CommunityLaborUnited.net

PHRF is working to build a People’s movement – a movement of grassroots persons disproportionately impacted by Hurricane Katrina and the dehumanizing treatment they received from local, state, and federal officials.

By grassroots, we are referring to those members of our community who are: (1) surviving families of people who perished; (2) surviving families of those who are still missing family members; (3) survivors of the Superdome & Convention Center; (4) survivors of those left on the interstates & the Crescent City Connection; (5) survivors of sexual and law enforcement violence; (6) homeowners in the 9th ward (both upper & lower); (7) renters who are being evicted and; (8) low income displaced people/survivors of the New Orleans and Gulf Coast Region.

Primary Goals of PHRF:
- To build and maintain a coordinated network of community leaders, organizers and community based organizations with the capacity and organizational infrastructure that can help to meet the needs of people most impacted by Hurricane Katrina and government neglect
- To facilitate an oranizing process that will demand local, grassroots leadership with national and international support. Foster people of color leadership, particularly black leadership, with the support of a multi-racial alliance. Place special emphasis on the involvement of women, people of color, poor, gay, lesbian, queer, and transgender populations, immigrants, indigenous, youth, and people with disabilities in the relief, return and reconstruction process in New Orleans.
- Create and maintain an ongoing space for networking and strategizing between organizers and volunteers
- Facilitate return/rebuild process and ensure local, grassroots leadership and participation in every phase. Ensure mechanisms by which those who want to return to home to New Orleans are able to, regardless of economic, geographical, or citizenship status prior to displacement.

Since Hurricane Katrina, PHRF has held two strategic planning sessions: one on
September 8, Baton Rouge, LA, and the second on September 30 through October 2, at Penn Center, SC. Out of these sessions, goals and demands were identified and an Interim Coordinating Committee (ICC) was formed. The ICC consists of 10 members meeting weekly on budget, staff and activities planning and implementation.

Also from these meetings, 12 Work Groups and 2 Caucuses were formed that identified goals and are working to implement comprehensive strategies. Below is a listing of these workgroups and caucuses and their contact information:

Arts, Culture and Story Collection- Contact: Queenressie@aol.com
- Developing a Katrina educational/political production
- Planning workshops on indigenous New Orleans culture
- Working in conjunction with PHRF Legal Team to create a national archive of hurricane survivor stories
- Authoring a song and planning cultural components for the December 9th and 10th events taking place in Jackson, MS, and New Orleans

Economic Justice- contact: Joanna.dubinsky@gmail.com
- Developing a proposal for a New Orleans Workers Center
- Supporting worker rights issues

Education- contact: education@communitylaborunited.net
- “Finding Our Folks Tour” with the Young Peoples Project
- Developing a Katrina Curriculum- to be distributed to schools and after school programs
- Katrina Quilt- made up of pieces made by children affected by Katrina

Environmental Health and Justice- contact: environmental@communitylaborunited.net
- Working with group of environmental experts to do independent testing in New Orleans
- Distributing protective wear and supplies (goggles, gloves, respirators)
- Compiling information for a community education report on testing results

Finance and Fund Raising- contact: finance@communitylaborunited.net
- Works with the Vanguard Public Foundation (fiscal agent)
- Meets bi-weekly to discuss finance and fundraising issues
- Grant Writing
- Has raised about $500,000 as of November 1, 2005

Health Care- contact: health@communitylaborunited.net
- Sends volunteers to work with existing health care operations in New Orleans
- Provides referrals

Legal- contact: legal@communitylaborunited.net
- Training and coordinating survivor story collection toward archive
- Initiating lawsuits on issues such as eviction, neighborhood bulldozing, gentrification, Gretna Police Department

Media- contact: media@communitylaborunited.net
- Established internal Communications Flow protocol
- Works to support partner organizations events and planning
- Developing a media plan for December events
- Generates and Disseminates materials
- Supports Outreach, website development
- Working to hold a full strategy session on optimizing media efforts

Reconstruction- contact: Caesar@mit.edu
- Convening a group of architects, carpenters, developers to layout a plan of reconstruction. Focusing on the 9th and 7th Wards of New Orleans

Safety Justice and Accountability- contact: lynn.evelyn@gmail.com
- Held press conference calling for Independent Investigation in Orleans Parish Prison Evacuation
- Developing proposal for unified criminal justice collaborative on local, regional and national levels
- Convening a session on the development of a tribunal addressing the accountability of the governments responsibility in this travesty

Volunteer Coordination- individual- contact: volunteer@communitylaborunited.net
- Linking volunteers to on the ground community efforts (clean-up and story collection)

Volunteer Coordination- organizational- contact: elizacorps@yahoo.com
Ongoing development of a database of supportive organizations
Outreach to build a united front for comprehensive reconstruction and justice

Caucuses:

National Solidarity Caucus- contact: saladin62@aol.com
- In contact with national supporters in Philadelphia, New York city, Washington, D.C. Baltimore, Richmond, Detroit, California’s Bay Area, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, North Carolina’s Raleigh/Mountain
- Supporting the building of Survivor Councils nationwide
- Developing plan to unify organizing efforts

Women’s Caucus- contact: margaretprescod@crossroadswomen.net
- Developed ‘Terms of Reference’ as Guiding Principles to raise women’s issues childcare and legal issues
- Working to support the opening of a Women’s Clinic in New Orleans and have a space for women to convene

Communication Centers:

In addition, PHRF has opened two Community Communications Relief Centers:

Jackson, MS- 253 Pine Hollow Circle, Jackson, MS 39212 601.346.5970

New Orleans, LA- 2226 Ursulines Avenue, New Orleans, LA
(mail to: 100 Bourbon Street, New Orleans, LA 70130)