This documentary made me so furious. Impossible to feel sympathy for these people. They hate the government but want to government to save them and pay for their children and their ability to pass out on the front porch. You can't have it both ways. At one point a resident "says the government needs to build a new school for the kids", where does this person think the money for schools come from? Taxpayers, yes people who contribute and have jobs. If you contribute nothing and are just a drain, why should anyone risk their life to save you? The disabled and elderly have my deepest sympathy. Able-bodied people who choose to breed and expect a free ride from the "horrible government" have zero sympathy from me. If you are a tax payer and are on the fence about welfare reform watch this documentary and you will change your mind. How many rappers pay taxes? At least the dog survived a dog isn't expected to contribute to the world around them.

A must-see documentary for anyone interested in the suppression of the poor in the United States. What went down in New Orleans was something even the corporate media had a hard time hiding. FOX News was reporting on Hurricane Katrina and saying the place looked like the 3rd world. The images were startling on the US news, but there was still the undertones of profit. "How will this affect gasoline prices?" Julie Chen asks on the CBS morning show after showing footage of all the homeless blacks.This is the story as told by the people themselves, not by Anderson Cooper or anyone else. This is how the story should be told because these are the people who lived with it. It's not even a story anyone in uniform could tell because they were part of the problem in New Orleans.One scene of this documentary allows the locals to narrate how they tried to go to a local Navy base in New Orleans which had been evacuated before the storm. It was empty and it had housing for people which wasn't being used. The National Guard who were protecting the building cocked and loaded M-16s and pointed them at the crowd. Nope, these aren't the stories you hear about on CNN.You won't hear the story about a man in prison for a misdemeanour before the storm hit either. The television was taken away by the guards before footage of the storm was on the air, when the prisoners finally heard that there was a hurricane outside, they were denied food and most of the guards left.This is a very good documentary, and an important one because it shows the failings of government. The government doesn't fail everyone, it takes very good care of the rich and businesses, which recovered quicker than anyone else in New Orleans. The government failures are biased towards the poor and visual minorities and this doc. pretty much confirms that thesis.Four years on and not much has changed in the 9th ward, but the casino is open and the tourism department is showing a flashy video urging people to come to New Orleans. The poor black people aren't around any more, except when they're working for minimum wage. The rest have been displaced from the city where they lived but no longer trust to live in anymore.Katrina is just one of the legacies of the Bush administration and perhaps a strong indication that the US is a country whose power is in decline. What can you possibly say about a country which won't even help its weakest and most destitute citizen? It sucks.

I just saw this film tonight, at it's opening in Hollywood, and encourage this to go nationwide. It breaks my heart at how our corrupt government completely ignored the cries of the people. It's almost as if the government was looking for a reason to destroy the population of the 9th Ward in New Orleans (i.e.: a form of genocide). This is a very powerful study of the devastation from the "ground" floor -- thanks to Kimberly Rivers Roberts (and her husband Scott) home videos.During the closing credits, the filmmakers showed what the current status of all the characters -- including the Captain of the Naval Base and his Presidential Commendation for protecting the (disbanned) base from possible terrorist activity. I'm a high school Social Studies teacher in Los Angeles and can't wait for the DVD so I can share this with my students.

A worthwhile trip through the disturbing events of Katrina, an honest film, even if on occasion not so subtly directing its viewers towards particular and easily-held opinions.There are several striking images in the film, including a recording of a 911 call in which an woman requesting help can't get out of her attic which is flooding. The 911 attendant has to inform her that there is no help at this time, and the victim replies, "So I'm going to die?" Silence on the other end of the line.It seems like the majority of the film is snatched from the video camera of a survivor, as such the footage can be, well, not professional, but in the end it doesn't matter, perhaps even adding to the realism. It turns out that the couple filming is a set of intriguing characters with admirable qualities. They are from the ninth ward, a poor section of New Orleans hit hardest by the storm, yet for those of us without that much contact with society's underbelly or the semi-destitute, they will probably surprise you with their values, intelligence, resolve and resourcefulness.The strength of the film for me was not in any attempts at blame or inciting anger at a lack of assistance and the seeming complacency of leadership, but in a reflection on the human struggle, manifested through an inspiring family, and in a basic reminder to examine, nourish, and befriend your own community.