 "Photo: Kimberly Harbin")
The panel was moderated by Rick Glassman, former Managing Director of HLAB and current litigation director at the Disability Law Center in Boston. Glassman opened the panel by presenting a slideshow of pictures of the devastation that the storm visited upon homes and businesses in the Gulf Coast region.
Delbaum, who prior to becoming a staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center was the Director of Litigation and Advocacy at the New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation, described the chaos that his office faced immediately after the storm. He spoke about the difficulties of trying to locate staff members and clients given the lack of cellular phone service and the disturbances that the closure of the courts had on client cases. A major theme throughout his presentation was the need for preparedness before a major disaster strikes so that the prolonged disorder that existed after Katrina can be avoided in the future.
Next to speak was Ponton, who spearheaded volunteer efforts at HLS last year as a 3L. Ponton visited the region on several occasions and described how volunteers from all over the country converged on the area after the storm. With no one group directing the volunteer efforts, volunteers somehow seamlessly connected with residents who required assistance removing moldy sheetrock and soaked carpets from their homes and set up centers in which volunteer attorneys could dispense useful advice on insurance and FEMA.
While it was encouraging to witness these laudable acts, Ponton expressed concern that the potential damaging health effects and corresponding health insurance issues that may arise in the future from home owners and volunteers performing this type of work would fail to receive the close scrutiny that it deserves as those in power turn their attention away from Katrina. She also touched on the civil rights abuses that she investigated as a volunteer with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. One incident involved individuals seeking to escape New Orleans who were prevented from crossing the bridge into nearby Gretna by police officers brandishing guns and dogs. Another incident occurred around the time of Hurricane Rita, and involved multiple cities refusing to accept buses filled with mostly African-American and poor residents of Beaumont, TX attempting to evacuate.
Abola, an associate at Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe, took a broader, more policy-focused approach in her discussion. Abola contributed to the Appleseed Foundation Report on the short-term and long-term needs of former New Orleans residents who moved to Birmingham, AL. She discovered that although the cities receiving those who were part of what has turned out to be the largest migration in the history of the United States adequately addressed the short-term needs of the newcomers, there were deficiencies in the provision of long-term services. In particular, the availability of welfare benefits to former New Orleans residents was restricted by cities like Birmingham. Additionally, mental health services for these residents, some of whom may soon be suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, are for the most part non-existent or difficult to find. Even finding out who could use these services is complicated by the fact that many refuse to self-identify, given the stigma that is attached to being a Katrina evacuee.
Bendor, who is the Acting Legal Director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, spoke about her involvement in litigation against FEMA, most notably the Beatrice McWaters et. al. v. FEMA, et. al. case. Her account of the long delays and unjustifiable actions of FEMA in the months after the storm engendered a series of gasps among the audience.
Among the many abuses that she described were the evictions by FEMA, on little notice, of people living temporarily in hotel rooms provided by the agency; the requirement by FEMA that persons first apply for loans from the Small Business Association before they could receive temporary shelter in direct contravention of a federal statute; and FEMA's refusal to allow persons who once shared a household, including residents of a boarding house, to apply for separate temporary housing. The plaintiffs' claims were mostly vindicated in the Louisiana district court decision issued this summer.
Jacqueline Berrien, an HLS alumnae and attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund who attended the panel, closed the panel by encouraging everyone in the room to donate their time and money to Katrina efforts, as issues similar to those discussed during the panel and others yet to be identified will still require attention for years to come.
The focus of the program then moved to the presentation of the Distinguished Alumni Awards to HLAB alumni and former HLAB presidents Juliet Brodie '91 and Will Gunn '86 and an award honoring Professor Peter Murray '67 for his work as HLAB's first Faculty Director from 2000 - 2006. The Distinguished Alumni Awards were given in recognition of the career achievements, commitment to the mission of the Bureau and dedication to public service of the two recipients.
After receiving her award, Brodie, currently an Associate Professor and Director of the Community Law Clinic at Stanford Law, explained to the students in the audience that it took her many years to develop a career that combined her interests in public service and in teaching and supervising clinical students. Gunn, who recently retired from his post as the chief defense counsel for detainees in Guantánamo Bay and is now the President and CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, encouraged students to always do what they believe is just, even if it may not be the best move for their career. Professor Murray, also a member of HLAB when he was a student at HLS, appealed to current members of HLAB to maintain the student-centered nature of the organization, even as it becomes more closely connected with the administration of the law school.
After attending the event, Julie Park, 3L and HLAB member, described it as "incredibly encouraging and inspirational." Several alumni in attendance expressed their hope that HLAB will continue to host such high-quality events in the future.
My wife's father is hessaby as in www.hessaby.com (they stole his cash and put it there) and my mother-in-law family is related by marriage tot the Pakravans., who headed the SAVAKPan Am was nicknamed PanIran as the Shah's family was the largest shareholder. I have extreme amount of details of exactly was going on
from the Iranians wanting him to return their assets to other coup attempts to 6 months before the Shah son pretended he was bankrupt in a public trial, to my wifes relative coming to our house talking about the coup and we did not know they were in Washington DC, to the Iran Contra hearings trial that was going to start Feb 20 th, 1989 to the tipping of the coup to the Iranian govt, ,to something in writing I can prove the coup to the Salamon Rushtie Feb 14th insult to islam to get the people on the street to avoid the coup to the Iranian govt announcement of a coup by 'dissent mullahs' announced at the time to the negiotations between the Bush people involved pretending they were going to make a deal to the 'nice' stories plant in US newspapers at the time (including the Post) as part of the negotation to the fact the bomb had to placed out of London based on the flight path as I worked at USAir at the time creating the flight plans for the 'planes to fly themselves' to overt CIA agents around me at the time to the fact that Bollier, the guy who made the timer for the bomb's wide was IRANIAN and the Libyans told me and said they were not allowed to say... there were 3 witness only.. the main one was trashed.. Bollier and a guy whom said he soldm the Libyan a suitcase in Malta.. hence, one the suitcase guy would be left.. the Libyans did not put up a defence in exchange for evidence to trash the main witness on the stand to what an overt CIA agent told me in the US 4 years later.. etc. etc and the details of several coups to the new World bank (my wie's cousin involved who used to work at the work bank)and US loans starting May 1990 to Iran to the fact that PANAm was shut down 18 months later as they thought it would be targeted again because of the Shah connection (the US airlines go in and out of bankruptcy all the time - this was the one of the first US airlines - an ICON) etc
I also know where the Iranian govt officials have money in the US, Canada and UK; the back door dealing etccall me for details.. Barry Lanza 00 44 1786831554.. My father-in-law was a convicted spy given amnesty