By Judge Greg Mathis

U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, who represents areas of New Orleans hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina, has been indicted on 16 counts, including fraud, money-laundering and accepting some $500,000 in bribes. If found guilty, the 60-year-old Jefferson could possibly spend the rest of his life in prison.

While Jefferson, literally, fights for his life, the district he was trusted to represent must deal with the fall out from his very public fall from grace.

Jefferson’s indictment will surely hinder the city’s already slow-moving rebuilding efforts. Politicians already reluctant to finance the redevelopment in the city’s poorest areas will use Jefferson’s indictment as yet another excuse to withhold much needed funds.

Jefferson’s indictment is really no surprise. In August 2005, FBI agents raided his home and found $90,000, separated into $10,000 stacks, wrapped in foil and stored in containers, hiding in his freezer.

Federal prosecutors say this money was part of the $100,000 in cash an FBI informant had given Jefferson just a few days earlier. The FBI had been watching Jefferson for some time, suspecting his fraudulent activities weren’t local to his Louisiana district; he has been accused of dirty dealings in both in Ghana and Nigeria. Jefferson was so beloved in his district that, despite the scandals, he won reelection by a wide margin last November.

The people of New Orleans are now going to pay for their faith in Jefferson. The city of New Orleans, especially the poor districts Jefferson represented, deserve a politican who is committed to rebuilding the region, not fattening his pockets. If Jefferson is guilty - and this is up to the courts to decide - he has betrayed the trust of residents of a city that have already endured too much. Even if he is innocent, the city still loses. Business leaders and politicians who want to gentrify New Orleans on a large scale are looking for any excuse to stall progress in the city’s Ninth Ward and other hard it areas. These indictments give them that excuse. It would far too easy for them to deny redevelopment proposals, citing ‘unstable’ or ‘corrupt’ leadership as a reason not to rebuild.

August marks the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Some parts of the city look exactly as they did the day the flood waters receded. The city of New Orleans and its people have been through so much. The people of New Orleans must make sure Jefferson’s indictment doesn’t slow the recovery efforts. A letter writing campaign to the local media and lawmakers that demands Jefferson’s district not suffer as a result of his pending trial is one way the city’s residents - and the rest of the country - can make sure this doesn’t happen.

We all have an obligation to make sure the people of New Orleans aren’t victimized yet again.

Editor’s note: Judge Greg Mathis is national vice president of Rainbow PUSH and a national board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

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