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American Morning

Talk With Manager of Johnny White's Sports Bar; New Orleans Finally Showing Signs of Progress

Aired September 12, 2005 - 09:32   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The president of the United States onboard the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship. It normally brings Marine expeditionary units into combat theaters, but in this case, is a center of operations, a nexus of activity for the federal response to Katrina, here getting sort of a Powerpoint version of where the relief effort stands right now, on this two-week point after Katrina struck. He was briefed by the vice admiral of the Coast Guard, who is heading up the federal response, Thad Allen, as well as the man in charge of ground troops, Brigadier General Russel Honore, Mayor Ray Nagin from the city of New Orleans, and the governor of New Orleans Kathleen Blanco all there as well, to give the president a briefing and perhaps a little bit of an a earful given their criticism over the past several weeks about that federal response.
When the president finally gets to his tour, which should be happening even as we speak, he will have an opportunity to visit, among other places, the French Quarter, Of course, the famous draw that brings so many millions of people to New Orleans over the years.

Last night we found the French Quarter just so oddly quiet and dark. And no one who I spoke with can remember it ever being this way. We did find, however, a little pocket of life, a little more proof, And that's sort of the theme I'm getting here, is that this city really is on the ropes, but there's just everywhere you turn a little sign of encouragement, little signs, but signs nonetheless, and we really have to -- I guess a long journey begins with that first step, as they say.

We managed to find our way to a place called Johnny White's Sports Bar. If you've been to New Orleans, you know the place. Now there's a sign there that says they've been open 14 years straight.

Now all through Katrina, up to this moment, that record remains intact. Marcie Ramsey, the manager there, is part of keep that regard intact.

Marcie, you must have thought at one point, it might be a good idea to close and evacuate.

MARCIE RAMSEY, MGR. JOHNNY WHITE'S SPORTS BAR: We considered it at one point, but the majority of us wanted to stay and help rebuild our town. This is where we live. This is where we love to be. So we wanted to be able to stay and help in the efforts once everything got organized again.

M. O'BRIEN: You know, people I spoke with there, locals, I reminded them, hey, there's a mandatory evacuation. They really don't want you here. They're pretty adamant about that. Why is that?

RAMSEY: Well, you know, they're going to bring in people from other places to pay them to do the same things that we're offering to do for free. You know, they can put us to work in many different ways. We all have a skill. That's why we're still here trying to stand our ground so we can be able to stay. We've gone through all different channels trying to get some way for them not to bother us so much. We are pretty self sufficient over there, MREs, and water and that kind of stuff.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, self sufficient is the word. At this point, I know you had an early experience where the authorities were trying to get you off the sidewalk and sort of hassling you a little bit. At this point, I think they've backed off of that. Is that your sense of it as well?

RAMSEY: Yes, I mean, they come by and check on us every night just to make sure we're OK. Anybody needs medical attention, we can get them in touch with the right people so they can be evacuated for anything very serious. There was a guy in there last night had gangrene, so he's -- they got him out immediately yesterday, just to get him some help.

M. O'BRIEN: Give us a sense, aside from discovering people who have gangrene, give us a sense of what goes on in that bar? What is the conversation like? Is it a dark conversation, or is it typically New Orleans in the sense that, you know, whatever we are dealt, whatever hand we're dealt, let's have the good times roll, if we can.

RAMSEY: The first few day after the hurricane, right after the hurricane, it was a lot of testosterone running around. I mean, they were thinking of ways to protect themselves and stuff, and scaring the bejeezus out of me, you know, just wasn't good. But we've lightened up a lot. You know, we're trying to take care of our own and our own neighborhood the best we possibly can so everybody feels safe.

M. O'BRIEN: You make the point that has been made by all these people, that, you know, who best to do the clean up by the people that live here, who care more about it? And are you hopeful that will be the case? That ultimately, the residents will be a part of this whole effort to bring this city back? Because after all, that's really the only way it's going to work.

RAMSEY: Yes, we're pretty confident on that right now. I mean, we haven't heard from anyone, you know, we're kind of shut off over there and don't really know what's going on around the world at this point. So we're, you know, we're doing our best to make sure that we are safe, and fed and taken care of, and we've all been vaccinated. We're ready to stay, you know. We took those precautions that we need to take just to make sure we're safe.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Marcie Ramsey, be careful. And keep that record intact. Thanks for being with us.

You know, Soledad, the signs of life in the French Quarter are just, you know, every night there's something new. I don't think -- when you were here a few days ago, I don't think you had this, the hotel, the Royal Cinesta (ph) has opened up. They have a generator there. They have air-conditioning. And I got a hotel room last night. I hate to rub it in, but I got a hotel room.

S. O'BRIEN: I'm so happy for you, Miles, because I stayed in an R/V with people who hadn't showered, some of them for a couple weeks.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's a little different than the week immediately after the storm when I was first here. As a matter of fact, really it's like night and day, so it's nice to report that I had to fully research whether the hotel was offering up those kind of amenities, of course.

S. O'BRIEN: You wanted to check on the electricity and make sure it was really, fully operational. Yes, I fully understand.

M. O'BRIEN: yes, all night long.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Miles. Thanks.

Well, two weeks to the day after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, New Orleans finally, as Miles told you, is showing some signs of progress. Many, many challenges ahead, though.

Sidney Barthelemy is a former mayor of New Orleans. He evacuated before the storm hit. He's at the CNN Center in Atlanta this morning.

Nice to see you again, sir, and thank you for you talking to us.

SIDNEY BARTHELEMY, FMR. NEW ORLEANS MAYOR: Good to see you, too, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: You know, you were the one that came on the air after the storm hit, and you were practically crying. You were saying, we need attention, we need help; there's going to be massive loss of life. Do you sit back now and say, see, I told you, I was the first person practically who came forward and said, look what's happening here?

BARTHELEMY: No, I really suffered with the tragedy of the people in New Orleans, as everyone else. I knew we needed the help. I knew it was overwhelming. But I want to see it rebuilt. I know I see a lot of people here. We're in Atlanta. And everybody wants to get back and start making the city work again.

S. O'BRIEN: It seems the people are on one front moving forward, but on another front, looking backward for where exactly the big mistakes happened. Which team are you on, or do you think both need to happen at this point?

BARTHELEMY: Well, I think we need to go ahead and do the things that are necessary to make the city work. We need to bring business and commerce back as quickly as possible. We need to pump the water out. We need to bring electricity back on, and we need to offer some jobs to the people who have -- their lives have been really destroyed by this hurricane, so that they can get the hope back and the willingness to make New Orleans work again, make it that special place that everyone so loves.

S. O'BRIEN: We have seen pictures of people loving Houston because they've been really terrific about extending their hand and their hearts to the people who have been displaced. We've seen stories about kids starting schools in other states. Concerns that people aren't going to come back or a significant number won't come back?

BARTHELEMY: Well, I think some won't come back. But I think the majority of the people, if they felt their lives could be returned to what they were before -- in better in many, many cases -- they'll come back. New Orleans is a special place. It's ingrained in all of us. And we love the place, we want to make it work. And I think you're going to find that many people, if they're told, hey, you have a job, you have a place to live, come on back, they'll come back.

S. O'BRIEN: In your mind's eye, what is New Orleans when it's repaired? What does it look like, exactly what it looked like before? The more vulnerable parts, no housing there? Everybody in skyscrapers? What do you see?

BARTHELEMY: I think it's going to be different. There's no question about that. We need to improve many, many things within the physical structure of New Orleans. And also the social structure. We can't survive again with the number of undeclared citizens that we have. We have to make sure that they are much more a part of the community and that they are able to enjoy what America has to offer.

And I think this gives us an opportunity to do that and it gives America an opportunity to realize that we have so many people who are not part of our society that are, as we say, underclass. They don't have the economic resources that most of us want to have. And we need to address that.

S. O'BRIEN: Former New Orleans Mayor Sidney Barthelemy. Thank you. Nice to see you.

BARTHELEMY: Good to see you, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks.

Time to get another check of the headlines with Carol Costello. Good morning again, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad. Good morning to all of you.

Now in the news, confirmation hearings for chief justice nominee John Roberts set to begin just over two hours from now. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Judge Roberts are expected to give their opening statements today. Actual questioning won't start until tomorrow. Of course, stay with CNN for live coverage of today's hearings. Those are set to begin, as I said, at noon Eastern.

Northwest airlines and mechanic's union have one final day to work out a compromise. The airline says it will start hiring permanent replacement workers starting tomorrow. Negotiations between Northwest and the mechanic's union collapsed on Sunday. More than 4,400 workers have been on strike since August 20.

A state of emergency in effect this hour in North Carolina. Hundreds of national guardsmen are on stand by. Hurricane Ophelia is lurking some 200 miles off the Eastern seaboard.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, we're going to talk to a Hollywood actor, a New Orleans native who lost his childhood home to Katrina. Find out what he's doing to try to help the city get back on its feet. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: You might know our next guest from the HBO police drama "The Wire." Wendell Pierce plays Detective William "Bunk" Moreland in the Baltimore-based drama. But New Orleans is really the place that Pierce calls home, where he grew up, and it's a place that he's now hoping to help rebuild.

Wendell Pierce joins us from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Nice to see you. Thanks for talking with us.

WENDELL PIERCE, ACTOR: Thank you very much, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: I know you lost your childhood home. You evacuated with your mom and dad. You've been left, essentially, with nothing from your home. What was it like to watch the devastation, you know, from a little bit of a distance, kind of play out over a week? And now we're in our second week?

PIERCE: Yes, it was -- I actually came home that Saturday before the storm. We were having a family vacation. My nieces came in from New York. And we had this wonderful Saturday night at home in my home, my childhood home. And we were waiting, you know, like most New Orleanians. We took into consideration the voluntary evacuation, and then I told my parents we would wait until the mandatory evacuation. And when it came that next morning, I said, it's time for us to go.

And it was -- I reflect on it now. We actually have video from that night with my nieces. And it was our last, you know, really happy moments in my home.

S. O'BRIEN: It must have broken your heart to see the damage and the devastation to all the places you grew up and call home and you've got friends.

PIERCE: It -- yes. It's one of those things that, you know, you forget -- people forget that you have an emotional attachment to inanimate things and places. And there are so many people and events in my life that are associated with New Orleans that, to see the destruction of the building really is like the death in the family, because it just reminds you that you are intimately connected to the city. Because, you know, your home is -- your soul is the center of who you are. It's your identity. And to lose your soul is painful, profoundly sad.

S. O'BRIEN: Because of that, I know you've started this foundation, and it's called Rebuild, Restore, Reclaim New Orleans.

PIERCE: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: What's the goal?

PIERCE: Our goal -- it started from the energy of people from my neighborhood, very close-knit neighborhood had called Pontchartrain Park. We're calling from all over the world as we try to reconnect with family and friends. And combine that the images of the people who were stuck at the convention center and the Superdome. And the poorest members of New Orleans, who I felt as though they were really neglected in their time of need. It was -- at least it was indifference in, and, you know, borderline criminal negligence.

And I realized that it was time for us to create something and harness the energy that we had as we were reaching out and reconnecting with people I hadn't talked to in years. And I said that it was time for us to really rebuild the homes, and restore the lives and reclaim the importance of those people who are less fortunate than us in New Orleans, who were poor, and who were stuck there, and I realize their lives have been destroyed. They had nothing before, little to nothing before, and absolutely nothing now.

And the reason for that was some of the salvos that went out earlier, when people literally were saying, like the secretary -- like the House speaker, who said, maybe we shouldn't rebuild the city. I know he's apologized, but the sentiment was clear. And just last week in "The Wall Street Journal" members of the business elite in our government in New Orleans considered the idea of rebuilding it without the poor and minorities. And so that was a salvo for us, and we felt as though we had to make sure we put together an organization to protect those who were less fortunate.

And the second part of our mission is for those of us who were born in New Orleans and want to come back and actually contribute our expertise to the city. So we put together Rebuild, Restore, Reclaim New Orleans. And it's going to be a private-equity fund that's going to be set up so people can apply in a fair and equitable way for assistance and identify the poor of New Orleans.

S. O'BRIEN: You've got a big job ahead, but it's a good thing you're doing.

Actor Wendell Pierce, nice to see you. Thanks for being with us. Appreciate it.

PIERCE: Thank you very much.

S. O'BRIEN: "CNN LIVE TODAY" is up next. Tony Harris is filling in for Daryn who's got the day off.

Hey, Tony, good morning.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Soledad, good morning to you.

And coming up at the top of the hour, President Bush in New Orleans right now. He makes his first ground tour of the city since Hurricane Katrina hit. We're with the president live as he surveys the damage.

Plus, it's back to school for many children in the hurricane zone. We'll show you how other students from around the country are helping them get ready for class. That and much more on "CNN LIVE TODAY" at the top of the hour.

Soledad, back to you.

S. O'BRIEN: Tony, thank you very much.

Still to come this morning, Andy's got a look at the markets, plus Mickey Mouse and friends debut in Hong Kong. "Minding Your Business" just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back. The Magic Kingdom open in Hong Kong, and we have pictures to prove it.

With that and the markets is Andy Serwer, who's "Minding Your Business."

Good morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Soledad.

Let's start off with the markets, first of all. Stocks up at this hour, up 14, the Dow Jones Industrials as you can see there, extending the rally from last week. A big tech merger brewing here. Oracle is buying Siebel Systems, two big software companies, $5.8 billion deal. There Siebel's up 13 percent.

Yes, this is the ultimate West meets East story, Soledad. Hong Kong Disneyland is open for business today. Total cost, $3.8 billion. It's the first park in china. Isn't that fun to look at there? And, of course, it's all done with the Chinese flavoring. There's a feng shui consultant was asked if it had the right chi, this spot, and it did, apparently. Alice dances and since in Cantonese. The restaurants serve dim sum and roast duck, with all apologies to Donald, I guess.

S. O'BRIEN: And they're all big, long lines, just like here in America.

SERWER: There are. They are expecting 5.6 million visitors this year. And they plan to make a lot of money. The government owns 50 percent -- 57 percent.

S. O'BRIEN: And the kids are scamming their parents for all the stuff that you get at Disney, just like here in America.

SERWER: That's right, very tired out there on the first day.

S. O'BRIEN: All right. Andy, Thanks.

SERWER: You're welcome.

S. O'BRIEN: A short break. We're back in a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Live pictures now. That's the USS Iwo Jima. The president spent the night there last night, having made his third trip to this part of the world in 14 days now in the wake of Katrina. He should begin his tour of the heart of this city, the French Quarter, on his itinerary in just a little bit.

Of course, Soledad, as you well know, just touring the French Quarter doesn't really give you the full flavor, because it is higher ground, relatively speaking. And many of the outlying neighborhoods are still way deep in a terrible, terrible foul soup of water, that it's just unimaginable how these rescue teaming are performing their jobs right now -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, you really don't get a good sense until I think you put on your waders and you go out in the still waist-high water, that as you say, is just nasty, and maybe even go along with the recovery teams. That might give an interesting perspective from there.

Miles, thank you very much. We'll see you back there tomorrow. That's all the time we have on this AMERICAN MORNING. Let's get right to Tony Harris. He's at the CNN Center. Going to take to take you through the next couple of hours on CNN LIVE TODAY.

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