[News] New Orleans Campaigns, and Woodlands Eviction Defense

Anti-Imperialist News news at freedomarchives.org
Fri Nov 24 17:48:26 EST 2006 


<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=108689712&u=1036133>
People's Hurricane Relief Fund and Oversight Coalition



Take Action Today!

    * 
<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=108689712&u=1036134>Click 
here to Sign the People's Hurricane Relief Fund 
petitions to protect renters against price 
gouging and to make the Louisiana Recovery 
Authority (LRA) accountable to people without 
homes, not developers. Spread the Word!
    * 
<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=108689712&u=1036135>Click 
here to help fight the evictions of over 100 
families at the Common Ground-managed Woodlands apartment complex.


Petition Campaign

Nearly a quarter of a million New Orleanians 
remain Internally Displaced People­with no homes 
in New Orleans to return to. "The Road Home"­the 
federally funded recovery program-- offers the 
majority of New Orleanians­renters-- no 
compensation at all. Yet, 90% of the rentals in 
Gentilly, 84% of rentals in the Lower 9th Ward, 
76% in Village de l'Est and 61% in Mid City­all 
predominantly low income Black neighborhoods, 
were destroyed. Courageous renters who are trying 
to rebuild their lives in New Orleans spend 
months searching for a place to rent, and when 
they find it, the landlord invariably charges at 
least double for property that is barely habitable.

To advance the campaign to win affordable 
housing, rent control and tenants rights in New 
Orleans, the People's Hurricane Relief Fund is 
launching two urgent petition drives. Each 
petition is part of a strategy to challenge 
government representatives to support the peoples' right to return home.

The first petition demands that the New Orleans 
City Council pass legislation to curb price 
gouging and provide basic protections for 
renters. 
<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=108689712&u=1036136>Download 
it here.

The second petition, the Louisiana Recovery 
Authority Reconstitution petition, will be 
delivered to Governor Kathleen Blanco and the 
Louisiana State Legislature demanding that that 
the LRA be disbanded and that a new, 
representative body reflective of the race and 
class composition of the affected areas be 
created to take its place. As it is currently 
constituted, the LRA is accountable only to 
developers when making decisions about what to do 
with federal recovery money. 
<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=108689712&u=1036137>Download 
it here.

The goal of the petition drive is to get 10,000 
signatures for each petition by January 31, 2007. 
Once we attain this goal, we will deliver the 
petitions to the City Council and State 
Legislature to press our demands and the 
legislation we need to help realize the right of 
return. We need you to take the petition to your 
place of worship, work, union hall, school, 
social club and spread the word amongst your family and friends.

Please mail the original of each completed 
petition to PHRF, 1418 North Claiborne #2, New 
Orleans, LA 70118 or fax a copy to (504) 301-0306.

<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=108689712&u=1036138>Click 
here to sign the petition to Governor Kathleen 
Blanco and the Louisiana Recovery Authority.

For more information please contact (504) 
301-0215 or phrfoc at gmail.com. Also visit 
<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=108689712&u=1036139>www.peopleshurricane.org




Urgent Action to Protect Woodlands Residents

 From Common Ground:

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.

<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=108689712&u=1036140>Click 
here to help fight the evictions of over 100 
families at the Common Ground-managed Woodlands apartment complex.

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.

<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=108689712&u=1036141>Click 
here to help fight the evictions of over 100 
families at the Common Ground-managed Woodlands apartment complex.


<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=108689712&u=1036142>
Make a Donation



Take Action

<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=108689712&u=1036143>Click 
here to sign the petition to Governor Kathleen 
Blanco and the Louisiana Recovery Authority.


URGENT

<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=108689712&u=1036144>Click 
here to help fight the evictions of over 100 
families at the Common Ground-managed Woodlands apartment complex.


Stay Informed

To receive periodic action alerts and updates 
from PHRF, 
<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=108689712&u=1036145>click 
here

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Please help us to expand our national reach by 
forwarding this email to your contacts and inviting them to subscribe.
People's Hurricane Relief Fund & Oversight Coalition
1418 N. Claiborne, New Orleans, LA 70116 1-(504)-301-0215



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United States

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