Ray Nagin

There's way too many frickin' -- excuse me -- cooks in the kitchen.

— Ray Nagin

I need reinforcements, I need troops, man. I need 500 buses. Get every dog-gone Greyhound bus line in the country and get their asses moving to New Orleans … This is a major, major, major deal. I can't emphasize that enough."

— Ray Nagin

You know, I'm sure I could have done a lot of things much better, but I will tell you this, Tim: I was there.

— Ray Nagin

I think I did everything possible known to any mayor in the country as it relates to saving lives.

— Ray Nagin

They're feeding the people a line of bull, and they are spinning and people are dying.

— Ray Nagin

I don't know whether it's the governor's problem, or it's the president's problem, but somebody needs to get … on a plane and sit down, the two of them, and figure this out right now.

— Ray Nagin

They thinking small, man, and this is a major, major deal.

— Ray Nagin

Get off your asses and let's do something.

— Ray Nagin

As we think about rebuilding New Orleans, surely, God is mad at America. He's sending hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroying and putting stress on this country. Surely, he's not approval [sic] of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But, surely, he is upset at black America, also.

— Ray Nagin

I don't care what people are saying Uptown or wherever they are. This city will be chocolate at the end of the day...This city will be a majority African-American city. It's the way God wants it to be.

— Ray Nagin

You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk, and it becomes a delicious drink. That is the chocolate I am talking about.

— Ray Nagin

New Orleans was a chocolate city before Katrina. It is going to be a chocolate city after. How is that divisive?

— Ray Nagin

This economic pie that is getting ready to explode before our eyes is going to be shared equally.

— Ray Nagin

It's all right. You guys in New York City can't get a hole in the ground fixed, and it's five years later, so let's be fair.

— Ray Nagin

Do I worry about it? Somewhat. It's not good for us, but it also keeps the New Orleans brand out there, and it keeps people thinking about our needs and what we need to bring this community back. So it is kind of a two-edged sword.

— Ray Nagin

Some of these guys are so violent that it is hard for witnesses to come forward, and they get involved in repeat criminal activities, so it is unfortunate that they had to die, but it did kind of end the cycle that we were struggling with.

— Ray Nagin