Dianne Feinstein’s mansion

In solidarity with the Coalition to Stop Demolition in New Orleans, Bay Area activists gathered on Christmas Day at noon in front of the home - mansion, actually - of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 2460 Lyon St. at Vallejo, San Francisco. They delivered this letter.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein:

As Bay Area concerned residents, we are outraged at the injustice being perpetrated against the low income and primarily African American public housing residents of New Orleans, who are being literally shut out of their homes and their city by HUD's policies of destruction of public housing. We are here in front of your home on Christmas Day 2007 to remind you of what is truly important.

Although the New Orleans City Council last Thursday approved the demolition proposal, may we remind you and Congress that more than 200,000 people were displaced and a large percentage were not able to participate in the last election?
This is a desperate city, and HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson has abused the power of the federal government by threatening to cut off the funding for redevelopment unless the demolitions take place. His obscure financial dealings also need to be looked at further.

This is a humanitarian crisis: There are more than 12,000 families living under freeways, bridges and parks and thousands more who want to return to their city but can not afford the 45 percent increase in rents. THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR DEMOLITIONS. FAMILIES NEED HOUSING!

This is a civil rights crisis: Low income African American mothers and grandmothers are the primary targets of HUD's demolitions. In spite of HUD's false statements, the demolitions will reduce the availability of low income housing by 82 percent. As taxpayers, we are outraged at the $762 million dollar price tag to end up losing over 3,800 units of pre-Katrina affordable housing.

We urge you to STOP THE DEMOLITIONS until investigations into HUD practices and financial dealings are concluded. And cosponsor S.1668, "The Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act Of 2007," for a unit-for-unit replacement of low income housing.

‘Stop Da Demolition' mixtape

by Kali Akuno

At the Stop the Demolition rally in Oakland Dec. 14, Katrina survivor journalist CC Campbell-Rock speaks passionately as her husband, Raymond Rock, listens. Photo: Bill Carpenter

Folks can listen or download the mixtape at www.peopleshurricane.org (the mixtape is located on the top left hand corner of the website). Check it out now and pass it on! Make sure that it gets in as much rotation as possible in clubs, radio stations and websites throughout Babylon and the interverse of the worldwide web.

And, more importantly, stay plugged into the struggle for the Right of Return and a Self-Determining Reconstruction in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Check www.peopleshurricane.org daily and support the ongoing work of the International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

You can start by signing our petition to Bush and Congress demanding IDP (Internally Displaced Person) recognition and reparations for the crimes against humanity committed by the U.S. government at www.katrinatribunal.org.

As for ongoing support of the immediate housing struggle, we need folks to do the following:

1. Continue blitzing HUD, Sen. Vitter and the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee with phone calls, faxes and emails.

2. Support a new national mobilization effort to come to New Orleans in defense of the right to housing or plan emergency actions in your city with locally based IDPs and progressive forces.

3. Start mobilizing for a national day of action in support of the housing struggle in New Orleans on Jan. 26, 2008.

4. And more! Much more.

Free the land!

The Hurricane Information Relief Network is the Bay View newspaper's nonprofit 501(c)(3) project to provide information and news coverage by, for and about the Katrina survivors who remain stranded across the U.S. and those who want to return home to rebuild their lives and communities. Send news and financial contributions to HRIN, EIN 20-4324012, 4917 Third St., San Francisco CA 94124, (415) 671-0789 or toll free 1 (877) 226-8100, fax (415) 671-0316 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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