Rally Monday morning 10am-1pm at the Lighthouse in Biloxi to express solidarity about being GCCF "denied claimants". Parking will be in the lot on the south side of Hwy 90, and up and down the beach if needed. It's a great location for many reasons. Our Lighthouse has long been the actual and symbolic beacon for our Gulf Coast. This rally will shed light on the great injustices being done to Mississippi by bp and the GCCF. Across the street, our new Visitors Center is nearing completion. This represents how equally dependent we all are on tourism and each other. It's right on the beach, where tar balls are still being cleaned up, and within sight of casinos whose employees are being discriminated against by the GCCF. This is one of our highest traffic areas with highest visibility, and a great backdrop for media coverage. The rally has been well-organized on short notice. Mr. Kenneth Feinberg will be in town for a private meeting with Gulf Coast business leaders on Monday to discuss our Coastal economy. Beverly Martin, Executive Director of the Mississippi Casino Operators Association has the casino employees' fight at the top of her agenda. We can only hope that the GCCF mind is not already rusted shut.
Anita Lee of the Sun Herald on Friday reported "Feinberg responded through a representative, 'We have paid casino workers...'". Oh, Really? She also reported that a review of fewer than half of the Mississippi claims listed on the GCCF website shows 895 casino claims have been denied, with only six paid. We venture to say that tipped servers in non-casino restaurants have been paid in the opposite ratio. We have on good authority that not all of their restaurants filed claims or showed losses. We are obviously all interdependent here, and have all suffered the destruction of a potential banner year in all of our industries.
Of the 20 billion that bp pledged to rebuild our Gulf Coast, 18 1/2 billion remains. Mr Feinberg, Write that check!
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