“It's going to make people feel the area is safer than it may be perceived to be today, and will make the area one of the most attractive for the entire city.”
Downtown Development District head Kurt Weigle on the ‘benefits’ of demolishing the
Iberville Public Housing development
Tell Kurt Weigle and the
Downtown Development District:
HANDS OFF IBERVILLE!!!!
Downtown Development District (DDD) representative Henry Charlot must resign as a member and chair of the Iberville Advisory Committee. Unbelievably, the Housing Authority of New Orleans’ top lawyer, Wayne Woods, appointed a representative of the DDD to the Iberville Advisory Committee (IAC). The IAC is commissioned with developing a plan for the future of the development. Yet, the DDD, and its director Kurt Weigle, have long made clear they want to eliminate Iberville as a Public Housing development. Not only is Henry Charlot, the DDD representative, on the IAC, but he is the chair!! Nevertheless, Wayne Woods rejected C3/Hands Off Iberville’s participation since “we have an agenda”. Yes we do: To defend Iberville as Public Housing. Join us as we fight for this people’s agenda, by demanding that 1. Kurt Weigle remove his outfit from the IAC. 2. All the units at Iberville remain as Public Housing. 3. The Federal government immediately implement a massive, national Public Works plan to rebuild and expand Public Housing and the Public Sector.
Saturday, November 14
4 PM--Gather at corner of Basin and St. Louis Streets
4:30 PM--Caravan to Kurt Weigle’s House, 4516 Perrier St.
Sponsors: C3/Hands Off Iberville; MayDay New Orleans. For more info call 504-587-0080 or 504-520-9521
Monday, October 26, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Upcoming Actions
Upcoming Actions In The Quest For More Affordable Housing & Living Wage Jobs
Below is a list of upcoming actions that should be of interest to everyone who is ready to stand for the working class in New Orleans and elsewhere. You are encouraged to set aside time to participate in these actions that really can help make a better New Orleans and a better world. Remember silence only perpetuates on obviously unacceptable status quo. Workers of the World Unite.
Thurs. October 22nd: C3/Hands Off Iberville Weekly Meeting. Do you support challenging the presence of supporters of the demolition of the Iberville Development on the Iberville Advisory Committee? If yes, then come. Do you support the increasingly powerful grass roots movement that is ratcheting up the pressure on HUD funded contractors to hire hundreds more low income New Orleanians in accordance with municipal and federal law. If yes, then come. The meeting will convene 7pm in St. Jude’s Basin Hall at 410 Basin Street.
Thurs. October 29th: C3/Hands Off Iberville Weekly Meeting. The meeting will convene 7pm in St. Jude’s Basin Hall.
Thurs. October 30th: United Nations Townhall Meeting On Adequate Housing. U.N. Special Rapporteur on Housing Raquel Rolnik wants to hear from New Orleanians about their housing situation. The Townhall will convene 6:30p.m. in St. Bernard Community Church at 3938 St. Bernard St. Bernard Avenue.
Thurs. November 5th:Potluck Dinner and Townhall Meeting: Winning The Fight For A National Public Works Program In This Time Of Economic Crisis. This meeting will convene 7pm in St. Jude’s Basin Hall at 410 Basin Street. Speakers will give brief presentations concerning why we need a national public works program and what we can do to make it a reality. The presentations will be followed by a question and answer session. People are encouraged to contribute to the potluck though this is not a requirement for being able to attend the meeting.
For additional information call Mike at 587-0080
Below is a list of upcoming actions that should be of interest to everyone who is ready to stand for the working class in New Orleans and elsewhere. You are encouraged to set aside time to participate in these actions that really can help make a better New Orleans and a better world. Remember silence only perpetuates on obviously unacceptable status quo. Workers of the World Unite.
Thurs. October 22nd: C3/Hands Off Iberville Weekly Meeting. Do you support challenging the presence of supporters of the demolition of the Iberville Development on the Iberville Advisory Committee? If yes, then come. Do you support the increasingly powerful grass roots movement that is ratcheting up the pressure on HUD funded contractors to hire hundreds more low income New Orleanians in accordance with municipal and federal law. If yes, then come. The meeting will convene 7pm in St. Jude’s Basin Hall at 410 Basin Street.
Thurs. October 29th: C3/Hands Off Iberville Weekly Meeting. The meeting will convene 7pm in St. Jude’s Basin Hall.
Thurs. October 30th: United Nations Townhall Meeting On Adequate Housing. U.N. Special Rapporteur on Housing Raquel Rolnik wants to hear from New Orleanians about their housing situation. The Townhall will convene 6:30p.m. in St. Bernard Community Church at 3938 St. Bernard St. Bernard Avenue.
Thurs. November 5th:Potluck Dinner and Townhall Meeting: Winning The Fight For A National Public Works Program In This Time Of Economic Crisis. This meeting will convene 7pm in St. Jude’s Basin Hall at 410 Basin Street. Speakers will give brief presentations concerning why we need a national public works program and what we can do to make it a reality. The presentations will be followed by a question and answer session. People are encouraged to contribute to the potluck though this is not a requirement for being able to attend the meeting.
For additional information call Mike at 587-0080
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Charlot, Weigle and the DDD--quit evading the issues
This was sent by emial on August 28, 2009 to Henry Charlot of the Downtown Development District
Mr. Charlot:
You, and others from the so-called ‘Iberville Advisory Committee’ (IAC), have still not answered the community’s questions presented in the last communiqué. Please come clean and address them. Quit making excuses about not answering them. Of course you can find time to do PR, damage control for DDD head Kurt Weigle, but can’t find the time to answer the vital questions the community has. We already know where the DDD stands with regard to Iberville. The stance is made clear by the outfits statement of purpose, placed on every email from Weigle and others:“The DDD drives the development of Downtown New Orleans and is a catalyst for a prosperous, stimulating and innovative heart of the Crescent City” . A ‘prosperous stimulating environment’, in the heart of the city, means driving Iberville and the poor from it. That is, and continues to be the DDD’s policy, and Weigle and others have made that perfectly clear in statements made in public venues, and, especially, in private, back door meetings. No amount of PR work can change that.
Thus, again , stop with the PR work for Weigle, and answer the questions. Here they are again to refresh your memory:
· HANO and HUD, as part of their strategy of reducing the number of residents at Iberville, and thus facilitating demolition, have been awarding section 8 certificates to current Iberville residents. Yet, we have not heard if they are placing new families in the these vacated apartments
We would like to know one, what is HANO’s official policy with regard to these vacated apartments, an issue which the Committee has inquired about.
· Second, we want to know what is the position of the committee with regard to this crucial issue? If there is not unanimity on filling vacant apartments, we would like to know what members of the committee support keeping them empty.
· Third, we want to know when you are going to step down as head of the IAC and as a member? As you ha explained in your last email, the IAC has plenty of people that have worked with the community that could lead it, rather than those from the DDD who specialize in driving out the poor.
· Fourth, we want made public all the communications that Kurt Weigle and other DDD operatives have had with national, state and local officials and entities, developers, such as Michael Valentino, and other parties with regard to Iberville and any plans for its redevelopment.
Jay Arena for C3/Hands Off Iberville
Mr. Charlot:
You, and others from the so-called ‘Iberville Advisory Committee’ (IAC), have still not answered the community’s questions presented in the last communiqué. Please come clean and address them. Quit making excuses about not answering them. Of course you can find time to do PR, damage control for DDD head Kurt Weigle, but can’t find the time to answer the vital questions the community has. We already know where the DDD stands with regard to Iberville. The stance is made clear by the outfits statement of purpose, placed on every email from Weigle and others:“The DDD drives the development of Downtown New Orleans and is a catalyst for a prosperous, stimulating and innovative heart of the Crescent City” . A ‘prosperous stimulating environment’, in the heart of the city, means driving Iberville and the poor from it. That is, and continues to be the DDD’s policy, and Weigle and others have made that perfectly clear in statements made in public venues, and, especially, in private, back door meetings. No amount of PR work can change that.
Thus, again , stop with the PR work for Weigle, and answer the questions. Here they are again to refresh your memory:
· HANO and HUD, as part of their strategy of reducing the number of residents at Iberville, and thus facilitating demolition, have been awarding section 8 certificates to current Iberville residents. Yet, we have not heard if they are placing new families in the these vacated apartments
We would like to know one, what is HANO’s official policy with regard to these vacated apartments, an issue which the Committee has inquired about.
· Second, we want to know what is the position of the committee with regard to this crucial issue? If there is not unanimity on filling vacant apartments, we would like to know what members of the committee support keeping them empty.
· Third, we want to know when you are going to step down as head of the IAC and as a member? As you ha explained in your last email, the IAC has plenty of people that have worked with the community that could lead it, rather than those from the DDD who specialize in driving out the poor.
· Fourth, we want made public all the communications that Kurt Weigle and other DDD operatives have had with national, state and local officials and entities, developers, such as Michael Valentino, and other parties with regard to Iberville and any plans for its redevelopment.
Jay Arena for C3/Hands Off Iberville
Sunday, October 18, 2009
C3/Hands Off Iberville demands transparency from the IAC--8/19/09
Henry Charlot, Jr.
Director of Economic Development and Member of the Steering Committee of the Iberville Advisory Committee
Downtown Development District,
210 St . Charles Ave, Suite 3912
New Orleans, La.
August 19, 2009
Dear Mr. Charlot,
On behalf of C3/Hands Off Iberville, I am asking you, as an official member of the HANO-appointed “Iberville Advisory Committee”—indeed, of its influential steering committee--to please let C3/Hands Off Iberville and the rest of the community know when this secretive group will begin holding open meetings. We are very concerned that this group, empowered to create a plan for the future of Iberville, includes, frankly, you, the Economic Development Director of the Downtown Development District. We know what you, and the CEO of the Downtown Development District, Kurt Weigle, mean by “economic development” when it comes to Iberville—its destruction as public housing, and mass removal—ethnic and class cleansing—of the bulk of its residents. You and Mr. Weigle have long made it clear that Iberville, from your perspective, is a “drag” on “development”, and that the “renaissance” of Canal Street that you and your corporate and city hall backers envision requires its removal.
We are especially concerned that HANO legal counsel Wayne Woods, who was well aware of you and your outfits long history of opposition to Iberville, nonetheless appointed you to the Iberville Advisory Committee. At the same time Woods refused to appoint a representative from C3/Hands Off Iberville to the Committee since, we, quote, “have an agenda”! It seems the real issue is not that C3/Hands Off Iberville has an agenda, but that Wayne Woods has the same agenda as you, the destruction of the Iberville.
Although we reject the legitimacy of this fraudulent outfit, we do want to keep an eye on its nefarious activities. Thus, again, I am asking that you and the Iberville Advisory Committee come out of the closet and begin showing some transparency by holding open meetings.
Jay Arena
For C3/Hands off Iberville
I can be contacted at 504-520-9521 to inform us about when the committee will hold a open meeting.
Director of Economic Development and Member of the Steering Committee of the Iberville Advisory Committee
Downtown Development District,
210 St . Charles Ave, Suite 3912
New Orleans, La.
August 19, 2009
Dear Mr. Charlot,
On behalf of C3/Hands Off Iberville, I am asking you, as an official member of the HANO-appointed “Iberville Advisory Committee”—indeed, of its influential steering committee--to please let C3/Hands Off Iberville and the rest of the community know when this secretive group will begin holding open meetings. We are very concerned that this group, empowered to create a plan for the future of Iberville, includes, frankly, you, the Economic Development Director of the Downtown Development District. We know what you, and the CEO of the Downtown Development District, Kurt Weigle, mean by “economic development” when it comes to Iberville—its destruction as public housing, and mass removal—ethnic and class cleansing—of the bulk of its residents. You and Mr. Weigle have long made it clear that Iberville, from your perspective, is a “drag” on “development”, and that the “renaissance” of Canal Street that you and your corporate and city hall backers envision requires its removal.
We are especially concerned that HANO legal counsel Wayne Woods, who was well aware of you and your outfits long history of opposition to Iberville, nonetheless appointed you to the Iberville Advisory Committee. At the same time Woods refused to appoint a representative from C3/Hands Off Iberville to the Committee since, we, quote, “have an agenda”! It seems the real issue is not that C3/Hands Off Iberville has an agenda, but that Wayne Woods has the same agenda as you, the destruction of the Iberville.
Although we reject the legitimacy of this fraudulent outfit, we do want to keep an eye on its nefarious activities. Thus, again, I am asking that you and the Iberville Advisory Committee come out of the closet and begin showing some transparency by holding open meetings.
Jay Arena
For C3/Hands off Iberville
I can be contacted at 504-520-9521 to inform us about when the committee will hold a open meeting.
Letter to the Iberville Advisory Committee
Sent on August 25, 2009
Dear Ms. Tuggle and Ms. Walker-Woodfork,
The head of the Iberville Advisory Committee, Henry Charlot Jr., does not seem to respond to questions from the community, which is par for the course for operatives from the Downtown Development District. Thus, Ms Tuggle and Ms. Walker-Woodfork, because of this intransigence, I am directing these questions from C3/Hands Off Iberville to both of you.
HANO and HUD, as part of their strategy of reducing the number of residents at Iberville, and thus facilitating demolition, have been awarding section 8 certificates to current Iberville residents. Yet, we have not heard if they are placing new families in the these vacated apartments
We would like to know one, what is HANO’s official policy with regard to these vacated apartments, an issue which the Committee has inquired about.
Second, we want to know what is the position of the committee with regard to this crucial issue? If there is not unanimity on filling vacant apartments, we would like to know what members of the committee support keeping them empty.
We await your response.
Jay Arena for C3/Hands Off Iberville
Dear Ms. Tuggle and Ms. Walker-Woodfork,
The head of the Iberville Advisory Committee, Henry Charlot Jr., does not seem to respond to questions from the community, which is par for the course for operatives from the Downtown Development District. Thus, Ms Tuggle and Ms. Walker-Woodfork, because of this intransigence, I am directing these questions from C3/Hands Off Iberville to both of you.
HANO and HUD, as part of their strategy of reducing the number of residents at Iberville, and thus facilitating demolition, have been awarding section 8 certificates to current Iberville residents. Yet, we have not heard if they are placing new families in the these vacated apartments
We would like to know one, what is HANO’s official policy with regard to these vacated apartments, an issue which the Committee has inquired about.
Second, we want to know what is the position of the committee with regard to this crucial issue? If there is not unanimity on filling vacant apartments, we would like to know what members of the committee support keeping them empty.
We await your response.
Jay Arena for C3/Hands Off Iberville
C3/Hands Off Iberville Demands that the Foxes Quit Guarding the Chicken House
C3/Hands Off Iberville calls on Henry Charlot Jr. to immediately resign as both the chair, and as a member, of the Iberville Advisory Committee. Indeed, no-one from the Downtown Development District (DDD) should be part of any committee assigned with developing a plan for Iberville.
Mr. Charlot rejects this position, and says that C3/Hands Off Iberville should have, quote, “an open mind” with regard to DDD’s intentions. Well, our monitoring of what’s been “on the mind” of Mr. Charlot’s boss, Kurt Weigle, the head of the DDD, when it comes to Iberville confirms our weariness. In a May 21, 2009 interview with WWL-TV, reporter Susan Edwards found that from the perspective of “Kurt Weigle …redeveloping and demolishing Iberville removes a barrier to investment, opening the corridor up to more than just retail and residential possibilities.” He told Edwards that "It [the demolition of Iberville] is going to have a positive effect on the medical district, the construction of the two hospitals...will have a much greater potential to attract investment around them.” Mr. Weigle, who has a bachelors degree in “Violent Urban Crime”, was enthused about how much [white?] people would feel safer with the violent removal of the working class African American community of Iberville. He exclaimed to Edwards that “It's going to make people feel the area is safer than it may be perceived to be today, and will make the area one of the most attractive for the entire city.”
Mr. Charlot, we know what the agenda of the DDD is--Urban Violence, just what your boss at the DDD studied and is an expert in. You, Weigle and the wealthy racist interests you represent want the removal of the Iberville community —a very brutal, violent act, in whatever form it takes. Your group, and maximum leader, have been explicit about this agenda. You have worked tirelessly over the years, including forming alliances with hotel developer Michael Valentino, architect Ray Manning, and sell-out tenant leader Kim Paul as part of the so-called ‘Iberville Rebirth Coalition.’ Now, with the help of HANO’s Wayne Woods and Diane Johnson, you are working on another scheme. We say end the charade and get your Hands Off Iberville! Furthermore, you have no business dealing with Iberville since it is not even within DDDs jurisdiction, which only covers the area between Claiborne Avenue, Iberville Street, the Mississippi River and the Pontchartrain Expressway.
While demanding Charlot’s and the DDD’s immediate expulsion from the Iberville Advisory Committee, we are also very concerned by the actions of the rest of the members. It is very disconcerting that the other member of the committee would allow Charlot and the DDD to head the initiative. We call on the rest of the committee to reverse course, and expel Charlot and the DDD. Furthermore, we call on other pro-working class, anti-racist forces to also join us in supporting our demands against the DDD. In addition, we call on you to support our demands for defending ALL the public housing units at Iberville through a massive repair and investment plan, and one that guarantees jobs for all residents and all those that need jobs, through a massive public works program and enforcement of section 3 of the 1968 Housing Act and other affirmative action programs.
Send your endorsement of these demands to jarenanynola@gmail.com. You are also invited to attend C3/Hands Off Iberville’s weekly Thursday meeting, 7 PM at 410 Basin St.
For more information call 504-520-9521 or 504-587-0080,
Mr. Charlot rejects this position, and says that C3/Hands Off Iberville should have, quote, “an open mind” with regard to DDD’s intentions. Well, our monitoring of what’s been “on the mind” of Mr. Charlot’s boss, Kurt Weigle, the head of the DDD, when it comes to Iberville confirms our weariness. In a May 21, 2009 interview with WWL-TV, reporter Susan Edwards found that from the perspective of “Kurt Weigle …redeveloping and demolishing Iberville removes a barrier to investment, opening the corridor up to more than just retail and residential possibilities.” He told Edwards that "It [the demolition of Iberville] is going to have a positive effect on the medical district, the construction of the two hospitals...will have a much greater potential to attract investment around them.” Mr. Weigle, who has a bachelors degree in “Violent Urban Crime”, was enthused about how much [white?] people would feel safer with the violent removal of the working class African American community of Iberville. He exclaimed to Edwards that “It's going to make people feel the area is safer than it may be perceived to be today, and will make the area one of the most attractive for the entire city.”
Mr. Charlot, we know what the agenda of the DDD is--Urban Violence, just what your boss at the DDD studied and is an expert in. You, Weigle and the wealthy racist interests you represent want the removal of the Iberville community —a very brutal, violent act, in whatever form it takes. Your group, and maximum leader, have been explicit about this agenda. You have worked tirelessly over the years, including forming alliances with hotel developer Michael Valentino, architect Ray Manning, and sell-out tenant leader Kim Paul as part of the so-called ‘Iberville Rebirth Coalition.’ Now, with the help of HANO’s Wayne Woods and Diane Johnson, you are working on another scheme. We say end the charade and get your Hands Off Iberville! Furthermore, you have no business dealing with Iberville since it is not even within DDDs jurisdiction, which only covers the area between Claiborne Avenue, Iberville Street, the Mississippi River and the Pontchartrain Expressway.
While demanding Charlot’s and the DDD’s immediate expulsion from the Iberville Advisory Committee, we are also very concerned by the actions of the rest of the members. It is very disconcerting that the other member of the committee would allow Charlot and the DDD to head the initiative. We call on the rest of the committee to reverse course, and expel Charlot and the DDD. Furthermore, we call on other pro-working class, anti-racist forces to also join us in supporting our demands against the DDD. In addition, we call on you to support our demands for defending ALL the public housing units at Iberville through a massive repair and investment plan, and one that guarantees jobs for all residents and all those that need jobs, through a massive public works program and enforcement of section 3 of the 1968 Housing Act and other affirmative action programs.
Send your endorsement of these demands to jarenanynola@gmail.com. You are also invited to attend C3/Hands Off Iberville’s weekly Thursday meeting, 7 PM at 410 Basin St.
For more information call 504-520-9521 or 504-587-0080,
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