New Orleans - an out of control 'hell'

Ever wondered what Hell will really look like?

Those trapped in the city faced an increasingly lawless environment, as law enforcement agencies found themselves overwhelmed with widespread looting. Looters swarmed the Wal-mart on Tchoupitoulas Street, often bypassing the food and drink section to steal wide-screen TVs, jewelry, bicycles and computers. Watching the sordid display and shaking his head in disgust, one firefighter said of the scene: "It’s a f---- hurricane, what are you do[ing] with a basketball goal?" Police regained control at about 3 p.m., after clearing the store with armed patrol. One shotgun-toting Third District detective described the looting as "ferocious."

"And it’s going to get worse as the days progress," he said.

In Uptown, one the few areas that remained dry, a bearded man patrolled Oak Street near the boarded-up Maple Leaf Bar, a sawed-off shotgun slung over his shoulder. The owners of a hardware store sat in folding chairs, pistols at the ready.

Uptown resident Keith Williams started his own security patrol, driving around in his Ford pickup with his newly purchased handgun. Earlier in the day, Williams said he had seen the body of a gunshot victim near the corner of Leonidas and Hickory streets.

"What I want to know is why we don’t have paratroopers with machine guns on every street," Williams said.

Or maybe this ...

Late Tuesday, Gov. Blanco spokeswoman Denise Bottcher described a disturbing scene unfolding in uptown New Orleans, where looters were trying to break into Children's Hospital.

Bottcher said the director of the hospital fears for the safety of the staff and the 100 kids inside the hospital. The director said the hospital is locked, but that the looters were trying to break in and had gathered outside the facility.

The director has sought help from the police, but, due to rising flood waters, police have not been able to respond.

Bottcher said Blanco has been told of the situation and has informed the National Guard. However, Bottcher said, the National Guard has also been unable to respond.

Two of the most disturbing aspects of mankind's sinful nature are our willingness to covet, and our appetite for revenge.  We're seeing these two traits exemplified without restraint right now in New Orleans.

As I blogged earlier, the residents of New Orleans are disproportionately poor.  About 1/3 of the residents live below the poverty level.  Most of these are black.  They have lived this way for generation upon generation, back to the days following Reconstruction.  They are mostly working poor, depending on hourly jobs to barely make ends meet.

One of the most challenging aspects of working with the perpetually poor is that they hold a deeply ingrained belief that someone or something else -- "the man", "the system" -- is responsible for their plight.  They feel that they are trapped in a world where the priviledged strive to keep everyone else down, and they are convinced that, save for winning a lottery or becoming successful in show business or sports, they will always be poor for the rest of their lives.  Such irrational beliefs often foster and perpetuate wild conspiracy theories - "George Bush and the CIA invented crack cocaine to kill black people," etc.  And being poorly educated, for the most part, doesn't help.

Now that something threatens to destroy the only world that they know -- jobs, family, community, neighbors, homes -- what are they to do?  The anger and resentment that the impoverished feel toward the larger world, a resentment that is nurtured by inadequate education and poverty-exploiting civil rights leaders, is usually dampened by law enforcement.  But when law enforcement fails, literally all "hell" breaks loose, and the poor exact their "revenge."  Looting becomes less about finding food, and more about getting even.  For these people, a stolen TV or Gameboy represents a piece of the dream that has been denied to them by the rich white man. 

But what do they do next?

I find it utterly amazing that those in the middle of such a tempest of destruction and suffering can make pure materialism their most important priority.  It's fascinating to watch people carrying looted items on their heads because the streets are flooded waist-high.  What on earth are they going to do with television sets or a microwave ovens when their houses are being washed away?  Hasn't anyone thought any of this through? 

Sadly the answer is "no."  Impoverished people in the United States have long been obsessed with materialism.  Crime is rampant in inner city neighborhoods because youths place such a high priority on expensive, showy items -- cars, jewelry, shoes, electronics, etc.  For them, it is less of an evil to break the law by stealing or selling drugs than it is to go without the "bling."

Impoverished people in America also consistently fail to plan beyond the immediate future.  There are a variety of reasons for this, not the least of which is the gigantic government entitlement safety net that we have created.  The idea seems to be, irregardless of how frivolously I spend my pocket money, the state will always be there to pay for my food, rent, and doctor bills.

But now the system in New Orleans has completely broken down, and the destruction has reached such an ultimate level that there is nothing but hopelessness and despair for many of its citizens.  No one can magically replace their belongings, or guarantee them a job, or even restore the meager standard of living that they once had.  For maybe the first time in their lives, the future is uncertain.  Survival becomes -- literally -- every man for himself.

And so we see the worst of human nature brought forth by utter desperation.  I can't help but imagine that Biblical Hell -- the final eternal state in which sinful, rebellious men choose to dwell apart from God, because they believe that accepting God's salvation will cost them their identity -- will be something like New Orleans today.  In Hell, mankind will have forfeited the grace of God and therefore will have to live in a cesspool created by his own rules: vengeance, self-gratification, and complete disregard for the welfare of others.

The situation in New Orleans will eventually correct itself.  Law and order will be restored, people will blow off enough steam so that the reality of their dire circumstances can be understood, and the mood of the people will turn from anger and denial to one of repentance and determination.  Those who choose to spend eternity in Hell will not be so fortunate.

Fortunately, God's grace, and his free gift of salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ, provides humanity with a way to surpass such evils.  Right now I am thinking of Ephesians 4:7-10:

⁷But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. ⁸This is why it says:
   "When he ascended on high,
      he led captives in his train
      and gave gifts to men."  ⁹(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?  ¹⁰He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

As Christians I believe that we must answer to a higher calling, and that our calling often requires us to do extraordinary or uncomfortable things in response to the Gospel.  Just as Jesus Christ "...preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah..." (1 Peter 3:9-10), I believe that Christians are called to show mercy and compassion toward the poor of New Orleans, without favor and without demanding restitution.  Even though their behavior makes them seem undeserving in our own sinful human eyes, we are to generously share God's grace and alleviate their 'hell' here on Earth.

UPDATED at 5:30 pm 08-31-05 to clarify some thoughts and correct a few grammatical errors.

Commenters at LaShawn Barber's blog are pointing out that many who did not make the effort to leave New Orleans on Sunday are still waiting for the government to tell them what to do next.  Sadly, they are going to be waiting for a long time.

It's my hope that recovery and rebuilding efforts will include attempts to break the cycle of dependency that so cripples our nation's poor.  This seems like a prime area for Christian ministries.

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Other Christians blogging about Katrina and its aftermath :  Double Toothpicks, LaShawn Barber, Hugh Hewitt (also here), The Anchoress (also here)

 

Comments

[Health News]

I can't believe how much of this I just wasn't aware of. Thank you for bringing more information to this topic for me. I'm truly grateful and really impressed.