by Eugene Yacobson

On May 2, far from the crowds and caravans of JazzFest, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School in the Lower 9th Ward was filled with the sounds of brass, blues and general jubilation. The occasion was the 1st Annual Peoples’ Festival, organized by Common Ground Relief, and featuring such JazzFest heavy-hitters as Big Chief Victor Harris and Fi Yi Yi, the Rebirth Brass Band and Michael Franti with Spearhead – all playing free of charge.

Lasting for more than four hours, the festival raised both funds and spirits - $4,500 of the former (all in donations from attendees of the concert), the latter in quantities indefinable. But the occasion had an even deeper purpose than raising money for the Lower 9th’s rebuilding efforts: to reflect the spirit of a different side of New Orleans, and to demonstrate that, for all its post-Katrina troubles, the neighborhood is back.

The venue and performers were symbolic of the Peoples’ Festival’s intentions. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology, which remains the only educational institution in the Lower 9th, was gutted and re-opened in 2006 by hundreds of volunteers defying open threats of arrest, becoming a nexus of hope for further grassroots rebuilding efforts. Similarly, the performers at the festival were far from the benign big names of JazzFest that draw tourists from all over the world, but instead many were lesser known local acts, whose music resounds with the struggles of this city’s neglected communities. Bluesy singer-songwriter Sista Otis, New Orleans rapper Truth Universal, the aforementioned Fi Yi Yi Mardi Gras Indians, Revolution Second Line dancers and the explosive Rebirth Brass Band which featured guest vocalist, Cyril Neville of the Neville Brothers were all inspired to dodge the big clubs for an evening, join together and play free music for the people of the Lower 9th to express their solidarity.

By Erica Boni

After Common Ground’s first wave of volunteers who stayed at 1800 Deslonde occurred last October, it became apparent that more bathrooms and showers would be necessary to accommodate future volunteers.

Sam Offenberg , CG’s former Volunteer Coordinator, and Director of Operations,Tom Pepper, talked with several contractors to determine the cost of the necessary renovations. It would also be imperative to obtain building permits and ensure that the construction work would be done to code.

Common Ground representatives met with EPCO Construction principles and determined that the quality of their work, plus an interest in partnering with Common Ground for its job training program, made the company a perfect fit.

 

Volunteers from Global Hope have been a constant source of support for Common Ground Relief and, in particular, the rebuild of the Lower Ward. Most recently, Global Hope has collaborated with Common Ground Relief to ensure the rebuilding of Reverend Adam's Church.

Common Ground Relief is incredibly grateful to Global Hope not just for their relentless support, but also for producing this short video, which charts two and half years of the volunteer recovery and rebuild effort in New Orleans.

Common Ground would further like to express gratitude for the sacrifices that these courageous and dedicated volunteers continue to make by engaging in these solidarity efforts. The global community benefits by people coming together, and working together to promote hope and civic responsibility.

 

 

By Maggie Barr

In a shocking turn of events on Tuesday, New Orleans Police declared the sidewalk in front of the St. Bernard Housing Development a crime scene and arrested five peaceful protesters.

The protest gathered some 50 residents and concerned citizens. At 9:00 am, Sharon Jasper, a St. Bernard resident, opened the protest with a prayer. A well-attended press conference followed. Police were in present when protesters marched to the Milton Street entrance gate chanting “Stop the demolition!” At 10:30, police standing across the street from the demonstrators shouted, “This is now a crime scene.” Arrests were made shortly following that declaration.

By Maggie Barr
Photo By Matt Schinske

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held the evening of March 5, 2008 at the site of the Holy Ground Baptist Church in the Lower 9th Ward. In attendance were Reverend Adams, congregation members, Common Ground Volunteers and 9th Ward residents. Also present were members of Global Hope, a Chicago-based non-profit organization and representatives of Deltec Homes of Asheville, NC, the company that initiated the rebuilding of the church. Deltec brought a busload of builders from around the country to the ceremony. Building is to commence shortly and is a sign of hope for many in the L9 community and throughout the country.

By Maggie Barr

Following Katrina, brothers Randy and David Epperley of EPCO Construction called a family meeting. They were inspired to determine how best to use their 3rd generation family business to the benefit of their community. “The only people who can protect New Orleans are the people of New Orleans. There is so much rebuilding to be done that it’s possible to make money by doing the right things in the right way,” says brother Randy. After reaching consensus with friends, family and employees, EPCO began their search for community-based organizations taking initiative in the rebuilding process.

During a visit to the Lower 9th Ward, the pair met up with Malik Rahim, co founder of Common Ground Relief, an organization created in the immediate wake of Katrina to provide emergency staples and medical services to survivors. “Having a lot of experience with contractors operating in the area, we wanted to find out if EPCO was truly a quality company before starting to work with them to rebuild residents’ homes. There’s a lot of shoddy workmanship and shady deals going around right now, so we wanted to determine for ourselves whether or not EPCO was a company we could trust and recommend. We do trust them and highly recommend them,” explains Malik.