Protests Planned Over New Orleans Proposal To Demolish 4,500 Low-Income Housing Units

New Orleans, Louisiana (AHN) - Protesters are expected to add to the heat of an ongoing debate over demolishing thousands of public housing units damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The federal Department of Housing and Development wants to tear down the 4,500 most damaged units to make room for developers to build mixed-use housing.

Residents, activists, protesters and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have been battling over housing in the hurricane-damaged city. Critics say the plan to replace the public housing units with mixed-use housing will only add to housing woes in a city that is short of low-income housing and open wounds along racial divides.

According to Kare 11 news, the brick buildings should be rehabilitated because they are more soundly built than anything that would replace them.

Protesters said they plan to disrupt Thursday's city council meeting where the plan is expected to be approved, USA Today said.

In addition, critics have said that without cheap housing that many blacks will be driven out of the city. The racial balance has already changed post-Katrina with the city council being mostly white for the first time in decades, adding the dimension of racism as critics said tearing down the units will drive more blacks out of the city.