Sandy Survivors Expose ‘Red Cross Double Cross’

NEW YORK CITY, January 16 — “Red Cross, Double Cross. Red Cross, Double Cross” chanted Sandy survivors and supporters, including Progressive Labor Party members and friends, as they picketed the New York City headquarters of the Red Cross for the second time. Five weeks ago, Far Rockaway evacuees whom we had met at a shelter had been placed in Manhattan and Queens hotels with no funds for food, clothes, or other supplies. After demonstrating at the Red Cross, assistance was obtained for one month. Now it had run out and people were desperate.
In all its ads to raise money, the Red Cross claims to help Sandy survivors.  In reality very little of the money raised goes to help the working-class victims and survivors. Much of the money remains in the Red Cross coffers and pays the salaries and perks of administrators. One of the former heads of the Red Cross is Elizabeth Dole, wife of former U.S. presidential contender Bob Dole.
During our action, several Red Cross spokespeople told us no more aid would be forthcoming. “We already helped you enough, we don’t do housing,” they said. However, after this hard-hearted statement showed up on several TV stations, the red-faced Red Cross had second thoughts, and some victims did begin receiving monetary and housing aid.
Two and a half months after the devastation caused by Sandy, there are still at least 3,500 families in hotels in New York and New Jersey and 800 single adults living in fleabag hotels and single room occupancies. FEMA, New York State, New York City, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army and other “non-profit” agencies are still shuffling them like a deck of used cards among shelters, hotels and motels. Families are being promised apartments in City Housing, but none have yet been moved. Low-income apartments listed on FEMA’s website turn out not to be available to FEMA applicants.
The Sandy survivors we know and their children are now in hotels and motels in Queens and Manhattan. They have been promised a) assistance in finding affordable housing and medical care, since they are unable to get to their regular medical facility, b) accessible schools for their children, and c) financial assistance and case workers to help them navigate through the myriad of red tape.
They have received promise after promise, nearly all of which have proven meaningless. Instead the politicians and “non-profits” are paying hundreds of dollars per night per family for one hotel room. This benefits the corporate hotel owners who can keep their hotels full and the money flowing even when the tourists are not there. Of course there are NO cooking facilities in these rooms. In most cases even the normal microwaves and refrigerators are removed before the survivors are allowed into the rooms. Therefore, all food must be bought ready-to-eat which, especially in midtown Manhattan, is impossible on any working-class income.
But these survivors and their friends are uniting and fighting back. This demonstration at the Red Cross was part of an ongoing struggle, including actions at FEMA and other government offices. We must unite the struggles of Sandy survivors, striking school bus drivers and matrons and all members of the working class.  The politicians and the billionaires they serve are terrified of our unity.. They use racism, sexism, religion, and nationalism to keep us divided. We, the working class, are many and when united we are strong. With our unity we can continue our struggles. More importantly, we can build a revolution to destroy this entire system of capitalism where the handful of  billionaires live off our blood, sweat and tears. We can build a communist world of collectivity and sharing run by the working class.