No true Christian person would tear down houses needed by the poor..... Merry Xmas, America? Giaman blo yupela.


21 December 2007 13:44 Home > News > World > Americas
New Orleans to demolish thousands of 'poor' homes
By Leonard Doyle in Washington
Published: 21 December 2007

In the face of violent protests, New Orleans City Council yesterday moved to demolish thousands of low-income houses as the city continues the agonisingly slow process or rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina.

Demolition crews will now move in to dismantle the 4,500 brick buildings that generations of poor people lived in. The outburst of violence came amid concerns that the authorities intend to reduce the numbers of predominantly poor, black people living in New Orleans.

"It is beyond callous, and can only be seen as malicious discrimination," said Kali Akuno of the Coalition to Stop the Demolition. "It is an unabashed attempt to eliminate the black population of New Orleans."

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development wants to replace the units badly, which were old and in reed of demolition even before they were damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It intends to replace them with new mixed-income housing.

The decision to demolish was made after hours of debate between residents, activists and preservationists – and clashes in the street outside where police used chemical spray and stun guns on the dozens of protesters trying to force their way into the packed City Council chamber.

One woman was sprayed and dragged from the gates and carted off on a stretcher. Another woman was stunned by a taser gun. "I was just standing, trying to get into my City Council meeting," said the woman, Kim Ellis, who was taken away in an ambulance.

"Is this what democracy looks like?" Bill Quigley, a law professor who opposes demolition.

Wake up dick head!!! America is not a christian country. Who told you America is a christian country???? This a multi-religious country. Christians are soon to be extinct in north america, just like western Europe.

All humans should act humanely!

Trust me...I think its better for the state/federal government tear the housing projects down. Its not capable for humans to live in after the hurricane. I lived there for 5 1/2 years and I think they should tear all of them down. FYI: The state started tearing the projects 2 years before the hurricane so the city had a plan in place long before the hurricane...The crime was always there but it was controlled but after the hurricane it went out of hand because there was not enough police out on the streets... I see why the low income or minority I should say where fighting because this a where they live or grew up and call this place home. Also, the home are subsidies or low income don't pay anything. I personally believe, the middle class and high working class income earners are supporting the low income class income earners telling the state not to tear the housing projects down because they don't like the sociologically idea of mixing the poor and rich together because they don't want the crime to increase in their neighborhood. In theory, sociologist I believe say that if you mix the poor and rich together the crime rate will decrease so i think the city is basing the move on this theory and hoping that the idea will work in the long run...

Anyway, its just my personal thought... I hope for the best for NAWLINS...

Build new houses for the poor FIRST.

SECOND, tear the old ones down.

They're not doing this, that's why they're not following Christian ways. The way government always works, they always do the first part (tear down the houses) and then forget about the second part!

And to think that all this is happening right around Xmas time.

Not to take it personally Annon but the there was a trial were one of the housing project in New Orleans was completely destroyed in 2004 and second phase of building new houses where that housing project was destroyed was already taking place when the hurricane happened...All was going as planned I would say but unfortunately the hurricane messed things up...Sometimes its not easy to just build houses as mentioned... There are so many variables to be considered or is involved for the state to deal with in order to come up with a major decision like this one...

Askim tasol: Why were these poor people protesting so much if there was nothing worth keeping?

Anon,

If you didn't have anywhere else to go and the only home you knew was being torn down don't you think you would protest as well?

Just a thought.