Letters From Our Readers

Displacement

To whom it may concern,

I am a Metairie resident and am very very upset about the displacement of the residents of the St. Thomas and other housing projects in New Orleans. I do agree that it is horrible living conditions there but I don’t think that displacing some of the residents to the suburbs was the right thing. They came from the city and I think that they should have been displaced there. I watched Harry Lee on TV saying that since these residents have been displaced crime has gone up in Jefferson, Metairie, and the northshore. When I saw that on TV last night I was ready to move to Colorado. Even after I have had time to think about this I am still very aggravated. I used to live on Cleary in a very nice condo.

We just sold the condo last August and moved a block off Transcontinental. If I would not have sold a year ago I would have been forced to sell now as there is a section 8 apartment complex that is across the street from the condo’s where we used to live and another one about to go section 8. I do not want to live next to any section 8 apartments and neither does anyone else that I know. The reason that my family moved to Metairie was because crime was getting worse in the city years ago. If crime gets too bad in the suburbs and the northshore people will leave the greater new Orleans area. There is a song by Garth Brooks and the line that describes how I feel. It is at the end of this e-mail.. MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE MOVE TO THE SURBURBS AND THE NORTHSHORE TO GET AWAY FROMT THE CRIME OF THE CITY. IF YOU BRING THE CRIME FROM THE CITY TO THE SURBURBS AND THE NORTHSHORE THOSE MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE WILL MOVE OUT OF THE STATE AS THEY HAVE THE MEANS TO DO SO. THEN THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA WILL HAVE A MUCH BIGGER PROBLEM. As far as putting a Wal-Mart in the area of the St. Thomas Housing projects the residents should be happy the housing projects are gone.

I ALSO HEARD THAT SOME OF THE HOUSES CAN BE BOUGHT IN THAT AREA FOR DIRT CHEAP AND THEY HAVE SECURITY. THE PEOPLE IN THE SURBURBS AND NORTHSHORE NOW NEED SECURITY AND CANNOT AFFORD IT BECAUSE OF WHAT THE CITY DID BY DISPLACING THOSE PEOPLE. A lot of my middle class friends are now thinking about moving out of the state. I know that this e-mail will probably just be deleted but I just thought that I would tell you how me and my middle class friends feel before nothing is done about this and a lot of my friends and family leave the state. THE RESIDENTS OF THE HOUSING PROJECTS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISPLACED IN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AND NOT THE SURBURBS OR NORTHSHORE. I hope that this money to pay for the new houses with security is not coming out of any taxes that I would pay as a resident of Louisiana or me and my friends and family will be leaving the state. THE BELOW IS HOW I STRONGLY FEEL. WE WORK HARD EACH AND EVERY DAY AND DO NOT WANT TO PAY FOR ANYONE STANDING IN A WALFARE LINE. WALEFARE SHOULD BE FOR A LIMITED AMOUT OF TIME AND NOT FOR LIFE LIKE SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE PROJECTS TREAT IT.

When Uncle Sam dips in your pocket
For most things you don’t mind
But when your dollar goes to all of those
Standing in a welfare line
Well rejoice you have a voice
If you’re concerned about the destination
Of this great nation
It’s called the American Honky-Tonk Bar Association

—Kathleen