New Orleans Homeowners Coalition Stops House Demolitions in Court

Interview with Bill Quigley, attorney representing New Orleans homeowners, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

More than four months after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has barely begun to recover. Eighty percent of the city was flooded, and in many neighborhoods, the housing stock was severely damaged, if not utterly destroyed. Mayor Ray Nagin wants to clear the land on which 5,500 homes stand, most in the Lower Ninth Ward.

But that move has been put on hold after a judge granted a temporary restraining order to several organizations that went to court on behalf of those mostly still-absent homeowners. The city of New Orleans was prevented from bulldozing and demolishing these properties until a full hearing was held on Jan. 6.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Bill Quigley, a professor at Loyola Law School in New Orleans. He was one of several lawyers representing the People's Hurricane Relief Fund, Louisiana ACORN, and other groups that sued to stop the demolitions. Quigley describes the homeowners' rights that he believes are being violated, and what the city could do to ensure those rights are protected.

Contact the People's Hurricane Relief Fund by calling (888) 310-7473 or visit their website at www.communitylaborunited.net

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