Posted on 03/03/2008 9:09:35 PM PST by BnBlFlag
GENEVA (AP) — Two human rights experts for the United Nations on Thursday criticized a plan by New Orleans authorities to raze public housing projects, saying it will force the predominantly black residents into homelessness.
They charged that demolition would harm thousands of people by denying them a place to live in a city where housing already is scarce since Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005.
The joint statement was not a U.N. finding, but only the individual views of Miloon Kothari, a special investigator on housing matters for the U.N. Human Rights Council, and Gay McDougall, a lawyer who is an expert on minority and rights issues.
They commented a day before a U.N. racism panel planned to discuss Katrina recovery efforts and public housing in New Orleans and also was expected to comment on allegations of racial discrimination in the United States. Neither expert was involved with that committee's hearings.
The high-density housing complexes for the poor were not heavily damaged by Katrina. But city officials argue the decades-old projects were a failure, becoming warrens of crime and entrenched poverty, and say they do not fit with the vision for a rebuilt New Orleans.
"The authorities claim that the demolition of public housing is not intentionally discriminatory," Kothari and McDougall said, but the "predominantly African-American residents" will be denied their "internationally recognized human rights" to a home.
Noting that officials promise to replace the demolished housing, the experts complained that "only a portion of the new housing units will be for residents in need of subsidized housing and the remainder will be offered at the market rate."
Many more homes will be demolished than new ones built, they said.
The U.S. mission in Geneva said much work remains to be done to help Katrina's victims and some criticism of the recovery effort is reasonable. But "problems in such efforts cannot be fairly described as racial discrimination or other violations of human rights," it said.
The mission said it was confident any destruction of public housing "would be based on sound public policy and would certainly not be directed at denying people housing." Hosted by Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Are there no bridges or over passes in New Orleans for the home less to live under?
You forgot Cadillacs and cognac. We’re still in the UN why? (Rhetorical)
What is “a special investigator on housing matters” doing inspecting the US?
We have our problems, but is the UN going to donate any money to help us out?
If we paid less for the upkeep of the UN, we’d have more
to spend on New Orleans...
Never has so much been done for so few and achieved so little.
And, what does the U.N. think of the recover efforts after the Tsunami that hit Indonesia?
Hey...wonder if the UN thinks its a human right to use disaster aid in strip clubs and porn shops....
The UN is worthless. Everyone knows that too.
Personal responsiblility and common sense should prevail.
If some black people OWNED homes and insured them, great.
If they owned homes and did NOT insure them, tough.
If they were wards of the state through welfare, they have NO reason to be picky.
Well maybe the international community ought to buy these folks homes, we've certainly spent enough there.
“U.N. racism panel..was expected to comment on allegations of racial discrimination in the United States.”
Comment away, America haters.
Affirmative action (among MANY other programs), is a gross, decades-old form of racial discrimination against whites.
The UN has the balls to criticize anyone for anything? One day we are going to send that evil, mega-corrupt nest of vipers packing. I only hope I live to see it.
Where were they when Atlanta was displacing much of the inner city housing before the Olympics? The city completely dismantled a dysfunctional cancer growing in the city (Techwood across from GT was beyond scary at night). The residents and city itself are better off.
I find it difficult to believe that the public housing residents will be homeless. It’s been a while since I read about it, but I believe Atlanta gave stipends for approved apartment housing. I also think that each apartment complex had a maximum number of stipends so that the culture didn’t follow the residents.
As soon as they fix that Mugabe/White Farmer thingy... I’ll listen to them. :)
Send these two idiots to Darfur and let them comment on the housing there. Makes New Orleans seem like paradise.
Oh, the UN doesn’t know where Darfur is? Hey smucks, it’s east of New Orleans by about 5,000 miles. Full of sand, moslem murderers and poor blacks who are getting slaughtered all the time.
Not interested? Thought so.
“Two human rights experts for the United Nations on Thursday criticized a plan by New Orleans authorities to raze public housing projects, saying it will force the predominantly black residents into homelessness.”
I propose that displaced residents move in with the two human rights experts.
Thanks. However, there was something on the news last week, that some of the Dhimis want to "explore" the possibility of making "adjustments" to Vermonter's gun rights (read: try and restrict the sale and use of firearms as well as eliminate our Concealed Carry laws) even, as they are forced to admit that we have the second lowest violent crime stats in country.
Socialists and Progressives, ALL!!!!
"Hey...wonder if the UN thinks its a human right to use disaster aid in strip clubs and porn shops...."
I wouldn't approve of that either if they were not damaged by the storm. Do you have proof that is the case? The clubs and shops to which you refer are mainly found in the French Quarter and that area came through the storm relatively unscathed. However, that is not to say that they did not sustain some minor damage that needed to be addressed. If they are legitimate businesses, there should be no discrimination.
Just out of curiosity, how much does the job "freelance human rights investigator" pay, and who exactly does the paying?
Did not matter. The Section 8 mess has ruined a formerly viable high school and several apartment complexes in my area. And it is not a downtrodden area.
Those projects have been closed since Katrina; bulldozing them won't be forcing *anyone* into homelessness. If any of the former residents are currently homeless, that's their choice.
Ping!
Google it...
"That's not what he was referring to. Hundreds of "refugees" were flown to Cape Cod where they used the gubmint issued $2000 credit cards to stuff stipper's garters at Zach's and swill down brown-bagged booze on the streets."
Yikes, I stand corrected! Thank you for setting me straight on this. I remember the stories of the expensive purses and some such things being purchased with those cards, but I guess the strippers and the booze escaped my notice. WOW, it's unbelievable!
Wait until a UN resolution passes and peacekeepers come to enforce it...to the joy of thousands.
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