The Coalition to Stop the Demolitions stands in condemnation of the New Orleans City Council and Mayor C. Ray Nagin for their decision on Friday, February 1st to issue demolition permits for the St. Bernard housing project. This decision was a blatant betrayal of the very provisos mandated by the December 20th City Council Resolution and December 21st Mayoral letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
In an effort to justify their support for the 7-0 vote on December 20th, the Mayor and City Council issued statements promising to hold HUD accountable to producing clear, financially guaranteed redevelopment plans and greater local representation in its decision making processes before the issuance of new permits. Given that their own conditions have not been met, it is now fully apparent that their true aim was merely to provide the appearance of being democratic and locally supported despite rapidly advancing the demolitions. Further, the invocation of “public habitation” laws to criminalize the homeless demonstrates that the Mayor and the City Council have no intention to humanely address the affordable housing crisis plaguing the city.
