‘It is beyond callous, and can only be seen as malicious discrimination. It is an unabashed attempt to eliminate the black population of New Orleans,’ said Kali Akuno of the Coalition to Stop the Demolition.
Akuno was speaking after New Orleans City Council voted on Thursday to demolish 4,500 public housing units despite violent protests against the development project earlier on Monday.
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development wants to replace the units, which were damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, with new mixed-income housing.
But critics say the development will restrict the stock of cheap housing.
Police used pepper spray and taser stun guns on the protesters when they tried to get into the council chamber for Thursday’s City Council meeting.
Several people were treated for the effects of the pepper spray.
Thousands of families from the southern states hit by Hurricane Katrina are still living in government-funded temporary housing, including caravan parks.
First locked out of their homes for more than two years, the protesters were angry that they were being locked out of the very City Council meeting in which the city’s politicians were set to vote for tearing down their homes.
They were locked out and told to ‘go home’.
Receiving phone calls from their allies inside the chambers, the protesters were told that the Council meeting was being held up by chants and clapping until everyone was allowed inside.
The Council members refused and called on their security forces to clear out the chambers.
In the desperation the group outside began shaking the large metal gates locking them out. The gate was easily broken open.
Police moved in with pepper spray and batons, quickly beating back anyone near the entrance.
Chants of ‘housing is a human right’, and ‘justice!’ filled the air along with the putrid smell of the chemical weapons used by the NOPD.
The gate was re-secured with handcuffs this time. Again the protesters chanted and demanded entrance.
Some called into question the legitimacy of a ‘public’ meeting in which the public was excluded.
Following hours of debate and clashes outside the meeting, the council voted in favour of the Bush administration’s demolition plan.
Locked out of the council chambers the protestors were quickly surrounded with dozens of police.
Behind them stood eight horse-mounted police, and behind the gate keeping them out of the hall were many more heavily armed officers.
Right in front of City Hall, behind the protesters is Duncan Plaza, which has been turned into an enormous homeless camp.
Many Duncan Plaza residents came over to show their support for the cause.
There are more than 12,000 homeless in the city today.
Earlier, the Coalition to Stop Demolition rallied in front of City Hall to call attention to the projected demolition of four public housing complexes.
The broad-based Coalition was formed out of a concern that thousands of families will permanently lose their homes.
Furthermore, the Coalition is critical of the idea of mixed income housing because they believe it will fall short of addressing the housing needs of a community that has yet to recover from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Raising a banner that read ‘Stop the Demolitions’, Rose Kennedy Guy stated that public housing offers opportunities for residents that are not available in the private sector.
She said that if there is a plumbing problem, it gets fixed. But ‘outside the projects you got slumlords,’ who fail to address their needs.
Alongside Guy, stood Chantel Young, a 27 year resident of St Bernard Public Housing.
She stated that mixed income housing limited the number of people who will get housing, ‘A lot of qualified people won’t be able to get in.’
She also stated that the public housing complexes are safe to live in because they survived the hurricane and the flood.
Coalition members tried to get answers out of the Council, but were met with a stonewall.
Standing just a few feet away from the podium, a public housing resident said to the Council, ‘You don’t care because you have a home to go back to.’
Coalition members began clapping their hands as they broke out into chants ‘Stop the Demolition’ and ‘No Demolition.’
They then spontaneously began marching around the public seating area of the chamber.
The New Orleans vote came despite an appeal to Bush for a 60-day delay to allow a congressional debate.
Democrat House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sent the following letter to President Bush yesterday requesting an immediate 60-day moratorium on the demolition of public housing developments in New Orleans.
The text of the letter stated:
‘December 14, 2007
The Honourable George W Bush President,
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
‘Dear Mr President:
We are writing to request an immediate 60-day moratorium on the demolition of New Orleans’ public housing developments: CJ Peete, St Bernard, Lafitte, and BW Cooper.
‘The Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO), currently under the control of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is demolishing these homes under executive authority.
‘Although a temporary restraining order has delayed the demolition of these units to next week or possibly longer, we believe that additional time is needed in order to resolve several outstanding issues surrounding the City’s affordable housing needs, including the need for a comprehensive plan for replacement of any demolished public housing units.
‘We believe that New Orleans’ recovery requires a viable plan for its affordable housing needs.
‘We are committed to working with you and the Department to execute such a plan for replacing affordable housing currently scheduled for demolition.
‘The entire New Orleans metropolitan region is in dire need of the kind of affordable housing that will allow citizens to return and grow the workforce.
‘The Department’s premature push for complete demolition impedes this goal.
‘Given the poor condition of New Orleans’ rental housing stock, the rising levels of homelessness in the City, and the sound construction of some of these developments, these housing resources should not be demolished without a viable full replacement plan in place.
‘As you know, the area is still recovering from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the Federal levee breaks, which destroyed 67 per cent of the housing stock in Orleans Parish and almost 100 per cent in neighbouring St Bernard Parish.
‘Much of this housing has yet to be rebuilt.
‘The shortage of housing has pushed rents in the City, and surrounding metropolitan area, well above their normal levels, with rents rising 45 per cent since the storm.
‘The lack of available and affordable housing is being felt acutely across the City and region.
‘According to a January 2007 study by UNITY of New Orleans, since January of 2005, the number of homeless in the City has more than doubled to almost 12,000 individuals.
‘Many of these homeless residents are living under Interstate 10 or in Duncan Plaza, next to New Orleans City Hall.
‘Experts at the Brookings Institution cite a net 9,000 unit decrease in affordable housing for the City of New Orleans.
‘According to an August study by the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps, 50 per cent of families wanting to return to the City earn less than $20,000 a year.
‘It is clear that affordable housing, including public housing, is essential for these families.
‘Given the City’s housing needs and the current availability of these affordable housing resources, we are extremely disappointed by the Department’s insistence on moving ahead with this demolition despite insufficient resources to make up the clear loss of affordable housing.
‘For the Federal government to reduce affordable housing units at a time when the City is desperate for this very type of housing is a misuse of taxpayer funds and runs counter to the mission of the Department, not to mention the core values that we share.
‘Additionally, HANO has not completed a promised survey of displaced residents and has indicated that this important document now will not be ready until late January at the earliest.
‘HANO has also not provided meaningful opportunity for residents to collect their belongings.
‘The additional sixty days would allow for the resolution of these and other essential issues, including the completion of a comprehensive plan for HANO redevelopment of all affordable units, and replacement of any units proposed for demolition.
‘As many in the country prepare to spend the holiday season at home with their families, we urge you to consider these New Orleans families and their homes. We strongly urge you to halt the demolition of these units.
‘Sincerely,
Nancy Pelosi,
Speaker of the House,
Harry Reid,
Senate Majority Leader.’
