The description of The New Orleans Healing Center as a "Green Zone" relative to the process of gentrification in New Orleans is not a reference to its green washed image. Instead it is in reference to the Healing Center's dimension as a fortified outpost functioning as a base for aggressive, re-development practices and commercial co-optation of anarchistic and non-profit Katrina era volunteer aesthetics and nomenclature. It features a police sub-station, security cameras, and vigilantes, all within a historically well established context of contentious development practices.

The New Orleans Healing Center: A Green Zone of Gentrification in New Orleans

By Anonymous

The center is the pet project of the notorious New Orleans developer Pres Kabacoff. Kabakoff is a primary author and profiteer behind the decimation of public housing in New Orleans.

The story of his infamy really begins with the re-development of the St. Thomas housing projects.

Politically St. Thomas was the most well organized housing project in the city. As a result they negotiated guaranteed numbers of low income units and cooperative community businesses to enrich tenants. This appeared to be supported by Kabacoff initially. Behind the scenes Kabakof's company HRI bought up the property around St. Thomas at cheap prices.

Kabacoff announced that it would be impossible to completely fund the project, and brought a Wal-Mart in to the development to subsidize the project. Kabacoff then flipped properties accrued in the land grab at an inflated price to further the Wal-Mart development.

The betrayal of St. Thomas that Kabacoff orchestrated effectively decapitated the political organization of public housing in New Orleans. As a result most of New Orleans large housing projects were re-developed, displacing the majority of its low income residents.

Currently Kabacoff holds the contract to re-develop the historic Iberville projects. The projects are in prime real estate immediately adjacent to the high priced French Quarter.

A current plan exists to displace these residents to the West Bank of New Orleans and New Orleans East. These locations are a a veritable boon docks by comparison being far from much needed services, businesses, transportation, and job opportunities.

Many sub-cultural transplants know the Iberville projects from the popular bounce song "Iberville" by the slain rapper Messy Mya.

In addition, there are strong murmurs that Kabacoff will be a primary investor in the New Orleans Parish Prison. New Orleans and Louisiana both have the highest per-capita prison populations in the world, with incarceration being one of the states most dependably profitable industries. Currently the Orleans Parish Prison operates on a Per Diem system where the prison receives payment based on number of inmates. This has led to artificial over-crowding under sub-human conditions and abuses.

Kabacoff is a proponent of the movement for private citizens to create and maintain networks of unregulated security cameras to aid NOPD in their investigations.

The Healing Center features such a camera system which films the neighborhood and anyone who enters the Healing Center.

The Healing Center features a Food Co-Op, Yoga lessons, and meeting space. It also features the offices of the wanna-be vigilante Guardian Angels and a sub-station for the brutal 5th district police. It was the 5th district police force that attacked the Krewe of Eris parade in 2011 and closed down The Iron Rail Infoshop. This is in addition to their systemic daily oppression of many black youth.

All these elements are a form of militaristic fortification to protect the resources and agenda of the primary stake holders in the profit based re-development of the St. Claude area.

The legitimacy of any event, organization, or business that exists within this green zone is called into question. If they are committed to the community, or supported by the community, why do they appear unable to exist outside the patronage and protection of a space which is so alien to it?

For more on St. Thomas see: http://www.hopehouseneworleans.org/HOPEVIandStThomas.pdf

For more on the effects of displacement from public housing
http://www.mascontext.com/issues/8-public-winter-10/despair/

For some recent struggles around public housing at B.W. Cooper
http://www.bestofneworleans.com/blogofneworleans/archives/2011/03/31/bw-copper-community-demand-jobs-transparency

For more recent stuff on Orleans Parish Prison
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/05/orleans_parish_prison_violence.html

Share