Detroit and New Orleans

底特律就有很大一部分是第三世界。我开车去看过两三次，每次都觉得是在一个战争中的城市－－到处是烧毁的房子，穷困潦倒的黑人面无表情地坐在空屋前，不少地区没有水没有电.... 谁也不会相信这是美国的地方。然而隔临的街区就是白人的豪华别墅。贫富悬殊之景令人心寒！

所以这次看到 New Orleans 的恐怖，已经见怪不怪了。新闻照片中，夹杂着美国总统西装笔挺的笑嘻嘻的在玩吉它，简直是罪恶。

四年前有幸去过 New Orleans，遇到了现在的老板，拿到现在的工作，所以对那里有非常的感情。记得那里的色彩，那里的温热，那里的慵懒，那里的悠闲。有天晚上我从热闹的 街上回旅馆，为了省钱，决定自己穿街走巷。已经半夜了，大马路上却有不少人也在走，都是大步大步的。一个黑人从马路对面见到我，穿过来跟我搭讪。我向他问 路，他说可以送我一程。走了二十多分钟，一路走一路聊，还很开心呢。问他怎么街上这么多人在走。他说 New Orleans 的人晚上开心就出来逛。到了旅馆门口，他才问能不能给他些钱，告诉我他是露宿者 (homeless)。我才意识到街上那些黑人都是无家可归的，心里一下子起了大疙瘩。不记得有没有给他钱，但看到他往回走的背影，心很沉。旅馆人叮嘱我 下次要小心，不要随便跟街上人走。

每次想到 New Orleans，就想到那天夜里的那个在街上逛的黑人。

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I guess if I were a black person living in the south (or Detroit*), I would not probably not trust that the government would come soon and help us out. The government did not really care about the blacks because they are poor and uneducated and they don't vote. It is a vicious cycle. To me, it's easier to understand the behavoir of the black people, and a lot harder to agree with the way the government was handling the crisis. Because we are all people and if we put ourselves in other people's shoes, we usually can understand. On the other hand, government is not people. (There is no bad people, but only bad government.)

Let's all show some more sympathy and understanding to the people, while stay vigilant towards the government, especially those who represent the government.

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*During the blackout of 2003, Michigan was greatly affected. If I remembered correctly, the power of the inner city of Detroit (83% black population) was among the last to turn back on. Many black people in Detroit had no jobs, so they would not need to walk home together (15% unemployment). They were probaly used to live without electricity and clean water. Detroit tops in nations poverty census with 33.6% population below poverty level (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/poor31e_20050831.htm)

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I don't need New Orleans to remind me of the inequality in this country. My heart bleeds when I think about these poor poor people who has so little trust, so many fears, so much anger, and so few hopes...