September 28th 2006 Public Services Town Hall

The Town Hall Meeting For The Rivatilzation Of New Orleans Public

Services drew together activists from across the public services spectrum to

discuss what can be done revitalize local public services. It was observed

early on at the meeting that the decimation of public services in

post-Katrina New Orleans is the result of government policy not natural

catastrophe. Those involved in the meeting included Brenda Mitchell of the

United Teachers of New Orleans, retired longtime City of New Orleans

worker Randolf Scott, Katherine Wimpleberg of the Alliance For Affordable

Energy, Brad Ott of ALPH, Glenda Goins of the Iberville Housing

Development and a representative of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. All of

these speakers addressed local public services under attack in the

post-Katrina epoch. All speakers agreed that the Bush Administration and

local ruling class thugs are using the fallout from Hurricane Katrina as a

pretext to dismantle virtually those l!

ocal public services that mainly benefit the working class and the middle

class. All speakers also agreed that recovering the public services that

Katrina Survivors need requires a fightback from below. About 45 people,

nearly all locals, attended the meeting.

It was concluded at the meeting that a march in support of the

revitalization of public services is needed as a tool to bring together the

various constituents of public services in a united front. Participants in

the town hall meeting, and hopefully others, will hold a follow up meeting

next Thursday (October 12th) to begin to organize for a citywide march to

revitalize public services that will probably occur sometime in November.

Mike Howells