Despite being unable to return to the City Council chambers yesterday due to other commitments (the minister of our sister church in the city and I had both been at hearings earlier this month, and he had attended the clergy meeting with the newspaper's editors), here's news based on local TV reports, and from first-hand accounts from fellow members of European Dissent:
At least 3 council members had announced publicly that their minds were already made up and would vote for demolition. Two-three council members were considered probably and likely "no" votes by anti-demo activists, and one was thought to be a "swing" vote. Activists had been involved in many public protests before yesterday's meeting -- some of them witty, such as the rehearsed caroling at the homes of 2 council members (complete with home-made sugar cookies iced "1 for 1") -- they were chased off by NOPD; and young people (including one from my church) arrested for camping out at the closed projects in their holiday PJs, with signs saying, "Home for the Holidays" -- as well as more conventional ways of expression.
Despite months of organized protests and private meetings with council members and the editorial board of the Times-Picayune newspaper, city officials acted totally unprepared yesterday morning for the large crowds of both pro-demolition and anti-demolition representatives who descended upon City Hall for the vote by the City Council on whether or not to approve permits for the demolition of the Big 4 closed-since-Katrina public housing projects. (With all they knew in advance, it would have been much better and less provocative if the meeting had been moved to a much larger venue.)
It did not take long for the council chamber to fill up with spectators, while something more than a hundred or so (maybe as high as 200) people were unable to enter, and began chanting outside. Inside, one white council woman, responding to calls to "resign before recall." sarcastically waved and blew kisses, which led a few protesters (who apparently had skipped the nonviolence training required of anti-demo protesters) to attempt to jump the barrier separating the spectator area from the council. There was something of a melee, and 2-3 protesters were arrested, after a struggle with police that made the national news. The council was adjourned for things to clear up for about 45 minutes.
Back outside, in heavy wind and rain (tornados were feared but did not materialize), the locked-out chanting protesters were confronted by nervous NOPD, who shut a barred iron gate to keep protesters out of the sheltered porte cochere between a court building and the council chamber. The crowd pushed back, and the police responded with mace or pepper spray (reports differ) and tasers. One young woman went into seizure. Several people (numbers unclear at this point) were hurt. Police reported that protesters had punched a deputy, but this is not shown on the TV video and is disputed by spokespeople for the protesters. About 6 people were arrested for disturbing the peace. Once all the protesters had left, either going to seek medical treatment or shelter from the weather, the NOPD unlocked the gate and announced piously that anyone who wanted to enter the council do so.
When order was restored inside the council, individuals were allowed to testify, first pro-demo, then anti. Pro-demos included "the usual suspects" (white neighbors, developers, etc.) but also many former residents, who spoke of the horrendous conditions at the " 'jects" even before Katrina. (That is true -- one issue, hardly addressed in the media, is why the agencies involved were allowed to let the sturdy buildings deteriorate and be a haven for rodents and roaches, let alone drug-dealing and crime.) Equal time was given to both sides, and the antis were well-spoken, passionate, and, for the most part, reasoned. Pleas were made for a compromise -- a 60-day moratorium instead of an up or down vote right then and there -- which many protest leaders thought had been worked out with the 3 council members thought to favor denying or delaying demolition.
But in the end, after 5 1/2 hours of testimony, all 7 council members, black and white, voted for demolition. (Interestingly, one black council member, who had been thought to be anti-demo, was near tears as she made her public statement before the vote.) The council averred that deals had been struck with HUD to replace demolished units 1 for 1, and to reopen units in some of the undemolished projects for homeless and displaced New Orleanians. (None of this in writing, however. Most council members spoke of hopes, dreams, and reliance on HUD's promises and assurances -- nothing concrete.) What seemed clear was that the minority black council members had been pressured with visions of further racial rifts in New Orleans if the vote split on racial lines -- and sure enough, all media reports after the vote trumpeted the council's new "unity."
There are some avenues left to be explored, but right now, it seems the demolitions will go on. Like many New Orleanians of good will, I am of 2 minds -- we've got over 12,000 homeless folks right now, many of them working, and we've got thousands of New Orleanians living in the diaspora, longing to come back to the only place that will ever really be home. And some of the projects are sturdily built, garden-style apartment blocks that could be renovated into nice places to live. BUT the 'jects were indeed havens for crime, drugs, violence, rodents and roaches, that warehoused generations of poor families. Mixed income would be perfect, but only IF it's on on higher ground and IF there truly is 1 for 1 replacement and IF "affordable housing" is tied to income with provisions to alleviate the hardship of big up-front deposits, and IF the new units are as well-built as what is being demolished. Lots of big ifs.
Don't let what's being shown on TV or in the NY TImes photos keep you from visiting. What's happening over public housing is not happening everywhere, and not all the time. And no one here, least of all the poor or working poor, is served if on top of everything else, we start losing visitors and the money they spend. There's still lots that both skilled and unskilled volunteers can do here, and when you're finished working hard, there's great food and wonderful music to refresh your body and soul. Even a diminished and wounded New Orleans is a great place to be, and I urge you and your congregations to get involved with us.
