Hi there,

This month, Democracy Now! marks 29 years of fearless independent journalism. Presidents have come, gone and come back again, but Democracy Now! remains, playing the same critical role in our democracy: shining a spotlight on corporate and government abuses of power and raising up the voices of scholars, advocates, scientists, activists, artists and ordinary people working for a more peaceful and just world. If our journalism is important to you, please donate today in honor of our 29th anniversary. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.

Democracy Now!

Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

Rev. Al Sharpton: President Bush’s Response “Inexcusable”

Listen
Media Options
Listen

More public figures have spoken out, lambasting the government”s slow response to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Reverend Al Sharpton spoke in Houston on Saturday and said that race played a role. [includes rush transcript]

He called President Bush’s response to the crisis “inexcusable.” He noted the difference between the governemnt”s rapid response to the hurricane in Florida last year that hit mostly white upper-middle class areas and to Hurricane Katrina that hit the mostly black New Orleans and Mississippi.

  • Rev. Al Sharpton, speaking in Houston.

Related Story

StoryAug 30, 2021Hurricane Ida Slams Native Communities in Louisiana as New Orleans Loses Electricity & COVID Rages
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

REV. AL SHARPTON: I feel race was a factor. Why? I remember almost a year ago to the day I was in Florida when a hurricane was coming not a point four, not a point five, and I saw the white house move. I saw the government of the president’s brother move. National guard was already alerted before the storm ever hit. It seems to me that if we can be alert in Palm Beach, Florida, we could have been alert in New Orleans.

AMY GOODMAN: That was the Reverend Al Sharpton speaking in Houston this weekend.

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Next story from this daily show

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin’s Desperate Plea For Help

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top