Public Housing Protesters Disrupt Business as Unusual in the French Quarter

Contact: Media Relations Committee Lynnette Bickham, 504-723-4893 Stephanie Mingo, 504-529-3172
When: Saturday, July 1st, 2006, 6:00PM
Where: Iberville Development, Basin and Bienville
Public housing residents and their supporters are marching on the French Quarter, disrupting the 'business-as-usual' mentality and 'evicting' residents of the wealthy area on Saturday, July 1st. They march for the basic human Right of Return for all New Orleans citizens. The protest will begin at 5PM at the Iberville Housing Development (comer of Basin and Bienville) in downtown New Orleans. At 6:00PM protesters will begin marching through the French Quarter where the economic driving force of New Orleans, our tourism industry, is centralized, and where many residents of public housing were employed. Protesters will hit hotspots to ensure that tourists are aware that while they are treated to fine foods and entertainment, people not five minutes away remain homeless. Along the way "Eviction Notices" will be delivered to the neighborhood, calling for mixed income redevelopment of the area.
This peaceful but provocative tour through the French Quarter will leave onlookers no choice but to consider the injustices towards residents of public housing in New Orleans. If civic authorities want mixed income neighborhoods, make the Garden District and the French Quarter mixed income! Residents know that creating mixed income housing such as River Garden has only succeeded in permanently displacing hundreds of working poor families. This battle is being waged for all public housing developments; it's time justice is distributed to all parts of New Orleans.
Despite the unprecedented need for housing and the availability of thousands of completely undamaged apartments HUD,under Secretary Alphonso Jackson, is attempting to demolish 5000 apartments after spending hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to fence in and board up these homes. This wasteful action would abandon thousands of families across the country, where we face homelessness iIi strange cities with dwindling assistance and high unemployment. We want to return and rebuild, and New Orleans needs us!
The demands of the Survivors Village action are centered on four themes: 1. The basic human right to safe, decent, and sanitary housing; 2. The unconditional Right of Return for all people displaced by Hurricane Katrina; 3. The preservation, not privatization, of all current public housing stock;.4. The reopening of all public housing.
Join us in this historic struggle to reopen public housing!
March on the French Quarter and demand affordable housing for everyone! UnCopyrighted! Please spread the information!

Pictures below from http://survivorsvillage.com/photosjuly1morse.html  and  Page 2