. Your choice not to assist those to move killed people!! Can you sleep at night? You and your management team is responsible to rebuild 'your city'. I personally donated thousands of dollars to the Katrinia effort. Check your pockets!!!

[bfroggy-2009]

Haha. Ray Nagin is an interesting fellow. He really only cares what the people of New Orleans think anyway, and they recently re-elected him. So he may come off as abrasive or ignorant to the rest of us, but he is king of his own little world, so why worry about him.

[amandareed06]

I dont understand why more of the focus has not been on the sloppy job the Corps of Engineers did on the levees. After all, the city was not flooded by a hurricane, it was flooded because a chapter of the federal govt. did not do its job. I remember even back when I was a little girl talk about what would happen if just a Cat 1 storm came up the right way from the Gulf. Yes, Katrina was a Cat 3 storm, but it was well east of New Orleans when it made landfall. I think that the property owners that lost their homes and businesses, not to mention the families that lost loved ones should hold the Corps of Engineers responsible. I truly hope that the city can be rebuilt, with the racial diversity that made it so wonderful and unique.

[one_american]

Ray Nagin, comedian.

Funny he hasn't answered why the hundreds of city and school busses were not used for the evacuation of New Orleans before Katrina hit.

Keep 'em laughing, Ray - and you'll keep your job.

[fartnocker2]

Nagin and his friends have already made a couple miliion on this deal already with waste removable an other contracts .He can't afford any outsiders watching closely.

[ronniehm]

I wouldn't hold the Corps responsible for the levees so much as the conservation activists who fought levee improvements and additional barriers every step of the way.

Regarding one such plan approved 30 years ago:

"If we had built the barriers, New Orleans would not be flooded," Joseph Towers, retired chief counsel for the Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans district, told the September 9 Los Angeles Times.

J. Bennett Johnston, a Democratic U.S. senator from Louisiana when the levee was approved by Congress and Johnson, agreed with Towers' assessment. "It would have prevented the huge storm tide that came into Lake Pontchartrain," Johnston told the Times.

"My feeling was that saving human lives was more important than saving a percentage of shrimp and crab in Lake Pontchartrain," Towers told the Times. "I told my staff at the time that this judge had condemned the city. Some people said I was being a little dramatic."

Thanks Sierra Club.

[avgeno]

Nagins racist comment some six or so months ago (calling for a chocolate city)solidified my opinion of his thinking. If the same comment had come out of the mouth of a white policician for a white segment of population, he would have been out of office the next day. It wasn't the content of the thought,as New Orleans has always been a culturally diverse city of Black America. It was the verbiage that he chose that unmasked his racist beliefs. Didn't trust him then and don't trust him now. He's going to sell out to the money and one day we are going to pick up the paper and be looking at another Louisiana Jefferson. Go ahead, mark it down...it's going to come to be.

[rihan156]

NY is about people who are gone and will not come back; New Orleans is about living and breathing people hardly tolerated in some places because of the rules of hospitality; after a while crowded people seeing issues rising will immanquably decide it is the newcomers' fault.

Although well-intentioned, Mayor Nagin is not doing enough; being more aggressive and giving an earful to our Apparatchicks may move things; that way, his constituents will see he wants results, did something to locate and contact land owners, to clean all what could be removed.

Slaping back is not an answer. New York is 9/11 but New Orleans' stricken inhabitants are still wandering throughout the region, yearning to go back home. Thus, give them that chance.

A "chocolate" New Orleans? Then explain to all that chocolate may be dark chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate but overall what makes it chocolate for all is that it is "delicious"!

Now roll your sleeves up, ask for help from everybody you come in contact with, involve emergency and relocation/reconstruction experts and nonprofit organizations, ask for input from urban developers and engineers, and involve those who need to come back for finding solutions on what would be the best approaches. If some government agencies or any other elected official do not collaborate, say it loud and clear!

Move and do more than you are doing now with giving rethorical responses. People want action, thus results!

[spinosajr3]

Nagin is a disgrace to his office and his race.

[annevilla-2009]

Nagin is an incompetent *** , everyone knew he was an incompetent *** but the people of New Orleans voted him back in. As far as I'm concerned, the people of New Orleans have the government they deserve.

[mhitkoff]

Mayor Nagin should be ashamed of himself!!! I've seen Ground Zero; has he? New York has rebuilt 90% of the surroundin building, including the very critical communications infrastructure, not to mentions the other privately owned building. New York has nothing to be ashamed of; whereas Mayor Nagin does....he's a moron!

[pmk]

NAgin is a racist and a crook. CBS should not bother to report anything he says about NYC. At least NYC has a real mayor that has moved his city forward. Ask Nagin why Mississippi is so much father ahead with less money that New Orleans, so are other LA towns and cities. No one trusts him or the Governor with our hard earned tax dollars. Nagin is forgetting that we from the Northeast have already paid for his levies and all. We do not want the state or city getting the money to steal again.

[ringle5]

I'm really tired of that race card getting played for everything that suits the cardholers purpose and never vise-versa. The only color that matters in New Orleans or any other city in America is GREEN!! It doesn't matter what race you are, if you have $ and want to buy a piece of N.O. and it is for sale then buy it. If your black and don't have money to get back or get in, then it is your fault not the fault of people with money. I'm sure there are black folks with money that bought property there and nobody is complaining about that, only white people with money buying property brings attention. Nagan needs to go back to spinning records because I'm tired of him spinning stories.

[jerryhoss]

You should watch BBC, DW and NHK more: Pundits outside the USA have been talking about an "ethnic cleansing" process in New Orleans and on the Gulfcoast since two days after the flood.

Nagin is right. And it looks like he might be in cohoots with the real estate and gentrification sharks.

Jerry Hoss, Ph D, San Diego

[herbud514]

Mayor Nagin is as incompetent as the governor. Louisiana has been the most corrupt state in the union from the Huey Long days. I am also getting sick and tired of the whining about poor and the displaced. Listen to what Nagin wants, he want BILLIONS to rebuild housing projects and to create new programs that only manage to keep those people poor and voting democratic. This is a chance for New Orleans to REALLY become a very nice city. His characterizations of keeping its unique cultural identity is a code for "we need to bring back the homeless and destitute". The culture of jazz, voodoo, and sexual adventures will never leave, because the French Quarter still stands.

[untidy1]

About those abandoned cars. Nagin and New Orleans were offered $5 million to remove all of the cars. He refused. Now since FEMA will not foot the bill to remove them, the city has to PAY 23 million to have them removed. I'd like to know how many relatives of the administration are involved in the removal, better yet what does congressman Jefferson have to do with it? I think his freezer is getting low. By the way, I'm from Biloxi, MS and rode out Katrina4 blocks from the beach. (thank God for high elevation) From state line to state line, up to a 3/4 mile inland in places, buildings were reduced to slab. Our main tax bases were destroyed, not simply flooded. The water came in in 25 to 30 foot crashing WAVES. I guess we weren't quite as *** as New Orleans.

Well, I live in a vanilla city. Our Mayor did use the schools buses when they were needed, and he didn't demand they have Greyhounds, or dingle balls or anything first, because the people mattered, not the style in which they evacuated. Typical chocolate city, everyone else is to blame.

[jlosinger1]

White Folks?!?! Who is this professor from LSU? I believe that this speaks to the root of the problem. When you have educated African-American teachers at institutions of higher learning using antiquated terms like "white folks," it is easy to see just how engrained the culture of racism is in the state of Louisiana and its dim prospects for the future.

Unfortunately, Ray Nagin not only adopts this racist "distrust of whites" attitude, but perpetuates it. Even more disappointingly, Mr. Nagin unabashedly used the race card for his own selfish political gain, as evidenced by his race-based mayoral campaign.

[shj5]

Nagin is incompetent in all things but one-he does a good job at keeping his race down and out. It is people like him and that disgrace for a Reverend Jesse Jackson who breed racism and hatred in this country. Nagin's reelection proves that New Orleans is not coming out of the water any time soon. Its really sad.

[paleojudge]

Let's be serious. New Orleans will become a hispanic city as the hispanic construction and trades workers move in to take the reconstruction jobs. Who do you think the contractors, floating in federal money, are going to hire to get the job done? The african-american population we saw at the Astro Dome? The whole thing is a giant scam. The contractors must be all over that place like mold on cheese, fighting like sharks in the water for all those federal dollars. They'll hire hispanics, legal or illegal, to get the job done- cheap effective labor that will produce a product but allow them to reap huge profits. Five years from now you will be visiting New Orleans to sing "I Come From Rancho Grande" and eat tamales. Ray Nagin will be nothing but a memory, maybe running for mayor in a suburb of Houston. Next question?

Nagin is a joke and completely ignorant. The incredible people of New York (I don%u2019t live there) had ALL THE DEBRIS cleared out from Ground Zero in EIGHT MONTHS, Mr. Nagin. You can%u2019t even get the cars out of the streets of N.O. in one year. All you need is one more hurricane to come through N.O. and you%u2019ll have thousands of tons of missiles flying through the air.

Lastly, N.O. was a democratic city, in a democratic county, inside a democratic state and where was that entire democratic utopia all these years? Instead, N.O. is one of the poorest and criminal infested cities in our country while managed by democrats. Why doesn%u2019t CBS News ask that question? They won%u2019t, instead they continue to play the race card.

[fmanley1]

The Mayor's comment is a logical fallacy. He changed the subject instead of addressing the issue at hand. If I kill my neighbor I can't get out of jail by claiming I'm not as bad as Hitler. The Mayor is a complete idiot and no one, including CBS should be wasting their time with him. Whoever said that he wants to money to get elected is right on. It's all dirty politics. It's sad that african americans fall into this trap. They have been and continue to be completely used by the democratic party for extra votes. It is sick an pathetic.
And at least Bush doesn't say...well look at how bad Africa is when confronted about reasons for invading Iraq...

[aaronprice]

Ray Nagin sounds a little like "Re-Negin"...

[rouxdeaux]

As a native New Orleanian living and working in NYC, I am saddened by Nagin's comment. These tragedies were both catastrophic and need never be compared. I was there through both. I lost friends in both. It is all too fresh to wave around.

I am also disturbed by some of the posts above. One person states that "we paid for those levies." Really? Well, if you do a little research professor, you will find that there were deficits and cuts on the federal level - it is not all "crooked" state politics.

I resent the stereotypes that have grown out of this tragedy. As one of the thousands of people who lost everything in Katrina, I do not expect a handout from the government. I am still paying a mortgage on a house I cannot live in (on top of NY rent). We still don't know if our home can be repaired. Our insurance is not paying for the water damage. I do think it is important for people to know that it is still such a mess on the entire Gulf Coast and NO. Not everybody in that region is crooked. It is easy to jump on the bandwagon and parrot back what you have heard other people say without looking into it.

The truth of the matter is...when people are hurting, they want people to GET IT, to understand where they are coming from. The whole "my tragedy was way worse than those others" syndrome stems from that need.

[bob485]

what, has america gone insane? anyone go to look at any other states that got hit by katrina or the other hurricanes that year? (you know, miss., alabama) funny how the only people whining about rebuilding are ray nagin and new orleans. other folks, who live in hurricane prone areas uderstand the dangers and plan for it. they don't go whining on national news for help, they do it themselves. sorry mr nagin, it's not our fault that you didn't evacuate everyone soon enough. and it's not our fault that all of you chose to live below sea level. and it's not our fault that your levees have been substandard for 3 decades. it's not our fault that your state legislature diverted funds to other projects instead of those levees. and it's not our fault that the very pumps that were supposed to help you were below sea level too. sure, we're all sorry that some folks lost their homes and lives...but jeez...didn't anyone living there think there might be a hurricane some day? what, ya think the sun shines out of your rumps and no storm would ever dare to hit new orleans? at least new york has a good excuse...what city expects a terrorist attack of that proportion?

[webjunkiejr]

Sounds like a pretty valid defense on Nagin's part and is surprising that he's generating controversy amongst conservative blowhards. The Post and the Daily News have constantly harped on delays in rebuilding at WTC as have New York residents. I guess its a case of only being able to criticize your own.

[rouxdeaux]

I have to comment to Bob485 about his shortsightedness. If a tsunami hits Seattle and obliterates the west coast, he can add "nobody told you to live there." When an earthquake tears up Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Memphis, he can add "nobody told you to move where there are earthquakes." I can say the same for ice storms, blizzards, tornadoes, mud slides, and heat waves. Maybe we could all move in with Bob since he is so prepared in such a safe place. Sorry Bob, no amount of preparation can get you ready for that type of catastrophic weather - the fact of the matter is that if the city had been prepared, the human tragedy would have been lesser, but the damage would not have changed. The fact that the city is below sea level is certainly something to consider when choosing a place to live - just like a fault line.

[Arxland]

Once again a prominent African American elected official is blaming everyone but the people responsible for the problem. Florida has been racked by various hurricanes over the last several years and didn't seem to have these problems during both the Clinton and Bush administrations. The Democratic Party has been in charge of Louisiana and New Orleans for several generations and it appears that they have failed their citizens both by their lack of preparation and their failure to lead. But of course only person who gets the blame is President Bush. He is blamed for the hurricane (Rep. Kennedy), for blowing up the levee (Mr. Farrakhan, Mr. Nagin, Mr. Sharpton), for not evacuating the Super Dome (the press), and for a slow response (the press, the Democratic Party). I notice that the elected officials directly responsible, ie, the Democratic governor, the Democratic mayor, and the Democratic parrish officials receive none of this blame nor any of the responsibility for their lack of response or planning. After all it was the Democratic governor who waited over thirty hours after the levee break before initiating the federal emergency response. Under the law that has to occur first. What say the dhimmi's?

[jpbnuangel]

Nagin needs to worry about his own turf, if you can't control your own sandbox, don't worry about what others are doing, I don't remember Katrina being a terrorist, she was an act of GOD, terrorists are an act of Satanic mankind.

[paulski2]

Let's face it. Ray Nagin is a racist. I think New Orleans would be better off being more white than black. However, Nagin realizes he cannot hold power without the African Americans being there. Lets be honest. Nagin is a liberal democrat that blames everyone else. He is the cause of the deaths in New Orleans. He did not order a Mandatory evac. Remember the school buses that were just sitting there flooded. How dare Nagin criticize New York! He is a JOKE!!

[ps123mail]

I live in the New Orleans area and I am sick and tired of hearing ABOUT THE 9TH WARD. !!
There were MANY other areas of this city (and Jefferson Parish and St. Bernard Parish) that were ALSO destroyed ! Many of my relatives lost everything they had in Orleans Parish. They lived in Lakeview (6 on the 17th St. Canal) and Metaire and N.O.East and Chalmette and Arabi. I never hear/see of the national press giving any coverage to these blighted areas. All of the people in my family had good jobs, some were part of the economic backbone of this great area and kept many locals employed. They own homes, they worked hard for their money and started many little home-grown businesses. They paid they mortgages and they paid their insurance (including flood ins). None of these good folks are waiting for the government to help them. They have decided to pick themselves up and crawl inch by inch to rebuild their lives. They sweat and work and do very little whinning about "why aren't we getting our homes built for free like many in the 9th Ward." Many of these great folks are sick and tired of this uphill battle with Nagin and the "good ole boys" of the political machine and are leaving the area and taking their businesses with them.
I CHALLENGE ANY NATIONAL MEDIA TO COVER THAT STORY.

[devochef]

Lets face it. Most people who are bashing Ray don't understand basic civics much less how a leveeis built. A natural disaster and the Corps of Engineers are responsible for the deaths Nagin had no control or authority to change the levee system. The Pulaski's of the world are projecting their own political aganda. Anyone who calls Nagin a "good ole boy" is spending too much of his carpetbagger yankee time watching Tucker KKKarlson.

Devochef - New Orleans Bywater resident

[paulski2]

Nagin blames everyone except himself for the New Orleans disaster. Cronies syphoned off funds for the levees, and Nagin is a crackhead crook. He is responsible for his New Orleans citizens and he did not take care of them. He should be charged with malfensence in office.

[eddie1116]

I live in New York. I would have preferred to have a cold, glistening, stainless steel dagger pierce my heart rather than to know that you referred to 9/11 merely as "a hole in the ground"...

[bigdaddyfl1]

I live in the hurricane capital (Florida). We tried to develop parts of the wetlands here known as the everglades,,,,,wrong move. the eco system belongs to mother nature & she really gets mad if you try to change it. I believe they should turn off the pumps & open the levees, After 30 days, anything that is still wet, make it a National Park.
Jeb Bush has done a great job for the state, not just a few cities on the coast. We have good evcauation plans & for the dummies that want to stay, we have the best stocked shelters.
All building permits are issued only on a 140mph wind design.
As for Mr Nagin, I loss faith in him when a contractor bid 5 million to get rid of ALL the cars in New Orleans. He turn it down but gave the contract to a buddy for 32 million.

[ps123mail]

comment to Eddie --- please understand that the majority of people here in the New Orleans area sincerely thank the GOOD PEOPLE OF NEW YORK for your generosity during our time of need. We saw and spoke to many of your WONDERFUL NYPD AND NYFD who spent many weeks with us here to help. The beautiful people of NY remembered us when we came to help you there after 9/11.
We are good people here and do not wish to be associated with the stupid and careless statements made by Nagin.
PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGY FOR THE UTTERLY GROSS STATEMENT OF THIS SO-CALLED MAYOR.

[webjunkiejr]

Republicans love to pile on a black man whenever they feel the least bit insulted. They know that nowadays they have to keep those deeply ingrained racist beliefs all bottled up in public but pounce with their chests all puffed out when someone exhibits a slightly poor choice of words. They've been getting in trouble lately though thanks to videocameras and YouTube. Send a minority to videotape an all-white Republican campaign event and you can apparently guarantee racial sparks to fly... Welcome to America, welcome to the real world with all us angry white men.

[rccpepper]

You people don't get it. Bush is to blame for the whole thing. He did not take care of the NO professional victims like that of NYC.<P>

The professionals are mad because Bush did not make them instant millionaires like the NYC professional victims.

[DrHardcrab]

*** tootin' it was Bush's fault!!! I heard a rumor that he was planning a killer tornado for the poor people in East St. Louis!!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!

"President Bush duzzint care about black people..."

PUHLEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE!!!!!!!!

[scooter52664]

webjunk and devochief are the striking example of people, any people, not just black people, who don't take responsibility for their behavior. Congratulations to you both, you managed to stay stuck in the 1950's very well. The world owes you; it's all the "whities" fault.

We're "pilin" on the black man? Have you heard Bill Cosby as of late? Have you heard Juan Williams as of late? You finally have people who are holding you accountable for your behavior, pointing out your own bigotry, pointing out your "victim" mentality and "entitlement" mentality and "you can't handle the truth". My suggestion - get a dose of reality you two- step back, the world doesn't revolve around you.

[scooter52664]

Oh, and by the way Einsteins, your precious mayor is responsible for not having a plan, not utilizing resources, not pulling the community together - no one else - not Blanco, not Bush, not Brown - NAGIN. And you dopes voted him in after all that....AGAIN!

[cbssucks1231]

I love how leonard moore uses rich and white interchangeably in his comments. Whats up wit dat?

[binz]

So Nagin thinks that thousands of people LIVED in the World Trade Center? Big difference between rebuilding a place used for business and a place used for day to day living. Hey but people like him get a free pass. Say and do all the idiotic things you wish and still get elected.

[ledstone]

Mr. Nagin should be in jail for all that he did not do to rescue his people from Katrina. He had no plan to protect his city and looked to others for an idea and then blame. His recent comments, among many of his prior gems, prove that he is ignorant and full of pride. The people of New Orleans elected him and desrve him with all his splendor and shame that he will bring upon the city for 4 more years.

[ayla01]

On 9/11 Rudy Giuliani became America's Mayor. On the day Katrina hit Ray Nagin became America's ***.

[scooter52664]

Leonard Moore, a professor of African-American history at Louisiana State University...

underpaid to the point of having to live in a trailer...oh, sorry, he meant "other" black people, he of course if benefiting from the opportunities afforded to all in this country of being able to create the life you want to live.

Now I get it..."those" people. Nice Leo, real nice. Kill...kill de white man, it's all our fault anyway. Or at least Bush's fault.

[scooter52664]

"So for the next four years, we%u2019re going to sink or swim with him," Thomas tells Pitts.

I'm down with that, just don't ask anyone outside the 9th Ward for a life preserver next time and don't complain when we remind you of your comments, either.

[neolib]

If prof Moore was a white (rich) man and he made the reverse statement would it be racist. Of course. Of course if no one calls him on it then it empowers him to be a state sponsored racist.

[truckerdude2]

Bush and his gang of Neocon bigots trying to wipe out the pro Democratic city of New Orleans and destroy the black male and a proud black mayor. No aid to New Orleans for a year! Bush how do you sleep at night!! But richy rich white people get rebuilt by fema in florida huricanes in weeks. Iraq oil pumps in days by cheneys company haliburton and the navy.

[carlierae26]

Please tell me truckerdude2 you're not this idiotic in real life. I would love to know where you get your facts. Because there isn't any in that post.

It's hard to find a more racist person than Nagin. He's one of those people who like to hold the black person down and blame it on everyone else but him and his actions. Pathetic. But heck, they voted him in again. they deserve what happens.