One month after news of a giant Gulf Coast oil spill began making headlines across the country, aid organizations worry that the region may see an influx of workers seeking cleanup jobs that simply don’t exist.
“People are being told they can drive here and apply for jobs and BP will pay for travel and hotels. This is just not true,” executive director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Darlene Kattan said Thursday night at a public meeting in Metairie.
Kattan’s phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from agencies nationwide struggling to find jobs for laid-off workers – and interested in placing workers in cleanup jobs they’ve heard about. Unfortunately, these jobs don’t exist in the numbers imagined, or in the number needed to employ the thousands already here and needing work. In short, the never-ending great recession has met the never-ending oil spill.
Already 3,200 people have attended trainings and received certification to do the estimated in the cleanup. Far less have gotten jobs. Just last week, more than 2,000 people vied for consideration for 500 jobs that may or may not materialize cleaning up oil along Alabama’s shoreline. A BP officials said the company wasn’t accepting any more applications, and would contact those who had already applied if and when the need to fill the jobs arose. Meanwhile, businesses have begun to sell trainings being provided free of charge in areas affected by the spill through a disaster response command center. The site recently added a page that suggests their training courses will be needed all the way up the East Coast as the oil moves into the loop current.
In the New Orleans region, Kattan has heard about people coming into Hispanic neighborhoods offering to fill out BP job application forms for a $100 fee.“ I don’t want to see another Katrina scenario,” the advocate said, referencing similar scams that exploited Spanish-speaking laborers seeking rebuilding work following the 2005 storm.
While BP has held worker trainings for Spanish as well as Vietnamese-speaking communities, Metairie lawyer Monica Sanchez said Thursday that all those affected by the spill should push BP for more translation services. “They have an obligation,” she said.
But even as Sanchez encouraged those being hurt by the spill to file claims, many in the Hispanic community expressed fears about domino-like economic injury that would not be recognized by the oil giant because it was not directly caused by the spill but instead, caused by rising seafood prices or other disruptions in business that happened as a result of it. Martin Gutierrez, director of the Catholic archdiocese’s Hispanic apostolate, said that Catholic Charities also holds these concerns and accordingly, is using an emergency grant from BP to buy pre-paid gift cards from local grocery stores, rather than national chains.
BP representative Hugh Depland said that while the company wasn’t sure exactly when more workers would be hired, the $239 billion company was spending “a lot of money, time and effort to bring this event to a close.” And to those worried restaurateurs facing rising prices for shrimp and oysters? In the words of fellow BP rep Randy Prescott: “Louisiana isn’t the only place that has shrimp.”
I’m sorry, but the explanation of the original context from which the quotation was taken doesn’t make the statement ANY better–not one bit.
I think you should come down here to Louisiana and make a public appology concerning your DUMB ASS statement. But you best bring back up, cuz buddy if you ever step foot in our parts I don’t think you will make it out in one piece. How arrogant can you get !!!??? I wouldn’t buy fuel from BP if my life depended on it! I will walk first. You don’t know who you are Fucking with….. we stick together like glue in the south and we will not take this crap from jerks like you!
Dear Readers,
Based on some of the comments here, as well as phone calls we’ve gotten on this, I’d like to explain a few things about the quote from BP representative Randy Prescott.
First, The Lens stands by the accuracy of the quote. Even Prescott does not dispute that he said this, saying elsewhere that he chose his words poorly and regrets the remark.
Second, we stand by the context of the quote, but we appreciate how Prescott could have interpreted it differently. This was a meeting put on by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and, among others, it drew many owners of mom-and-pop eateries, taquerias and taco trucks. A woman in the crowd asked whether the seafood is safe to eat. Given the other questions preceding her, we interpreted it as a business owner asking whether she should pay higher prices for a product that may or may not be safe to serve.
Prescott interpreted it as a consumer asking whether she could eat seafood at Gulf Coast restaurants. Given the suburban New Orleans setting of the meeting, and the local composition of the audience explained above, it’s a stretch to believe that Prescott was offering advice about restaurants across the Gulf Coast. Still, speaking off-the-cuff to a crowd is not easy, and we recognize he may well have heard the question this way.
Readers of our story and of his later explanation should consider whether The Lens or Prescott had a reason to present the quote in a particular context.
Third, the comment was offered as Prescott answered questions from the crowd, not – as has been implied on The Hayride – in a one-on-one conversation with our reporter. Some commenters have asked why this wasn’t reported elsewhere. We can’t explain why other news media didn’t cover this event or why those there chose not to use this quote, which was one of many. But for context, this was an evening meeting on May 20, a day full of other news developments. Part of the mission of The Lens is to provide coverage that the mainstream media does not.
Fourth, if we were “out to get” Prescott, the quote wouldn’t be buried at the end of the story. Clearly, this has taken on a life of its own, through the actions of those who read the story, took it upon themselves to look up Prescott’s work number and e-mail, and posted them on our site, as well as Facebook and other social media outlets. It’s not our policy to censor comments, except in extreme circumstances. The posting of an easily obtained phone number doesn’t meet that standard.
For those who dropped in just to read this quote and think we’re sensationalists, I invite you to read other news stories on this site and determine for yourself what kind of news organization we are.
And as always, we appreciate and welcome your comments.
—Steve Beatty
Managing editor of The Lens
sbeatty@TheLensNola.org
So do you have the entrie quote? Is there video or audio of this?
Mike,
We’re not aware of any video or audio recordings of this. His answer was quite short and somewhat stammered. The material quoted was the only usable portion of what he said. We did not cut off anything of substance before or after the quote that would have provided context or coloring.
–Steve Beatty
Managing editor of The Lens
I smell a rat here. By adding this: “And to those worried restaurateurs facing rising prices for shrimp and oysters? In the words of fellow BP rep Randy Prescott: “Louisiana isn’t the only place that has shrimp.” this does make you sensationalists.
Exactly Mike!!!
The headline includes “the return of disaster capitalism” and you’re not sensationalists?
Mike, I think what was added actually describes the setting in which it was said. I vote “no sensationalism.”
So what if that is accurate as far as exactly what was said. Context is EVERYTHING. You’re walking down the street with your dog. I walk up and ask about the dog’s name and you respond by saying, “her name is Sadie.” You pass on and a friend walks up and says, “hey was that Debbie and her dog?” And my response is, “yea it was, she’s a bitch.” Would it be accurate for The Lens to report “Kacey called Debbie ‘a bitch’” without first coming to me for clarification regarding the comment? In the most pathetic, shallow, and simplistic “journalism” there is the answer would be yes. But based on deep, integrity filled, effort driven journalism, such as which USED to exist, the answer is absolutely not. But complete accuracy in the media has become the lowest common denominator….sensationalism and hit pieces have become the greatest, and the norm.
Steve,
You are attempt to justify use that quote the way you did was calculated and intentional. While not the typical Headline Sensationalism found in some stories. Like “5 Officers Arrested for Theft” where we find the the “Officers” are corporate officers for some company. The implication is that it is Police Officers and that sells the story. Your placement of the quote at the end and isolation it’s context and matched with quote that focused in BP’s wellbeing was like that of a Prosecutor rebuttal to a closing argument. You choose to leave the reader with you skewed presentation of that facts. You may state that “The Lens stands by the accuracy of the quote” But, a lie is still a lie, even when done through omission. And for failure in provide that context is omission.
I feel like whether or not the quote was taken out of context, doesn’t matter, he still said it and made it seem like it was no big deal that thousands of animals and people will be affected by this. It is big businesses like BP that have no concern for anyone or anything that might get in their way of the almighty dollar!! They cut corners and did not do was necessary to insure something like this would not happen. So ultimately it doesn’t matter what question someone asked, if they would have done what they should have done from the begining, the situation would have never existed in the first place.I agree with Debbie I vote “no sensationalism.”
The only context in which I can see this quote being at all acceptable is the following:
Question: “Is the seafood safe to eat?”
Answer: (acceptable context locate within the [brackets]
[You'll have to check with local authorities. Many areas have been affected. Unfortunately,]
Louisiana isn’t the only place that has shrimp
[or other seafood which may have been affected. consumers and business owners should use caution when dealing with gulf seafood.]”
I find it highly unlikely that this was the context in which Mr. Prescott made his remarks. I feel certain he didn’t mean them as casually or callously as has been implied – but being in a position to address the public on such a massive issue – he needs to have his head about him. Clearly – he did not.
I work in a gas station, and I am deeply ashamed right now that we sell BP brand gas. Maybe I can convince my superiors to change brands.
Context deosn’t matter…… he said it and that’s that! It’s beyond discusting
Kacey, did you read the story after the headline? It’s actually about people that are making and losing money from this man made disaster. Hence the title, The Return of Disaster Capitalism. People, especially reps from BP, need to choose their words wisely when speaking in public. Anything that comes out of your mouth is fair game for journalists. This was not a group of people sitting around having a private conversation, this was a comment made at a public forum. I do not believe he was
quoted out of context in the story. It was the people who circulated his quote on the web that did it out of context. The quote seems less callous when taken in the context of replying to restaurant owners worried about rising seafood prices, but it was still a dumb thing to say and I’m sure he regrets it. Maybe BP should do a little less damage control to their image and worry a little more about damage control to the environment.
Since the rig blew six weeks ago, BP has done a lot to reinforce the image of self-absorbed global oil conglomerates, and now every time we here “BP-Speak” on the news, we’re expecting it to be a crass, clueless blathering. BP has done little to dispel that mindset.
However….. Here’s a BP guy on the Gulf, right there where the damage is happening, and he’s seen the effect the oil gush is having on real lives. I can see him thinking that the damage isn’t limited to Louisiana, though that’s the state we all talk about. Just as with Katrina, Mississippi was also terribly damaged, but the news focused on Louisiana, and Mississippi was mostly a side story. With the image BP has callously cultivated, we’re now expecting to read negativity into every word that comes from the mouth of every BP employee.
Maybe we shouldn’t rush to assume we know his thoughts. “Louisiana isn’t the only place that has shrimp” may could have been bettered expressed by saying “Louisiana isn’t the only place seeing their shrimping damaged.”
Just a thought.
Snopes.com, the urban-legend debunking site, is currently in the middle of investigating this alleged quote. If I were The Lens, I would hurry to find a corroborating reporter or witness, pronto: http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/shrimp.asp
I am disturbed by the fact that this was even said. Regardless of the situation in which he thought it was okay to insult Louisiana this way, he should have just not said anything. BP would do so much better by NOT speaking to the public at this point, because no matter what they say, the people are not going to be satisfied with it. Nothing they say or do will be good enough at this point. The roughnecks working on the rig that lost their lives, the animals on both land and sea, the plants, the ground – everything that has been destroyed – can not be replaced. And even if a miracle occurs and the leak is stopped and all the crude is miraculously and instantaneously cleaned up, it will not be good enough for the general public. That won’t fix everything that has been destroyed over the last six weeks. You can’t bring back the sea turtles, the whales, the dolphins, the coral, or even the shrimp that Mr. Prescott thinks everyone is so worried about. It won’t fix the fact that for the last 6 weeks all of the shrimpers and fisherman and everyone who makes their living on the gulf have not had any income because of this. They can’t fix that. And I have yet to hear of BP offering some sort of compensation for all those who have lost their jobs over all of this. Yes, there are shrimp elsewhere, Mr. Prescott, but you can’t expect everyone to just up and move because they can’t shrimp in the waters you contimanated. It doesn’t work that way here in the real world.
My compassion has been tempered. I know an individual who has been in the area conducting “clean up” certification training. This person indicated that a majority of people seeking “certification” for the clean up jobs have zero interest in actually working, however they ARE asking for a signature so they can show the unemployment office they attended. Some couldn’t even sign the attendance roster, had to use an X because they cant read or write they’re own name. Said person ALSO indicated that they’ve had to put up metal detectors at building entry points because several students have brought weapons to class, and fights are breaking out in the middle of the classroom. His disheartened observation: “Now I understand how the Katrina disaster happened”. Maybe there will be jobs available for those who want them after all!
Context is impossible to know in written text, so is tone.
I’m sure everyone reading this has had a miscommunication or bad feeleings because of something in an email that was perceived in an unintended way.
Everyone hates big oil, but c’mon, the guy was answering worried restauranteurs asking if this meant shrimp prices would go up. And he said “Louisiana isn’t the only place that has shrimp”. You can not know the context or intent of this comment from this article.
Was it with a smug grin on his face and accenting the word Lousiana? Or was it a genuine honest answer, trying to reassure the restauranteurs? People always seem to be looking for the negative in others.
Allen, The way I am reading it, he was saying in effect, “No, your shrimp prices will not go up, because there are many places other than Louisiana (not affected by the spill) that you can purchase your shrimp from”.
Am I missing something? Isn’t that what he was saying?
Dan, and all of the other people who are jumping to conclusions about what BP’s PR man said, in absence of a complete story from “The Lens”:
From what the editor said, a woman in the crowd asked whether:
“whether the seafood is safe to eat”
In response, the BP rep said:
“Louisiana isn’t the only place that has shrimp”
That statement, in response to whether seafood is safe to eat, is neither insensitive nor irresponsible.
If people want to continue to be offended, they may. But they are responding to what they thought they heard, instead of what was actually said.
To Steve Beatty, managing editor:
That was a horrible defense of really poor writing. I took journalism courses and worked for two different college newspapers. If we had pulled crap like that and we’re caught doing it, our adviser would be spending the next ten minutes talking about libel and slander.
A reporter (a good one, at least) never gives their ‘interpretation’ of what was said without labeling it as such. They report the question, and the answer that was given. In this case, the question that generated that quote never even made it into your article. That’s inexcusable.
And those of us who have written for newspapers, even college ones, know that you use your best quotes as a button for your article. Shame on you for pretending that you ‘buried’ it ‘at the end’.
Which meeting was this?
Says that this was at a meeting…were there any other reporters there. Maybe there was a reporter with a recording device or something like that.
I also think that ya’ll should link to the ‘elsewhere’ where Prescott said “that he chose his words poorly and regrets the remark”. I’ve looked for this ‘elsewhere’, and the only thing that I’ve found is a blog entry that has since been deleted (http://humidcity.com/?p=3286). Since you cite this ‘elsewhere’ as proof of your accuracy, then I believe that you should provide a link.
Also there is the fact that this happened at a public meeting. Maybe one of the other people in attendance could verify Prescott’s statement. Preferably one of the folks that were named in the actual article, since we know that their actual attendance at the event is a certainty.
Finally and once again. Which meeting was this? Who organized the meeting? I’m sure that at a minimum the organization has a secretary, and I can’t imagine an event having these groups and citizens there and no one thinking to record the thing.
Does anyone think before they speak anymore? Including all those screaming “boycott BP”? Look, the whole thing sucks. Lives have been destroyed. The Gulf environment is completely fucked. The list goes on and on, but who ALL are we hurting with a boycott? Has anyone thought about our own citizens and for that matter, neighbors who own or are employed by BP franchises (local stations)? Boycotting BP is boycotting our friends and neighbors! I dont claim to know what the answer is and I do believe that BP indeed needs to pay significant price for this catastrophic disaster, but eliminating American jobs and taking more money out of our own economy while our country is still deep in recession is shallow thinking and almost as inexcusably short-sighted as the BP execs who decided to cut corners to begin with.
Bp is not the only place I can fuel up my car .My whole family and I agree and when I say family,I mean a big family….Bp use to be the only place I would go…Now I will never go there again…
Steve, Could you please proofread Karen’s work more closely in the future? “3,200 people have attended trainings…”? You’ve got to be kidding me!
I will never go to BP again! There is one right on my way to work and I don’t care if I’m driving on fumes I will bypass it and go out of my way to get gas somewhere else!
If BP feels Louisiana is not the only place to buy shrmp or that Lousiana Shrimp, Oysters,seafood is unimportant they need to realize we can also buy gas elsewhere!! It effects more than jst the fishermen. Let us remember the restaurants- stores-the people who work at these places( waitresses, etc) Louisiana sticks together when it comes to these issues!! We buy locally to sustain our culture and businesses!!!
Well, every person on earth that has an I.Q. of 4 or better knows what corporations and there executives care about. So for all of you people senselessly debating how to interpret the words of a complete megalomaniac the only thing that you can do is live a life with a lower carbon foot print…Tesla car company…Nissan….buy an electric car. We all have blood on our hands at this point being that there IS an alternative to the internal combustion engine.
Sincerely yours,
Reality.
BP’s callous dismissal of the irreparable damage they have recklessly caused our earth demands redress. Their record for violations of our regulations is appalling. They have not been forthcoming, cooperative, or successful managing this disaster. BP’s assets must be consumed in reparations. Perhaps, the US Government should seize those assets and assume management in the interest of our damaged Mother Earth. The only possible way out of this man-made morass appears to be first containing BP, then the disaster in the Gulf.
BP isn’t the only company that sales gas…won’t be buying BP. You hurt the fisherman and shrimpers in their pocket – lets see if we can’t hurt you in yours, passing by BP gas stations, get the oil out of our waters and take your gas with you
yes we all do have some blood on our hands BUT when a major incident like this happens-which was PREVENTABLE- but a company man disregarded the standard operating procedures and safety measures in an effort to “speed up” the process of the drilling. Then we can convict BP of harm. The fact that they can voce openly lack of concern for Louisiana and make it sound like a scratch on the knee is what ticks people off! Yes glad hey are cleaning and tking blame- it’s all theirs.
BP’s actions speak louder than their words — the shoddy attention to the clean-up effort and the complete lack of solutions to cap the well are irresponsible at best.
why is there a Hispanic chamber of commerce? isn’t commerce just commerce. Also all you people blaming bp, who did in fact screw up, can I remind you, your goverment is NOT helping out because they are too busy pointing fingers to get the bandaids. They are utter hypocrites. Solve the problem then lay the blame not vice versa.
To be perfectly honest I don’t care what BP has to say in their defense the damage is done. Shrimp or no shrimp they did serious harm and their complete idiocy and lack of responsibility is pretty insulting. I hope everyone just drives past their gas stations. This isn’t a one time thing, they’ve been labeled the least green and eco friendly companies numerous times.