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Science > Prophecies-Of-Nostradamus |
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29 Aug 2006 10:25:04 PM |
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When the Levees Broke - An Exclusive with Spike Lee 08/28/2006 15:36 |
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When the Levees Broke - An Exclusive with Spike Lee 08/28/2006 15:36
Today marks the one year anniversary of the Katrina Hurricane
Disaster=E2=80=A6and unfortunately not much has changed. There have been
numerous =E2=80=9Cupdate=E2=80=9D specials and news programs that either sl=
am or
praise the efforts of the =E2=80=9Cclean-up,=E2=80=9D but the fact remains =
that the
poorer areas=E2=80=94primarily the lower 9th ward of New Orleans=E2=80=94lo=
ok much
like it did 364 days ago.
Controversial film director Spike Lee took on the daunting task of
allowing the victims of Katrina and victims of an unsympathetic
government speak on their horrific experiences, before, during and
after the storm.
When The Levees Broke currently airing on HBO is Spike Lee=E2=80=99s
unabashed look into the lives of Katrina=E2=80=99s victims. Raw and uncut
this documentary runs the gamut of all human emotions. The stories as
told by Katrina=E2=80=99s survivors were some of the most heartfelt, heroic,
justifiably angry and sometimes even comical touch the human spirit on
so many levels.
Sticking out in this reader=E2=80=99s mind is Phyllis Montana LeBlanc. This
sister was one of the candid and no-holds-barred interviewees. Her
passion and level of realism put a human face on the tragedy. Her
=E2=80=9Cdevil may care=E2=80=9D attitude revealed the real ***** and did no=
t sugar
coat the experiences and treatment of those affected by Katrina.
Urban Network recently sat down with Spike Lee to discuss his vision
and journey of When The Levees Broke.
How do you begin with a story like this?
Spike: You begin at the beginning. Then you lead up to Hurricane
Katrina hitting landfall in New Orleans. I was in Venice watching these
images on CNN and the BBC, and then when I wanted to see black people
looting, I=E2=80=99d turn to FOX. And, I decided I=E2=80=99d like to do a
documentary on this, a historical documentation on this big moment in
American history.
When did you arrive in New Orleans?
Spike: We got there the day after Thanksgiving [last year].
What did you think about the news coverage:
Spike: What helped with the coverage was people were tired of the war
in Iraq and they got suckered into the Weapons of Mass Destruction BS.
They basically let the government have it. People weren=E2=80=99t going to
let these people get on television and tell these boldfaced lies and
not challenge them. A lot of these people still view Black people a
certain way.
They can try to hide it, but eventually it reveals itself. In numerous
instances it would show white New Orleaneans as survivalists and cut to
the Black people and we=E2=80=99re looting. Now, no excuses to be made for
the brothers with the plasma televisions, but I=E2=80=99m talking about the
ones with water, clothes and sneakers.
As far as I know, no one from this government has ever given an
explanation about why it took five days. It=E2=80=99s amazing to me the
anecdote by Henry Rodriguez, the president of St. Bernard=E2=80=99s parish.
The Royal Canadian Mounties showed up. They had horses, too. They were
from Vancouver. How is it possible that Dudley Do Rights get from
Vancouver in Canada to New Orleans before the federal government?
I=E2=80=99m sure you had opinions about Mayor Ray Nagin before or even duri=
ng
the filming of When The Levees Broke. Now after seeing the finished
version; did your opinion change about Ray Nagin?
Spike: He=E2=80=99s a great politician. What I mean by that is that he=E2=
=80=99s
very personable. He=E2=80=99ll smile and hug you and make you feel good. Bu=
t,
once you get past that, you have to get the job done. You can go
through a list of things he did that ended up costing people their
lives. Like him being very slow in issuing mandatory evacuations. Not
taking into account the people who had no means of evacuating. There
were stories about Amtrak offering trains out of New Orleans and no one
from city government returning their calls. And now people waiting on a
plan. The 25 percent of people still there are waiting on a plan about
the future and moving forward=E2=80=A6and no one=E2=80=99s telling them any=
thing.
And what about President Bush=E2=80=99s role in this matter?
Spike: I think Kanye West said it best. =E2=80=98George Bush doesn=E2=80=99=
t care
about Black people.=E2=80=99 I think the man [Bush] showed his true colors
with the federal government taking five days to get down there.
And Condoleezza Rice?
Spike: That=E2=80=99s an evil woman. I=E2=80=99ll just say it point blank. =
The
Secretary of State and she=E2=80=99s carrying out the mandate of
international policies that are going to get us into World War III.
After watching everything on CNN and the BBC and their take on Katrina,
what was your first impression when you saw the devastation?
Spike: On television you can=E2=80=99t tell the scale of the destruction. S=
o,
when you see it with your eyeballs, it=E2=80=99s crazy.
Any plans to go back to New Orleans once they figure out what they are
gonna as far as the rebuilding plans?
Spike: Yeah. This could have been six hours. The story changes
everyday. Hopefully, in the future we can go back and continue and pick
it up and do the story about what New Orleans will become. We can
easily put a =E2=80=98to be continued=E2=80=99 on this. This is not done. I=
t=E2=80=99s an
incomplete work.
Are you worried about repercussions because of this documentary?
Spike: Well, my taxes are straight (laughter).
When the Levees Broke will re-air on HBO, August 30.
by Tosha Y. Thomas
=20
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