[News] Woodlands Anti-Eviction Campaign - Forward Everywhere!

[Anti-Imperialist News]

From: Soleil <soleilfire at yahoo.com>
Date: November 21, 2006 5:58:41 AM PST
To: commongroundrelief at googlegroups.com
Subject: [commongroundrelief] Woodlands 
Anti-Eviction Campaign - Forward Everywhere!

Friends, Allies and Supporters:

SPREAD THIS NEWS AS QUICKLY AND WIDELY AS POSSIBLE!
LETTER AND PHONE CAMPAIGN INFO

The time has come when your action could mean the 
difference between justice and injustice, home 
for the holidays or homeless in the cold. In the 
next few days over 100 families are facing 
eviction from their affordable apartments at the 
Woodlands. Right now your support, and your 
action, could provide the impetus they need to win their fight.

As you may know, Common Ground has been managing 
the Woodlands apartment complex for the past five 
months, with the intent to purchase the property 
to create cooperative housing, small business 
cooperatives, social programs and human services 
offices, all while keeping the lowest rents in 
the city. During this time CG rehabilitated over 
100 units, and formalized rental relationships 
with signed leases. Through a series of bad faith 
dealings the former owner, Anthony Reginelli, 
sold the property to the Johnson Property Group, 
LLC. Now both are working together to evict the 
tenants just in time for the holidays.

The tenants are organized and ready to fight. 
They are planning a host of strategies, from 
press conferences to direct actions, from formal 
mediation to court cases. But they need your 
voice. They need your faxes, calls emails in 
support, calling for the new owners to do the 
right thing and work with the tenants to find a mutually beneficial solution.

The next pages contain sample letters detailing 
the tenants needs and demands, and following 
those is a contact list. There are two versions 
of the letter, one for the Johnson Property 
Group, LLC itself, and another for their business 
associates. Feel free to use the sample letter, 
or create your own based on it. If you have 
business or organization letterhead, that may add 
extra weight. The crucial aspect is that the 
residents need your assistance RIGHT NOW.

This can be an extremely effective public 
pressure campaign, because the new owners have a 
very good name in human services in Baton Rouge 
and throughout Louisiana. The Managing Manager 
for the Group is Soundra Temple-Johnson, who, 
along with Collis Temple, Jr. and family, own and 
operate Louisiana Health and Rehabilitation 
Options as well as the Harmony Center, Inc., both 
of which offer extensive social services for 
those in need. They have a conscience, at least a 
public one, which can be effectively prodded by 
your letters, and by the opinions of their business associates.

Please take a little time out of your 
Thanksgiving preparations to send or hand deliver 
these letters to as many of the contacts as 
possible. Because of the holiday we must act 
right now to be effective. If you live near one 
of these locations, hand-deliver the letter. If 
you are able, mount a small (or large!) 
demonstration at their address, as the tenants 
will be doing in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

You will hear more from us, as we hold press 
conferences and demonstrations, and we will keep 
you updatedwith our progress. We’d also love to 
hear from you about your involvement 
at:nolaevictiondefense at gmail.com You could cc: us 
when you email out the letter, and send us a note 
about faxes, hand-deliveries and demonstrations – 
or any other great ideas you put into action!

Please act now, before Thanksgiving, so the one 
hundred families and children of the Woodlands 
can have something to be thankful for this holiday season.

The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
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