Common Ground Relief - Lower 9th Ward

New Town Hall Meeting Heralds in Hope in Lower 9th Ward

Sat, 31 May 2008 01:28:16 +0000

by Eugene Yacobson
May 29, 2008

Marking the start of what organizers hope will be a consolidated, community-driven effort to advance the rebuilding of the neighborhood, a town hall meeting drew a crowd of more than 100 Lower 9th Ward residents last week.

“This is the beginning of the end of all this foolishness,” said meeting organizer Ward “Mack” McClendon to a standing-room-only crowd. “This is the beginning of the end of all this red tape of a problem that we didn’t cause.”

Organized and hosted by the Lower 9th Ward Village, a community-led nonprofit, the meeting served as an open forum for residents to name the problems that continue to besiege the area. Residents shared, both vocally and via confidential note cards, issues that have hindered reconstruction and frustrated locals since Katrina.

The Lower 9th’s main roadblock to progress, many attendees said, has been miscommunication on several levels.

Marquette students bring a gift

Mon, 26 May 2008 21:15:20 +0000

Article and Photo by Edwin Lopez
May 22, 2008

Mr. Williams leaned forward as he drove a large wrench toward the wall. Swaying back to gain momentum he again thrust his 60-year old body forward to unscrew the pipe he had been battling with for several minutes. He pushed again and in a swift motion the pipe came loose. The room was dim, but a small sliver of sunlight revealed a layer of floating dust. Beads of sweat covered his forehead. Mr. Williams leaned back to stand upright. He took a quick deep breath and with a smile stretched across his face he said, “Okay, no smoking in here.”

The gas pipe Mr. Williams held in his hand was a stumbling block for the volunteers who arrived in the early morning. 30 plus volunteers from across the country, the majority of whom were women, worked with a sense of urgency to drywall his home. They measured and cut sheetrock to the sound of beating hammers, the hum of power drills, and old school R&B/Soul music. Everything about the work crew seemed to howl college student: from their youthful look to their working attire composed of shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flop sandals.

Warren and Anita Williams evacuated New Orleans the day before the storm. Anita drove 23 hours to Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Hopeful about his return to New Orleans, Mr. Williams rejected the phone number for requesting a FEMA trailer. When he arrived in October 2005, he realized the water had risen over seven feet. The pressure of the storm surge raised everything in the house, lifting and tumbling their furniture about. He eventually got on the phone and requested a trailer.

Peoples' Festival Raises Funds, Roof

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:16:25 +0000

by Eugene Yacobson

Michael Franti and Spearhead perform "Time to go Home" at CGR's Peoples' Festival

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.

Anita Roddick Advocacy Center

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:52:48 +0000

How Reverend Adams Got His Church Back

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:26:14 +0000

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.

Make it Right: A Sculpture Installation

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:59:48 +0000

A decidedly unusual site now greets visitors to the Lower Ninth ward: lots which have remained mostly vacant since August 29, 2005, have been transformed into a village of bright pink cubes.

Formally unveiled on December 3, the structures, which are constructed from scaffolding covered in custom tarpaulin, cover 12 city blocks. The installation will remain in place until January 8, open for visitors to walk through during the day, or drive through at night, when they are dramatically illuminated from below. The cubes represent homes simultaneously past and future. In their current, scattered state, they reflect the post-Katrina devastation. As contributions are made to the show’s organizers, the Make it Right Foundation, the cubes will be gradually rearranged into a neighborhood, symbolic of the homes that can and will be built.

Waiting for Godot in the Lower 9th

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 16:01:50 +0000

On November 2-4, the quiet, abandoned streets of the Lower 9th were filled with N.O.P.D. vehicles, strings of parked cars, and the sounds of jazz and people. All of this was brought to the Lower 9th Ward by Creative Time's production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, a tragicomedy directed by Christopher McElroen and Paul Chan, starring Wendell Pierce (of HBO's "The Wire"), J. Kyle Manzay, T. Ryder Smith, Mark McLaughlin, Tony Felix, and Michael Pepp. The production was enormously successful, and because of the unprecedented response, a third day was added in the Lower 9th to accommodate the many people who were turned away the first few nights. Even on the extra night, the number of people who attended were in excess of 400.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

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Volunteer Groups Helping, Little by Little

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 02:09:02 +0000

by Aletheia Higgins
photography by Mavis Yorks

Like most volunteer based organizations, Common Ground has a lot of turn over. Some volunteers stay for months on end, whether they planned to or not, finding themselves drawn in by New Orleans’ unique culture with a refashioned passion for aiding the rebuilding effort. However, most of the volunteers only come for short periods of time, as a result of having school, family or jobs to return home to. Though the time spent in New Orleans and with Common Ground may be short, the volunteers play a vital role in the rebuilding endeavor. The groups or individual volunteers vary in their interests but all recognize an important fact: New Orleans is still recovering from the hurricanes and much help is still needed.

A group of Earth Science graduate students from Johns Hopkins University recently volunteered for a day with Common Ground. They didn’t come to New Orleans for the express purpose of doing this, but to do research. However, they felt it was inappropriate to be in the area without lending a hand. They spent their day cutting the lawn, helping to save someone's land from being taken away under the "good neighbor policy." Their work was greatly appreciated.

Common Ground and the "Journey for Humanity" Tour Unite Against Bush

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:06:04 +0000

By Devin McNulty
Photography by Mavis Yorks

NEW ORLEANS - On Wednesday, July 11th the prominent anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan visited Common Ground as part of her eighteen city “Journey for Humanity” tour. Sheehan and her caravan met with Common Ground leaders and volunteers at the Common Ground Relief's Distribution Center in the Lower Ninth Ward.

Essence Backs Common Ground’s Effort to Rebuild

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 17:57:44 +0000

by Kate Marvin
Photography by Mavis Yorks

NEW ORLEANS - On Tuesday, July 3, Essence Festival organizers found time to visit Common Ground on Deslonde Street. Following a presentation by Common Ground founders and project leaders, esteemed Essence guests Susan Taylor, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Reverend Marcia Dyson, Khephra Burns, Sharon and John Florent, Debra Parker, Robin Brock, and Mable Ivory strategized to gather support for Common Ground’s effort to rebuild community in the Lower Ninth Ward.

Common Ground Relief and Veterans for Peace Team Up in the Lower Ninth Ward

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 03:59:14 +0000

On March 19th, Veterans for Peace (VFP: www.veteransforpeace.org), Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Gold Star Families for Peace embarked on a caravan in Fayetteville, North Carolina to demonstrate their opposition to the Iraq War. The organizations traveled in the southeast and stopped at six different military towns. At each stop, VFP hosted an event for active duty military personnel and their families, and additionally collected signatures for the Appeal For Redress.

The caravan arrived in New Orleans on March 25th and immediately began volunteering with Common Ground Relief's rebuilding efforts in the Lower Ninth Ward Neighborhood. Some thirty VFP caravaners joined Common Ground's co-founder, Malik Rahim, and volunteers in beginning to reconstruct Walter Goodwin’s home at the corner of Roman and Jourdan Ave. in the Lower 9th Ward.

Common Ground Celebrates Easter!

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 00:58:18 +0000

Easter is here and the 7th Ward Emergency Shelter celebrated by dyeing Easter Eggs! Click here to see pictures of the results!
The 7th Ward Emergency Shelter currently has 9 kids staying there. The housing crisis in New Orleans affects children disproportionately harshly. Families and single parents are bearing the brunt of the sky rocketing housing costs. Common Ground is trying to make these youngsters lives a little easier by creating environments that foster a family type atmosphere. Organizing outings and activities for the kids and having fun with them is especially important. Kids dealing with homelessness need stability and the chance to have fun and a normal childhood.
The 7th Ward Family Shelter is run by Common Ground volunteers. For more information on the program click here.
If you are interested in supporting the shelter program click here.

Common Ground Collective Stands in Solidarity with Family and Friends of Terry Burton

Sat, 31 Mar 2007 03:31:10 +0000

Common Ground Collective Stands in Solidarity with Family and Friends of Terry Burton

In the early morning hours of March 8, the Louisiana National Guard brutally murdered Terry Burton after an altercation in his own home in the Lower Ninth Ward. At the time of his death, fifty-three year old Terry Burton was struggling with mental illness that he was actively trying to treat. Terry was seeking assistance but running into many obstacles due to the lack of mental health available in post-Katrina New Orleans.

The Common Ground Collective is making the arrangements for the repass of Terry Burton. The repass will be held at 11 AM for the friends and family of Terry at St. Mary's of the Angels Catholic School, 2225 Congress Street in the Upper Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

Lower 9th Ward (all services)

Wed, 19 Apr 2006 18:41:06 +0000

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The lower 9th ward project is a community driven initiative which strives to actualize the articulated needs and wants of the residents of the lower 9th ward. We work in solitary with this community, and maintain all project areas as open to community involvement. Since January 1st, when the project began, we have opened and operated a distribution center, a tool lending library, a community media center, a fist aid station, two temporary housing spaces, a community kitchen. In addition, we run a national bulldozer defense campaign, and a roof tarping, tree cutting, and house gutting services. We are not here to define, shape, or dominate the evolving post-Katrina communities of the Lower 9th, we are here to work with them, and support them in their efforts. The challenges of this task are great, and will challenge volunteers physically, politically, and emotionally. However, we must meet this challenge with grace, humility and passion, for without a grand coming together, we are due for a tremendous failure.