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Insert Foot in Mouth

Speaking of Free Speech ...

While we're waiting for Pat Robertson to apologize for his next undoubtedly imminent gaffe, it's nice to see that someone else is picking up the slack.

"Faced with howls of protest, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin apologized Tuesday for claiming that a vengeful God smote New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina because of heavenly disapproval of America's involvement in Iraq and of rampant violence within urban black communities.

Nagin also offered a less sweeping apology for his remarks about the city's future demographics in the aftermath of the storm and subsequent catastrophic flood. His comments came in a speech, delivered on Martin Luther King Day with City Hall as a backdrop, in which the mayor said God intended New Orleans to rise again as a "chocolate city," which he defined as a "black-majority city."

Nagin said he was in error on his claim that Katrina's devastation was a result of God's will. Those charges led some critics, particularly on the Internet, to compare Nagin with television evangelist Pat Robertson, who sometimes asserts that events stemmed from the wrath of God. Nagin said Tuesday he does not believe the Lord punished New Orleans.

"I sincerely apologize for that and if there was anything I could take back, that would be it," he said. "I think it was inappropriate."

Nagin acknowledged consulting with religious leaders since Katrina, and in his myriad public appearances he has commented eloquently on the important role faith must play if New Orleans is to endure. He said he regrets delivering a different message on Monday.

"I don't know what happened there," he said. "I don't know how that got jumbled up. That whole God thing, I don't know how that got mixed up in there."

...

Nagin acknowledged that some white residents considered his speech a divisive attack. But his intent was not to lash out at the city's white residents, he said. Rather, the "psyche" of black New Orleanians is on edge, and he said he wanted to soothe growing concerns and, at the same time, encourage people to return to the city. As additional context, Nagin pointed to the shootings at Sunday's second-line parade that left many returning black residents feeling jagged.

But Nagin was vague when asked why some displaced African-American residents believe they are not welcome. He described it as a hodgepodge of factors that have coalesced into a pessimistic "buzz." In his speech, however, Nagin was quite pointed, urging his audience to disregard "what people are saying Uptown" and reiterating, "This will be a chocolate city at the end of the day." The reference appeared to be to a 1975 song, "Chocolate City," by the band Parliament, which commented on white urban flight and black repopulation. Nagin said he has used the chocolate reference before and was simply referring to New Orleans' past, and future, as a majority black city.

Nagin said he did not mean to imply that Uptown residents are racist and apologized for using the phrase. The mayor was contrite about comments he made in an effort to stir up what he thought was an unnecessarily languid event, one at which he said other speakers "weren't saying anything" despite the enormous issues at stake.