[Texgreen] Greens support public housing residents facing New Orleans Council demolition, condemn police brutal

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:42:50 -0600

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GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATEShttp://www.gp.orgFor Immediate Release:Satu=
rday, December 22, 2007Contacts:Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5=
624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.orgStarlene Rankin, Media Coordinato=
r, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.orgGreens support public housing residents fac=
ing New Orleans Council demolition, condemn police brutality against protes=
tersWASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders strongly condemned the actions of=
 New Orleans police against protesters who opposed the New Orleans City Cou=
ncil's vote to demolish public housing.Police used pepper spray and extreme=
ly dangerous stun guns against those attempting to enter Council chamber on=
 Thursday, December 20. The Council is acting in cooperation with plans by =
the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to replace the public ho=
using units with new mixed-income housing, which would result in the evicti=
on of tenants, nearly all of them African American, from their homes withou=
t any further plan to house most of them."By choosing to destroy existing s=
tructures instead of renovating them for the current residents, Council sur=
rendered to a long-range effort to displace New Orleans' working class Afri=
can American population," said Alfred Molison, , co-chair of the Green Part=
y's Black Caucus and a Texas Green. "New Orleans politicians are cooperatin=
g with the Bush Administration's plan to exploit the Katrina disaster in or=
der to reduce drastically the amount of low-cost housing in the city."The v=
ote eliminates 4,500 apartments in the city's four biggest public housing p=
rojects. Opponents of the demolition, including the Coalition to Stop the D=
emolition, have documented how past redevelopment efforts in the wake of Ka=
trina have excluded public housing and other low-income residents. The Coal=
ition has called for national support for public housing residents and the =
protesters."Despite promises from Council members, the result of the demoli=
tion will not be improved public housing for poor black people in New Orlea=
ns, but enforced homelessness and removal from a city they have a right to =
live in," said Nan Garrett, Co-Chair, National Women's Caucus of the Green =
Party of the United States . "The vote was a giveaway to powerful developer=
s favored by the White House, and who stand to make a killing from Hurrican=
e Katrina's effect on New Orleans infrastructure. The actions of the police=
 against protesters -- many of whom have been denied return to their homes =
in the past two years -- are consistent with the atrocious racist and class=
ist treatment of New Orleans residents in the aftermath of Katrina.""We enc=
ourage candidates for President and other public office to speak out in def=
ense of public housing residents and others threatened with removal because=
 of corporate-friendly redevelopment plans in New Orleans," added Ms. Garre=
tt. "What's going on in New Orleans is an accelerated version of what has b=
een happening in cities across the US."MORE INFORMATIONGreen Party of the U=
nited States http://www.gp.org202-319-7191, 866-41GREENFax 202-319-7193=95 =
Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml=95 Green Party S=
peakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers=95 Green candidate database for 2=
007 and other campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtmlGreen =
Party of Louisiana http://www.lagreens.org/Common Ground Collective http://=
www.commongroundrelief.org"Green Party endorses the International Tribunal =
on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita"Green Party press release, August 29, 2007ht=
tp://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_08_29.shtml"Katrina Survivors Have a Right to=
 Return Home"Green Party press release, March 2, 2006http://www.gp.org/pres=
s/pr_2006_03_02.shtmlNew Orleans Independent Media Center coverage of the C=
ouncil vote and protestshttp://neworleans.indymedia.org/news/"The Shock Doc=
trine in Action in New Orleans"By Naomi Klein, Huffington Post, December 21=
, 2007http://www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-klein/the-shock-doctrine-in-act_b=
_77886.html~ END ~
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GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES<BR><A onclick=3DonClickUnsafeLink(event); =
href=3D"http://www.gp.org/" target=3D_blank>http://www.gp.org</A><BR><BR>Fo=
r Immediate Release:<BR>Saturday, December 22, 2007<BR><BR>Contacts:<BR>Sco=
tt McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@gre=
ens.org<BR>Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.or=
g<BR><BR><BR>Greens support public housing residents facing New Orleans Cou=
ncil demolition, condemn police brutality against protesters<BR><BR><BR>WAS=
HINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders strongly condemned the actions of New Or=
leans police against protesters who opposed the New Orleans City Council's =
vote to demolish public housing.<BR><BR>Police used pepper spray and extrem=
ely dangerous stun guns against those attempting to enter Council chamber o=
n Thursday, December 20. The Council is acting in cooperation with plans by=
 the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to replace the public h=
ousing units with new mixed-income housing, which would result in the evict=
ion of tenants, nearly all of them African American, from their homes witho=
ut any further plan to house most of them.<BR><BR>"By choosing to destroy e=
xisting structures instead of renovating them for the current residents, Co=
uncil surrendered to a long-range effort to displace New Orleans' working c=
lass African American population," said Alfred Molison, , co-chair of the G=
reen Party's Black Caucus and a Texas Green. "New Orleans politicians are c=
ooperating with the Bush Administration's plan to exploit the Katrina disas=
ter in order to reduce drastically the amount of low-cost housing in the ci=
ty."<BR><BR>The vote eliminates 4,500 apartments in the city's four biggest=
 public housing projects. Opponents of the demolition, including the Coalit=
ion to Stop the Demolition, have documented how past redevelopment efforts =
in the wake of Katrina have excluded public housing and other low-income re=
sidents. The Coalition has called for national support for public housing r=
esidents and the protesters.<BR><BR>"Despite promises from Council members,=
 the result of the demolition will not be improved public housing for poor =
black people in New Orleans, but enforced homelessness and removal from a c=
ity they have a right to live in," said Nan Garrett, Co-Chair, National Wom=
en's Caucus of the Green Party of the United States . "The vote was a givea=
way to powerful developers favored by the White House, and who stand to mak=
e a killing from Hurricane Katrina's effect on New Orleans infrastructure. =
The actions of the police against protesters -- many of whom have been deni=
ed return to their homes in the past two years -- are consistent with the a=
trocious racist and classist treatment of New Orleans residents in the afte=
rmath of Katrina."<BR><BR>"We encourage candidates for President and other =
public office to speak out in defense of public housing residents and other=
s threatened with removal because of corporate-friendly redevelopment plans=
 in New Orleans," added Ms. Garrett. "What's going on in New Orleans is an =
accelerated version of what has been happening in cities across the US."<BR=
><BR><BR>MORE INFORMATION<BR><BR>Green Party of the United States <A onclic=
k=3DonClickUnsafeLink(event); href=3D"http://www.gp.org/" target=3D_blank>h=
ttp://www.gp.org</A><BR>202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN<BR>Fax 202-319-7193<BR>=
=95 Green Party News Center <A onclick=3DonClickUnsafeLink(event); href=3D"=
http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml" target=3D_blank>http://www.gp.org/newsc=
enter.shtml</A><BR>=95 Green Party Speakers Bureau <A onclick=3DonClickUnsa=
feLink(event); href=3D"http://www.gp.org/speakers" target=3D_blank>http://w=
ww.gp.org/speakers</A><BR>=95 Green candidate database for 2007 and other c=
ampaign information: <A onclick=3DonClickUnsafeLink(event); href=3D"http://=
www.gp.org/elections.shtml" target=3D_blank>http://www.gp.org/elections.sht=
ml</A><BR><BR>Green Party of Louisiana <A onclick=3DonClickUnsafeLink(event=
); href=3D"http://www.lagreens.org/" target=3D_blank>http://www.lagreens.or=
g/</A><BR><BR>Common Ground Collective <A onclick=3DonClickUnsafeLink(event=
); href=3D"http://www.commongroundrelief.org/" target=3D_blank>http://www.c=
ommongroundrelief.org</A><BR><BR>"Green Party endorses the International Tr=
ibunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita"<BR>Green Party press release, August=
 29, 2007<BR><A onclick=3DonClickUnsafeLink(event); href=3D"http://www.gp.o=
rg/press/pr_2007_08_29.shtml" target=3D_blank>http://www.gp.org/press/pr_20=
07_08_29.shtml</A><BR><BR>"Katrina Survivors Have a Right to Return Home"<B=
R>Green Party press release, March 2, 2006<BR><A onclick=3DonClickUnsafeLin=
k(event); href=3D"http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_03_02.shtml" target=3D_bl=
ank>http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_03_02.shtml</A><BR><BR>New Orleans Inde=
pendent Media Center coverage of the Council vote and protests<BR><A onclic=
k=3DonClickUnsafeLink(event); href=3D"http://neworleans.indymedia.org/news/=
" target=3D_blank>http://neworleans.indymedia.org/news/</A><BR><BR>"The Sho=
ck Doctrine in Action in New Orleans"<BR>By Naomi Klein, Huffington Post, D=
ecember 21, 2007<BR><A onclick=3DonClickUnsafeLink(event); href=3D"http://w=
ww.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-klein/the-shock-doctrine-in-act_b_77886.html" t=
arget=3D_blank>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-klein/the-shock-doctrine=
-in-act_b_77886.html</A><BR><BR><BR>~ END ~<BR><BR><br /><hr />Get the powe=
r of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live. <a href=3D'http://www.windows=
live.com?ocid=3DTXT_TAGHM_Wave2_powerofwindows_122007' target=3D'_new'>Get =
it now!</a></body>
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