Katrina survivors, through their People's Hurricane Relief Fund, are no longer willing to wait for justice. They have formed the Hurricanes Katrina and Rita International Tribunal to hold all levels of the government accountable for massive failures.
I have joined their call for justice and have agreed to serve as a convener of the Tribunal. The Tribunal takes place in New Orleans from Aug. 29 to Sept. 2, 2007. If you can make it, please come. If you are a member of an organization, please have your organization endorse the Tribunal at http://internationaltribunal.org/registration.

As you can imagine, this is a huge undertaking with significant implications for an unresponsive government. Perhaps it will be the Katrina and Rita survivors who will finally put brakes on a government that is out of control in its utter disregard of the American people.

I remember that it was one brave judge in Spain who agreed to hold Pinochet responsible for crimes committed against the Chilean people. The world's generosity toward Katrina and Rita survivors was shunned even as today's needs go unfilled and underfunded. It is to that same international community that survivors now turn. I believe their cries for justice will be heard.
However, please know that efforts to subvert or dilute this effort will surely be made because of the tremendous implications of this action. I do not want the Tribunal to be COINTELPRO'd. Therefore, I am asking that you make a tax-deductible donation to the Tribunal to keep it a true, uncompromised voice of the people.

With your important support, we will see a new generation of authentic leadership rise from the cries of the people for justice - not only in the Gulf States, but all across our country.

Give generously to the Tribunal at https://www.vanguardsf.org/index.php?s=40. Please be sure to scroll down on the PURPOSE pull-down menu to designate People's Hurricane Relief Fund as the recipient of your donation.
Checks can be mailed to: People's Hurricane Relief Fund, c/o Vanguard Public Foundation, 383 Rhode Island St. #301, San Francisco, CA 94103. Please earmark checks for "International Tribunal."

Kali Akuno, executive director of the People's Hurricane Relief Fund, explains the Tribunal:
"The People's Hurricane Relief Fund and Oversight Coalition (PHRF/OC) is a national coalition of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Survivors and their supporters (see www.peopleshurricane.org for more details). PHRF/OC is working to ensure that the people most affected by the Hurricanes - poor Black communities who were marginalized and disenfranchised long before the storms - have a voice in the reconstruction process and that those responsible for the needless destruction of their homes, communities and lives are held accountable for the actions.

"PHRF/OC is seeking ... to hold the U.S. government, on all levels, accountable for the policies and decisions that resulted in the death of over 2,000 people in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and the displacement of over 1 million in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. ...

"The goals of the International Tribunal are as follows:
1. Hold the U.S. government accountable for its crimes against humanity;
2. Demand financial restitution and justice for the survivors of Katrina and Rita and advance the Katrina reconstruction movement;
3. Build a national and international campaign against the U.S. government's program of displacement and ethnic cleansing;
4. Demand that the U.S. government adhere to U.N. guidelines on Internally Displaced Persons (IDP).

"These goals are the long-term vision we desire from the Tribunal. We seek to permanently and positively change the systems, policies and structures that failed the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast who were victims of the government's systematic neglect and depraved indifference.

"The International Tribunal is an initiative of PHRF/OC, Mississippi Disaster Relief Coalition (MDRC) and the U.S. Human Rights Network (USHRN). The International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is a programmatic outgrowth of the demand for justice and restitution called for by the more than 200 survivors gathered at the first Survivors Assembly held Dec. 8 -9, 2005, in Jackson, Miss. The survivors consisted of those living in the impacted Gulf Coast areas and from more than 15 cities throughout the country where survivors have been dispersed.

"To advance and promote the ongoing work of the International Tribunal, we are seeking your generous financial contribution. We are seeking to raise $300,000 to support the ongoing work of the Tribunal, including providing support for adequate staffing and legal counsel, national and international networking and campaigning and domestic and international legal action. Anything you can contribute to help us attain this goal will be invaluable in helping us accomplish our mission. All contributions are tax deductible."

For more information, see www.internationaltribunal.org or call Leon Waters in New Orleans at (504) 301-0215.

This commentary originally appeared on http://afterdowningstreet.org/node/25842.

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