Discriminatory Housing Lockouts Amid Post-Katrina Rebuilding »
Posted By rumple4skin 2 months ago in NewsRebuilding efforts in St. Bernard Parish, a small community just outside New Orleans, have recently gotten a major boost. One nonprofit focused on rebuilding in the area has received the endorsement of CNN, Alice Walker, the touring production of the play The Color Purple, and even President Obama. But an alliance of Gulf Coast and national organizations are now raising questions about the cause these high profile names are supporting.
The dispute focuses on the responsibility of relief organizations to speak out against injustice in the communities in which they work. Since September of 2006, St. Bernard Parish has been aggressive in passing racially discriminatory laws and ordinances.
Lynn Dean, a member of the St. Bernard parish council told reporter Lizzy Ratner, "They don't want the Blacks back... What they'd like to do now with Katrina is say, we'll wipe out all of them. They're not gonna say that out in the open, but how do you say? Actions speak louder than words. There's their action."
The action Lynn was referencing is a "blood relative" ordinance the council passed in 2006. The law made it illegal for Parish homeowners to rent to anyone not directly related to the renter. In St Bernard, which was 85% white before Katrina hit, this effectively kept Blacks, many of whom were still displaced from New Orleans and looking for nearby housing, from moving in.
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rumple4skin
Journalists/reporters must have the right to keep their news sources confidential.
A Broadcast Doctrine law must be initiated to end foreign ownership of broadcast ...
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