Ethnic cleansing began in earnest immediately after Hurricane Katrina. A staggering 7,500 teachers were fired condemning them to a wasteland of denied medical coverage and pensions. The state-run school district has ceded control of many of the schools to private charter organizations with virtually no discussion on the planned curriculum.
The announcement by federal housing authorities to close more than 5,000 low income housing units will effectively cleanse the city of tens of thousands of predominately former black residents. The federal government’s action will result in the loss of 85% of its former public housing.
The overt racism which determines public policy was epitomized by the disgusting comment of Richard Baker, ten-year Republican from Baton Rouge who told lobbyists, “We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it. But God did.”
I urge readers to peruse Bill Quigley recent article on the website Counterpunch, “Bulldozing Hope, HUD to New Orleans’ Poor’ Go F(ind) Yourself (Housing)! . Bill Quigley is a law professor at Loyola University in New Orleans and director of the Law Clinic and Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola University.
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