Take Action NOW to Defend Sharon Jasper, Free Speech, and Public Housing

Public Housing activist and human rights leader Sharon Jasper is facing political repression --an attack that threatens the free speech rights of us all. On May 30, 2010 Ms. Jasper participated in a non-violent protest at the former St Bernard public housing development, renamed “Columbia Parc”, to denounce the exclusion of former residents. The protest was part of the nationally coordinated “take back the Land” actions. The following week a NOPD SWAT team arrested her at her home, charging her with “battery”--totally unsubstantiated and baseless---against a Columbia Parc employee during the May 30th protest. Then, on July 9th, she received a letter from the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) revoking her section 8 housing voucher because of the battery charge. As part of the unconstitutional “one strike” law, passed under the Clinton administration, public housing residents can be evicted for being charged--not convicted--of a crime!

This attempt to evict Ms Jasper is a clear cut case of political repression. The phony “battery” charge and eviction order are designed to silence not only Ms. Jasper but the larger struggle against the real estate sharks and privatizers scheming to grab valuable land and carry out ethnic cleansing in New Orleans an across the country. Very powerful forces are behind the attack on Sharon Jasper. The partner of Columbia Residential in their redevelopment of the former St Bernard public housing community is an outfit called the, “Bayou District”, with, among others, former president George H.W. Bush, and influential local “venture capitalist” Gary Solomon sitting on the board. In addition, the Columbia Parc development is backed by the so-called “Purpose Built Communities”, with billionaire Warren Buffett, hedge fund manager Julian Robertson, and real estate shark Thomas Cousins being major investors. These capitalists identify valuable public housing proprieties as “emerging markets”, and activists like Sharon Jasper stand in the way of these vultures cashing in. We can’t let them get away with this crime.
For more information call C3/Hands Off Iberville at 504-520-9521

Call and/or Fax these officials and demand that the charges and eviction order be dropped against Sharon Jasper
· Columbia residential--Noel Khalil, CEO--(404) 874-5000, x111; Fax (404) 874-0999
http://www.columbiares.com/about/principals.html

· Bayou District--Gerard Barousse, Jr., Chairman, (504) 272-0307 Fax: (504) 523-1704
http://bayoudistrictfoundation.org/

· Purpose Built Communities--Charles Knapp, President, (404) 591-1400, email: interest@purposebuiltcommunities.org
http://www.purposebuiltcommunities.org/network-members/overview.html

· Housing Authority of New Orleans--David Gilmore, Executive Director, (504) 670-3300
http://www.hano.org/