LoungeMachine
08-29-2006, 05:30 PM
Public Housing Hoax Mars New Orleans Recovery Summit
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, August 28, 2006 (ENS) - A political jester posing as a federal public housing official today took the podium at a New Orleans event held to plan the recovery of the city and promised to reopen housing units now targeted for replacement by mixed income development.
Activist Andy Bichlbaum, pretending to be Housing and Urban Development "Assistant Deputy Secretary Rene Oswin," a non-existant identity, told hundreds of contractors at the Gulf Coast Reconstruction and Hurricane Preparedness Summit that he would "fix New Orleans, not just for the benefit of a few but for everyone."
But the real Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) called the performance a scam.
In a statement today, HUD said, "It is terribly sad that someone would perpetuate such a cruel hoax and play on the fears and anxieties of families who are desperate to return to their homes."
Andy Bichlbaum of The Yes Men impersonated a Housing and Urban Development official at the Gulf Coast Reconstruction and Hurricane Preparedness Summit today. (Photo courtesy InfoWars)
Despite false statements made today, HUD said it is "moving forward with its plan to redevelop New Orleans public housing so that families will have the opportunity to return to better, safer neighborhoods."
Bichlbaum is a member of The Yes Men, a small group of culture jamming activists who practice what they call "identity correction." Posing as public officials, they express the idea that government agencies and corporations can act in dehumanizing ways. Their performances are sometimes very convincing, as Bichlbaum's was in New Orleans today where the audience applauded his announcement.
The Yes Men have posed as spokespeople for The World Trade Organization, McDonald's, and Dow Chemical. Their experiences have been documented in the film "The Yes Men," distributed by United Artists, as well as the book, "The Yes Men: The True Story of the End of the World Trade Organization."
The summit at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner, Louisiana was held the day before the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed 80 percent of the city and forced the closure of New Orleans public housing. More than 200,000 homes and rental units were severely damaged or destroyed, leaving 780,000 Louisiana residents displaced.
In a further action of the multi-part hoax, a bogus email was sent to the Environment News Service and other news organizations claiming that HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson "admitted that the agency has been headed down the wrong path for the last year."
Volunteers from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks remove debris from the inside of this New Orleans home during spring break. March 13, 2006. (Photo by Marvin Nauman courtesy FEMA)
"Our charter, here at HUD, is to ensure access to affordable housing for those who need it the most. This past year in New Orleans, I am ashamed to say that we have clearly failed to do this," Jackson was quoted as saying in the false press release.
The false announcement offered "a significant increase in funding, amounting to 3.8 billion dollars in renovation and opportunity-creation contracts in the affected communities."
But despite these false statements, the real HUD said the agency is "working with the local community to redevelop C.J. Peete, B.W. Cooper, Lafitte and St. Bernard public housing developments to make way for a mixture of public housing, affordable rental housing and single-family homes."
"HUD also announced plans for mixed-income affordable housing, homeownership opportunities and services for the former families of Lafitte. The Department has also invested $500,000 to the city's Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan or charrette process."
The summit, which included speeches by Governor Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, is part of an overall push to renew interest in Louisiana recovery on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, August 28, 2006 (ENS) - A political jester posing as a federal public housing official today took the podium at a New Orleans event held to plan the recovery of the city and promised to reopen housing units now targeted for replacement by mixed income development.
Activist Andy Bichlbaum, pretending to be Housing and Urban Development "Assistant Deputy Secretary Rene Oswin," a non-existant identity, told hundreds of contractors at the Gulf Coast Reconstruction and Hurricane Preparedness Summit that he would "fix New Orleans, not just for the benefit of a few but for everyone."
But the real Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) called the performance a scam.
In a statement today, HUD said, "It is terribly sad that someone would perpetuate such a cruel hoax and play on the fears and anxieties of families who are desperate to return to their homes."
Andy Bichlbaum of The Yes Men impersonated a Housing and Urban Development official at the Gulf Coast Reconstruction and Hurricane Preparedness Summit today. (Photo courtesy InfoWars)
Despite false statements made today, HUD said it is "moving forward with its plan to redevelop New Orleans public housing so that families will have the opportunity to return to better, safer neighborhoods."
Bichlbaum is a member of The Yes Men, a small group of culture jamming activists who practice what they call "identity correction." Posing as public officials, they express the idea that government agencies and corporations can act in dehumanizing ways. Their performances are sometimes very convincing, as Bichlbaum's was in New Orleans today where the audience applauded his announcement.
The Yes Men have posed as spokespeople for The World Trade Organization, McDonald's, and Dow Chemical. Their experiences have been documented in the film "The Yes Men," distributed by United Artists, as well as the book, "The Yes Men: The True Story of the End of the World Trade Organization."
The summit at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner, Louisiana was held the day before the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed 80 percent of the city and forced the closure of New Orleans public housing. More than 200,000 homes and rental units were severely damaged or destroyed, leaving 780,000 Louisiana residents displaced.
In a further action of the multi-part hoax, a bogus email was sent to the Environment News Service and other news organizations claiming that HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson "admitted that the agency has been headed down the wrong path for the last year."
Volunteers from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks remove debris from the inside of this New Orleans home during spring break. March 13, 2006. (Photo by Marvin Nauman courtesy FEMA)
"Our charter, here at HUD, is to ensure access to affordable housing for those who need it the most. This past year in New Orleans, I am ashamed to say that we have clearly failed to do this," Jackson was quoted as saying in the false press release.
The false announcement offered "a significant increase in funding, amounting to 3.8 billion dollars in renovation and opportunity-creation contracts in the affected communities."
But despite these false statements, the real HUD said the agency is "working with the local community to redevelop C.J. Peete, B.W. Cooper, Lafitte and St. Bernard public housing developments to make way for a mixture of public housing, affordable rental housing and single-family homes."
"HUD also announced plans for mixed-income affordable housing, homeownership opportunities and services for the former families of Lafitte. The Department has also invested $500,000 to the city's Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan or charrette process."
The summit, which included speeches by Governor Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, is part of an overall push to renew interest in Louisiana recovery on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.