Charmaine Neville's story (she was trapped in N.O.)

[wildflower]

Charmaine Neville, a singer, is daughter of Charles Neville and niece of Aaron, Art, and Cyril. She made it out.

Neville: My soul is New Orleans

...

What's more, she added, she could not afford to leave when residents were told to evacuate. Many others in New Orleans, home to thousands of poor residents, were in the same boat.

"It wasn't that I wanted to ride out the storm, believe me," Neville said. "Two days before the storm hit, I had spent every penny I had saved getting a new roof put on my house. I didn't have any money. I didn't have a car.

"When they said the storm was coming, I barricaded myself in the house and prayed. Many people in my neighborhood stayed because they didn't have resources. We did not stay because we wanted to be looters or martyrs. We stayed because we had to."

...

"When we realized they weren't going to pick us up, we had to leave," she said. "So we just started walking, in water, with dead bodies, and fish, this big, and alligators, filth, trash. The smell was horrible."

Some desperate flood victims committed suicide, she said. "Because nobody was coming to help them, they were killing themselves. Some people that just went crazy."

I wish I could paste more in. The entire article of what she experienced and saw is at:

http://2theadvocate.com/stories/090405/new_soul001.shtml

[wildflower]

1. kick - things sinking fast here

[wildflower]

2. Story is worth reading, IMO

:kick:

[KeepItReal]

3. kick

<eom>

[politicasista]

4. Thanks. That's great news.

:kick:

[wildflower]

5. There are some harrowing details in there

For instance, I hadn't realized flood victims in the neighborhoods were committing suicide. Thanks for the :kick:.

[elehhhhna]

6. omg. SHE was raped.

Neville said that she, too, was raped during those chaotic days. "What he took from me was nothing, because he can't take my spirit, he can't take my soul. My soul is New Orleans."

[wildflower]

7. Yes.

It is awful. Maybe she will help get more attention to her and others' stories.

[wildflower]

9. I think I will repost on this topic

in the feminists' group.

wildflower

[wellstone dem]

8. kick

[Ranec]

10. I think this is the first of many stories

The long line of horror stories no doubt will continue for months.

It is simply awful.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

11. more of the article....

Some desperate flood victims committed suicide, she said. "Because nobody was coming to help them, they were killing themselves. Some people that just went crazy."

At first, Neville thought her group could find refuge at the Superdome or the Convention Center.

"When we got down there, I saw that they couldn't help themselves," she said. "And when we got to Canal Street, we saw that no one was going to be able to help us."

At the French Quarter's French Market, Neville said, the group spotted a city bus that had been commandeered by a young Ninth Ward resident. They joined him and drove from the city in heavy rain, eventually reaching Donaldsonville. There they found food, shelter and fresh clothes at Shekinah Full Gospel Baptist Church.

[spacelady]

12. I was in New Orleans last Saturday...

we got on the road & out about 1/2 hour before I-10 was diverted & made it home to Mobile. I have just gotten electricity back. Been out of touch. My brother, a top dog in the NG, told me a few days ago that gangs had plotted to stay behind in NO in order to loot. This is an example of the scapegoating that will be par for the course in regard to the lack of response & responsibility.

[Gemini Cat]

17. I know of someone who couldn't respond to the hurricane

because he was busy eating cake, playing a guitar and looting the treasury. He had other priorities.

[bettyellen]

21. so the gangs of looters are better planner than our govt?

that's some really brilliant scapegoating.

[Booster]

13. Excellent story from an extraordinary woman. thanks.

[IdaBriggs]

14. Kicked and nominated! nt

[bring_em_home_bush]

15. recommended nt

[leftofthedial]

16. who puts on a new roof two days before a hurricane?

I love the nevilles

what a story

[crispini]

18. .

:kick:

[leftchick]

19. nominated

I want to shove this story into my racist repuke neighbors face. But I promised never to talk to him again.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jarnocan]

22. powerful -HEY did Bush play golf on Friday?

"Friday Sep 2, 2005
The National Public Radio news anchor was so excited I thought she'd piss on herself: the President of the United States had flown his plane down to 1700 feet to get a better look at the flood damage! And there was a photo of our Commander-in-Chief taken looking out the window. He looked very serious and concerned.
That was yesterday. Today he played golf. "http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=453&row=0
OMG - is this true.

[bananas]

23. The video is online

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4643624

1. found it

http://groups.google.com/group/neworleans.general/msg/673fd70be3339bd4?hl=en&

From: Big Ray <[e-mail] >
Newsgroups: neworleans.general
Subject: Re: Charmaine Neville Video
Date: Sun, 04 Sep 2005 00:28:19 -0400
Message-ID: <[e-mail] >

On 3 Sep 2005 15:07:10 -0700, "Chip37075" <[e-mail] >
wrote:

>Watch this. If you can't view it, find someone who can. It will be
>national soon.
>
>WATCH THIS.
>
>go to http://www.wafb.com /
>
>On the right side is a blue box called Featured Videos. Click on the
>one for Charmaine Neville. Send it to everyone you know.

Or you can use this direct url

http://www.wafb.com/Global/SearchResults.asp?qu=charmaine


--
Regards,

"Big Ray" Jones - RETIRED New Orleans tour guide,
cab driver and mule-drawn carriage driver. Author of
"The Complete Idiot's Travel Guide to New Orleans"
ISBN 0-02-862303-7

"Murder at Audubon Zoo" by my late wife Jane Gillis Jones
ISBN: 0-595-14061-0 To order, call 1-877-288-4737
or check my web page for New Orleans and Louisiana info at:
http://www.sstar.com/ray.jones/nola.htm

To join the New Orleans Mailing List (NOML), send blank e-mail to:
[e-mail] or go to:
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[Ranec]

24. Thanks for the link!

I just heard Laura Flanders playing some of this on AAR.

This is unbelievable!