Support Wednesday’s FEMA protest in DC!

[Kevin Spidel]

Katrina Survivors Urgent Action Alert


DON’T ALLOW ANY KATRINA SURVIVOR TO BE HOMELESS FOR THE HOLIDAYS!
DON’T LET THE FEMA GRINCH STEAL CHRISTMAS FROM ANY EVACUEE!

When: Wednesday, December 14 at 11 am EST (or meet at 10 am at L’Enfant Plaza Station)

Where: FEMA head office, 500 C Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. Then at noon, join the march to Congress

Urgent Out of Town Actions:

---Go to your FEMA regional or local office to protest: http://www.fema.gov/regions/

---Phone in:

1. Before Wednesday’s protest, contact your local media.

2. Telephone calls to make on Dec . 14
**Call FEMA between 11am – noon, at 202-566-1600 and ask for FEMA Director R. David Paulison (Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response) or David Garratt (Acting Division Director of FEMA’s Recovery Division) What you can say: “Do not leave survivors homeless for the holidays or any day. Base policy decisions on human needs, not on agency deadlines. Extend the December 15th & January 7 deadlines for evacuees living in hotels until you have specific transitional or long-term housing in place. After three months, FEMA has failed to provide the conditions for survivors to return to New Orleans. FEMA must provide trailers, make public housing and other available units accessible through the use of Section 8 vouchers, set up a Victims Compensation Fund like the one for 9/11 victims and involve survivors in the planning and allocation of resources for reconstruction of affordable housing for New Orleans.” **Call your Representative toll-free at 800-426-8073 (Capitol switchboard) and ask to be connected to your member of the U.S. House of Representatives. If you're not sure who your member is, tell them, and they will identify your Representative and connect you. What you can say: “My name is _______________ and I live in (your town/city). I would like Representatiive ….. to sponsor HR 4197, Hurricane Katrina Recovery, Reclamation, Restoration, Reconstruction and Reunion Act of 2005, which provides the most comprehensive plan to provide for the needs for housing and jobs for Katrina survivors to facilitate the reunion of families and their right to come back to their communities.”
**Call Senate switchboard at 202-225-3121 and tell your Senator to prevent federal funds from being used to take private property (i.e. homes) by eminent domain for the next two years by supporting HR 4128 co-sponsored by Rep. Maxine Waters as it comes to Senate. **Call the White House at 202-456-1111/202-456-6213 (TTY) What you can say: ”President Bush, you promised to spend whatever it takes to insure the recovery of the Gulf Coast region, you promised to insure that the displaced would be able to come home. You have broken your promise to Katrina survivors and to this nation. While your family celebrates Christmas, do not let the victims of Katrina suffer as newly homeless for the holidays. Prevent FEMA from turning people out of hotels tomorrow and on January 7, compel FEMA to expand its housing assistance and provisions for transitional and long-term housing, and meet with representatives of the People’s Hurricane Relief and Oversight Coalition to involve survivors in the process of reconstruction.”

3. Email FEMA: FEMA Director R. David Paulison (Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response and Acting Recovery Director), and David Garratt (Acting Division Director of FEMA’s Recovery Division). See above for what you can write: “Do not leave survivors….”
[e-mail]

4. Email us so we can keep track of your actions at [e-mail]


Sponsored by: UP for Democracy, Hip Hop Caucus, the People’s Hurricane Relief Fund and Oversight Coalition, African-American Clergy and progressive partners.

For further info. Contact Diane Shamis at [e-mail] or 845-661-3754 and check out www.upfordemocracy.org, www.katrinaaction.org and www.communitylaborunited.net
















Further Information:

We are demanding that FEMA direct its policy based on human needs, not administrative deadlines. FEMA has turned disaster relief into a disaster and delivered no meaningful relief to hundreds of thousands displaced families three months after Hurricane Katrina hit. In cooperation with the People's Hurricane Relief Fund & Oversight Coalition, UP for Democracy and the Hip Hop Caucus are calling upon progressive allies and all Americans to demand that
1. FEMA not force out displaced Americans living in hotels on Dec. 15 and Jan. 7

2. FEMA provide a viable plan for transitional and long-term housing which involves:
a. support of HR 4197 - use of Section 8 vouchers to afford many available units to displaced New Orleaneans and implementation of Community Development grants, construction projects which employ survivors and afford them first opportunity at newly construction housing
b. provision of trailers - both as temporary housing to those homeless as well as the many poor African-Americans who are HOMEOWNERS, who need a trailer in front of their house to be able to gut their residence and rebuild
c. opening the housing projects which were not damaged (e.g. Ibreville,Gus High Rise & Low Rise) which have not been made accessible to displaced residents but rather were boarded up with steel plates
d. prevent illegal evictions and price gouging by landlords,insure affordable rents
e. develop projects for construction or restoration of housing which employs unemployed workers of New Orleans who would be afforded first access to those newly constructed units
f. refrain from taking poor people’s homes under the eminent domain doctrine

3. FEMA create a Victims Compensation Fund like that created for victims of 9/11

4. FEMA disclose the names and addresses of survivors displaced by Katrina to facilitate family reunification and to enable voting rights organizations to contact the displaced about the rights to vote as Louisiana and New Orleans residents absentee

5. transparency about the awarding of contracts by FEMA - control by the survivors of resources which should be directed to local contractors, owned by people of color and women which abide by Davis-Bacon laws.

Katrina survivors have a right to come home ...but FEMA has failed to provide the conditions to enable them to return...most immediately viable housing.

For further info. Contact Diane Shamis
at [e-mail] or 845-661-3754, and check out www.upfordemocracy.org, www.katrinaaction.org, and
www.communitylaborunited.net

[Angry Girl]

1. Thanks for posting this! Kick and Recommend!

[merh]

2. kicked & recommended

:kick:

thanks :thumbsup: