Marchers seek aid for Lower 9th

The Rev. Jesse Jackson and Mayor C. Ray Nagin led hundreds of marchers Saturday to the crumbling houses that still dominate the Lower 9th Ward, drawing attention to the area’s slow recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

Jackson said the Bush administration and much of the nation had largely forgotten the hurricane victims in the Lower 9th, most of whom are working-class and black, whereas areas that draw tourists and more affluent sections were recovering more quickly.

“The waters have subsided, but the abandonment continues,” Jackson said. “The president did not mention Katrina in his last State of the Union address. Though the National Football League’s Saints and Mardi Gras have returned, “the people are not back.”

The mayor, whose leadership since the storm has drawn criticism, indicated that problems with New Orleans’ recovery stemmed from a slow flow of government aid.

“This march is important because it basically sends a message to the nation that people in New Orleans are still here,” he said. “We’re still fighting for our land. We’re fighting for our recovery.”

A few hundred people walking with Jackson and Nagin marched about 10 abreast over the Claiborne Avenue Bridge that arcs into the Lower 9th, stopping near the site of the levee breach in August 2005.

Resident Gail Woods, 58, said that only two weeks ago were huge chunks of former homes finally removed from her frontyard fence. She said she made repeated calls to city, state and federal officials before a debris-removal team showed up.

“I felt I should come out and show support, because we want to be here,” said Woods, who grew up in the neighborhood.