Working Poor In New Orleans Continue to Face Affordable Housing Catastrophe

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/7850

By Doug Cunningham

The working poor in New Orleans are facing a continuing affordable housing catastrophe, according to the People’s Hurricane Relief Fund. And now the city has issued demolition permits for 4600 public housing units. Malcolm Suber is co-founder of the People’s Hurricane Relief Fund and is active in the effort to stop the demolition. He says these housing units were home to the city’s working poor before those folks were forced from their homes and he says they could still be home to the working poor of New Orleans.

: "Those people who were forced at gunpoint out of their homes had legitimate leases to those public housing units where they resided. They were never served with eviction notices, they were just served with a gun to their face and said get out. And their rights to return have not been respected."

Suber says efforts are still underway to prevent the demolition, including some direct action when the bulldozers start to roll.

: “We are going to actually face down the bulldozers.”

Suber says rents have skyrocketed in New Orleans and gentrification has accelerated, resulting in mass displacement for the city’s poor black working class.

[aquart]

1. And that would make a nice jobs program for the incoming POTUS.

[Solly Mack]

2. K&R

[juno jones]

3. On Mardi Gras of all days

when the rich, white and dumb flock to drink cheap booze and watch nubile young things flash their endowments for plastic beads, I kick this one for the workers of NO.

[cbayer]

4. Actually that's not true

One of the beautiful things about mardi gras is that it brings out the best of all sides of the community in new orleans. poor and rich, white and african-american, old and young, all come together in the street and have a great party. for over 20 years it made me cry because of what it represented. What you see in the french quarter and on the tv is a very small part of this incredible new orleans street party that honors all of its citizens. the first parade of the day is zulu, an old and highly respected african-american krewe. I miss it terribly.

[smokey nj]

5. K&R!!