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Huffstutler: It’s my observation that a lot of politicians think they can preach. I think on Martin Luther King day, Nagin was trying to preach. It was obvious that he hadn’t done the preparation and didn’t have the inspiration. He has a troubling tendency to speak when he should be silent.

P.H.: How do you feel about the mayor’s plan to rebuild New Orleans as a city with a “smaller foot-print?”

Huffstutler: The subtext to all the debate over rebuilding is race. A smaller foot-print means a majority white city. Nagin has said he supports everyone coming back, black and white, but there are a lot of folks scrambling because when we have our next election, it will be a much whiter electorate. Absentee voters won’t be enough.

P.H.: What will a whiter New Orleans mean for the character of the city?

Huffstutler: I have no idea what will become of the city as a result of the racial shift. The future is always unpredictable. Uncertainty is the rule of the day. Some have predictions, but I myself don’t know and that’s what makes it difficult.

P.H.: How would you evaluate the media’s coverage of Katrina? Did the overblown reporting about chaos and rape in the Superdome convey an uncharitable image of the city? Alternatively, do you think Katrina has forced the country to refocus on poverty and race?

Huffstutler: I do not think Katrina has caused the country refocus on poverty and race. It made interesting TV for a while, but it has quickly faded from the nation’s consciousness. Watching images on TV is one thing, but there’s nothing like seeing it in person. You just can’t grasp the scope of it.

I also think it’s wrong to suggest that the storm exclusively affected poor people. Lakeview, a rich, white neighborhood, was just as devastated as the ninth ward. It shouldn’t be depicted as exclusively a racial thing.

P.H.: Do you think New Orleans residents have been lobbying politicians effectively enough to get the governmental assistance they need to rebuild?

Huffstutler: We hope so. A lot of people have high hopes for the Baker Bill. The bill would have the government repay homeowners for sixty percent of the pre-Katrina equity value of their homes. Some kind of compensation is necessary, because a lot of people don’t have insurance. Then President Bush came out saying he didn’t support the bill. That has disappointed a lot of folks, but we’re continuing to try to get as much support as we can. We’re trying to organize at a local level too. It’s not all about Washington.