Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Group rallies in support of cottages
Original Article: http://www.sunherald.com/local/story/1094988.html
By J.R. WELSH - jrwelsh@sunherald.com
WAVELAND — A small group of residents rallied Monday in support of a pending lawsuit and their push to keep living in Mississippi cottages when a state program expires.
About 20 cottage residents gathered at the Waveland ball field on Central Avenue, carrying homemade signs and making short speeches. Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed Friday on the issue is expected to make its way to court this week.
“We need this permanent housing,” Andrew Canter, a lawyer at the Mississippi Center for Justice, told those at the rally. “We’re not going to let it be taken back.”
Canter and another lawyer from the justice center filed suit on behalf of eight Waveland residents still living in the small hurricane-relief cottages. They sued Waveland Mayor Tommy Longo and the Board of Aldermen, saying the city acted improperly when it decided to allow cottages to stay only in areas zoned for trailers when a housing program by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency expires at the end of March.
In response, Longo said the lawsuit was “unbelievable.” He said the city had already taken steps to change its position, renegotiate a memorandum of understanding with MEMA, and allow cottages to remain in areas zoned residential.
Canter said he would be filing an additional brief in the case, which is scheduled to be heard at 9 a.m. Friday in Chancery Court in Gulfport.
The Hancock County Board of Supervisors decided last week to allow the cottages to stay in residential neighborhoods, citing a state law that considers the structures to be modular homes, not mobile homes. Thus far the Bay St. Louis City Council has continued to restrict cottages to trailer parks.
Not everyone watching Monday’s rally of about 20 people favored the cottages. Waveland resident John Peterson, 73, sat in his car across the street holding an anti-cottage sign. He said the small, shotgun-style Mississippi cottages are ruining his investment in his home, which he rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina.
“I rebuilt a $179,000 home and I’ve got Katrina cottages near me,” Peterson said. “What does that do to my property values?”
But one after another, cottage residents and their supporters made short speeches invoking their rights to a home. MEMA has offered to sell the cottages at low prices to residents who can meet a list of criteria.
By J.R. WELSH - jrwelsh@sunherald.com
WAVELAND — A small group of residents rallied Monday in support of a pending lawsuit and their push to keep living in Mississippi cottages when a state program expires.
About 20 cottage residents gathered at the Waveland ball field on Central Avenue, carrying homemade signs and making short speeches. Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed Friday on the issue is expected to make its way to court this week.
“We need this permanent housing,” Andrew Canter, a lawyer at the Mississippi Center for Justice, told those at the rally. “We’re not going to let it be taken back.”
Canter and another lawyer from the justice center filed suit on behalf of eight Waveland residents still living in the small hurricane-relief cottages. They sued Waveland Mayor Tommy Longo and the Board of Aldermen, saying the city acted improperly when it decided to allow cottages to stay only in areas zoned for trailers when a housing program by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency expires at the end of March.
In response, Longo said the lawsuit was “unbelievable.” He said the city had already taken steps to change its position, renegotiate a memorandum of understanding with MEMA, and allow cottages to remain in areas zoned residential.
Canter said he would be filing an additional brief in the case, which is scheduled to be heard at 9 a.m. Friday in Chancery Court in Gulfport.
The Hancock County Board of Supervisors decided last week to allow the cottages to stay in residential neighborhoods, citing a state law that considers the structures to be modular homes, not mobile homes. Thus far the Bay St. Louis City Council has continued to restrict cottages to trailer parks.
Not everyone watching Monday’s rally of about 20 people favored the cottages. Waveland resident John Peterson, 73, sat in his car across the street holding an anti-cottage sign. He said the small, shotgun-style Mississippi cottages are ruining his investment in his home, which he rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina.
“I rebuilt a $179,000 home and I’ve got Katrina cottages near me,” Peterson said. “What does that do to my property values?”
But one after another, cottage residents and their supporters made short speeches invoking their rights to a home. MEMA has offered to sell the cottages at low prices to residents who can meet a list of criteria.
Labels: Biloxi, CHANGER, Cheri Honkala, FEMA, Housing, Katrina, MEMA, Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, PPEHRC, Rev. Bruce Wright, Waveland
Waveland rally a huge success!
The Waveland residents turned out for a first-ever public rally to stand for their right to housing. They were joined by PPEHRC members Cheri Honkala, Rev. Bruce Wright of Tampa, and Mary Bricker-Jenkins of CHANGERs in Tennessee.
More pictures and stories to come.
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| Waveland Rally |
More pictures and stories to come.
Labels: Biloxi, CHANGER, Cheri Honkala, FEMA, Housing, Katrina, MEMA, Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, PPEHRC, Rev. Bruce Wright, Waveland
Residents file lawsuit over Katrina cottages
Original Articles:
WAVELAND — A group of Waveland residents has filed a lawsuit against city aldermen and the mayor, claiming their rights were violated when they were refused permits to remain in Hurricane Katrina cottages.
The lawsuit was filed in Hancock County Chancery Court Friday by lawyers with the Biloxi-based Mississippi Center for Justice. It asks the court to issue a preliminary injunction against the city, forbidding officials to force the residents from their cottages when a housing program by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency expires.
MEMA officials started distributing the cottages to displaced homeowners after Katrina.
There are eight plaintiffs, some of whom are disabled. Defendants named in the suit are Waveland Mayor Tommy Longo and the city’s board of aldermen.
WAVELAND — A group of Waveland residents has filed a lawsuit against city aldermen and the mayor, claiming their rights were violated when they were refused permits to remain in Hurricane Katrina cottages.
The lawsuit was filed in Hancock County Chancery Court Friday by lawyers with the Biloxi-based Mississippi Center for Justice. It asks the court to issue a preliminary injunction against the city, forbidding officials to force the residents from their cottages when a housing program by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency expires.
MEMA officials started distributing the cottages to displaced homeowners after Katrina.
There are eight plaintiffs, some of whom are disabled. Defendants named in the suit are Waveland Mayor Tommy Longo and the city’s board of aldermen.
Labels: Biloxi, CHANGER, Cheri Honkala, FEMA, Housing, Katrina, MEMA, Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, PPEHRC, Rev. Bruce Wright, Waveland
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Jan 26th: Prayer Vigil and Rally to Save Homes in Mississippi
Dear Friends,
We need your help. On a trip to the gulf of Mississippi,
we listened to story after story of a preventable storm
about to come to Mississippi. People are going to return
to homelessness after experiencing the devastation
caused by Katrina. Some are hopefully, gonna be able to
hold on to their cottages now after the residents fought
to hold on to them. But they are not completely safe yet.
Only time will tell what other stipulations they will put on these families.
Not to mention what will happen when the FEMA/MEMA
and section 8 money is gone. Many of these families have
a timeline as early as Jan. 31st others until March.
But the time to rally around these families is now!!!
Please join us in a prayer vigil and rally to save
the homes of the families in Mississippi January 26th at
11 am on the corner of the park at Waveland Ave. and
Central Ave.
These photographs are the faces of amazing men, women
and children who are in the fight to hold on to their homes and
the homes of others. The Sargent in the photo is Sargent Kring
and his wife Cheryl and son Andrew. Sargent Kring is the man
responsible along with his family for setting up camp Katrina
in the Kmart parking lot that provided shelter for over 100
residents. He is an Iraq veteran as well. He and his family now have
to deal with the stress of not knowing if they'll have a home or not.
Mary Thorton is another leader in this process helping to
organize the rally. She is a single mother and a real fighter
as well.
Another photograph is of D. McFarland who is a retired Doctor who is
86 years old, says he delivered most of the babies in the county
than lost his wife shortly after Katrina and now may lose his
cottage. When talking to him he was more worried about the
90 year old couple down the road.
Waveland, Bayside, Pass Christian Katrina hit hard. 100 percent
was lost. These families ALL lost their homes. Many of them have
lved on their land all of their lives. 3 and a half years ago they lost
everything. Lets make sure this doesn't happen again.
Thanks for your help.
National Organizer
Cheri Honkala
Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign
We need your help. On a trip to the gulf of Mississippi,
we listened to story after story of a preventable storm
about to come to Mississippi. People are going to return
to homelessness after experiencing the devastation
caused by Katrina. Some are hopefully, gonna be able to
hold on to their cottages now after the residents fought
to hold on to them. But they are not completely safe yet.
Only time will tell what other stipulations they will put on these families.
Not to mention what will happen when the FEMA/MEMA
and section 8 money is gone. Many of these families have
a timeline as early as Jan. 31st others until March.
But the time to rally around these families is now!!!
Please join us in a prayer vigil and rally to save
the homes of the families in Mississippi January 26th at
11 am on the corner of the park at Waveland Ave. and
Central Ave.
These photographs are the faces of amazing men, women
and children who are in the fight to hold on to their homes and
the homes of others. The Sargent in the photo is Sargent Kring
and his wife Cheryl and son Andrew. Sargent Kring is the man
responsible along with his family for setting up camp Katrina
in the Kmart parking lot that provided shelter for over 100
residents. He is an Iraq veteran as well. He and his family now have
to deal with the stress of not knowing if they'll have a home or not.
Mary Thorton is another leader in this process helping to
organize the rally. She is a single mother and a real fighter
as well.
Another photograph is of D. McFarland who is a retired Doctor who is
86 years old, says he delivered most of the babies in the county
than lost his wife shortly after Katrina and now may lose his
cottage. When talking to him he was more worried about the
90 year old couple down the road.
Waveland, Bayside, Pass Christian Katrina hit hard. 100 percent
was lost. These families ALL lost their homes. Many of them have
lved on their land all of their lives. 3 and a half years ago they lost
everything. Lets make sure this doesn't happen again.
Thanks for your help.
National Organizer
Cheri Honkala
Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign
Labels: FEMA, Katrina, MEMA, Mississippi
Monday, January 5, 2009
Cottage residents plead with Hancock Co. supervisors
By Al Showers
Original Article: http://www.wlox.com/global/story.asp?s=9620576
BAY ST. LOUIS, MS (WLOX) - The controversial Mississippi cottage issue drew tears, anger and a little hope at Monday's Hancock Board of Supervisors meeting. Facing the prospect of being homeless when the Mississippi cottage program ends, residents begged supervisors to turn the temporary homes into permanent housing. The stories were heartbreaking. See video of the cottages
"If y'all could just please let us keep our houses," Bay St. Louis resident Donna Darensbourg said.
"She's raising three kids in a MEMA cottage right now. She don't have nowhere to go," Hancock County resident Rhonda Green said.
Katrina survivors, almost three and a half years after the storm, find themselves still struggling to survive. They're about to lose the only homes they have - a Mississippi cottage.
"We will be homeless. We'll have to revert to tents," Waveland resident Cheryl Kring said.
Most of the people pleading with supervisors live in the Bayside Park community. The neighborhood has about 180 cottages currently in use. But when the temporary housing program ends in March, those cottages will go away. That's because county supervisors have said "no" to allowing the cottages to remain in the Bayside Park neighborhood. Watch video of residents pleading.
Mary Thornton hopes a petition drive she started will convince county leaders that the cottages should stay.
"Here's my signed petition this morning. I left home with a little over 300," Thornton told supervisors. "Nobody asked for Katrina. We all got it and we got to face up to what we're facing today."
The cottage debate has captured the attention of a national organization - The Poor People's Economics Human Rights Campaign. One of that group's housing advocates also pleaded with supervisors not to close the door on permanent cottages.
Housing advocate Cheri Honkala said, "The devastation that people suffered here as a result of Katrina, they shouldn't have to relive through it again. So we're prepared to bring national leaders here to Mississippi - celebrities, members of the clergy, you name it - from around the entire country, if you don't leave these families alone in the cottages and let them go on with their lives."
While supervisors took no official action to reconsider the cottage issue, the pleas of the people seemed to be getting through.
"I have relatives in cottages, " District 2 Supervisor David Yarborough said. "The people I represent are you, the poor people."
A central issue in the cottage debate is whether the temporary homes are considered mobile homes or modular homes. One man, who will lose his cottage if supervisors don't change their decision, told them there is a precedent that put cottages in the "modular home" category.
Original Article: http://www.wlox.com/global/story.asp?s=9620576
BAY ST. LOUIS, MS (WLOX) - The controversial Mississippi cottage issue drew tears, anger and a little hope at Monday's Hancock Board of Supervisors meeting. Facing the prospect of being homeless when the Mississippi cottage program ends, residents begged supervisors to turn the temporary homes into permanent housing. The stories were heartbreaking. See video of the cottages
"If y'all could just please let us keep our houses," Bay St. Louis resident Donna Darensbourg said.
"She's raising three kids in a MEMA cottage right now. She don't have nowhere to go," Hancock County resident Rhonda Green said.
Katrina survivors, almost three and a half years after the storm, find themselves still struggling to survive. They're about to lose the only homes they have - a Mississippi cottage.
"We will be homeless. We'll have to revert to tents," Waveland resident Cheryl Kring said.
Most of the people pleading with supervisors live in the Bayside Park community. The neighborhood has about 180 cottages currently in use. But when the temporary housing program ends in March, those cottages will go away. That's because county supervisors have said "no" to allowing the cottages to remain in the Bayside Park neighborhood. Watch video of residents pleading.
Mary Thornton hopes a petition drive she started will convince county leaders that the cottages should stay.
"Here's my signed petition this morning. I left home with a little over 300," Thornton told supervisors. "Nobody asked for Katrina. We all got it and we got to face up to what we're facing today."
The cottage debate has captured the attention of a national organization - The Poor People's Economics Human Rights Campaign. One of that group's housing advocates also pleaded with supervisors not to close the door on permanent cottages.
Housing advocate Cheri Honkala said, "The devastation that people suffered here as a result of Katrina, they shouldn't have to relive through it again. So we're prepared to bring national leaders here to Mississippi - celebrities, members of the clergy, you name it - from around the entire country, if you don't leave these families alone in the cottages and let them go on with their lives."
While supervisors took no official action to reconsider the cottage issue, the pleas of the people seemed to be getting through.
"I have relatives in cottages, " District 2 Supervisor David Yarborough said. "The people I represent are you, the poor people."
A central issue in the cottage debate is whether the temporary homes are considered mobile homes or modular homes. One man, who will lose his cottage if supervisors don't change their decision, told them there is a precedent that put cottages in the "modular home" category.
Labels: Biloxi, FEMA, Katrina, MEMA
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