Victory for tenants in Louisburg Square!
by NOHEAT Monday, Nov. 07, 2005 at 9:40 PM

The tenants of Louisburg Square had a hard-won victory in court against their landlord. Now they hope to file a criminal case and launch an investigation against the landlord for the harassment, threats and obstruction of tenants' rights.

Times-Picayune: http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1131005804192950.xml?nola

WDSU:
http://www.wdsu.com/video/5236917/detail.html

Free Speech Radio News:
http://www.fsrn.org/news/20051103_news.html

You know those classic 60 Minutes moments when the cameras and reporters chase someone who just really doesn’t want to comment? We witnessed one yesterday outside the Gretna Government Building. The ex-cop property manager of Louisbourg Square Apartments in Terrytown and the contractor got chased by a CNN and several local news crews coming out of the building after the judge ruled in favor of the tenants (for now.) They were furious. There is no doubt in my mind that our organizing effort and the media attention made the difference in this case.



These swine thought it would be their word against that of any isolated tenants as to whether they had refused attempts to pay rent. I’m pretty sure they never even thought it would get that far. They tried a lot of dirty tricks while their hands were tied by Gov. Blanco’s executive order banning evictions. They had refused to accept rent for two months and then denied it in court, filing evictions for non-payment of rent.



That one didn’t work. Today we organized the holdouts to pay September, October, and November rent as group and we had a video camera on hand.


We have won two battles but the war is far from over. Too much is at stake. The sheetrock and plywood is piled up. The bobcat is parked idly. The laborers and contractors who have been tearing up the premises for weeks are being housed in apartments which management claims are unsafe and uninhabitable for the tenants who can’t afford to move. We have pictures.



The next eviction notice may come as soon as tomorrow. It will almost certainly be on grounds of inhabitability. They have covered the grounds with piles of fiberglass insulation blowing in the wind, rusty nails and stinking garbage. The hurricanes did not create this health hazard outside the families’ doors, gentrification did. The grounds are left in this state to drive poor folks from the homes they pay for.

by: Jeremy

www.bringdownbush.org

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