Raw Deal Offered to Louisiana Fishermen in Aftermath of BP Oil Spill

Dean Blanchard breaks open a tar ball on Grand Isle

GO FISH, Gulf Organized Fisheries in Solidarity and Hope, held a conference on August 4 at the Alario Center in New Orleans, bringing together over 700 people including lawyers, scientists and fishermen to discuss the settlement of a class action suit against BP. Earlier this year, BP agreed to pay out $7.8 billion, to be divided among those affected by the oil spill. Each party that signs on to the class action suit will receive an equal share. The settlement covers economic loss and health problems.Lawyers warned that signing on now would make it impossible to collect additional benefits if business does not pick up or a spill-related illness later emerges. Some of those in dire need have accepted the settlement. Boat captains and business owners can get a one time payment of $25,000 and deck hands, $5,000 -- payments that hardly compensate them for losses they've already incurred, and won't help them in the future if the seafood industry collapses of if they get sick. Dean Blanchard, the largest shrimp wholesaler in Louisiana, described the settlement as a joke. He asked the audience "Why should a Florida fisherman get the same amount of money that I would get?" His business is still losing money every day. He wonders if the lawyers who represented Louisiana's interests in the case had been bought off by BP. Blanchard points out that Louisiana is getting more BP money set aside for coastal restoration than other states, but the people are getting the same amounts as those in states less affected. "Why are the politicians not fighting for the people?" he asks. Settlement payments will be subjected to tax, while settlement monies from 9/11 and Agent Orange claims were tax free, another point of contention. People should hang tight, he warned, until they can get a settlement that will feed their families for the rest of their lives since Barataria Bay,and other fishing grounds may never come back to what they were. "Look at Alaska and Mexico" he warns.

The scientist, Dr Richard Condrey, retired LSU coastal ecologist, explained how things could go from bad to worse. Some species of fish may never recover. Some crabs have shown changes in their reproductive organs which could lead to the eradication of species in the area. Billy Nungesser, president of Plaquemines Parish, was in attendance. He worries about the after effects of dispersants on people, plants and animals, and he's concerned that the coastal restoration plan overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers is problematic. The planners aren't talking to the local population, the people who know the area best. No-one is officially checking for oil anymore, although fishermen spot oil almost daily, Nungesser says. Rithy Om, a Cambodian shrimper from Buras part of Plaquemines Parish, says he often loses money when he goes out shrimping. With his overhead more then wiping out his profit since his catch is off. The Buras Cambodian community of about 50 families is helping each other through hard times, Om's daughter Lynda tells me. She doesn't know how long they can last but she can't imagine them moving. That area is all those families know and shrimping is what they do.

Signs on Seafood Inc. on Grand Isle

 The day after the conference I took a trip to Grand Isle to meet with Dean Blanchard to see first hand the tar balls he said are still washing up on the beach. It didn't take long to spot them.  Blanchard's business is way off. He loses money daily by staying open, but he can't see himself staying home. If he were to close his shrimp processing center, local fishermen would suffer even more, forced to take their catch miles away. Tuna Phan's boat came in to process his shrimp. After paying all his expenses for the trip and paying his deck hands, he will make $400 for nine days work. At least he'll be able to feed his family he tells me. His catch of the day included tiger shrimp, an invasive species threatening Gulf shrimp along with the chemicals in the water. Blanchard can't stay on the beach very long. He has to head to Biloxi where he will meet with the team of lawyers working on his case. He will not stay quiet about what is happening nor will he settle for less than what he believes BP owes him. No one will buy him off. If anything, he would like to buy off the state officials to fight BP, but Governor Jindal, who denied taking BP money, shrugged him off when he inquired, "What would it cost to bring you over to the people's side?"

 BP commercials rub salt in the wounds of Louisiana fishermen. "Making Us Whole," the BP slogan, is a running joke. No wonder BP declined an invitation to send representatives to the GO FISH conference. 

Billy Nungesser with Dean Blanchard at the GO FISH conference

GO FISH conference in the Alario Center in Westwego

Diagram of health isues found in female crabs

Rithy Om, Cambodian shrimper from Buras

Dead dolphin on Elmer's Island

Tourism Down on Elmer's Island and Grand Isle

Open Tar ball

Tiger Shrimp- Invasive speices

Crabber on Grand Isle with small catch

My coverage of  the BP oil spill is  on my website- www.juliedermansky.com and my books ( 2 on the oil spill) can be previewed and/or purchased on Blurb's site. 

Chick-fil-A During the National Kiss-in on August 3rd in Metairie Louisiana

Whosoever Believeth,  a 43 year old father, came to the Metairie, LA Chick-fil-A after hearing about the National Kiss-In planned for Chick fil-A franchises across America.  He wasn't there to kiss anyone, but to spread the word about what he believes  the to-do is all about. "This is not about free speech or freedom of religion," Whosever Believeth said. "This is about Chick-Fil-A giving money to the Family Research Council who actively oppose gay rights." Hundreds packed the Metairie Chick-fil-A on Wednesday's Appreciation Day to show support for the chain, but only two gay couples showed up for Thursday's National Kiss-In. The couples entered the store, kissed and left.

Clay, who wouldn't give his last name, was not impressed. "This is New Orleans," he said, "or close enough. Everyone has a gay family member or friend, everyone!." The Kiss-In couples seemed tame to him, so, with his girlfriend Rosy he demonstrated what a real kiss looks like for reporters on the scene. To

The two same sex couple kisses seemed authentic to me. All three kisses are posted here and a link to video of Whosever Beleiveth speaking about the issue that has many people  boycotting Chick-fil-A.

 To see/read my story on the Atlantic's website site on Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day also photographed in Metairie Louisiana click here. 

Perfect for Summer Reading - Larry Flynt's New Book

Larry Flynt was in New Orleans on June 21st promoting his new book, "One Nation Under Sex: How the Private Lives of Presidents, First Ladies and Their Lovers Changed the Course of American History," co-written by historian David Eisenbach. He held court at the Hustler gift shop on Bourbon Street, signing books, magazines and body parts.


 Chris Rose, New Orleans author of “One Dead in the Attic,” interviewed him for Fox 8." Like me, Rose is a fan of Flynt's work as a free speech activist. But I didn’t follow the conversation; I was more intent on capturing the moment. The men spoke in front of a wall of bras, Flynt seated in his signature gold wheel chair, as close to a hundred fans lined up to meet him. For the book signing, he moved to a table with a backdrop picturing Hustler pole dancers. Next to him sat two women clad in Hustler t-shirts that exposed plenty of cleavage. Flynt enjoyed the antics of his fans: One woman had him sign her ass and a man had Flynt sign his chest. Reverend Jonathan Falwell brought the biggest smile to his face when he introduced himself and gave Flynt a rainbow Bible. Falwell's father, the late Jerry Falwell, sued Flynt in the landmark case that ended up in the Supreme Court, Flynt victorious as the Court ruled in favor of free speech.


 I bought a copy of Flynt's book and had him sign it. The book's premise--sex scandals are used as a smoke screen to take our attention off more important issues--is spot on. His book puts these scandals in historical context, a great way to refresh one's knowledge of American history.

Larry Flynt with Chris Rose

Reverend Jonathan Falwell gives Flynt Bible

Flynt with his wife, daughter and associates 

Visit to Detroit

Blighted Home

American Flag painting on bodega's wall reflecting on Car

Cultural anthropology lured me to Detroit. My visit inspired by "ruin porn," photographic images of the deserted industrial landscape and my interest in the fading of The American Dream made Detroit fertile ground for a visual exploration. The blight in Detroit is the result of neglect and abandonment, not a natural disaster or flood triggered by crumbling infrastructure as was the case in New Orleans. As jobs in Detroit's automobile factories dried up, the city started its descent from bustling metropolis to industrial wasteland. Today Detroit is on the brink of financial collapse. Miles and miles of blighted neighborhoods overpower pockets of urban renewal that include hip restaurants, community gardens and an active art scene. 

Fischer Factory

 The Packard automative Plant has become a Mecca for graffiti artists and a tourist attraction. It is slated to be torn down in the summer of 2012. The natives, however, won't believe it until it happens; many blighted buildings have been set for demolition yet remain standing. Inside the sprawling compound where General Motors once spewed out cars is an environment in flux. The compound's structures are in various states of decay. Floor after floor in building after building, artwork covers the walls. Wind and the echoing voices of people exploring the ruins rustle through the empty spaces.

A bright spot in the landscape is the Heidelberg Project, a folk art installation that takes up two city blocks. Artist Tyree Guyton started the Project in 1986, using  homes, some habitable and some not, as his canvas. You come upon the Project as you're driving through East Detroit, a particularly tough part of the city. The brightly painted homes are a breath of fresh air, a sharp contrast to the nearby burnt-out structures and lots full of debris. The lots within the Project are hull of paintings on panels and playful sculptures, some made of stuffed animals. 

During my visit to Detroit I got a dose of local politics. People were talking about the fact that Detroit may become one of the first major American cities to be governed by an emergency manager, essentially privatizing all public services and taking away the citizens' vote in any decisions about the city's future. Emergency managers have been appointed in other Michigan cities, with unfavorable results. What happens in Detroit next will set a precedent for other American cities that have fallen on hard times. Will failing cities be on the action block for corporate takeover, or will they be given a chance to reinvent themselves, a longtime American tradition?

Check out my story and photo slide show on the Atlantic's website  
and set of photos on Flickr

Upstairs in Lee Plaza

Chase bank/ Blighted home

Plackard Plant

Occupy Detroit Protest against Bank of America

Upstairs inside the Placard Plant

Anti NATO Protests in Chicago

"Summit ends without giving Chicago a black eye," the May 22 Chicago Tribune proclaimed, but I had one. On Sunday, I was shooting in the midst of a crowd on Michigan Avenue when my camera got smashed against my face as police pushed protestors back, batons swinging. The bruises didn't surface until 48 hours later as I drove away from Chicago. And much of the story of what happened in Chicago is surfacing after the fact too. 

 Police film protester with an "Orwell Was Right"
sign in Grant Park 

The overwhelming police presence on the streets was mind boggling. They were also out in force at every metro stop, waiting on line to use the bathrooms at downtown restaurants. They were everywhere, in their spanking clean uniforms, their shiny new helmets, perfect for photo ops. There were more of them on the streets than protesters, most of the time. You saw them on foot, on horses, Segways, and bicycles (one cop told me they could use some new ones), in SUVs, police cars, helicopters and city buses with LED signs that blinked "Chicago, My Kind of Town." 

Officers were used as human barricades in an effort to keep the demonstrators on main arteries, but when protesters changed course in their uncharted marches they  were permitted to go where they wanted to avoid confrontation, as long as they didn't try to get too close to McCormick Place where the NATO summit and many of the dignitaries were staying. On the surface things seemed calm and almost cozy, compared with some of the battles between demonstrators and police in New York City. It certainly seemed like democracy in action on the streets of Chicago. In fact, what happened to demonstrators and indie media types away from the main action was something else, as reported by Natasha Lennard in her story "Chicago's Fishy Arrests"  and Ryann Devereaux's story about Chicago police accused of targeting journalists . 

Police superintendent Garry McCarthy claims the number of protesters was no more than 3,000 and that Occupy Chicago's protest ultimately failed. If that is the case, what's his explanation for the overkill in police power, both visible and invisible (undercover agents and surveillance teams)? Who's to blame for the failure to assess what was needed for crowd control beforehand and the waste of so much money, both federal or local. Were journalists who were detained a threat to homeland security or was a man who carried a sign that said "George Orwell was right" on to something?


My first dispatch about the NATO summit protests on the Atlantic's web site here.  It's an overview of what I saw on the days leading up to and the first day of the summit.

Click here to see a line of cops as far as the eye can see on Michigan Ave, keeping watch on about 200 protesters who were hanging out in Grant Park. and here to see Cops boarding a Chicago City bus and a man holding a "George Orwell was right" being filmed by the police here- 

To see more of my images on the Anti-NATO protests check out the selection syndicated through Corbis.  AND check out a set of over 200 shots on flickr 

Chicago is......

Police Disperse Crowd That refuses to leave by pushing/hitting
people with billy clubs

Chicago Police in Shinny New Riot Gear

Woman at Anti NATO protest in CHicago

Occupy Wall Street Calls for An "American Spring"

Over the March 24 weekend Occupy Wall Street activists held a "Let Freedom Spring" march to protest police brutality and call for the resignation of NYPD commissioner Ray Kelley. The march started in Zuccotti Park, swelling in size as it made its way to One Police Plaza. Councilmen Jumaane Williams and Ydanis Rodriguez were out in front, holding a Stop Violence banner. The crowd grew from a few hundred to close a thousand as they made their way to Union Square, chanting anti- police slogans. The mood sea-sawed from playful to hostile, heating up in the narrow streets of NOLITA where protesters took to the streets. There were over a dozen arrests including that of 16 year old, Mesiah Burcuaga who was arrested, then in her own words "de-arrested when the crowd pulled her from police custody pushing her down the block" to then find herself violently re-arrested. (Here is a video clip or her recounting her arrest) She was thrown to the ground and then hauled off by her shoulders while protesters yelled at the police to stop hurting her.

Mesiah Taken Away by the NYPD

At Union Square all was calm until shortly before midnight, the time when police and protesters have a been having a nightly showdown. Since March 17, the six-month anniversary of OWS has made the park its' base of operations. The police have been enforcing a new midnight curfew to make sure another Zuccotti Park-type encampment cannot be established. The protesters have turned the curfew into street theater, taunting the police with donuts, and playing cat and mouse with them. Saturday night, once temperatures dropped and the crowd thinned, the police used barricades as shields as they charged the protesters, moving them off the sidewalk and further away from 14th Street. The massive show of force seemed less effective as crowd dispersal than the cold rain that ended the confrontation.

Occupy Wall Street's winter hibernation is over. But last weekend, its' message against corporate greed and social injustice was drowned out by an anti-police sentiment.

Check out my latest story/slide show on Occupy Wall Street's Spring Training on the Atlantic's site.   To see more images from this series check out a set on Flickr 

Occupy Wall Street March on March 23rd

Also please watch video clips from the weekend-
Street theater in Union Square Park- Dicey rapping to police  
Protesters take the street in NOLITA during an anti police brutality march  
Police pushing protesters off sidewalk with barricades at Union Square  
Spring Training in Zuccotti park:
Love is the Answer
Civilian Technique 
Nicole Carty Teaching the Group 

Spring Training in Zuccotti Park

OWS Protester

Protester wearing a hoodie honoring Trayvon Martin

Anti- police sentiment at Union Square 

New Orleans Corporate Day of Action Focuses on BP as the BP Oil Spill Trial Is Postponed

On February 29, 2012, the New Orleans contingent of the Occupy Wall Street movement participated in the nationwide Corporate Day of Action by protesting against a possible BP settlement in front of the Federal Courthouse. Activists joined in a mock funeral for the Gulf. The trial, scheduled to begin on February 27th, was delayed by Judge Carl Barbier for a week in hopes a settlement can be reached. If a trial comes to pass, it could take over a year to complete since there are multiple plaintiffs suing BP after the largest oil spill in American history. The protesters are against a settlement. They want the case to be heard in court so it will be public record. Cherri Foylin, a Plaquemines Parish environmental activist, thinks Gulf Coast residents need a seat at the table or at least in the courtroom and doesn't trust that an equitable settlement can be reached behind closed doors. Darla Rooks, a shrimper who came to the protest in her fishing boots, fears that the the real damage done to the environment and the health of Gulf Coast residents will never be known if there is a settlement. Protest organizer Elizabeth Cook said she believes all settlements made under the Obama administration have favored corporations and that everyone needs to see and hear the evidence prepared for this trial. During the protest, Kindra Arnesen held up pictures of people and animals sickened since the spill, a man dressed as tent monster danced in front of the courthouse entrance and others made sure those who drove down Poydras Street knew the Occupy movement's presence in New Orleans hasn't gone away. To see more pictures check out a set on Flickr 

Mardi Gras 2012

Mardi Gras Indians on MardiGras Day

Mariska Hargitay on Mardi Gras Float 

Mardi Gras reminds me how unique a place New Orleans is, a city that goes mad for days on end. There is no getting around it. Everything is affected by the parades. It is better to participate than to fight it, catch some beads and, in my case, photograph the action. This year I found myself chasing stars, hoping to license some photos since star power helps. Some of my star shots populate a slide show on The Guardian's website.  On Marid Gras Day I caught up with Ken Bauvier, the chief deputy of EMS, who showed me a map of all the spotswhere ambulances were stationed throughout the city. I asked him what his team had been dealing with. While EMS took a woman away who had a heart attack near Gallier Hall, another woman was rescued by bystanders before EMS got to her, making her spit up a corndog she was choking on. More Mardi Gras specific, EMS treated  a couple of people with head injuries, the victims hit with coconuts thrown from Zulu floats, one with a badly broken nose. While I'm a person who doesn't hang on to much in the way of material objects (having learned a life lesson to stay light on my feet, too long a story for this blog entry), I left the parade with a  a real Mardi Gras treasure, a Zulu firetruck necklace given to me by Clancey DeBos.I went back home to file my shots when I got a tip the Mardi Gras Indians were gathering along Claiborne Ave. under the I-10 overpass near Esplanade. I followed the the Yellow Pocahontas Mardi Gras Indians and  photographed them in front of the Basin Bar, shooting them cast in magic hour glow. On my way back to my bike I saw smoke rising. Cars and motorcycles were marking up the road, doing donuts in Mad Max style.  Check out a video clip here. Here is a set of my photos shot throughout Marid Gras 2012 availble through Corbis and more in a set on Flickr . 

Terry Cambise on Mardi Gras Day

Chief deputy of EMS, Ken Bauvier With Map

Clancey DeBos In The Zulu Parade 

Will Ferrell King of Bacchus

Zulu Parade Portrait

 Babydolls dance group in Zulu

Zulu Parade on St. Charles Ave.

Daryl Hannah at Gallier Hall on Mardi Gras Day

Mad Maxxing on Fat Tuesday