The State We're In, 28 August 2010. New Orleans stories: a former rogue cop tells all, a Hurricane Katrina love story, an inside look at Bounce music, a scene populated by “sissy rappers” and a “Demolition Diva” who helps rebuild the city.

Photo: Dog house in Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans.

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Crooked cop, straight goods
Eleven policemen have been implicated in the attempt to cover up the killing of unarmed civilians in New Orleans in the days following Hurricane Katrina. Robert Leon Davis knows something about police corruption. He was a crooked cop himself. After getting caught, he fled the US for over 20 years. Jonathan met with Robert in New Orleans to find out why he went bad, and why he decided to turn himself in. Click here to learn more about Robert Leon Davis.

Whirlwind romance
Hurricane Katrina came at just the right time for Paul Timmons and Nicole Saulnier. Both were wondering what to do with their lives when the hurricane struck. Both volunteered to help in the clear-up. That’s where they met, and fell in love. They now live in New Orleans with their children.

Picking up the pieces
When Simone Bruni lost everything in Hurricane Katrina, she didn’t know how to put her life back together. So she decided to tear down and rebuild her home. That led to a whole new career of being a “Demolition Diva”, demolishing and restoring post-Kartina New Orleans, brick-by-brick.

Bounce music
Katey Red and Big Freedia are hot in New Orleans. They’re the biggest stars in bounce music and have come to be known as Sissy Rappers – a reference to their sexuality. Jonathan goes to one of their homes in New Orleans together with the DJ Rusty Lazer and gets the full Sissy Rap Treatment!