NEW ORLEANS — The Hurricane Katrina memorial on the Claiborne Avenue neutral ground was the first thing visitors saw when crossing into New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward.

It stood as a symbol of lives lost and a community's heartbreak.

Now the monument to Katrina's devastation has itself fallen victim to time.

"It should be kept up," said Lower Ninth Ward resident Robert Green. "It should never fall into disrepair like it is."

Green lives on Tennessee Street, not far from the Katrina memorial. He lost his mother, granddaughter and family home during the storm.

Green said the current condition of the monument is deplorable.

"It's falling apart. The floors are all apart. It's no longer a memorial — it's become an eyesore."

Community leader, the Rev. Willie Calhoun, spent part of his morni

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