New Orleans update

From Alan Gutierrez of the ThinkNOLA blog and advocacy organization:

The Infrastructure Lottery
Who’s going to win the infrastructure? More importantly, how will it be decided?
At Community Congress 2, AmericaSpeaks framed three of the six questions asked as questions about areas of the “Greatest Need”. With “Greatest Need” everyone could have their own interpretation of what they were being asked.

Of course, those questions have been thrown out as useless. Unfortunately, the infrastructure question was one of them.

Exactly how will community input decide how funds for infrastructure are allocated? You can leave the answer in the comments of The Infrastructure Lottery.

Neighborhood Crime Boards
The march on City Hall, as much a March of No Confidence as anything else, has produced a lot of activity, and a lot of response. People are concerned that time is of the essence, but I can assure you, we’re not going to lose that momentum.

Consider this series to address issues of crime. Staring with Citizen’s Crime Boards at Think New Orleans. You can read how Bart Everson has responded to his new role as spokesperson at his blog in Like It Or Not.

New Orleans residents march towards City Hall during a protest against violent crimes in New Orleans, January 11, 2007. (Sean Gardner/Reuters)

Principles of Public Housing
The chain-link gates around St. Bernard opened this week. Last I heard people were still occupying the public housing. There were bloggers there who helped gut housing and told some of the story. They’re showing up everywhere now aren’t they?

The residents of Planning District 4 have created the Principles of Public Housing. A solid document. Residents of New Orleans care about public and affordable housing.

First the City, Now the State
Melanie Ehrlich updates us on the progress of CHAT and its efforts to clean up the Road Home program in First the City, Now the State. Citizen’s research on the Road Home is changing policy.

Thank you all for making this a busy week. Civic participation is reaching new heights. 5,000 of us have marched on City Hall. Everyone I’ve met this week is motivated and moving forward. The momentum is growing.
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The Principles of Public Housing are particularly good, deserving of wider distribution and consideration beyond the specific conditions of New Orleans.

And it was interesting to read the Post Sports section article about the New Orleans Saints football team as a unifying force because the article quoted Bart Everson and Michael Homan, people I feel like I know through online organizing. See "The Joy of the Saints Is Tempered by the Pain of a City in Ruins."

Index Keywords: New-Orleans