Stop the Baker Bill

Call on Congress to Oppose Federally-funded Gentrification

Plans are underway that would permanently shut out Black and poor folks from New Orleans. The message from Washington is loud and clear: without a public outcry, the folks who were abandoned before Katrina will be betrayed once again. Legislators who want to gentrify New Orleans see no political consequences for abandoning Black and poor people. Legislators who should have their backs are too afraid or unmotivated to move without loud popular support.

Join us in calling on Congress and, in particular, members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Progressive Caucus, to reject the Baker Bill and any other legislation seeks to revitalize the Gulf through gentrification, and to work actively to develop a rebuild plan that welcomes all New Orleanians who want to return home.

Add your voice now!

Prefix:
Name:
Email:

Address:

City:
State:
Zip:

Your personal message to your Rep. in Congress (optional):

Do not send me any updates on our progress.

Read the e-mail message that we sent to our members about this petition.

Here is the letter that we'll send to your representative and to the Congressional Black Caucus, unless your create your own. The letter will have your name on it.

Dear Representative [your rep's name],

I'm writing to express my concerns about HR 4100 (the "Baker Bill") and call on you to reject this bill and any other that uses gentrification as a component of rebuilding New Orleans or the Gulf. I also urge you to work actively to develop a rebuild plan that welcomes all New Orleanians who want to return home.

The Baker Bill will systematically destroy the Black community in New Orleans—one of the most deeply rooted Black communities in this country, and an essential part of the character of New Orleans—and shut working class and poor people out of the city. All citizens of New Orleans—who have paid taxes, paid rent, worked, owned homes, invested and built their lives there—deserve a plan which respects their rights as citizens, and their right to exist as a community. By buying residents out, rather than investing in New Orleanians and enabling them to be a part of the revitalization of their communities, the Baker Bill will create a boon for developers while doing little to benefit the majority of the people of New Orleans, especially the working class and poor.

[The following sentence will be added in letters to members of the Congressional Black Caucus or the Progressive Caucus:

As a member of the Congressional Black Caucus/Progressive Caucus, I would expect you to be one of the first to call out this kind of legislation for what it is, and to insist on a just rebuild that doesn't sell out African-Americans as well as working class and poor New Orleanians. I am disappointed that you have not done so, and hope to hear you speak out soon.]

Sincerely,

[Your name here]