>National Call from the Grass Roots Movement in New Orleans to
>Students and Academics Across the United States and World
>
>Our struggle is your struggle.
>Support the anti-racist, pro-working class battle to rebuild New
Orleans,
>the United States, and the World by:
>
>* Joining and Endorsing the national march on New Orleans, MLK Day,
2006
>* Supporting demand for massive public works program and making the
rich pay
>* Setting up speaking engagements on campus for New Orleans grass
roots
>activists
>* Sending financial support for ongoing organizing in New Orleans
>
>Poor, Black, immigrant and working class people in New Orleans and
across
>the Gulf Coast, have been hit by two human-made, capitalist disasters.
The
>first was the city, state, and federal government's criminal neglect
of tens
>of thousands of Black working class and poor storm victims. While
Cuba
>successfully evacuates over a million people, the US government had
no
>plans, nor interest, to protect people from the hurricane. Instead
the
>government crammed people into the Superdome and Convention Center
like
>slaves in the bellies of a slave ship. For days they were forced to
survive
>amid squalor and death. When they tried to escape over the Mississippi
River
>bridge they were met by racist cops and sheriffs from the surrounding
parish
>who began firing their weapons to turn back the escaping refugees.
City of
>Gretna Police chief Arthur Clawson justified his action stating, in
comments
>dripping in racist contempt that would have made Bull Conner proud, 
"If we
>had opened the bridge, our city would have looked like New Orleans
does now:
>looted, burned and pillaged." At the same time as these horrors were
taking
>place the racist uptown New Orleans elite had expensive wines and
other
>delicacies shipped into their gated Audubon Place compound, while
being
>guarded by an Israeli security outfit. Working class downtown was a
>different story, as the military and Blackwater mercenaries forced out
Black
>working class "holdouts" from the city by gunpoint.
>
>The second disaster to strike the region and city is the ruling elites
use
>of the hurricane to administer a toxic cocktail of massive
privatizations,
>austerity, and further attacks on civil liberties. The hurricane is
becoming
>a convenient pretext to destroy public housing, education, and health
care,
>and in the process racially and class cleanse the city, particularly
of the
>poorest segments of the Black working class. At the same time, the
Bush
>regime, without any resistance from the Democrats, have used the
disaster to
>lift controls on the use of the military at the domestic level. To be
sure
>this model is not being limited to New Orleans or the Gulf. Rather
the
>ruling elite in the country are using the city and region as a
laboratory to
>see how deep and far they can go with their "structural adjustment"
plans.
>The blueprints will then be exported around the country.
>
>The Fight on the Ground
>
>In the face of this assault, local social justice activists, some of
whom
>have the spent decades on the front lines in New Orleans fighting for
>economic justice and social equality, are daily building a fight back.
 Many
>of us, such as those grouped in the anti-war, pro-public and
affordable
>housing alliance, C3/Hands Off Iberville, are currently involved in
ongoing
>struggles in the Greater New Orleans area to stop unfair evictions,
reopen
>public housing, schools, and secure alternative housing for storm
victims.
>We all recognize that it will take a national movement to stop the
>post-Katrina offensive against affordable housing, public healthcare,
public
>education and police repression now besieging our community.  But we
also
>realize that this struggle must incorporate the people of New Orleans
here
>and currently in exile.  To help make that connection, join us in
helping to
>build The Martin Luther King Day March To Rebuild The Gulf Coast And
The
>World! on January 16, 2006 in New Orleans. This will not simply be
just a
>march, but a mass movement for justice! The central demands of this
march
>are:
>
>* A mass public works rebuilding program that pays a living wage. No
to
>ethnic and class cleansing-a pro-worker and African-American friendly
>environment, affordable public and private housing, universal
healthcare,
>and end to police brutality in our community.
>* We call for financing this through, one, taxing the oil
companies---$1 tax
>for every $1 price increase since the run up the Iraq war. Two,
immediate
>withdrawal from Iraq-money to rebuild the U.S,, no money to destroy
Iraq.
>
>
>The utter failure of all levels of government to look after the most
basic
>needs of  the working class and the African-Americans of  Gulf Coast
in the
>wake of  Hurricane Katrina demonstrates that we must organize
ourselves in a
>mass movement to defend our interests.   Then we shall truly
overcome!
>
>How to Contact C3/Hands Off Iberville:
>
>To contact C3/Hands Off Iberville for helping to endorse and build the
MLK
>march, bringing a speaker to your campus, or making a donation, call
Jay
>Arena at 504-520-9521, or email him at [log in to unmask], or call
Mike
>Howells at 504-587-0080, or email him at [log in to unmask]
>To learn more about the campaign, and make a donation, you an also go
to our
>website at: www.c3nola.org