Friday, September 09, 2005
FEMA Detainment Camp
Again, thanks to Kimya Dawson for another interesting link. Click here.
"No ma'am. FEMA said no...
It could cause a riot. You don't understand the type of people that are about to come here...."
What "type of people?" Poor black people...that type. By definition, being "poor" and "black" equates with rioting the moment one person sees another person with an extra PopTart. Nice to know that the federal government and state of Oklahoma have such a firm grasp on the psychology of the Negro. Thank God the folks in charge are willing to save the colored people from themselves!
Maybe the saddest part of this set-up is that it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. You can't house 5000 homeless, unemployed people together in close quarters without having them go crazy for something to do. Obviously over the next five months people are going to want to go out, maybe have a few drinks, unwind a bit, *gasp* fornicate, etc. These things are perfectly normal. The people who will be living at the camp are not prisoners. So why shouldn't they be able to leave and do these things? If these people are treated like riot-prone animals and not trusted to even leave the camp, of course they will grow angry and eventually release their frustration.
I understand that this is an emergency situation and that it isn't feasible to instantly transport each family of hurricane victims into a three-bedroom home in the suburbs. Sacrifices of comfort are unavoidable. But there's a difference between giving up your own bedroom and giving up your personal liberties. These people are not prisoners. They are regular citizens just like you and me.
"No ma'am. FEMA said no...
It could cause a riot. You don't understand the type of people that are about to come here...."
What "type of people?" Poor black people...that type. By definition, being "poor" and "black" equates with rioting the moment one person sees another person with an extra PopTart. Nice to know that the federal government and state of Oklahoma have such a firm grasp on the psychology of the Negro. Thank God the folks in charge are willing to save the colored people from themselves!
Maybe the saddest part of this set-up is that it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. You can't house 5000 homeless, unemployed people together in close quarters without having them go crazy for something to do. Obviously over the next five months people are going to want to go out, maybe have a few drinks, unwind a bit, *gasp* fornicate, etc. These things are perfectly normal. The people who will be living at the camp are not prisoners. So why shouldn't they be able to leave and do these things? If these people are treated like riot-prone animals and not trusted to even leave the camp, of course they will grow angry and eventually release their frustration.
I understand that this is an emergency situation and that it isn't feasible to instantly transport each family of hurricane victims into a three-bedroom home in the suburbs. Sacrifices of comfort are unavoidable. But there's a difference between giving up your own bedroom and giving up your personal liberties. These people are not prisoners. They are regular citizens just like you and me.
