Click for more imagesThursday, November 8, 2007 – New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) are threatening to clear the Resurrection City Encampment at Duncan Plaza erected by Homeless Pride with the support of the Peoples’ Hurricane Relief Fund, Common Ground Relief, Survivors Village, the Anti-Racist Working Group, C3 and several other organizations.
Threats against Homeless Pride and the Encampment have been escalating over the past week. Since Saturday, November 3rd NOPD has conducted several search raids on the encampment in addition to various other means of harassment and intimidation. The threats of the NOPD appear to be a move on their part and that of the Nagin Administration to further resolve the housing crisis in New Orleans by discriminatory repression, forced removal, and the fundamental denial of human rights. It is also clear from these threats that they preparing for the coming confrontation over public housing, in particular the demolition threat against the Lafitte Housing Projects (see “Pledge of Resistance” statement at www.peopleshurricane.org for more details).
As a glance of the photo gallery on the PHRF website clearly illustrates (see Homeless Pride action) , Homeless Pride has been a key force in the struggle to save Public Housing in New Orleans, and is in many ways a product of that struggle as it was initiated in part by PHRF and Survivors Village in July as a continuation of the “Resurrection City” encampment action. Nagin and the NOPD are clearly aware of these facts and are undoubtedly factoring this in their repressive calculus to crush the Reconstruction Movements critical “Housing is a Human Right” campaign.
We cannot allow these threats and attacks on Homeless Pride and the Housing struggle to go unchecked. Here’s what we need you to do immediately:
- Call Mayor Nagin and the NOPD Chief of Police and demand:
- That all threats and discriminatory acts being committed against Homeless Pride and the Encampment cease immediately.
- That the Public Housing units in New Orleans be opened immediately to serve as temporary housing.
- That the City devise a permanent solution to the housing crisis in New Orleans based on fundamental human rights principles.
- Nagin can be reached at 504.658.4900
- Police Chief Warren Riley can be reached at 504.821.2222
- Call, fax, and/or email the New Orleans City Council and demand the following:
- That the Public Housing units in New Orleans be opened immediately to serve as temporary housing.
- That they support Senate Bill 1668 with resource and lobbying support on Capital Hill.
- Concilman Carter can be reached at 504 658.1030, by fax at 504. 658.1037 or email at JCarter@cityofno.com.
- Councilman Darnell can be reached at 504.658.1070, by fax at 504.658.1077, or email at mdarnell@cityofno.com.
- Councilwoman Fielkow can be reached at 504.658.1060, by fax at 504.658.1068 or email at afielkow@cityofno.com.
- Councilwoman Head can be reached at 504.658.1020, by fax at 504.658.1025 or email at shead@cityofno.com.
- Councilwoman Hedge-Morrell can be reached at 504.658.1040, by fax at 504.658.1048 or email at chmorrell@cityofno.com.
- Councilwoman Midura can be reached at 504.658.1010, by fax at 504.658.1025 or email at smidura@cityofno.com.
- Councilwoman Willard-Lewis can be reached at 504.658.1050, by fax at 504.658.1058 or email at cwlewis@cityofno.com.
