August 2, 2007

I am pleased to be among this tested and true group of activists who are committed to Katrina Justice.

We come together to do what is right for our country and this community.

We are told that the failures of the government to protect its citizens on September 11th was a "failure of imagination." In the case of Katrina survivors they tell us that it was a "failure of initiative." The operative word in both tragedies, however, is failure. And the families of the victims have been left, in the words of Fred Hampton, with "answers that don't answer, explanations that don't explain, and conclusions that don't conclude." Katrina survivors looking for a road home have found that road pockmarked by the potholes of racism, discrimination, and ineffective elected leadership. While President Bush failed to even mention Katrina in his 2007 State of the Union address, the Democratic majority in Congress failed to include Katrina survivors among their priorities for the first 100 days of Congressional action. The United States Government, including both political parties, has thus far been unwilling to accord both the dignity and justice that is deserved by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita survivors. This action is initiated by them and the people who care deeply about them as they struggle to secure their rights.

The Hurricanes Katrina and Rita International Tribunal seeks nothing more than the justice these survivors deserve.

Thank you.