Presentation on the "Dome City" shelters and struggle for housing in Houston, Texas and volunteering with Common Ground in New Orleans, Louisiana. September 9-21, 2005.

1. Hurricane Katrina
Houston, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana
September 9 - 21, 2005

2. Houston, Texas - September 9-11
Thousands of Katrina survivors arrived in Houston and
spent weeks in the Astrodome and other buildings which
became known as Dome City.

3. Living Inside ‘The Dome’
The scene in the Astrodome was almost unreal. There were
thousands of people sleeping in close proximity. Many people
were trying to get in contact with loved ones, but there was
not a practical way to facilitate this.

4. Latasha Speaks with Vinny
My friend Vinny interviewied Latasha Allen, a 27 year old
mother of three children from New Orleans East, Louisiana.
Latasha was waiting outside the Reliant Center in Houston,
Texas for a Red Cross debit card.

5. Access Denied
These people were prevented from re-entering the Astrodome to see
their families.

6. Locating Family and Friends
People put names, photos, phone numbers and other
information on notes which were posted on walls all over the
Astrodome.

7. New Orleans, Louisiana - September 12-15
Helicopter and transmitter in
Tree in downtown New Orleans. Algiers.
While in Houston, my friends and I were asked if we could
go down to the Algiers community on the west bank of the
Mississippi River in New Orleans to help set up a state-of-
emergency low power FM radio station. We were welcomed into
Algiers by Malik Rahim, a longtime community organizer, and
what became the Common Ground Collective.

8. Finding Common Ground
The Common Ground Collective formed in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina to provide immediate aid and long-term solidarity along
the Gulf Coast.
Volunteers operate a free health clinic, community media
center and
radio station and offer job assistance, legal services and

9. Low Power FM Radio for New Orleans
Many people helped setup a state of
emergency low power FM radio station in
the Algiers neighborhood.
This is the 10 watt
transmitter we used for The
Battle for Algiers, 94.5 FM Volunteers secured a mast,
built with materials found in
the streets, to the roof of
Malik Rahim’s house.

10. Grassroots Solidarity
Volunteers with Plenty International provided needed
supplies for the Algiers community. Red Cross had still not
even been seen.

11. Where was the Government?
Reginald lives in Algiers and called the lack of response
"premeditated murder."

12. Bikes from Austin
Bicycles and other supplies
were delivered to Algiers by the
Rhizome Collective in Austin,
Texas.
Errol and Christopher came by to
see if they could have some
bicycles. Errol, Christopher and
their sister Iasha said that all
their friends had left town and
they were the only children left in
the neighborhood.

13. Solidarity Not Charity
Volunteers assembled personal hygiene kits and dropped them
off at a Mosque located at 1401 Teche St. in Algiers. The
Masjid Bilal Mosque was converted into the Common Ground
Wellness Center where thousands of people from New Orleans and
beyond have been treated and received supplies.

14. Busted Windows
Sunset through the busted windows of a building in downtown
New Orleans.

15. Downtown New Orleans
On September 15, my friend and I were driving around
Algiers to determine the reception quality of 94.5 FM, The
Battle for Algiers. Next thing we knew, we were on the
Mississippi River Bridge headed to downtown New Orleans.

16. Mardi Gras Beads and the X
Many homes and buildings
in New Orleans were inspected
by special operations crews
for both live and dead people
and animals. However, there
were numerous parts of the
city that had not been
checked.
An "X" is spray painted on
homes and businesses that have
been checked and each triangle
of the "X" is used for
documentation purposes.

17. Surrounded By Racism
New Orleans is surround by some of the most
racist parishes (which are like counties) in the
United States.

18. A City in Ruins
A trashed apartment
complex.
One of many overturned cars.

19. Buses Left to Flood
These city buses in Midtown New Orleans were
left to flood.
Why were these buses not used to evacuate
people?

20. A View of East New Orleans

21. Police Department Closed
New Orleans’s 8th District had to close after about 300 police
officers deserted.

22. Return to Houston - September 16-20
Thousands of people still struggle to find
housing and survive the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina.

23. Turned Away from Services
The first thing we saw
as we walked up to the
George R. Brown Convention
Center was a women being
turned away from services.
I immediately began
taking photos, but the
police told me that I was
not allowed to take photos.

24. Surviving the Flood
A women from New Orleans
explained that flood waters
rose up to her chin.

25. Inside Reliant Arena
Reliant Arena is a building next to the
Astrodome and was considered a part of 'Dome
City.’

26. Struggling for a Home
Hundreds of people
who were unable to secure
housing while at Reliant
Arena loaded into buses
headed to Ellington Field
in Houston where they
would be flown to Fort
Chaffee, an abandoned Air
Force Base in rural
Arkansas.

27. Waiting and Hoping
Hundreds of people waited
outside hoping for some form
of housing.
When will these children be able to

28. Looking for Family and a Home
John is a Katrina survivor from Magnificent, a poet trying to get to
New Orleans that is trying to find his mom in Atlanta, asked me if he could
speak to me from his heart.
his son Patrick.

29. Searching for the Pieces of a Puzzle
The puzzle this boy is working on symbolizes
the many challenges that people face in putting
their lives back together.

30. Slideshow and photos by Bradley
website:
BradleyStuart.net
email:
bradley@riseup.net
Katrina photos and
audio at:
BradleyStuart.net/gallery/ka
trina
Guerilla Cinema in Malik Rahim’s backyard.
Special Thanks! to the
following
CommonGroundRelief.org Independent Media Centers
(IMCs) for hosting and
helping to quickly distribute
this grassroots media:
Houston, New Orleans, SF Bay
Area, Portland and Santa Cruz
Indymedia.