New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin charged the slow pace of post-hurricane recovery in the Crescent City was due in part to racial politics.
Speaking at dinner in Washington, Nagin said it appeared there were efforts afoot to prevent New Orleans from returning to an African-American majority and political leadership.
Nagin’s remarks came at a dinner sponsored by the National Newspaper Publishers Association, which represents newspapers serving Africa-Americans, the Washington Post said Saturday.
Ladies and gentlemen, what happened in New Orleans could happen anywhere, Nagin said. They are studying this model of natural disasters, dispersing the community and changing the electoral process in that community.
Nagin lamented that with all of our people still dispersed across the United States, he nearly lost his re-election bid last May to white candidate Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu.