The Poor in New Orleans Still Getting the Shaft
Posted on
Thursday, December 06, 2007
by Gary A. Ballard
The poor people of New Orleans were treated with the utmost disrespect before and during the Katrina disaster. Years of governmental neglect from the local to state to federal level contributed to the shabby state of the city and its life-preserving levees, and bear a great deal of responsibility for the Katrina disaster. It is incumbent on the government to help those of its citizens who need the most help, and by and large, that is the impoverished. Public housing projects in New Orleans were home to thousands of residents. Those residents were forced to leave the city in 2005, with the understanding they could return to the homes once those homes were classified as habitable.
But HUD (Housing and Urban Development) and HANO (Housing Authority of New Orleans) have closed those housing projects, prohibiting the former residents from returning to them and scheduling many of the projects for demolition. This is despite the fact that most of the units are completely habitable with repairs, repairs which will be paid for out of the taxpayer's money allocated to restoring housing in New Orleans. The demolished low-income housing would not be replaced with new low-income housing except in reduced numbers.
The Advancement Project: Hurricane Katrina is a site documenting the struggle against the federal government to save this housing and allow the former residents to return. It's an interesting documentary about the problem and the lawsuit that has resulted. I urge you to watch it and remember that the massive disservice our government did to the people of the Gulf Coast region is still going on today.
But HUD (Housing and Urban Development) and HANO (Housing Authority of New Orleans) have closed those housing projects, prohibiting the former residents from returning to them and scheduling many of the projects for demolition. This is despite the fact that most of the units are completely habitable with repairs, repairs which will be paid for out of the taxpayer's money allocated to restoring housing in New Orleans. The demolished low-income housing would not be replaced with new low-income housing except in reduced numbers.
The Advancement Project: Hurricane Katrina is a site documenting the struggle against the federal government to save this housing and allow the former residents to return. It's an interesting documentary about the problem and the lawsuit that has resulted. I urge you to watch it and remember that the massive disservice our government did to the people of the Gulf Coast region is still going on today.
Labels: Bush Administration, Corporate Corruption, Government Corruption, Hurricane Katrina
posted by Gary A. Ballard @ 3:56 PM
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