interviews/articles

While plans to demolish public housing has drawn many protests marches and lawsuits, many informative websites are covering these issues by providing regular updates and action requests.

If you haven't heard, the New Orleans City Council approved the demolition of portions of C.J. Peete, Lafitte, and St. Bernard Housing developments. Strategic planning and calls for solidarity actions are ongoing. Coverage in mainstream media sources like the Times Picayune newspaper have been inaccurate, so independent information sources stand alone in factual coverage of this critical issue. Check out the following sources for accurate information!

Common Ground Relief stands in solidarity with historically neglected commmunities, and stands firmly against racism in all forms. We must stand together with people in Jena, Louisiana. Please check out their website at freethejena6.org and get involved.

Together, we can unravel institutional racism that plagues Louisiana and our world.

Weekend Voices interviews Emily Posner. The show looks at grassroots groups that are tackling issues the government agencies have not addressed. Mikkel Allen and anonymous are also interviewed.

Listen here or here

The Tides Foundation recently announced seven Gulf Coast winners of the Jane Bagley Lehman Award for Public Advocacy. Common Ground Relief is pleased to share that Co-Founder, Malik Rahim, is one of the seven honored with a JBL award for his Post-Katrina efforts for social change in New Orleans.

The JBL Awards focus on recognizing individuals that have been integral to the rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast. According to the Tides Foundation, the seven activists, advocates and organizers are being highlighted because their work addresses the need for “public infrastructure systems, a social safety-net, environmental monitoring and toxic clean-up, and . . . civic participation.”

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 Relief wants to thank Laurie David, Sheryl Crow and the Stop Global Warming Campaign for stopping by the Lower Ninth Ward and supporting New Orleans Residents' struggles to return home.

The Stop Global Warming Campaign (www.stopglobalwarming.org) encourages individual action that proactively addresses practices that lead to global warming.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina and Rita devestated much of the Gulf Coast. And today, residents of the region are still struggling to rebuild their lives and communities. Common Ground works under the principle that all people of conscience must work together to ensure that New Orleans, a city of utmost historical and national importance, is no longer victim to the environmental degradation and institutional racism that allowed Katrina and Rita to turn natural disasters into national tragedies.