Hurricane Ida and Mutual Aid w/ Suncere Ali Shakur and scott crow (G&R 108)

Last week, Hurricane Ida, a category four storm, made landfall on the Gulf Coast. Over a million people were without power and 16 were killed. The hurricane then moved up the east coast hitting New York and New Jersey with powerful winds and floods. At least 52 people are reported dead in the Northeast. Ida made landfall on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Katrina was a category 5 storm that caused over 1800 deaths and $125 billion in damage. 

An important part of the stories of Hurricanes Katrina and Ida has been mutual aid. During and after Katrina, an anarchist modeled relief effort called Common Ground Disaster Relief began in New Orleans to support impacted communities in the storm's aftermath.  After Katrina and Common Ground, mutual aid networks have been growing to mobilize support those suffering from hurricanes, wildfires and various other disasters. 

To talk about Ida, Katrina and mutual aid, we are joined by two co-founders of Common Ground- Suncere Ali Shakur and scott crow With them, we discuss hope, community, disaster response by just regular people (not bureaucrats or professional non-profits) and becoming experts in the impossible.  

Suncere Ali Shakur.  Originally from NW DC around 7th Kennedy St . Activists fronts include far housing , homeless, police brutality, anti-war and globalization. Gay rights, Education and co founder of Common Ground Relief New Orleans Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, Cleveland Ohio’s Wolfpack Gunshot Response Team . A disciple of the black Panther party and a self proclaimed George Jacksoness.

scott crow (@scott_crow) is an anarchist, speaker, author, organizer, musician and  story teller. He's author of Black Flags and Windmills:Hope, Anarchy and  the Common Ground Collective (PM Press) and a number of other books. scott has co-founded a number of diverse projects, businesses and organizations rooted in cooperative power sharing models including the Common Ground Collective, the largest anarchist inspired organization in modern US history, Treasure City Thrift, an anarchist worker coop,  Red Square, an art coop, Century Modern, an antique coop and UPROAR, a community based organization, Dirty South Earth First! and the Radical Encuentro Camp.

Outro music is Stealth Empire (feat. Mark Stewart) by Nun Gun on the Emergency Hearts label. 

Links//

• 'Human toll was tremendous': Ida's death count rises while 600,000 still lack power (https://reut.rs/3tmwqI8)
• Suncere Shakur Reporting back from Far Rockaway, Queens (https://bit.ly/3thqTTq)
• scott crow: www.scottcrow.org/
• Mutual Aid Disaster Relief:https://mutualaiddisasterrelief.org/
• Mutual aid groups give personalized help after Hurricane Ida (https://abcn.ws/3BMPzGh)

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This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969).  “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Isaac. Special thanks to our Executive Consultant Jeff Ordower.