Pasdaran
12-12-2007, 09:31 AM
http://wwl.com/Fight-over-public-housing-leads-to-threats-of-cond/1311649
Fight over public housing leads to threats of condo destruction
There is a key meeting today in the fight over public housing in New Orleans. It comes amid new threats of violence and destruction from protesters.
Activists gathered at city hall again this morning to protest. They are hoping to convince a committee to intervene and try to stop next week's scheduled beginning of demolition to four of the big public housing projects in New Orleans.
The Housing Conservation District Review Committee is meeting.
Meanwhile new posters have started popping up around town threatening retaliation if demolition begins. They read quote "For every public housing unit destroyed, a condo will be destroyed."
The posters go on to say, "If there will be no homes for us, and relief from the high rents, there will be no homes for the rich either."
Who has posted these posters?
We don't know for sure. They are signed by "The angry and powerless."
We have heard threats before during the fight over public housing. Attorney Bill Quigley pledged that there will be more "disturbing the peace" after he was cited for disturbing the peace at a New Orleans City Council meeting last week.
Some protesters have also promised there will be a war if public housing starts coming down.
The Housing Authority of New Orleans last month approved more than 30 million dollars in contracts for citywide demolition of buildings at housing developments, with demolition to begin December 15th.
The Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development announced in June that it would demolish the city's four largest developments: St. Bernard, Lafitte, C.J. Peete and B.W. Cooper to make way for mixed income neighborhoods.
HUD Secretary Secretary Alphonso Jackson has stood up against the protesters. He says the old public housing units must come down, saying during a news conference recently, "If we... put people back in that mess they came out of, that's wrong!" Jackson said, "It bothers me when people want low income people to move back into the crime infested, drug infested environment they came out of."
Fight over public housing leads to threats of condo destruction
There is a key meeting today in the fight over public housing in New Orleans. It comes amid new threats of violence and destruction from protesters.
Activists gathered at city hall again this morning to protest. They are hoping to convince a committee to intervene and try to stop next week's scheduled beginning of demolition to four of the big public housing projects in New Orleans.
The Housing Conservation District Review Committee is meeting.
Meanwhile new posters have started popping up around town threatening retaliation if demolition begins. They read quote "For every public housing unit destroyed, a condo will be destroyed."
The posters go on to say, "If there will be no homes for us, and relief from the high rents, there will be no homes for the rich either."
Who has posted these posters?
We don't know for sure. They are signed by "The angry and powerless."
We have heard threats before during the fight over public housing. Attorney Bill Quigley pledged that there will be more "disturbing the peace" after he was cited for disturbing the peace at a New Orleans City Council meeting last week.
Some protesters have also promised there will be a war if public housing starts coming down.
The Housing Authority of New Orleans last month approved more than 30 million dollars in contracts for citywide demolition of buildings at housing developments, with demolition to begin December 15th.
The Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development announced in June that it would demolish the city's four largest developments: St. Bernard, Lafitte, C.J. Peete and B.W. Cooper to make way for mixed income neighborhoods.
HUD Secretary Secretary Alphonso Jackson has stood up against the protesters. He says the old public housing units must come down, saying during a news conference recently, "If we... put people back in that mess they came out of, that's wrong!" Jackson said, "It bothers me when people want low income people to move back into the crime infested, drug infested environment they came out of."