Mardi Gras plans irk some storm victims

December 14, 2005|Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS -- Some Hurricane Katrina victims stuck in hotel rooms and unfamiliar surroundings across the United States are in no mood to party, and they are decrying the city's plans to hold a Mardi Gras celebration in February.

''This is not the time for fun. This is the time to put people's lives back on track," said Lillie Antoine, 51, stuck in Tulsa, Okla.

City officials said last month that New Orleans would hold an abbreviated Mardi Gras celebration. Civic boosters say the festivities can help revitalize New Orleans' economy and show the world that the city is on its way back.

Some storm refugees and black organizations say the party preparations are insensitive to the plight of so many displaced New Orleanians. Reconstruction, they say, should take precedence over partying.

''I just think it sends the wrong message to have a celebration when people are not back in their houses," said Ernest Johnson, the Louisiana president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.