Food Justice Event This Thursday in New Orleans

From our friends at Survivors Village and Malcolm X Grassroots Movement:

Join Survivors Village, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, the Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle, and the New Orleans Consulate of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for this critical program about the struggle for food sovereignty in Venezuela and lessons that can be learned and applied in the struggle for food sovereignty in oppressed and exploited communities within the United States.

Growing Change is a documentary that looks at one of the most exciting experiments in the world to grow a fair and sustainable food system. In Venezuela, from fishing villages to cacao plantations to urban gardens, a growing social movement is showing what’s possible when communities, not corporations, start to take control of food.



Guest Speakers include:
Kali Akuno, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
William Camacaro, Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle
Jorge Guerrero Veloz, Consul General of New Orleans

Growing Change: the Struggle for Food Sovereignty in Venezuela
Thursday, November 15th, 7:00pm
St. Bernard Community Baptist Church
3938 St. Bernard Ave.

Occupy NOLA Activists Prevent Sheriff's Sale of Home and Community Center, and Also Win Injunction Against Eviction

Note: In addition to the successful action described below, Occupy NOLA also won a victory in court today. A judge ruled that the city should not have evicted Occupy Nola, and that protesters have the right to move back into Duncan Plaza. According to a Times Picayune report:

Bill Quigley, a lawyer for the Occupy protesters, said he believes it is the first case to date in which a judge has allowed an Occupy protest to take up residence again after an eviction by the city. Davida Finger, another Occupy lawyer, said that the decision proved that "No one is above the law, even the city of New Orleans."

The report below comes from our friends at Survivors Village:

Hours after being evicted from encampment, Occupy NOLA joins forces with Survivors Village to disrupt Sheriff's sale of blighted homes

Survivors Village, a community group of former St. Bernard public housing residents and their allies, joined forces today with recently evicted Occupy NOLA protesters to successfully disrupt a Sheriff’s sale of foreclosed properties. Delaying the sale for two hours, the protesters announced:

“This auction is illegal and immoral. It is a way to steal homes, redistribute wealth and prevent the right to return. The sale of blighted property is the city's attempt to remove poor homeowners who have already suffered tremendously from economic and natural disaster. Blight has become an excuse to gentrify. Charging poor homeowners outrageous fees in order to steal their homes is an underhanded way to keep people displaced. Stop capitalizing off of crisis! This process is corrupt! You are stealing homes! STOP NOW!”

The sale was scheduled to begin at noon. At approximately 1:45 pm, after several potential buyers had already left, the police arrived and threatened the nonviolent protesters with arrest. Before declaring that the remainder of their protest would be silent, the protesters announced their intention to physically defend any properties sold: “We will be in court. We will be in the streets. We will be in the houses--defending them, boarding them up, and occupying them.”

Protesters specifically identified two properties and successfully urged buyers not to purchase them. The Fight Back Center, a long-time community center in the St. Bernard neighborhood in New Orleans’ 7th ward was slated to be auctioned at today’s sale despite city personnel having acknowledged that there were numerous legal problems with the process. “This is community space and we will fight to keep it that way,” protesters declared.

The Fight Back Center is currently being redeveloped and rebuilt by Survivors Village, which began in 2006 as a tent city of public housing residents who were locked out of their homes after Hurricane Katrina.

Protesters also urged buyers not to purchase the home of an individual who had approached them to express thanks for what they were doing. The individual’s home had been completely renovated, but the city refused his offer to pay the $575 fine that had been assessed, refusing to waive the thousands of dollars in fines that accrued daily since the home was declared blighted. He was financially unable to pay these fees and thus faced loss of his home. Following the protesters’ declared intention to defend these properties, neither received a minimum bid and thus remained unsold.

Protesters also distributed flyers educating the crowd about the realities of the auction. The flyers declared:

This is an auction of stolen properties. When a property in New Orleans is declared ‘blighted’ it is because homeowners are unable to complete the necessary work on their properties to comply with the city’s codes. The city gives the homeowner a fine of $575 and orders the homeowner to finish renovation or demolition of the property within thirty days and pay the fine or face additional fees of up to $500 per day. When poor homeowners are charged thousands of dollars each week—money they would put into their homes if they had it—the city leaves them no choice but to go bankrupt or hand over their properties. This is state sanctioned theft under the guise of 'recovery.'

The protesters’ disruption at the Sheriff’s sale occurred less than eight hours after Occupy NOLA was itself evicted from their encampment at Duncan Plaza. Around 4 pm, Occupy NOLA was issued a temporary restraining order by US District Judge Jay Zainey who said he was "not happy" that the city opted to clear the camp while a motion for a TRO was pending.

Today’s protest was also carried out in solidarity with a call from Occupy Wall Street, who declared December 6 a day of action on the foreclosure crisis.

View a video of today’s protest at this link.

Organizing Iberville: Applying Lessons Learned, by M. Endesha Juakali, JD

From our friends at Survivors Village:
As Survivors Village and May Day New Orleans begins its campaign to oppose the destruction of the last traditional public housing development in the city of New Orleans, a deep sense of dread and fear courses into my mind.

It's been only a few years since the last major battle to preserve the four other developments was fought and ended in the brutalizing of activists from across the country and a total violation of the rights of all involved. Since December 20, 2007, many have come to believe that organizing public housing is a lost cause. Others have moved on to other areas of injustice that need to be addressed as much as public housing. Those of us who have organized in public housing for decades and feel that the attack upon Iberville cannot go unanswered must try to find a new approach and apply the hard-learned lessons of the anti-demolition struggle to the conditions that currently exist in Iberville.

Though we probably made many other mistakes that need to be addressed I am putting my focus on three areas. These areas are as follows:

-We cannot fight for the people, we must fight with them. As hard as this job will be, we must build a core group of Iberville residents to lead and fight for themselves. Of course, everyone agrees with this, but doing it is hard work. It is much easier to get a few residents to stand in front of the camera while activists do all the real work and decide on what is to be done. The major weakness of the anti-demolition struggle was that although in the beginning there was a strong core group of residents, as residents got scared off, bought off, or just discouraged, and quit, we decided that we had an obligation to move forward without them. That was a failed strategy. In Iberville the hard work to build a core group of residents must be our first step, and every step taken from that point must be decided by that group.

-We need to diversify our strategy & provide numerous ways for residents and others to be involved: The anti-demolition movement was fueled by a group of extremely sincere and courageous people. It was clear that nothing would happen if we did not disrupt the normal operations of the city – so that's what we did. Direct Action became the strategy instead of a strategy. All of our efforts were put towards this one form of struggle. We must have a much more diversified approach in Iberville –and one that is chosen by the residents themselves--if we are to make a significant impact. Many people are not in a position to go to jail, get brutalized, or lose their homes, but that does not mean that they don't want to participate. We must find a way to get them involved.

-We must have a plan that comes from the people: During the anti-demolition struggle everyone knew that we were against the demolition of public housing. But it was never clear what we were for. Going into Iberville, once the group of residents are identified and organized, the next step will be those residents making decisions about what they want their community to become. We will then organize around what the people want, and not just be perpetual anti-everything gadflies in the eyes of those we are trying to organize.

These are some of the things that I have identified that we can do better in Iberville.

Many of you that will read this fought in the anti-demolition struggle, or have been involved in other housing struggles: what are your thoughts on these issues? Going into Iberville we need all the fresh Ideas we can get, please share yours.

See the flyer being used to organize in Iberville at this link.

The Fight Back Center Works to Maintain the Culture of the St. Bernard Community, by M. Endesha Juakali

The property at 3820 Alfred Street has always been the focal point of the St. Bernard community. As the headquarters of the New Day Black Community Development Organization, it provided economic assistance, advocacy against injustice, day care services, job banks, GED programs, a youth club and many other social, political, and recreational services. There is not much left of what used to be our community physically, but the spirit, culture, and love for St. Bernard still lives. The FIGHTBACK center is the perfect place for the yearly Mother's day reunions that the Big 7 parade has become. To see some pictures from this year's parade, see the survivors Village blog, at communitiesrising.wordpress.com.
Regaining our culture of cooperation and struggle
by M. Endesha Juakali

New Orleans and the St. Bernard community have always been a place where people enjoyed each other and loved a good party. But there is another part of our culture that I remember that seems to have disappeared lately. The original purpose of social aid and pleasure clubs was to assist the community and those who needed help. They were also called benevolent clubs because they were used to feed the hungry, help with rent and assist those in the community that were in need. A very large part of their benevolent activity was to bury indigent members of the community. The concept was that poor people could pool their pennies, nickels, and dimes into a sort of safety net for everyone. Therefore when they would come out yearly to embrace the pleasure side of the equation the entire community had a good reason to party with the membership.

It seems that the current generation of participants have forgotten the original intent of these Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs. The aid part came first and the pleasure is at the end. Since the hurricane and levee breaches, the Black community and all the neighborhoods have been under constant attack by the forces of white supremacy and injustice. They have thus far been successful in their plan to turn back the hands of time.

This necessitates a return to our roots, not only with helping each other, but also the community spirit to struggle against injustice.

The same brothers and sisters that put together the second line clubs, also challenged the national guard tanks in 1968 with rocks and bottles after the murder of Martin Luther King. They were the ones that put together the Black Youth for Progress (BYP), and represented us in the historic period that saw segregation fall and issued in the Black political progress that has been overturned since hurricane Katrina.

The culture of St. Bernard has been based on helping each other, fighting for our rights, and having a good time. We are still having a good time once a year, but life is not about just partying...even in New Orleans!

Happening Here: An Evening of Theater, Poetry, Film and Food

Louisiana Justice Institute encourages you to check out the first local screening of Land of Opportunity, a multi-platform documentary project that follows people from different walks of life through the post-Katrina reconstruction of this city.

During the last four and a half years, footage and short pieces from the film have been used as tools for organizing and education and even featured in art exhibits in New Orleans and across the country. According to the filmmakers:

After years of filming, we and our partners want to share this work with our friends and family: the entire New Orleans community! Please join us as we present this evening of performances and film to designed to inspire, educate, and galvanize.

This event also features the brilliant poet Sunni Patterson and The New Orleans Day Labor Theater of Revolution.

Happening Here: An Evening of Theater, Poetry, Film and Food
Saturday, August 14th
5:00pm - 9:00pm
Warren Easton High School, 3019 Canal Street
This is a free event. Food will be available for purchase.

Happening Here is organized in partnership with JoLu Productions, New Orleans Video Access Center, PATOIS: The New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival, The Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, and Survivors Village.

Day in Court Tomorrow for Public Housing Activist

From our friends at Survivors Village:

Sharon Jasper, a public housing activist from the former St. Bernard development, is facing a court hearing tomorrow, Tuesday July 20, at 3 pm in Municipal Court Section D, 727 S. Broad Street, near Tulane Avenue.

Sharon Jasper, member of Survivors Village and Mayday New Orleans, was arrested by New Orleans police, who brought in a SWAT team for the arrest of this elder and community leader.

Ms. Sharon is being charged with assaulting a rental agent during a May action, organized by Survivors Village and MayDay New Orleans as part of the Take Back the Land Movement May 2010 Month of Action. On Friday, May 28th, a group entered the Columbia Parc rental office and held a sit-in demanding the right of former St. Bernard Housing Project residents to return to their homes.

Columbia Parc replaced the St. Bernard Housing Development after the City of New Orleans voted to demolish the 1,500 units of public housing and replace them with so-called "mixed-income" market housing. To date, almost none of the former residents of St Bernard have been provided with replacement housing in the new development.

The protest was part of the Right to Return Weekend in New Orleans. The Right of Return Weekend was organized in conjunction with the May month of actions called by Take Back the Land Movement (TBLM). TBLM is a network of autonomous organizations affiliated with the US Human Rights Network (USHRN) dedicated to realizing the human right to adequate housing and community control over land.

Police say Ms. Sharon assaulted a Columbia Parc rental agent during her entrance into the building as part of the May action. The rental agent did not complain about an assault and continued to work in the office the entire time of the occupation, including when police arrived. While there, police made no mention of an assault when explaining to the group why they should end their protest.

In a statement released today, Survivors Village has said, "We are hoping that she will receive wide support from those who believe in social justice and community activism. Sharon was not arrested because she broke any laws, but because she has been a tireless and uncompromising fighter for the right of poor people to return to their communities after being displaced by the government negligence which led to the city of New Orleans being flooded."

"Further, the Housing Authority of New Orleans and HUD are now trying to make an example out of Sharon by taking her voucher away. With rent three times as high as it was before the evacuation, this is basically an attempt to make her one of the thousands of homeless people that already exist in the city of New Orleans. If we allow these people to be successful in their efforts to silence Sharon, no resident will be safe to express themselves or fight back through protest and community actions."

"Survivors Village met on last Saturday with many individuals and organizations to plot a long term strategy for this fight, and we will win! More information will be forthcoming soon, but the first step in the battle is to support Sharon in court tomorrow!"

We hope to see you there.

Photo of Sharon Jasper by Mavis Yorks, New Orleans, 2007.

NOPD SWAT Team Arrests Activist in Retaliation for Her Leadership in Struggle for Affordable Housing

From our friends at Survivors Village and Take Back the Land:

Sharon Jasper, member of Survivors Village and Mayday New Orleans, was arrested by New Orleans police, who brought in a SWAT team to apprehend this Black woman elder from her home.

Ms. Sharon is being charged with assaulting a rental agent during an action last week, organized by Survivors Village and MayDay New Orleans as part of the Take Back the Land Movement May 2010 Month of Action. On Friday, May 28th, a group entered the Columbia Parc rental office and held a sit-in demanding the right of former St. Bernard Housing Project residents to return to their homes.

Columbia Parc replaced the St. Bernard Housing Development after the City of New Orleans voted to demolish the 1,500 units of public housing and replace them with so-called "mixed-income" market housing. To date, almost none of the former residents of St Bernard have been provided with replacement housing in the new development.

Last weekend's protest was part of the Right to Return Weekend in New Orleans. The Right of Return Weekend was organized in conjunction with the May month of actions called by Take Back the Land Movement (TBLM). TBLM is a network of autonomous organizations affiliated with the US Human Rights Network (USHRN) dedicated to realizing the human right to adequate housing and community control over land.

Police say Ms. Sharon assaulted a Columbia Parc rental agent during her entrance into the building as part of last week's action. The rental agent did not complain about an assault and continued to work in the office the entire time of the occupation, including when police arrived. While there, police made no mention of an assault when explaining to the group why they should end their protest.

The truth is that the City of New Orleans did not arrest Sharon Jasper for assault, they arrested her because she dared to tell that truth and demand that public housing residents of New Orleans have the right to return to their homes. The arrest represents a clear effort by the City of New Orleans to represent the interests of the developers of the Columbia Parc while actively working against the displaced former residents of New Orleans.

As we write this, Survivors Village organizer Endesha Juakali and others are currently at Orleans Parish Prison seeking Ms. Sharon's release. The Take Back the Land Movement has arranged for legal assistance for Sharon Jasper through the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York city and local New Orleans attorneys.

The Take Back the Land Movement condemns this politically-motivated use of the public police in order to protect private developers from protests.

Survivors Village has announced that they will hold a protest in front of Columbia Parc on Monday, June 7, at noon. Columbia Parc is on the 3600 block of St. Bernard Ave. in New Orleans.

Survivors Village is asking supporters to call Columbia Parc and demand 1). drop all charges against Sharon Jasper; and 2) Allow for the unconditional return of former St. Bernard Housing residents.

To contact Columbia Parc directly, call (504) 284-4769, or see columbiaparc.com.

Video of Sharon Jasper's arrest, as well as updates on her legal situation, can be found by visiting Takebacktheland.org. Videos of the arrest are expected to be up on June 4.

The Fight for Public Housing in New Orleans is Not Over

A demonstration over the rights of former public housing residents turned into direct action today as more than 70 people streamed into the rental offices of Columbia Parc, the new name of the former St Bernard public housing development.

The crowd included dozens of former public housing residents, including former St Bernard residents like Stephanie Mingo and Sharon and Kuwana Jasper; civil rights lawyers like Bill Quigley and Davida Finger; activists from grassroots organizations like Stand with Dignity, Safe Streets Strong Communities, Critical Resistance; and many others. Their demands were simple: "they promised us that former residents would be able to move into these new units," said activist Stephanie Mingo. "They lied. Now we're trying to hold them to their word." Activists complained that Columbia Parc has placed unreasonable requirements on former residents, making it practically impossible for any of them to find homes in this supposed "mixed income" development that was built over their former homes.

More than 1,500 families lost their homes when the St. Bernard development was torn down. Activists say that 130 units in the new development were supposedly set aside for former residents, but even that small number has not materialized.

The action was the beginning of a weekend of actions organized by local housing rights organizations Survivors Village, Mayday New Orleans, and others. More actions are planned for Saturday and Sunday morning, starting at 9:00am.

The actions in New Orleans are part of a month of actions in support of the right to housing that have been taking place across the US, from New York City to Portland, OR to Madison, WI, Chicago, IL, San Francisco, CA, and several more. These actions have all been organized by local groups affiliated with the Take Back the Land Movement (TBLM). TBLM is a network of local organizations dedicated to demanding people's fundamental human right to housing housing and community control over land.

M. Endesha Juakali of Survivors Village says the reason for these actions are simple. "You've got 20,000 homeless people in New Orleans and 60,000 empty houses," he says. "It's basic math."

Local and National Coalition Sponsors Right To Return Weekend

Survivors Village, Mayday New Orleans, and other activists concerned about housing are sponsoring a series of actions this weekend as part of the national month of action sponsored by a national coalition sponsored by the Miami organization Take Back The Land.

According to an announcement for the weekend of events:

Five years after the failure of the government-sponsored levee system flooded 80% of New Orleans, over 150,000 people are still not home. Many of them were Black and poor.

Many former residents of New Orleans have chosen not to come home for many different reasons, but the residents of public housing did not have the opportunity to choose. All but one of the public housing developments were first surrounded by 10 feet barbed wire fencing, then eventually demolished.

Residents were promised new improved neighborhoods, with less density and more amenities. We know know that this was all lies. The former residents of these developments have been given vouchers that are worthless except to slum landlords that are now making great profits by renting substandard housing to poor people. The new upgraded housing is being reserved for the middle class, whites, students, and police officers! Most of the former residents are being excluded. The people who were living on this land have an unconditional right to return to their former homes.

Below is the schedule of this weekend's events, some of which will involve nonviolent direct action.

Day 1: Friday May 28, 12:00 noon.
Right to Return Rally/Protest: Let the People In!

Day 2: Saturday May 29, 9:00am.
Action against land grabs by developers & crooks! Our Communities Our Responsibility. All vacant land should be developed by the community for the community!

Day 3: Sunday May 30, 9:00am.
Action to fight against the problem of homelessness.
60,000 vacant buildings, 20,000 people homeless!! End homelessness Now!

All actions located at the 3800 block St. Bernard Ave.

Survivors Village is affiliated with the national Take Back The Land Movement. Right to Return Weekend co-sponsored by Mayday New Orleans.

Historic March Begins With Easter Demonstration for Public Housing

This Sunday, the 42nd anniversary of the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr, the national Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign will launch a March To Fulfill the Dream. They seek to build a movement to end poverty, and they demand guaranteed healthcare and housing for everyone in the US. They will be spending the next three months marching across the US to raise awareness and build alliances in this struggle. The march begins here in New Orleans on Sunday at 5:00pm at 3800 St. Bernard, and on June 20 they will arrive in Detroit for the US Social Forum.

The Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign has been working locally with Survivors Village, a grassroots housing rights organization. Endesha Jukali of Survivors Village writes:

Survivors Village is sponsoring a Right To Return Rally in St. Bernard which is also meant to show support and give a good send off for Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign and their allies who will be in New Orleans for the march/caravan. I know that it is asking a lot of some people to alter the plans that they normally make on Easter Sunday and come to a political event. That’s why I am hoping those of us who work for social justice everyday will be the nucleus of the rally.

Recently Pam Nath of Mennonite Central Committee wrote a letter urging Christians to follow in the path of Jesus and support the poor and the oppressed on this most holy of days in that faith. I am appealing to those of you who may not be Christians, but have admired the works of people like Martin Luther King and other social justice martyrs.

It is no coincidence that King’s move towards economic justice and opposition to the waste of resources and human life brought about by war immediately preceded his death. These were crucial and volatile issues then, and we are up against the same forces and the same issues today. Considering the sacrifices of those who went before us, giving up some time on Sunday, should not seem a terrible burden.

I am sure looking at the way things are in New Orleans, the U.S., and the world, MLK would preach his Easter sermon and then stand against poverty and oppression. Those of us who admire such a great man should emulate him. Do what you have to do on Sunday and then come and support PPEHRC as they start on their journey.

Housing activist Pam Nath writes:

When I think of Jesus’ life, I think of his first public proclamation of what his life was all about: “to bring good news to the poor…to proclaim release to the captives…recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.” (Luke 4: 16-21). I think of how he “hung out” with poor folks and others who the society of the day saw as undesirables (the kind of folks that many folks might want to clear from their neighborhood or city if given the chance to create a “new” New Orleans) (cf: Mark 13: 41-44; Luke 7: 36-49; Mark 5: 24-34; Mark 1: 40-43; John 4: 1-27). I think of his saying “You cannot serve both God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24), telling the rich man to sell all that he had and give it to the poor (Matt 19: 16-24), and claiming that we would be judged by how we respond to the poor (Luke 17: 19-31). I think of him overturning the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple just a few days before he was killed (Matt 21: 12-18).

And Minister Kojo Livingston writes the following words in the most recent issue of Louisiana Weekly:

I personally believe that if Jesus were here in the flesh today, he would be spending a lot of time in jail for putting his foot in the behinds of religious and political leaders. If he saw the foul things that political and business leaders have done in the wake of Katrina, he would go straight off. There is nothing that the moneychangers in the temple did that was more profane than what the powers-that-be have done to the Black and the poor in New Orleans and Louisiana. Jesus was always down with the downtrodden and he would not be sitting around just yakin’ about how bad it was.

We'll see you on Sunday!

Guest Writer: Survivors Village Builds New Community Center to Continue Struggle

Below, an update written by our friends at Survivors Village, near the former St Bernard Development:

One of the major goals of Survivors Village is to fight for the right to return for every resident who lived in public housing before the government-caused disaster forced them to be displaced around the country. The birthplace of both Survivors Village and the post-Katrina public housing struggle was the St Bernard community. Currently the developers of the "new St Bernard" are building cheap, high density/higher profit apartments and creating al types of obstacles to prevent former residents from ever being able to return.

In order to begin to fight what we know will be a protracted struggle, we are building a base to organize from inside the community. The former New Day Community Center which previously was the heart of service to the St Bernard neighborhood will be renamed the Fight Back Center and will serve as a base to fight for people's return.

Thanks to donations of time and money by many members and supporters, the process of rehabbing the center has begun moving forward. During workdays in August and September, the yard around the center was cleared. This past week, we took another huge (and expensive) step forward with the removal of the debris that resulted from a building collapse caused by a hired contractor. We can now begin the work of making the standing building functional and reopening the center.