Grand Opening Common Ground Mid-City

FOR RELEASE: 03/03/07

Media Contact: Suncere Ali Shakur, 504-913-8693

Common Ground Holds Grand Opening in Mid City

New Orleans, LA (March 3, 2007) – On March 3, from 2:00pm until 6:00pm at 215 N Jefferson Davis Parkway, Common Ground Relief is excited to announce the grand opening of its new Mid-City location. The community open house will include live performances, a free BBQ cook out and tours of the new location. The Mid-City location houses the Legal Collective, the Tech Collective and the Media Collective.

Common Ground Mid-City provides the following services for the community:
-Free Internet Access
-Free Legal Clinic – Saturdays 12pm-3pm - c
-Free Computer Lab & Technical Help
-Free Copying
-Free Faxing
-Free Phone Access and Free Long Distance
-Media Center

The Common Ground Legal Collective offers New Orleanians the opportunity to seek advice from practicing lawyers and take advantage of a free notary service at the legal clinic. Legal advice is available for any matter, though the clinic’s advocacy work focuses on disaster related issues. Common Ground Media Collective works with local organizations to meet their public relations needs, updates the Common Ground website, and produces news on issues affecting New Orleans. Common Ground’s Tech team is also located on site and provides technical skills, resources and assistance to local organizations for their computer needs.

The old location on Franklin Ave opened in November 2005, shortly after Katrina, and began by offering free Internet and computer access to Ninth Ward residents who had returned. Shortly thereafter the location began to offer a free phone service and free faxing to aid residents in processing FEMA forms and dealing with insurance companies. At approximately the same time, at another location, Common Ground Relief began a free legal clinic. The clinic offered clients the opportunity to get legal advice from practicing lawyers for free on a weekly basis. The legal clinic eventually moved to the Franklin Ave location, and since then has aided over 500 people through direct advocacy, and another 700 through informational services and referrals.