"We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did."
via email from Gabriel at Color of Change (petition link at the end):
New Orleans public housing residents have been fighting to return to their homes (which were barely damaged by Katrina) ever since the storm. HUD/HANO basically used Katrina as an opportunity to kick everyone out and keep them out, while they proceed with a redevelopment plan that existed before Katrina. The plan would demolish the current public housing projects and replace them with mixed-income housing. This would equal far fewer total units of low-income housing. Also, at a time when there's a desperate shortage of housing, with public housing residents actively fighting to get back into their homes, it just doesn't make sense to keep perfectly liveable units closed.
Public housing residents and advocates have mounted an amazing campaign to get the housing reopened, which has involved direct action in which residents and their supporters have broken into the projects to clean them and start living in them again. Maxine Waters and some other house members held hearings on the situation; Waters introduced a bill to the house that would reopen housing, and guarantee a right to return for public housing residents, as well as providing housing assistance to renters, and other good changes to post-Katrina housing policy. The bill passed in the house; it's in the senate now, but Senator Vitter of Louisiana is blocking the bill, and unfortunately that's all it takes to stop it completely. Meanwhile, a judge refused to stop HUD from starting to demolish public housing, and it could start as early as December 18th.
Our petition to support the senate bill is here:
http://www.colorofchange.org/s1668/
There are other good links at the end of Luisa's video.
-Gabriel
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