Occupy New Orleans - to be continued

I roll into New Orleans just as the sun is setting again. It is cold but not as cold as Birmingham.

The Anti-Racism Committee is meeting, giving report backs. They did an action Tuesday at the sheriff's foreclosure sale. Apparently there is a community center up for sale that has been a center since before Katrina, that is now being auctioned off.

About 15 people attended the sale and disrupted for about 1 1/2 hours. They used the mic check and read over and over many reasons not to allow this sale promoting gentrification and destruction of this valuable community asset. They were successful! Many of the potential buyers left and no one bid on the property.

They also connected with two other homeowners who were losing their homes and disrupted their sales too!

There were 3 white women and two African American men on the committee.

I stayed for the general assembly. Occupy New Orleans was violently raided this past Monday in the wee hours, one person arrested, and all their things, including tents, sleeping bags, food, tables, etc. - tossed into the garbage!

The lawyers immediately got a TRO for 1 week against the police and city. The g.a. was mostly about future actions and this 'issue': the lawyers are going to try to make the TRO permanent but in case they don't succeed, people want a back-up plan...