<html>
<body>
<font size=3>
<a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/quigley12032007.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.counterpunch.org/quigley12032007.html<br><br>
</a></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4><b>December 3,
2007<br><br>
</font><h1><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=5><b>Christmas
Presents for New Orleans, From HUD<br><br>
<br>
</i></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=5 color="#990000">
Bulldozers for the Poor, Huge Tax Credits for Wealthy
Developers</b></font></h1><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=5>By
BILL QUIGLEY<br><br>
</font><font face="Verdana" size=6 color="#990000">O</font>
<font face="Verdana" size=2>n the 12th day before Christmas, the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is planning to unleash
teams of bulldozers to demolish thousands of low-income apartments in New
Orleans. Despite Katrina causing the worst affordable housing crisis
since the Civil War, HUD is spending $762 million in taxpayer funds to
tear down over 4600 public housing subsidized apartments and replace them
with 744 similarly subsidized units--an 82% reduction. HUD is in charge
and a one person HUD employee makes all the local housing authority
decisions. HUD took over the local housing authority years ago--all
decisions are made in Washington DC. HUD plans to build an additional
1000 market rate and tax credit units--which will still result in a net
loss of 2700 apartments to New Orleans--the remaining new apartments will
cost an average cost of over $400,000 each!<br><br>
Affordable housing is at a critical point along the Gulf Coast. Over
50,000 families still living in tiny FEMA trailers are being
systematically forced out. Over 90,000 homeowners in Louisiana are still
waiting to receive federal recovery funds from the Road Home. In New
Orleans, hundreds of the estimated 12,000 homeless have taken up
residence in small tents across the street from City Hall and under the
I-10. <br><br>
In Mississippi, poor and working people are being displaced along the
coast to allow casinos to expand and develop shipping and other
commercial activities. Two dozen ministers criticized the exclusion of
renters and low-income homeowners from post-Katrina assistance:
"Sadly we must now bear witness to the reality that our Recovery
Effort has failed to include a place at the table ... for our poor and
vulnerable."<br><br>
The bulldozers have not torn down any buildings yet and New Orleans
public housing residents vow to resist. "If you try to bulldoze our
homes, we're going to fight," promised resident Sharon Jasper.
"There's going to be a war in New Orleans."<br><br>
Resident resistance is being expanded by allies from a coalition of
groups who see the destruction of public housing without one for one
replacement harming all renters and low-income homeowners.<br><br>
Kali Akuno, of the Coalition to Stop Demolition, explains why many people
who do not live in public housing are joining residents in this fight.
"In the past two years, New Orleans has faced a series of social
crises that have struck a blow to our collective vision for a more just
and equitable city, not simply one that is more inviting to elites. Yet
none of these crises has been as uniquely urgent as this. What is at
stake with the demolition of public housing in New Orleans is more than
just the loss of housing units: it destroys any possibility for
affordable housing in New Orleans for the foreseeable future. Without
access to affordable housing, thousands of working class New Orleanians
will be denied their human right to return." <br><br>
A federal court has refused to stop the scheduled demolitions. Residents
offered evidence to show the three story garden-style buildings were
structurally sound and pointed out that the local housing authority
itself documented that it would cost much less to repair and retain the
apartments than demolish and reconstruct a small fraction of them. The
New York Times architecture critic described them as "low scale,
narrow footprint and high quality construction." HUD promised to
subject plans for demolition to 100 days of scrutiny--yet approved
demolition with no public input in less than two days. The court
acknowledged some questions about the fairness of the process but
concluded that if the demolitions turn out to be illegal, residents can
always recover money damages later. <br><br>
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that requires one for one
replacement of any public housing demolished, but Senator David Vitter
(R-La) has stopped the Senate version cold. <br><br>
The Institute for Southern Studies reports that the Gulf Coast Housing
Recovery Act, S. 1668, sponsored by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) had the
support of the entire state's delegation and the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development -- until September, when HUD and Vitter
suddenly withdrew their backing. There's been much speculation over
Vitter's sudden about-face on the measure, especially since he's been
reluctant to disclose his objections in much detail. <br><br>
The Congressional Quarterly Weekly offers partisan politics as one
explanation for his actions: <br><br>
</font>
<dl>
<dd>"...[P]olitical experts say the senatorial flap is not
unexpected, given Louisiana's rough-and-tumble politics and Vitter and
Landrieu's chilly relationship. Landrieu is up for re-election next year
and has emerged as the GOP's top target among incumbent senators, in part
because of the state's rightward shift in recent elections.<br><br>
<dd>"The fact that Mary Landrieu is widely identified as the most
vulnerable Democrat coming into the next election cycle, you certainly
don't want to give her big victories in helping the state," said
Kirby Goidel, a professor of political science at Louisiana State
University. "He probably feels safe enough to hold it up as long as
it's not too obviously political and he has some policy-related cover.
He's a pretty hardball political player."<br><br>
</dl>Republican interests are clearly not served by the return of all
African-Americans to New Orleans. Louisiana was described before Katrina
as a "pink state"--one that went Democratic some times and
Republican others. The tipping point for Louisiana Democrats was the
deeply Democratic African American city of New Orleans. Immediately after
the hurricanes struck, one political analyst said "the Democratic
margin of victory in Louisiana is sleeping in the Astrodome in
Houston." Tiny turnout by African-American voters in New Orleans in
recent elections has led white Republican interests to calculate
immediate new political gains. Demolition of thousands of low-income
African American occupied apartments only helps that political and racial
dynamic. <br><br>
But no one will say openly that African American renters are not welcome.
Supporters of the destruction of thousands of apartments have come up
with a series of stated reasons for their actions, but it clearly looks
like political gain and economic enrichment for contractors, lawyers,
architects and political friends are the real reasons.<br><br>
Reduction of crime was supposed to be the main reason for getting rid of
thousands of public housing apartments--yet crime in New Orleans has
soared since Katrina while the thousands of apartments remain
shut.<br><br>
Every one of the displaced families who were living in public housing is
African-American. Most all are headed by mothers and grandmothers working
low-wage jobs or disabled or retired. Thousands of children lived in the
neighborhoods. Race and class and gender are an unstated part of every
justification for demolition, especially the call for "mixed-income
housing." If the demolitions are allowed to go forward, there will
be mixed income housing--but the mix will not include over 80 percent of
the people who lived there. <br><br>
This absolute lack of any realistic affordable alternative is the main
reason people want to return to their public housing neighborhoods--or be
guaranteed one for one replacement of their homes. Absent that,
redevelopment will not help the residents or people in the community who
need affordable housing. <br><br>
HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson has his own reasons for pressing ahead
with the demolitions. HUD has approved plans to turn over scores of acres
of prime public land to private developers for 99 year leases and give
hundreds of millions of dollars in direct grants, tax credit subsidies
and long-term contracts. One of the developers described it as the
biggest tax-credit giveaway in years.<br><br>
There may be crime in the projects after all--even if the residents are
gone. Consider the following examples.<br><br>
Investigative reporter Edward T. Pound of the National Journal has
uncovered many questionable and several potentially criminal actions by
HUD in New Orleans. Pound reported that HUD Secretary Jackson worked
with, and is owed over $250,000 from an Atlanta-based company, Columbia
Residential. Columbia Residential was part of a team that was awarded a
$127 million contract by HUD to develop the St. Bernard housing
development. Columbia was also awarded other earlier contracts for as yet
undisclosed amounts under still undisclosed circumstances. <br><br>
Pound also discovered that a golfing buddy and social friend of Secretary
Jackson was given a no-bid $175 an hour "emergency" contract
with HUD within months of Katrina. The buddy, William Hairston, was
ultimately paid more than $485,000 for working at HANO over an 18 month
period.<br><br>
A review of the dozens of no-bid contracts approved by HUD in New Orleans
shows millions going to politically connected consultants, law firms,
architects, and insurance brokers. <br><br>
What is scheduled to happen in New Orleans is happening across the United
States. It is just that New Orleans offers a more condensed and graphic
illustration. The federal government is determined to get out of housing
all together and let the private market reign. A
<a href="http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411497_cost_benefits_hope_VI.pdf">
2007 report of the Urban Institute</a> confirms that in the last decade
over 78,000 low-income apartments have been demolished by HUD. <br><br>
That is why locals are receiving support and solidarity from residents
and housing advocates in Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and
New York. <br><br>
Destruction of housing for the working poor is also a global scandal as
corporations and governments push entire neighborhoods out. In India,
traditional fishing villages destroyed by the tsunami are being forcibly
moved away from the coast and the land where they lived is being
converted to luxury hotels and tourist destinations. The International
Alliance of Inhabitants, which opposes the demolitions in New Orleans,
points out poor people's neighborhoods are also being taken away in
Angola, Hungary, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
<br><br>
Poor and working people in New Orleans and across the globe are living on
property that has become valuable for corporations. Accommodating
governments are pushing the poor away and turning public property to
private. HUD is giving private developers hundreds of millions of public
dollars, scores of acres of valuable land, and thousands of public
apartments. Happy holidays for them for sure. <br><br>
For the poor, the holidays are scheduled to bring bulldozers. The
demolition is poised to start in New Orleans any day now. Attempts at
demolition will be met with just resistance. Whether that resistance is
successful or not will determine not only the future of the working poor
in New Orleans, but of working poor communities nationally and globally.
If the U.S. government is allowed to demolish thousands of much-needed
affordable apartments of Katrina victims, what chance do others
have?<br><br>
Bill Quigley</b> is a human rights lawyer and law professor at Loyola
University New Orleans. Bill is one of the lawyers for displaced
residents. You can contact him at
<a href="mailto:Quigley@loyno.edu">Quigley@loyno.edu</a>. <br><br>
<br><br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<font size=3 color="#FF0000">Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#008000">415 863-9977<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#0000FF">
<a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">
www.Freedomarchives.org</a></font><font size=3> </font></body>
</html>