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By: Land & Housing Action Group, 28-May-10
On Friday, May 28, 2010, at approximately 1:30pm, Survivors Village stormed and sat in at the offices of the Columbia Village apartments as the opening action to the Right to Return Weekend, during which Survivors Village agitates for the unconditional right to return of residents forcibly removed from their New Orleans homes after Hurricane Katrina.
The complex sits on top of the land of what used to be the St. Bernard public housing complex. The complex was demolished by the city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and all 1,500 families were removed. The new units are primarily market rate housing with approximately 130 set aside for public housing.
CHECK OUT THE STORY ON THE LOUISIANA JUSTICE INSTITUTE
While police on the scene attempted to remove protesters from the lobby of the administrative offices, Center for Constitutional Rights attorney Bill Quiggly pointed out that the building stood on public land and, therefore, the public had the right to be there.
The protest is part of Survivor's Village Right to Return Weekend, during which the organization asserts the unconditional right of return for all public housing residents forcibly relocated by Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent public policy actions of the local and state governments.
Right to Return Weekend continues on Saturday, May 29th with an action against land grabs by developers. On Sunday, May 30th with an action to fight homelessness. Both action begin at 9:00am on the 3800 block of St. Bernard Ave. in new Orleans.
Survivor's Village is an autonomous organization affiliated with the Take Back the Land Movement (TBLM). TBLM is a network of local organizations dedicated to elevating housing to the level of a human right and community control over land.
For more information about Survivors Village, visit communitiesrising.wordpress.com. For more information about the Take Back the Land Movement visit takebacktheland.org.
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