Calvin Alexander works on rebuilding the Lower 9th Ward home he raised his five children in. Despite the promises of politicians, more than half of New Orleans remains in a state of extreme disrepair two years after Hurricane Katrina. (Spencer Weiner / LAT)
Joyce Jackson leaves St. Anna’s Episcopal Church in the 7th Ward with roses honoring the city’s latest homicide victims. Crime has become a pressing problem since Katrina. (Spencer Weiner / LAT)
Keith Calhoun,right, watches as his son Keith Jr. unloads salvaged doors for a home they are rebuilding in the Holy Cross neighborhood. Calhoun’s home a few doors down was destroyed in the hurricane. (Spencer Weiner / LAT)
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Robert Green lost his mother and granddaughter in the storm. Today he lives in a trailer surrounded by fields of foot-tall weeds. Every day, I walked this neighborhood with my granddaughters. When I was little, I played football in these streets, Green says. You have to have faith that it will happen. (Spencer Weiner / LAT)
Eric “Mr. Groove” Calhoun,12, marches with the Soul Rebels Brass Band during a parade down Royal Street in the French Quarter. The parades are held each Friday during the summer to promote tourism. (Spencer Weiner / LAT)
A statue of Louis Armstrong in the Algiers neighborhood. (Spencer Weiner / LAT)
