I normally do not simply repost of another's work, but I do highly original posts instead. But, right now, my only urge is that more people know about what the disgusting smear against liberty and oppressive state violence happening in New Orleans. Britney Spear's little sister gets pregnant. This is "dinner table" news according to corporate media. But this atrocity in New Orleans is ignored by all corporate media that I know of. I WILL NOT IGNORE THIS. Neither should you. People denied the basic determination of their homes. People maced, tasered, beaten, and arrested for the simple right to housing. A public meeting, closed? How is that public? I am disgusted. I am so disgusted. It makes me very angry. And I cannot, right now, fathom myself doing more than just this right now.
Please. Spread word about this. Thanks.
The below is [parts of it] reposted:
New Orleans: Locked Outside the Gates [full version]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMBWAXfGsc4)
By Bill Quigley
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Friday 28 December 2007
In a remarkable symbol of the injustices of post-Katrina reconstruction, hundreds of people were locked out of a public New Orleans City Council meeting addressing demolition of 4,500 public housing apartments. Some were tasered, many pepper sprayed and a dozen arrested.
Outside the chambers, iron gates were chained and padlocked even before the scheduled start.
[snip]
Chants of "Housing is a human right!" and "Let us in!" thundered through the concrete breezeway.
Public housing residents came and spoke out despite an intense campaign of intimidation. Residents were warned by phone that if they publicly opposed the demolitions they would lose all housing assistance. Residents opposed to the demolition had simple demands. If the authorities insisted on spending hundreds of millions to tear down hundreds of structurally sound buildings containing 4,500 public housing subsidized apartments, there should be a guarantee that every resident could return to a similarly subsidized apartment. Alternatively, the government should use the hundreds of millions to repair the apartments so people could come home. Neither alternative was acceptable to HUD. A plan of residents to partner with the AFL-CIO Housing Trust to save their homes was also ignored.
[snip]
Inside the chambers, the Rev. Torin Sanders and others insisted that the locked out persons be allowed to come and stand inside along the walls - a common practice for over 30 years. No one could recall any city council locking people out of a public meeting. The request to allow people to stand was denied. The council then demanded silence from those inside. Those who continued to demand that the others be let in were pointed out by police, physically taken down and arrested. Ironically, some young men were tasered right in front of the speaker's podium.
[snip]
But hours before the meeting began, a majority of the council publicly announced on the front page of the local paper that they were going to approve demolition no matter what people said at the meeting. The paper, the developers and others were delighted. Residents and affordable housing allies were not.
Inside, the council started the meeting surrounded by armed police, National Guard and undercover authorities from many law enforcement agencies.
Outside, the locked-out could see the people who had been arrested on the inside being dragged away to police wagons. A few of the protesters then pulled open one of the gates. The police started shooting arcs of pepper spray into the crowd. A woman's scream pierced the chaos as police fired tasers into the crowd. Medics wiped pepper spray from fallen people's eyes. A young woman who was tasered in the back went into a seizure and was taken to the hospital.
[snip]
Those wanting additional information should look to: http://www.justiceforneworleans.org or http://www.defendneworleanspublichousing.org.
[Note: The author, Bill Quigley, is a human rights lawyer and law professor at Loyola University New Orleans. Bill is part of the team of lawyers representing displaced residents of public housing. You can reach him at Quigley@loyno.edu.]
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