A lawyer's work is never done...in the aftermath of Katrina

Dear Friends of the Lawyers’ Committee,

The link below to a jaw-dropping New York Times article reflects some of the important work that the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights is doing on the Gulf Coast. Joe Rich, who is quoted in the story, is our Director of the Committee's Fair Housing and Community Development Initiative. Since the shortly after Hurricane Katrina, the Lawyers' Committee has committed extensive resources to housing and FEMA-related issues with outstanding results.

Quoting from today’s piece:

"At least five jurisdictions in Louisiana and Mississippi — St. Bernard, St. John the Baptist, and Jefferson parishes in Louisiana and Pascagoula and Ocean Springs in Mississippi — have begun revoking permits for trailers or allowing their zoning exemptions to expire. Those moves affect families still living in 7,400 trailers across the Gulf Coast, according to the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a group based in Washington that has sued to stop the evictions.

“Joseph D. Rich, project director for fair housing and community development with the committee, said some jurisdictions have complained about crime in the trailer parks, prompting FEMA to provide extra security. Mr. Rich said he believed there was another motivation for banning trailers.

"’There are severe racial overtones to these actions,’ he said. ‘Because there’s all this concern that black and low-income people will be coming into your neighborhood.’”

Click here for the story or cut and paste the following URL into your web browser:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/12/us/nationalspecial/12exile.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&hp

We are updating a summary of the work we have done in the past 22 months, highlighting the work discussed in the article. Please respond to Joe or me if you would like a copy of this summary upon its completion.

Thank you for your interest in the plight of our nation’s hurricane evacuees. We are committed to continuing this crucial work and are eager to pursue opportunities for additional funding.

Regards,

-d