WINTER OF DISCONTENT - National Call to Action - come to New Orleans

I got this today from Kone at Common Ground Relief.

Please, PLEASE forward this to any lists you are on.

If you are a member of a national partisan group
such as MoveOn, please ask them to REPOST this call
to action in solidarity with Common Ground Relief
and the other organizations that are participating.


*** NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION ***


Common Ground Relief's National Call to Action,
invites all supporters to join us in New Orleans to stop the
Imminent Demolition of Public Housing.

As part of a collective effort, Common Ground will host
all our national and international guests by providing housing
accommodation in a 165 year historic black church, that we are
currently repairing and renovating.

In order to address the future of public housing and to
"Stop the Bulldozers", Common Ground has put out
this national call to action.

Please join us in New Orleans this "Winter of Discontent".

For further information:

Common Ground Relief

sakkone@gmail.com

(504)583-0750

__________________________________


NEWS ON THE CURRENT SITUATION:

Friday, December 21, 2007

The City Council voted unanimously to demolish the four largest public housing developments in New Orleans. The decision to destroy the homes of 4600 families has raised serious concern for a city with over 18,000 homeless people and another projected 50,000 families who will be evicted from their FEMA trailers.

At about 9:30 a.m., public housing residents and activists gathered at the doorsteps of City Hall to discuss their concerns and attend the public City Council meeting scheduled at 10 a.m. After being required to go through metal detectors, public housing supporters who gained entrance were not allowed to bring in backpack or protest signs attached to sticks. The greater conflict arose when hundreds were not allowed to attend the meeting. The crowd was informed that the room was at capacity. Yet, it was reported by an activist that HUD and HANO reps made up a large portion of attendees. As a result, public housing residents who were at risk of permanently losing their homes were not allowed in due to space issues.

Protesters made their way to the side entrance of the City Council Chambers, only to be locked out by chain that secured the gate. Protesters chanted and argued that as taxpaying citizens, they should be allowed to attend the public meeting. Protesters began swinging at the gate, chanting "Stop the Demolition" and "Housing is a Human Right." Police officers tried to secure the gate, but were a bit cumbersome at getting it securely fastened. The doors eventually swung open and a dance between protesters and police started over a continuously open and closed gate.


Police tazared and pepper sprayed the crowd without regard. At least three women were tazared, with one apparently suffering from seizure like convulsions. Activists quickly responded by setting up a triage center on the nearby lawn. Under the unlit neon light of City Hall, milk and water was poured onto faces of victim's with red and swollen eyes.


As the light drizzle turned to rain, protesters continued to protest their exclusion from the meeting. The site of housing residents being prohibited and ignored in front of City Hall, raises serious concern over a local government apparatus that failed its citizens two years ago during the worse disaster in U.S. history. And in the time since the flood, Mayor Ray Nagin and the New Orleans City Council made it a point to declare their support for demolition.


During this afternoon's meeting, Sharon Sears Jasper spoke before the council at approximately 2:41 p.m. Jasper powerfully addressed the council members reminded them about public housing residents deserve to be treated to like the human beings and denounced the council, the Housing Authority of New Orleans, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for denying public housing residents their human rights (refer to audio link).


While protesters rallied at the gate outside, it has been reported that NOPD officers manhandled activists and public housing residents while they demanded that they meeting be open to all the public. City authorities, it appears, were not interested in accommodating the needs and concerns of its citizenry and thus resorted to arrests. The number of people arrested is unknown at this time.

*******

In order to address the future of public housing and
to "Stop the Bulldozers", Common Ground has put out
a national call to action.

__________________________________
Sakura Kone'
Common Ground Relief
P.O. Box 6128
New Orleans, LA 70174

PHONE & FAX: 504.861.5017
CELL PHONE: 504.583.0750
sakkone@gmail.com

www.commongroundrelief.org
http://cghc.org

Gentrification is not so pretty when it's close up ...

Hi Guys,

Happy New Year!
Thanks for your response/inquiry.

I have responded when/where I can in Capital letters below.
In order to preserve the element of surprise if/when,
action(s) take place, its important to be as discreet as possible.

ARE (any) OF YOU CONNECTED TO:

INTERNATIONAL ANSWER COALITION; MOVEON.ORG;
CODE PINK; U.S.SOCIAL FORUM, ANTI WORLD BANK,
I.M.F., anti G 8 MOVEMENTS;
ANY OTHER LARGE NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS THAT YOU ALL CAN FORWARD THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO?

(If you are, please, please forward the original message.)
(--Leopolds Ghost)


LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU GOT BY COPYING ME WHEN YOU SEND
STUFF OUT TO THEM.

(Or You can contact Common Ground at 504-583-0750)

Peace,
XXXXX

SEE BELOW. (XXXXX REPLIES IN ALL CAPS)


---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Leopolds Ghost
Date: Dec 31, 2007
Subject: Re: NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION to save New Orleans Public Housing

Ian wrote:

> Heya (Leopolds Ghost),
>
> Thanks for sending this, but I was thinking...
> This does not say what (I KNOW)
> the "action" is, or *when* (THAT'S RIGHT) exactly it will be.
> It's just, "do something, sometime,
> (ITS ALREADY HAS/WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN)
> and stay (HELP US RENOVATE/REPAIR) at an old church with us.
> (& HELP US CLEAN UP/MAINTAIN THE CENTRAL CITY COMMUNITY).
> Like, what can be done to support things while one is there (MANY THINGS)?
> At what point does this announcement become out-dated, expire?
(WHEN WE WIN, LOSE OR REACH A COMPROMISE.) Do you have
> any of this information? I would like to have more information
> before I pass it around.
>
> Also, I'm wondering - will you be going down there yourself for this?
>
> Thanks!
>
> - Ian

Leopolds Ghost replied:

Well, I'm assuming some of it is strategic actions / activism
by outside groups such as C3 (MANY GROUPS) that can't be
discussed publicly (RIGHT). They don't want the city to
disrupt their efforts (not that I estimate the intelligence of
NOLA City officials and HUD, to monitor blogs looking to head off
troublemakers.) (THE FBI IS ALREADY IN TOWN, QUESTIONING
FOLKS IN AN ATTEMPT TO PREEMPT ANY COMMUNITY RESPONSE)
Hopefully CG is coordinating with C3 (Hands off Iberville)
(MANY GROUPS & ORGANIZATIONS) on this.
I don't know more than what I've posted.

I have cc'ed this to Kone, he can probably say more
if he has time to do so.

As for the time frame, we called it "Winter of Discontent" in the
e-mail because it would take place this winter
(i.e. the next two months) as that appears to be the crucial time.