January 2006

Post-Katrina, Louisiana converted New Orleans' public school system almost entirely to charters, firing all 7,500 public school teachers, predominantly Black women with union protections and pension benefits. Critics called it disaster capitalism dismantling a Black institution. A 2012 civil rights complaint alleged the mass firings were racially discriminatory.

In the aftermath of Katrina, Louisiana used the disaster to convert New Orleans' public school system almost entirely into charter schools, firing all 7,500 public school teachers — predominantly Black women with union protections and pension benefits. Critics called it disaster capitalism that dismantled a Black institution. A 2012 civil rights complaint alleged the mass firings were racially discriminatory.

Martin Lee Anderson, 14, a Black teenager, died at the Bay County Boot Camp in Florida after guards and a nurse subjected him to sustained physical abuse — recorded on video — when he collapsed during exercise. Seven guards and a nurse were charged with aggravated manslaughter. All were acquitted by an all-white jury in 2006. Florida Governor Jeb Bush had ordered the boot camp closed before the trial. The acquittals renewed calls for abolishing juvenile boot camps.

Martin Lee Anderson, 14, died at the Bay County Boot Camp after guards and a nurse subjected him to sustained physical abuse — recorded on video — when he collapsed during exercise. Seven guards and a nurse were acquitted by an all-white jury. Florida Governor Bush had ordered the camp closed.

HSBC's Household Finance subsidiary — acquired in 2003 — had already paid $484 million in 2002 to settle predatory lending claims. Internal documents showed systematic targeting of elderly Black homeowners in Baltimore, Cleveland, and Detroit with high-fee refinance products. Subsequent analysis found Black borrowers with prime credit scores were placed into subprime mortgages at two to three times the rate of white borrowers with equivalent credit profiles.

Post-Katrina insurance claim data revealed systematic denial patterns in predominantly Black New Orleans neighborhoods. Insurers frequently attributed flood damage to wind — or vice versa — to avoid paying under either policy. Investigations found Black policyholders faced higher denial rates and lower settlements than white policyholders with comparable damage.

HSBC's Household Finance subsidiary — acquired 2003 after a $484 million predatory lending settlement — continued targeting elderly Black homeowners in Baltimore, Cleveland, and Detroit. Black prime-credit borrowers were placed in subprime mortgages at 2-3 times the rate of equivalent white borrowers.