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Ketasha White, 9th Ward, New Orleans
LAist is on the road keeping it real -- so when we were instructed by our friends to dip down into New Orleans and talk to the people, we did.
Yesterday we made our way to the notorious 9th Ward, which was the area hit hardest by Katrina a year ago. We already posted a photo essay of some of the photos we took, but we were struck most by the young people in this area. They're obviously still reeling from the effects of the disaster, and who can blame them?
Besides the fact that reporters (and bloggers) are driving through their devastated neighborhoods every day, asking the same questions, and being nosey, many of their friends are gone and have yet to come back. Plus, the wreckage of flooded and crumbling homes are reminders on every block.
Of the group of high schoolers hanging out on this porch very few wanted to talk to us, and only one agreed to appear on video. It's not because they have anything to hide, or don't have good stories to tell, they've just had enough of Katrina, since it's with them every day.
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Fortunately Ketasha, 18, gave us a few minutes of her time and sends a shout-out to Tyra Banks.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
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