Letter to HUD Secretary Regarding New Orleans

Secretary Alphonso Jackson
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street S.W.
Washington, DC 20410

Dear Secretary Jackson:

On behalf of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, I am writing to express our concern and outrage at the recent actions of the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regarding the St. Bernard Housing Development in New Orleans.

We strongly object to the January 31, 2007 police raid of the St. Bernard housing project where community activists were trying to prevent the demolition of desperately needed low-income housing. HUD’s own documents indicate that the demolition plan will end up costing $450 million more than to repair – and $175 million more than to extensively modernize – the housing developments.

We further protest the New Orleans Housing Authority’s letter to one of the lead attorneys representing the residents, Bill Quigley, a respected a law professor at Loyola University. The authority requested that he remove statements he made on several online videos and demanded he cease speaking to the media. This attempt to silence the public interest attorneys who represent the displaced public housing residents is a violation of their constitutional right to free speech. It is vital that their voices be heard and included in the public debate on New Orleans’ reconstruction.

UUSC is an organization committed to advancing human rights, and we strongly urge your department They are internally displaced people who are being mistreated on the basis of their race and economic status.


Sincerely,

Charlie Clements
President and CEO