Green Party endorses the International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

August 29, 2007

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty@greens.org 
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org

Greens: Hurricane survivors deserve justice, after delayed relief, disregard for African American lives, massive displacement of residents, and exclusion from reconstructed New Orleans

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party of the United States has endorsed the International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, to be conducted in New Orleans, Louisiana, from August 29 to September 2, 2007.

The goal of the tribunal <http://internationaltribunal.org> is to hold the US government accountable for numerous crimes of negligence and malfeasance, human rights abuses, and patent racism in the handling of the Gulf Coast region emergencies caused by the two storms: "On August 29th through September 2nd, 2005, the world witnessed the monumental failure of the US government to protect and respect the lives of the working people, the majority of whom were African-American and poor."

"The Tribunal will address numerous unanswered questions about the response to Katrina, beginning with the reasons for the federal government's five-day delay in assisting with evacuation, humanitarian, and medical help," Deanna Taylor, co-chair of Green Party's Peace Action Committee (GPAX) <http://www.gp.org/committees/peace>, which introduced the resolution for endorsement.

The Tribunal will also probe the forced removal of many survivors, disregard for the lives of African Americans and poor people, deployment of private mercenary and foreign military personnel in New Orleans after the storm, permanent displacement of many working-class residents (most of them African American) from their homes, awarding of no-bid reconstruction contracts in violation of the Davis-Bacon Act, and other charges <http://internationaltribunal.org/tribunal-charges>. 

"The treatment of New Orleans residents and other Gulf Coast residents during and after Katrina and Rita clearly deserve investigation and prosecution by a criminal court. Since we're not likely to to see legal action from the US justice system, we have a right to seek justice through an international criminal court," said Kat Swift, spokesperson for the Green Party National Women's Caucus.

Greens in Louisiana and neighboring states assisted with relief efforts, including the Common Ground Collective <http://www.commongroundrelief.org>, which was organized by Malik Rahim, former Green mayoral candidate in New Orleans.

"Millions of Americans generously donated money, food, and other provisions in the aftermath of the hurricane. But Katrina and Rita also exposed the severe inequality that exists in our country. We owe the survivors of Katrina and Rita a tribunal such as the one that begins on Wednesday," said Jody Grage, Green Party treasurer and former co-chair of GPAX.


MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org 
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
o Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml 
o Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers 
o 2007 national Green Party meeting in Reading, Pa.: video footage, blog and media coverage http://www.gp.org/meeting2007/ 

Green Party Black Caucus http://gpblackcaucus.blogspot.com 
Green Party National Women's Caucus http://greens.org/gp-uswomen 

International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita http://internationaltribunal.org 
Reasons for the Tribunal http://internationaltribunal.org/reasons-tribunal/ 
Tribunal background http://internationaltribunal.org/tribunal-background/ 

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