No, John, No

[infrogmation]

A friend snapped.

Photographer, researcher, historian, tourguide, amateur musician -- real good at all of 'em.

A year ago we got a band together, rehearsing weekly at his house. We elected him the leader, as exuding the most maturity and leadership.

We rehearsed, and our tryout went well. Our second regular gig would have been the day of the mandatory evacuation.

The day after that, the London Avenue Canal levee failed 2 blocks from his house, putting 10 feet of water and a half foot of silt in it.

He stayed in town through the storm and aftermath working for the Picayune.

He looked understandably harrowed when I first got back in town. The Picayune gave him a vacation.

More recently I'd thought he'd been doing better.... well...

Like much of the city who didn't have the savings or weren't able to swing a loan to repair or rebuild out of pocket, he was waiting for the fabled money supposedly coming from insurance companies &/or FEMA. He said constantly trying to contact them and doing paperwork in Post-K NOLA was "like doing your taxes every day", an apt line which I've passed around.

...and...

Times-Picayune article

New Orleans LiveJournal thread

I sure as hell didn't expect something like this.

Maybe he'll be back some day. I hope.

We shall see.

[edit 7:15, 10 Aug: Since his story has since gotten over the national media, I'm changing this from a friends-only to a public post. Sigh. ]

Comments

[asienieizi.livejournal.com]

(((((((((((((Hugs for Froggy)))))))))))
I didn't know you knew him when I read that. I am so, so sorry.
He's got a wonderful friend in you.
You hang in there too.

[pentomino.livejournal.com]

This is creepy, because I remember reading about this incident on Fark: "New Orleans police deny man's request to shoot him dead, citing a city ordinance making it only legal to shoot people against their will" (link (http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=2221481))

[crystalgee.livejournal.com]

damn..I am so sorry :(

Creepy

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link, even if I feel some of the commenters need a dope-slap.

I do wonder where the folks who think people in the Katrina affected area are rolling in piles of money get their "information".

Or are they under the impression that folks who suddenly lost their homes and all their possessions who got $2 to 5 made out like bandits?

[entheos93.livejournal.com]

Oh, God- that's horrible. I think I sort of knew this guy from around St. Anne & Krieux de Vieux and brass band stuff, and I ran into him after the hurricane, taking pictures on Loyola Ave. Does that sound like him?

I don't know what they're doing these days for "psychiatric observation", but in the past, it was never a good thing. He'll need his friends, and an attorney, and a psychiatrist who isn't involved with whatever facility he's in right now. Seriously.

I'm so sorry.

Re: Creepy

[entheos93.livejournal.com]

I just read those comments.
A dope-slap? You are a far better man than I!

Still waiting for my pile of money...even a little pile...

[valiant-200.livejournal.com]

Oh man, that is rough. Things have not been easy here on The Coast, but as far as I know, nobody has freaked out quite that badly over The Storm.

Could it be possible that he was in the worst possible profession for someone who just lost their all to the Demon Storm? Out there in the street, forced to study the worst of it every working day, then finding out you and all of your neighbors don't have a hope in hell of regaining even a shred of what you lost... that sounds like enough to send anyone off the deep end.

I know you will be there for your friend, and I hope that, in the end, he finds a reason to live again.

Sigh.

[asienieizi.livejournal.com]

"I do wonder where the folks who think people in the Katrina affected area are rolling in piles of money get their "information"."

I've been reluctant for some reason to write about that but it's one of the common perceptions here when people find out I was there. If I ever get to the point where I'm not trying to deflect the *20-nosy/digging financial questions* I may start asking how they came to that conclusion.

[mshollie.livejournal.com]

Oh, poor froggy. I'm so sorry. I didn't know John, but I've heard you talking about him a lot.

The best thing you can do is to be there for him, as you have for me.

(((((froggy)))))

[tomscud.livejournal.com]

Jesus, that sucks.

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you might have seen some of his photos of the flooding and of the Morial Convention Center. He said at the convention center thousands were begging for food or water; he barely had enough to keep himself together. All he could do was keep taking photos.

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that sounds like him. He's the guy at the far right playing clarinet in this photo (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:BandRowNOWFF2000.JPG).

Thanks for the suggestions and thoughts.

[jdquintette.livejournal.com]

Damn. I didn't know that was John.

I wouldn't say I 'know' him, but we've met a few times.

[entheos93.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's him. Damn. The last time I saw him was on Loyola during the Dome/CC debacle, and we talked about it alot- he was taking pictures, but I asked him not to take pictures of me, and we talked alot about what was going on at the time.
I guess that makes it sound like an everyday exchange over coffee, but it wasn't.