Housing

Hotel staff in barricade protest

Submitted by pirate on Fri, 01/04/2008 - 22:36.

BBC Jan. 4, 2008 Mark Craig and Steven Black in the hotel

Two workers have spent three weeks barricaded in the bedroom of a closed hotel in protest at losing their jobs.

Assistant manager Mark Craig, 20, and kitchen porter Steven Black, 16, staged their protest at the Meldrum Arms Hotel in Oldmeldrum, Inverurie.

The pair live on food delivered in a bucket pulled up on a piece of string. read more »

Activists protest slum demolition

Submitted by pirate on Thu, 12/27/2007 - 16:55.

Dec 27, 2007 Times of India

MUMBAI: More than 3,500 activists and slumdwellers held a dharna at Azad Maidan on Wednesday afternoon to protest against large-scale slum demolitions.

Over 600 homes were bulldozed in the last seven days alone. The protest was organised by the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM). Slumdwellers were upset that, despite a government affidavit in 2005 that set aside 50 acres of land in Mankhurd for those whose homes had been razed in the demolition drive, the land still lay vacant and slumdwellers were not allowed to build their homes on it. read more »

Vietnam: Man Sets Himself On Fire To Protest Land Confiscation

Submitted by pirate on Wed, 12/26/2007 - 14:10.

HANOI, VIETNAM(AP): A Vietnamese man set himself on fire to protest the confiscation of the land where he lived that authorities said belonged to the government, police and state media reported Wednesday (26 Dec).

Hoang Huu Hanh, 53, soaked himself with gasoline and lit a match Tuesday (25 Dec) when police pulled down his makeshift house in Hai Ba Trung District, said a local police officer who declined to be identified, citing policy.

Police quickly extinguished the fire and rushed him to a hospital where he remained in serious but stable condition Wednesday, he said. read more »

Police Attack Protesters at New Orleans Demolition Hearing!

Submitted by pirate on Fri, 12/21/2007 - 21:09.

Thu. Dec. 20 2007 The Associated Press

Police used chemical spray and stun guns Thursday as dozens of protesters seeking to halt the demolition of 4,500 public housing units tried to force their way through an iron gate at City Hall.

One woman was sprayed with chemicals and dragged from the gates. She was taken away on a stretcher by emergency officials. Before that, the woman was seen pouring water from a bottle into her eyes and weeping. read more »

HUD Sends New Orleans Bulldozers and $400,000 Apartments for the Holidays

Submitted by rick on Mon, 12/17/2007 - 05:05.

By Bill Quigley
t r u t h o u t | Report/Perspective Monday 03 December 2007

On the 12th day before Christmas, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is planning to unleash teams of bulldozers to demolish thousands of low-income apartments in New Orleans. Despite Katrina causing the worst affordable housing crisis since the Civil War, HUD is spending $762 million in taxpayer funds to tear down over 4,600 public housing subsidized apartments and replace them with 744 similarly subsidized units - an 82 percent reduction. read more »

Protest Bring Demolition Activity At B.W. Cooper To A Halt

Submitted by pirate on Sat, 12/15/2007 - 22:27.

By Mike Howells New Orleans Indymedia Dec. 13, 2007

Direct action by supporters of public housing brought HUD authorized demolition to a halt at the B.W. Cooper Housing Development in New Orleans today. Tuesday afternoon a picket of dozens of public housing supporters prevented a truck from carrying a huge demolition crane into the new section of the development. read more »

OCAP Walks Protest PATH As Police Watch Closely

Submitted by pirate on Wed, 12/12/2007 - 19:54.

December 12, 2007 CityNews.ca

It was, by any measure, a study in extreme contrasts: Bay St. types dressed in business suits, walking past men and women in worn coats and pants, begging for spare change. But it wasn't a scene from the streets of Toronto. Instead, it was a slice of life from beneath them. read more »

Public Housing Demolitions Set for December: Call for National Support!

Submitted by rick on Tue, 11/27/2007 - 03:52.

by new orleans indymedia team Friday, Nov. 16, 2007 at 8:12 PM

Many activists believe New Orleans is a test ground for the US Government to demolish public housing across the nation and replace it with "mixed-income" developments that would displace thousands of families. Pledge to come to New Orleans and resist this privatization of public housing!

Many activists believe New Orleans is a test ground for the US Government to demolish public housing across the nation and replace it with "mixed-income" developments. According to HANO's contracts with developers, 82% of the pre-storm units would be lost in the development process. read more »

Survivors tell of Bangladesh cyclone

Submitted by pirate on Tue, 11/20/2007 - 06:56.

By PAVEL RAHMAN, Associated Press Nov 19, 2007

BARGUNA, Bangladesh - Azahar Ali huddled with his family, reading from the Quran, as the cyclone roared in. First the power went out, then screaming winds blew out the windows and ripped off the roof. The sea rushed in, washing him and his family away. read more »