CORRECTION: SHARON JASPER. APOLOGIES FOR RESEND.
Photo of Sharon Jasper [
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JBp5egCKV35Z8RTPkb3ONg?feat=directlink]
Sharon Jasper, member of
Survivors Village and
MayDay New Orleans, was arrested by the New Orleans police, who brought the SWAT team to apprehend this elder Black woman from her home.
Ms. Sharon is being charged with assaulting a rental agent during
an action organized by Survivors Village and MayDay New Orleans as part
of the Take Back the Land Movement May 2010 Month of Action. On Friday,
May 28th, a group entered the Columbia Parc rental office and held a
sit-in demanding the right of former St. Bernard Housing Project
residents to return to their homes.
SEE VIDEO OF THE PROTEST HERE-
http://www.takebacktheland.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=newsstory&newsletterID=156
SEE OTHER SURVIVORS VILLAGE AND TAKE BACK THE LAND ACTIONS HERE- Takebacktheland.org
The Columbia Parc development replaced the St. Bernard Housing
Project after the City of New Orleans voted to demolish the 1,500 units
of public housing and replace them with market housing. The action was
part of the Right to Return Weekend in New Orleans. The Right of Return
Weekend was organized in conjunction with the May
month of actions called by Take Back the Land Movement (TBLM). TBLM is
a network of autonomous organizations affiliated with the
US Human
Rights Network (USHRN) dedicated to realizing the human right to
adequate housing and community control over land.
Police
say Ms. Sharon assaulted a Columbia Parc rental agent during her
entrance into the building. The rental agent did not complain about an
assault and continued to work in the office the entire time of the
occupation, including when police arrived. While there, police made no
mention of an assault when explaining to the group why they should end
their protest.
The truth is that the City of New Orleans did not arrest Sharon Jasper for assault, they arrested her because she dared to tell that
truth and demand that public housing residents of New Orleans have the
right to return to their homes. The arrest represents a clear effort by
the City of New Orleans to represent the interests of the developers of
the Columbia Parc while actively working against the former residents
of New Orleans.
Survivors Village organizer
Endesha Juakali and others are
at the jail seeking Ms. Sharon's release. The Take Back the Land
Movement has arranged for legal assistance for Sharon Jackson through
the
Center for Constitutional Rights in New York city and local New Orleans Attorneys.
The Take Back the Land Movement condemns this political motivated
use of the public police in order to protect private developers from
protests.
Survivors Village is protesting in front of
Columbia Parc on Monday, June 7, at 12:00noon. Columbia Parc is on the
3600 block of St. Bernard Ave. in New Orleans.
Survivors Village is asking supporters to call Columbia Parc and
demand 1). drop all charges against Sharon Jackson and 2). allow for
the unconditional return of former St. Bernard Housing residents.
Columbia Parc: (504) 284-4769,
columbiaparc.com.
Video of Sharon Jasper's arrest, as well as updates on her legal
situation, can be found by visiting Takebacktheland.org. Videos of the
arrest are expected to be up on June 4.
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