THE DISCUSSION OF MAYORS OF NEW ORLEANS CONTINUES.

Sidney Barthelemy would succeed his rival Dutch Morial. Bathelemy had a varied background from an aspirant priest, a stevedore, involvement and employment in several positions, even head of the Department of Welfare under Landrieu. However, what is notable is his joining of COUP, Community Organization for Urban Politics. It was this organization's power that placed Barthelemy in the Mayor's office only after his nemisis Dutch Morial had been there first. Barthelemy may have been the first American of African ancestry to be in the senate since reconstruction, but Dutch Morial oudid him in mutliple ways. As a successor to Morial he place COUP supporters along with many other cronies in many positions in City Hall. Once again the major emphasis in the city began that of tourism and various tourist attractions, including the Aquarium. His major blunder was the granting of the Mayor's Scholarship to Tulane to his son, who attended Brother Martin (not his father's alma mater, St. Augustine). The last time I saw this man in public was when he was shopping for a Christmas tree. He looked like a lost child and frankly as mayor of this city he was lost also. The city's decline continued during his tenure as mayor. The city was lost by then but the total decline would still be in the future, the leadership of Marc Morial and his gang. Dutch had died before he could run for mayor against Barthlemey but one would have hoped that he had seen his wrongs and would come back to bring this city back to its feet. However, death had intervened and his son was and is no Ernest "Dutch" Morial.

RACE AND THE CITIZENS OF NEW ORLEANS

This morning RW called my attention to an article on the Bayou Buzz website; http://www.bayoubuzz.com/News/Louisiana/Government/Race_Relations_In_New_Orleans_Post_Katrina__Your_Thoughts__8666.asp

After reading that article she responded. I agree with that response and decided, with her permission to post it here for others to see.

It is been a long time in coming but this discussion is essential. Unfortunately the hatred that exists has been fomented by some in an attempt to gain positions or to gain recognition. This should not be for gain of any sort but for the improvement of our city. It is time for New Orleans to regenerate into a city of unity and serve as an example to all. It can work, if the people put aside their ancestries, their wealth, their status, their personal well being and ambitions and consider the needs of all citizens. It is something that we have been calling for over the years and even more so since Katrina. History will speak that the cause comes from people of all ancestries. It is unfortunate that some of the more influential people and organizations and religions have caused some of the hurt that we see today. May this city move forward. May we recognize the cause of the distress that exists today and may we create what we have called a nouvelle New Orleans, a city of harmony and a city united for a better future for all.

AN INTERRUPTION TO THE ISSUE OF MAYORS

I interrupt my discussion on the history of the mayor's of this city to discuss a pertinent issue - the continuing deaths of young people in the city of New Orleans. Again this morning I read the story of a 15 year old being shot. This continuing issue becomes even more distressing on this date - the day on which Christians begin what they refer to as Holy Week. With due respect to people of other faiths and also with respect to the belief of Christians everywhere, I wish to draw a parallel to the deaths we read about to that of Christ. What was the basic cause for the death of Christ - jealousy, hatred, discrimination of people of his time. What is the foundation of the deaths of young men and women in this city? The same basic factors. I am not drawing a parallel between the deceased in this city and Christ himself but a parallel between the causes. As we begin this Holy Week, all Christians in this city should ask themselves the basic question - are we like the silent people of over two thousand years ago who allowed those fundamental factors to cause the death of Christ? Will we continue to allow jealousy, hatred, discrimination, and yes self-hatred to perpetuate the deaths that continue to dominate the news of this city? Will we, and I include people of all faiths in this call, join together to stop the deaths in this city by seeking to show respect to all, concern for all, and a recognition of equality of all. It is with this in mind, that we all should approach the future for the sake of the citizens and particularly the young men and women of this city.

COURAGE TO MAKE A TRUE DIFFERENCE

Clare Booth Luce once state that "Courage is the ladder on which all the other virtues mount." In 1977 I saw what we thought would be a ladder of courage in front of City Hall and that was Ernest "Dutch Morial", the first American of African ancestry to be elected as mayor of New Orleans. He had faced adversity and had defeated it over the years and had shown to us the courage that it would take to be mayor of this city. There were numerous firsts in this man's life but they came only through struggles and determination. Yes I note that he won because of his voting base but I had hope that this man who had been first to do that which at one time was considered impossible would continue to achieve the impossible. He won without the support of major political organizations. What I saw as a possibility was shortly overshadowed by his giving into the system out of anger at opponenets and a personality that he did not seek to control. He used his own methods of cronyism to develop control of boards, to fill City Hall positions, and to defeat the opposition. While, I would agree with some policies that would seek to eliminate discrimination, I cannot agree with policies that would destroy competency in our city's government. The courage that I had seen as a ladder was being destroyed rung by rung. While I would agree with some issues, such as the strike by police and the subsequent elimination of Mardi Gras in 1979 and the development and diversity in methods of economic gain, we cannot agree to the patronage game being used and the continued vindictiveness against his political opponents. However, those opponents, particulary Sidney Barthlemey, should have held out a hand of peace instead of allowing the anger to destroy this city and what should have been a new vibrance of unity. The ladder of courage was destroyed by the pestilence of anger. Sidney Barthlemey would gain his dream, that of being mayor, but he did not have an iota of the courage that Dutch Morial had at the beginning of Dutch's term as mayor. No one that has followed has had the promise and the initial courage and determination that Dutch Morial had but lost and unfortunately that only led to the continuing decline of this city that began may years before with the failure of Chep Morrison to take the lead in keeping peace during the initial period of integration. The ladder of courage has yet to be shown in the leadership of this city. Next I will address the weakness of a Christmas tree seeker, that I recognized as Sidney Barthelemy.

THE TRAUMA OF POLITICS TAKES A TURN

Abraham Lincoln stated: "The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew." Yes in time, when we left with the Morrisson reign in City Hall, there was a need to think anew and act anew". In that era we would see the rise of Maurice "Moon" Landrieu. Many citizens saw that need and in the election of 1970 he was elected by a vote of 90% of the black vote and 39% of the white vote in the primary. It is, in my opinion, wrong to analyze election based on issues of race but it is a fact of life, even today. In the general election against a Republican, he received 99% of the black vote. However, there is no doubt that he rewarded the electorate with various positions. In fact by the time of his second term a substantial change had been made in the employees in City Hall and the question was asked whether these employees and those in other higher positions were properly qualified. The end does not justify the means. Yes it was time to think anew and act anew but it had to be done with reason. It was during his tenure that there was a major attempt to improve the tourism in this city, a factor that the Landrieu younger generation still adheres to even today. The major problem was that there should have been a greater attempt to attract major businesses into the area. Slowly the city began to sink during the 1970's as more and more citizens fled to the suburbs as the city schools began a drastic slide, and as hatred began to show its face in many, many ways. One of the major problems was the issues of schools and the failure of the system to educate even then. Yes time had brought about change but the change was not suitably handled by those who were in charge. The change could have been smooth if there were open employment practices and the best qualified, regardless of ancestry, would have been chosen to be part of the government of the city. During his tenure many scurrilous remarks were made about his heritage, etc. None of which were well founded and were based on the claims of racists only. Yes the new was there but there was no thought given as to how to handle and promote the new. This was unfortunate. This to me was the major flaw in Landrieu's administration and it further added to the turmoil that would follow in years to come.

THE LEADERSHIP CONTINUES BUT THE CITY WILL CRUMBLE

Julie de Lespinasse stated “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity”. Chep Morrison’s failure to face the reality of integration and take the necessary steps to avoid the expression of hatred by many who were simply ignorant and unknowing led to the initial determination of many leaving the city for the suburbs. For some it was the hatred that the ignorant had shown for others it was fear for their children. When Chep left to become U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States, the City Council elected Councilman Vic Schiro, then Councilman-At-Large, as interim mayor. Schiro would be an avowed segregationist and also inherit the helm of the Crescent Democratic Association (which would eventually disintegrate). However, this man would not allow the fiasco created by integration to control the opening of a new school year. He dealt with the issue to preserve the integrity of this city and used law officials to avoid an occurrence of events that had happened under the reign of Morrison. While he remained a segregationist, he would take some but not enough steps to halt the devastation that would be created by the continuation of the discord created by this issue. Yes there was much that could have been done but not to avoid the issues that would arise. He would defeat others and he would bring vast improvements to this city but there would be another issue that would haunt his term and it name was Betsy. The haunting would be that we would not learn from that storm. However, credit must be given to Schiro for what he did more than forty years ago. Yes he did get President Johnson to visit the city on the day after the hurricane; Johnson and Schiro visited the Lower Ninth Ward and an emergency shelter. There would be packages for those who suffered and some would claim that he used this to gain re-election. However, he did get the Saints and the beginning of a new Superdome. Give him credit for what he did, including the code of ethics for city employees, the various public buildings, etc. However, this insurance man, who had a varied background, did not face the reality of what would destroy this city – he continued the foundation of what would be the hatred that this city faces today and would create the beginning of the decline in education and race relations that haunt this city today. It would have been better, if he followed the admonishment of George Bernard Shaw: “I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.”

THE SIREN’S CALL OF NEPOTISM AND CORRUPTION

Yes this is the basis for the past and for the present. Do your research on the mayors of the city beginning with Martin Behrman, the child of immigrants and born in New York, to the present day mayor, Ray Nagin, born into a Creole family. Yes, indeed, that very term Creole is used in many, many ways. It ultimately comes down to a question of family lineage. Yes read about the RDO and the ward bosses. Read about the man of wealth and prominence, Thomas Semmes Walmsley, a member of the Boston Club, a rival of Huey Long. Attacked by Long, Walmsley supported by the elite of New Orleans Society and the city’s political machine, attacked back. Walmsley later passed an ordinance banning the spread of "anarchistic, communistic, or radical doctrines" in New Orleans. He also fired almost two thousand black city employees by enforcing a Jim Crow law banning the employment of non-voters. Walmsley's term as mayor continued an alliance between the city's social and economic elite and the city's most powerful political machine. Owing his political success to his membership in the Old Regular machine's Choctaw Club, Walmsley benefited from their ability to turn out votes and dispense patronage. Yes the fight between Long and Walmsley was bitter and it showed that the votes of the citizens really did not matter once you were in power. The battle would be between the elected and their cronies.
When Walmsley resigned, he was succeeded by Robert Maestri. Read about this man, with a third grade educate, who amassed a fortune, who became mayor with the support of good old Huey’s cronies support. Yes Huey had been assassinated by this time. Maestri did recreate the city’s structure but he did use a system of patronage that would continue into his second term. The second term was different in the manner in which he governed but the corruption and favoritism that already characterized his administration grew even further. Deals with mobsters resulted in the expansion of gambling and prostitution. This brought forth a different person, a reformer by the name of DeLessepes Story Morrison, Sr. into the mayor’s office.
While Morrison did much he also used patronage and corruption as part of his governance. After his election Morrison quickly built his own political organization, the Crescent City Democratic Association. Modeling itself on the Old Regular system of ward and precinct captains, the CCDA began finding its supporters jobs in City Hall and in municipal construction contracts. Morrison also faced the issue of integration in a typical political manner – doing little. Morrison’s lack of action stemmed from his political need to avoid alienating black supporters while at the same time retaining a segregationist stance. His error was that in failing to stop the hatred and violence he would create the beginning of the hatred and mistrust that would create the collapse of his beloved city of New Orleans. Morrison would never gain the governor’s mansion, yet he would be given a federal position. However, his stay in office as mayor was besieged by issues of nepotism and corruption. The game of politics was played. Yes the story will continue. However, the story would begin to extend further and further into issues that would create more than just corruption and nepotism but also the issue of hatred. The basis as noted above. Today I end with a quote from Booker T. Washington – “I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.” It is unfortunate that these words of Mr. Washington are not taken seriously by so many. In this city the hatred is based on one issue alone – ethnic background