🏛️ Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney
Former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney delivers a galvanizing speech that connects the dots between federal abandonment, racialized neglect, and the privatization of disaster recovery. With the sharpness of a seasoned legislator and the fire of a grassroots advocate, McKinney lays bare the political failures that exacerbated Katrina’s destruction—and calls on us to never forget who was left behind and why.
Rosa Clemente
Afro-Boricua journalist and organizer Rosa Clemente gave a vivid and emotional testimony from the ground in post-Katrina New Orleans. She described the military lockdown, vigilante violence, and the shocking neglect faced by displaced Black, Brown, and immigrant communities. Clemente recounted stories of ICE raids, militarized checkpoints, and empty hotels that could’ve housed survivors. She drew sharp connections between U.S. empire, white supremacy, and the global suffering of African-descended people. Representing the Katrina Information Network, she called for unity across oppressed communities and urged people to fight back through direct action, divestment campaigns, and grassroots media. Her message was clear: we are the press, we are the resistors, and we must up the ante.
⚖️ King Downing
The People’s Court: Exposing Katrina’s Unpunished Crimes
Featuring ACLU Attorney King Downing
In this historic 2007 session of the People’s Court, ACLU lawyer King Downing delivers a searing indictment of the U.S. government’s role in the human rights violations following Hurricane Katrina. Survivors, advocates, and witnesses offer devastating testimony—detailing state abandonment, police brutality, mass incarceration, environmental racism, housing theft, and the militarized occupation of New Orleans’ Black neighborhoods.
From prisoners left to die in flooded jails, to women and children trapped in unsanitary shelters, to vigilantes allowed to hunt Black residents with impunity—this tribunal laid bare a system where racism, profit, and neglect converged into catastrophe. Latino workers described modern-day slavery under guest worker programs, while New Orleans’ public schools and housing were systematically stripped from Black families under the guise of “recovery.”
Downing calls it what it is: a crime scene. He demands international recognition of genocide, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing. His call to action includes reparations, prosecution of federal officials, and global mobilization in support of Katrina’s displaced and abandoned.
This is not just testimony—it’s truth-telling as resistance. And the struggle continues.
Romell Madison & King Downing
In a deeply emotional exchange, Downing is joined by Romel Madison, whose brother Ronald Madison was murdered by New Orleans police during the chaos following the storm. Together, they dissect the culture of impunity in law enforcement and highlight the devastating toll police brutality took on already traumatized communities. Their conversation is a call to remember the names, demand accountability, and break cycles of state violence.