The Crime Problem in New Orleans Public Housing

Commenters to my New Orleans posts frequently suggest that the city has brought its problems on itself, due to its culture of corruption. Some of them like to assert a contrast between that way of doing business and what goes on in Washington. Yes, everybody's got a sense of humor these days.

So here's the latest in a series of reports from Edward Pound of the National Journal, who, along with my friend Lolis Eric Elie of the Times-Picayune, is the only journalist following the adventures of HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson, as he leads the demolition of four habitable New Orleans public housing complexes at a time of an affordable housing crisis in the city. Jackson, it would appear from this report, is suspected of--imagine this!--corrupt dealings with those he or his aides have chosen for lucrative contracts in the demolition and reconstruction at the project sites.

As Elie wrote in the Times-Picayune this week, we've solve the problem of crime at the public housing projects by walking it upstairs in class. Now it's white-collar crime, and it's not about dollars, it's about millions.

This is what happens when the grownups are in charge.

Comments

[Bienville]

"There may be crime in the projects after all - even if the residents are gone. Consider the following examples:

"HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson has his own reasons for pressing ahead with the demolitions. HUD has approved plans to turn over scores of acres of prime public land to private developers for 99-year leases and give hundreds of millions of dollars in direct grants, tax credit subsidies and long-term contracts. One of the developers described it as the biggest tax-credit giveaway in years.

"Investigative reporter Edward T. Pound, of the National Journal, has uncovered many questionable and several potentially criminal actions by HUD in New Orleans. Pound reported HUD Secretary Jackson worked with, and is owed over $250,000 from, an Atlanta-based company, Columbia Residential. Columbia Residential was part of a team that was awarded a $127 million contract by HUD to develop the St. Bernard housing development. Columbia was also awarded other earlier contracts for as yet undisclosed amounts under still undisclosed circumstances.

"Pound also discovered a golfing buddy and social friend of Secretary Jackson was given a no-bid $175 an hour "emergency" contract with HUD within months of Katrina. The buddy, William Hairston, was ultimately paid more than $485,000 for working at the Housing Authority of New Orleans over an 18-month period.

"A review of the dozens of no-bid contracts approved by HUD in New Orleans shows millions going to politically connected consultants, law firms, architects and insurance brokers.

Read the whole article at
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120307A.shtml

[Silpat]

Those people are animals. They have raised the crime rate to astronomical levels in their own city and abroad.

I say put them in a cage on Alcatraz and throw away the key.
HARRY INQUIRES: Did you read the linked stories? "Those people" now include cabinet secretaries of the Republican administration. You dig?

[Steve]

HARRY INQUIRES: "'Those people' now include cabinet secretaries of the Republican administration. You dig?"

The prosecution rests its case, your honor.

[askmeificare]

Nagan did say it would would be re-built the way it was. Getting the crime rates up must make everyone feel at home.

[antispin]

I guess there just aren't very many honest black Republicans out there to choose from. Remember Claude Allen? http://www.talkleft.com/story/2006/03/10/182/17332 I'll bet he's not on the WH socials short list.

From the Picayune:

"Despite the criminal inquiry, which involves federal prosecutors, the grand jury, the FBI, and HUD investigators, Jackson has remained in the Cabinet post he has held since 2004. That is not entirely surprising. He is a close friend of President Bush's from their days in Texas. Jackson's wife is a friend of first lady Laura Bush's and often attends social functions at the White House. In 2001, President Bush appointed Mrs. Jackson to the Commission on Presidential Scholars."

It's so nice these folks can be so chummy. And loyal chums they are (from wiki):

Selecting contractors based on politics

On April 28, 2006, Jackson spoke at a meeting in Dallas and addressed the subject of government contracting. He recounted that a prospective African-American HUD contractor had made a "heck of a proposal" and was selected upon the basis of that proposal, but upon thanking Secretary Jackson for being selected the bidder, mentioned that he did not like President Bush. As a result, Jackson said, the bidder who had criticized Bush did not receive the contract: "Brother, you have a disconnect " the president is elected, I was selected. You wouldn"t be getting the contract unless I was sitting here. If you have a problem with the president, don"t tell the secretary." Jackson asked the crowd, "Why should I reward someone who doesn't like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don't get the contract. That's the way I believe."

[philistine]

"Why should I reward someone who doesn't like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don't get the contract. That's the way I believe." - Alphonso Jackson

That sums up the NeoCon strategy. EVERYTHING is based on politics. Starve the enemy (the enemy being the American people). Reward friends lavishly, be they competent or otherwise. Lie when necessary - "noble" or otherwise. Give no quarter.

This would be amusing if it weren't so painful.

[luziannagirl]

philistine wrote, "..Starve the enemy..."

To that I will add, "and/or allow him to drown" .

[Bienville]

This has been the subject of several Times Picayune articles. It's a pity that NOLA.com doesn't have more articles its online archive. (Apologies if NOLA does have more articles and I'm too dense to find them.)

[philistine]

If you are a paid subsriber, you get access to articles older than 14 days.

[1will]

Corruption in New Orleans? You must be joking.

[Bienville]

Interesting. In 2004, the states were ranked according to the number of public corruption presecutions.

http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/corruptreport.pdf

Louisiana is certainly no babe-in-arms, but can you guess which other Katrina-racked state was more corrupt than Louisiana? Hint: It is a state that many Rs have granted unearned praise for its supposedly-far-better-than-Louisiana response to hurricanes.

[philistine]

That is an interesting report. Thank you for pointing it out. Especially interesting is the following: "We calculated the District [of Columbia]"s corruption rate as 79.33. This is more than ten times what Mississippi"s corruption rate is " and Mississippi is the most corrupt state in the country.... It can be said that the District is the most corrupt political entity in the
nation " but that"s only because it"s the seat of an apparently actively corrupt federal government " with 453 public corruption convictions over a ten-year period." Wow.

1will also neglected to notice that Alphonso Jackson works for the US, not NO or LA. He is a federal problem, not a NO problem. I guess his reading comprehension level needs work.