Interview with Patricia Thomas
Interview conducted August 29th, 2006 with Patricia Thomas, Lafitte resident who helped the Yes Men publicly shame HUD. (Audio here.)
Note: Contrary to what many reporters wrote, there were no "false hopes" among residents, as the incident was reported as a hoax immediately after it occurred. At least one group of residents has expressed approval for the action.
A local TV reporter followed the "false hopes" angle despite Patricia telling her that thought the hoax was appropriate and necessary: "I respect this hoax. Maybe it'll take a hoax like this to get them out here to see what we're going through. So if a hoax is what we need, a hoax is what we got."
And New Orleans Times Picayune writer Steve Ritea reported that Patricia Thomas, who was standing right next to him at the end of this video, believed the hoax was real. He refused to interview her, however.
D - All right, what's your full name?
P - Patricia Savero Thomas.
D - And you live in the Lafitte?
P - 2213 Lafitte.
D - Tell me about, what did you do yesterday? What was the action that you took part in yesterday?
P - Well, we wanted, you've seen that girl's behaving badly? We wanted to do Housing behaving badly. You know, we invited the contractors out to see the houses, that the houses wasn't messed up. Yeah, it was a hoax, you understand me? But they [HUD] done pulled off hoaxes too by telling us that we would be able to go back in our units and leaving us with nowhere to stay, and leaving me living in a deplorable house. I wasn't angry or appalled at all. I was tickled that they [Yes Men] did that, because that shows that what y'all say is 'messed up' is not messed up. And Ray Nagin, I think you is sick. I think you need to see the doctor.
D - Yeah, so this was a way to show that what HUD is doing is cruel and is a hoax anda lie.
P - HUD, which one of the HUD's the real HUD or the other HUD....
D - The real HUD.
P - The real HUD is a poor excuse for people, because you took houses from people that is houses that is still livable. And, you know, you're telling us all these lies. Then you wouldn't let us in our apartments while the media is down here. So I want to show parts of the world what you all is doing and what you all have done to us.
D - Now let me, let's be real clear. So yesterday in the Times-Picayune they wrote up an article, and they said that you and other housing residents were duped into thinking that HUD is reopening apartments and that this was a cruel joke perpetrated on you, and... Now, now were you duped by these guys that were impersonating HUD, or were, you, you were in on this right?
P - Yes, yes, yes, yes...
D - And so explain to me, the strategy was what, to shame them?
P - Let me show you, it was to shame them [HUD]. It was to shame them to being a part of all these killers and murderers with the levee breaking and them saying that they're not a fault with them shutting us out of our homes that's possible to live in, leaving us homeless, sick, and dying. You know, it was, they didn't hoax me brother. I was there all the while. She [Yes Men prankster] told me, she told me, she told me. And I didn't care. You know, I just wanted, you know, for the people to come see and know. Some of the people that came to see was from out of town, so whether they looked at me being hoaxed or not is going to be seen on television. And I spoke to some people from Russia. So prepare yourself. I was not hoaxed into doing nothing. I was not appalled, I was happy. I was eating barbeque chicken, potatoes, salad, pork and beans, ribs, bread, water, they had cold drinks. That means if they did have a hoax they paid for it. FEMA ain't given you nothing!
D - One more thing. Explain, explain, okay... So they brought in all these contractors, right,
P - [Laughing]
D - Tell that story again, and then what did the contractors say?
P - You see now, this man [Yes Men prankster], this man isn't from the projects, but this man could feel what was going on with people in the projects so he went to one of the bigger meetings and invited the contractors out there, cause I was at the meeting, I thought the man was real. You dig? But then he told me, she [Yes Men prankster] told me that 'no, it's not real, but we just want to call their hand, we want to let HUD look like the pigs they are,' the killers, the murderers they are. You understand me? They need to re-elect resident councils out of each and every development. Excluding Ms. Cynthia Wiggins, because she been there for her community, and I think you know Mr. Jomo, know a little more about the St. Bernard, the St. Bernard has been out here real in the Survivor's Village....
D - But when they invited all these contractors out to Lafitte Yesterday, and they said, they said to these contractors, the fake HUD people said to these contractors 'what would it take to re-open this development,' what did those contractors who know what it would really take say...?
P - Let me tell you... They said it would take less than it costs, 30% of what it cost to put them iron gates on to fix them houses, because we climbed up ladders and looked into the upstairs unit, and they was like 'aw, man!' And if it was a hoax on me, it was a hoax on them too. But we still led them, ate barbeque chicken, like I said, potatos, salad, pork and beans, ribs, bread...
D - To conclude, to conclude. What should happen at Lafitte?
P - They should just open up the houses and go in on with their foolishness, you know what I'm saying. They've been letting people into their houses to look in their houses, but not since they knew that people [media] was going to be in there, you know what I'm saying, that they told us we can't get in our units for a whole week. They want the contractors and stuff to leave, but that was the only way we was going to get the contractors to stay, you know, come, because they're going to be leaving in a minute. You understand? So they had to see it. And it will be shown all over the United States and the world. I was not hoaxed into anything. My name is Patricia Thomas, being of sound mind and body, you heard that.
D - Thank you, Sister.
