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The massive Desire housing development had become a
symbol of everything that was wrong with public housing. This day, the wrecking ball
signified the beginning of a new era. The buildings were being razed to build new
townhouses. It was especially nostalgic for me because my mother and uncle worked as
teachers in the neighborhood. Tearing down the bricks was symbolic. With the efforts of
Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros, we were initiating a new direction for public housing in
New Orleans. -Mayor Marc H. Morial Public Housing
Revitalization It is real good to be here today. First, a lot of thanks today to God for staying onto us and keeping us moving and from getting bogged down; second, to the board of commissioners and the staff of the housing authority - from the executive director all the way down and all the way across. We want to thank them for keeping the faith and working hard on the agenda for change. Last, but first, the residents of Desire, because I remember back in March of 1994, you all remember, when Dick Gregory was here and we stood out protesting. We were protesting that decisions were taking place on the future of this neighborhood without access and without involvement. We were protesting contracts, which had been let without regard to open access for minority contractors and without an opportunity for residents to work in the rebuilding of their own neighborhood. I am excited to be here today because we have got something going in New Orleans that will be a model for the nation. Here, public housing residents are empowered, public housing residents are at the big table, they are at the real table having real discussions and making real decisions to rebuild Desire. As I walked up, a long-time resident of the neighborhood said this was a sad day and a happy day. It is a sad day because, in these empty apartments, leaders grew up. In these empty apartments, young men and women, who are now the backbone of this community, grew up. What failed in Desire was not the people of Desire. What failed in Desire is the system. What failed in Desire was not the heart of the community or the tears and spirit of the people. It is the heart, it is the tears, and it is the spirit of the people upon which a new Desire will be built. We are here today to knock down these bricks and the mortar, but also to light a flame, which is going to burn brightly and continuously; a flame that renews the spirit that was this neighborhood and this community for so many years. My mother taught school here for 15 years at Dunn. My uncle was the principal at Carver Middle School. I feel kind of special about this neighborhood. I feel real special about it, and I am excited about today, because 220 units and 40 buildings come down. But in a year, 124 town homes are going to be built in their stead. Mike Kelly and Ike Spears, the entire board, the staff, the architects, the residents - there is a lot of credit to go around; but there is someone here today whose interest and involvement made this possible - Henry Cisneros, the secretary of housing and urban development. He is easily the best person to ever serve in that job. I will say it here, and I will say it on Capitol Hill, and I will say it on the news. He is a former mayor, which is important. But more important than that, he is a public official that has heart - two kinds of heart. One is compassion; and you know the other kind of heart - survival, the willingness to buck the trend. When we visited in my office in July 1994 he challenged us. He said your Housing Authority is in deep trouble; your housing authority is on the wrong track, your Housing Authority is not making progress, it is digressing. He challenged us to come with a new way, to come with a better way, to come with a more sensible way to turn this neighborhood and every public housing neighborhood around. Community policing was instituted here, and the murder rate has gone down. I want to shout it because I want every Republican and every Democrat inside beltway to hear. I want every Republican and every Democrat who has a minute in their schedule to come down here and see it. I want the word to go up to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that we appreciate Henry Cisneros, that we appreciate his willingness to give us a chance to build a model to bring residents and public officials together, to bring this community together, to build something new and build something better - something new and something better. We know that we still have problems, and we know that we still have challenges. We also know that nobody inside the beltway can fix these problems. We have got to fix it. All we need from Washington is not a hand out, but a hand up. So today, I am going to bring the secretary on, and after he speaks we are going to do a little ceremony with these machines and take some of these bricks down. I am going to get one of these bricks, and I am going to hold it as a special kind of souvenir. This is a great day for New Orleans, but it is only a beginning. We have other developments to focus on and to tackle, but we are at the table together. We are at the table united, and we are at the table because we have a secretary who has allowed us and empowered us to make a difference. Ladies and gentleman of New Orleans, our very good friend, the secretary of the department of housing and urban development, Henry Cisneros. |
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