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How to Destroy an African-American City in Thirty Three Steps - Lessons from Katrina

By Bill Quigley

July 2, 2007

Step One. Delay. If there is one word that sums up the way to destroy an African-American city after a disaster, that word is DELAY. If you are in doubt about any of the following steps - just remember to delay and you will probably be doing the right thing.

Step Two. When a disaster is coming, do not arrange a public evacuation. Rely only on individual resources. People with cars and money for hotels will leave.

The elderly, the disabled and the poor will not be able to leave. Most of those without cars - 25% of households of New Orleans, overwhelmingly African Americans - will not be able to leave. Most of the working poor, overwhelmingly African American, will not be able to leave.

Many will then permanently accuse the victims who were left behind of creating their own human disaster because of their own poor planning.

It is critical to start by having people blame the victims for their own problems.

Step Three. When the disaster hits make certain the national response is overseen by someone who has no experience at all handling anything on a large scale, particularly disasters. In fact, you can even inject some humor into the response - have the disaster coordinator be someone whose last job was the head of a dancing horse association.