Desperation, frustration and — despite it all — hope. Louisiana and Mississippi residents whose homes and communities were wrecked by Hurricane Katrina are struggling to recover seven months later, as USC Law students recently discovered firsthand.
Thirty-seven students traveled to the Gulf Coast during spring break in March, where they provided pro bono legal assistance to people in areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as part of the Katrina Legal Aid Project. The students, along with Associate Dean Lisa Mead, head of the USC Office of Public Service, worked in collaboration with the Student Hurricane Network.
Several of those who made the trip shared their experiences during a presentation and photo display at the law school April 12.
“Coming back, the most important thing was to talk to people about what I’ve seen,” said Sarah Truesdell, a first-year student. “The destruction in New Orleans is actually a lot worse than the news made it out to be, if that’s possible.”
Truesdell was one of seven students who interviewed migrant laborers in New Orleans with the Advancement Project for workers’ rights. The students' work will provide legislators with information about workers’ jobs, working conditions and payroll issues.
Other USC Law students worked in New Orleans to bring services to displaced residents or help organize the case histories of criminal defendants held in limbo by an overwhelmed criminal justice system. Five students traveled to Gulfport, Miss., where they worked with the Mississippi Justice Center.
Kyle Kinkead and others spent time in the upper Ninth Ward area of New Orleans with an organization called Common Ground, which comprises lawyers from within and outside of Louisiana. Kinkead visited a state prison, where students wrote and distributed to deputies a bulletin stating the prisoners’ legal representation rights.
“It can be awkward because no one is really sure what the law is in these situations,” Kinkead said, “and there’s not a lot of time to figure it out.”
Kinkead also contributed to one of Common Ground's long-term projects — preventing New Orleans police from using stun guns on civilians.
Third-year student David German and other Katrina Legal Aid Project participants expressed frustration with the lack, or inequality, of government aid in the Gulf Coast region. At the same time, German said he was impressed by people’s resilience and ability to recover from the natural disaster.
Knowing now how much assistance people actually need before they can fully rebuild their homes and lives, German wondered whether he could have made the trip sooner.
“We were there and we were doing something, but we were there after seven months,” he said. “What were we doing that was so important during the fourth, fifth week of [the school year]?”
The Katrina Legal Aid Project still needs funds to cover the cost of the trip. To donate, contact the Office of Public Service at (213) 740-6314.
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