A group of hurricane survivors, local advocates and public interest lawyers (including 2 Stanford Law School alumnae) are taking the lead in addressing the vast housing and community development needs created by Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged the Gulf Coast. Not only did the storm cause physical and emotional devastation, it left behind a myriad of legal hurdles faced by survivors simply trying to rebuild their lives and communities. Over 65,000 homes have been destroyed in this area. Thousands lost everything and even now, six months after the storm, they find themselves living in tents, cars, and shelters. Thousands more struggle to continue living in damaged and dangerous homes without any housing alternatives.
Many residents lived in a dangerous state of poverty before Katrina, and the toll the hurricanes continue to take on them magnifies the disempowering force of poverty. Sadly, this natural disaster has unearthed forms of discrimination that society thought were left to the history books: “whites only” signs and advertisements, armed police in Gretna barring African Americans trying to evacuate New Orleans, and striking images of inequality on a massive scale. In response, the Lawyers' Committee, Mississippi Center for Justice and the North Gulfport Community Land Conservancy continue to combat this discrimination and assist vulnerable communities affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Speakers include:
Trisha Miller (JD '04), Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
Jon Hooks, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
Rose Johnson, North Gulfport Community Land Conservancy
Howard Page, North Gulfport Community Land Conservancy
Shakti Belway (JD '05), Mississippi Center for Justice
Lunch will be provided.