Illinois Student Legal Relief

Obama Vows to Rebuild New Orleans

2009-10-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

NPR has this exciting little gem about a recent comment by President Obama during his first trip to The Big Easy that expresses Obama's desire to help rebuild New Orleans.

While Student Hurricane Network does its part to try and ramp up on the ground assistance, it looks like the White House will be a strong ally in top-down action, too.

We hope this help will be strong and swift.

Read the article here.

Galveston Recovering, but Still Faces Problems

2009-09-21T07:01:00.000-07:00

GALVESTON, Tex. — There are many signs that this seaside town has revived a year after Hurricane Ike flooded more than 17,000 homes and businesses. The big resorts are humming again, and on hot days people throng the newly restored beaches. The port is open, and the cruise ships are back. Most of the businesses on the Strand, the island’s historic strip of shops and restaurants, have reopened.

Yet the progress has been slow, and officials say it may be several years before the city fully recovers.

With the debris cleared, the main thoroughfares appear now much as they did before the storm, but on the backstreets, thousands of residents — in particular the poor and elderly who lacked insurance — are still struggling with the lingering effects of the hurricane.

Continue reading the article at the New York Times...

First Fundraiser Huge Success!

2009-09-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

A big congratulations to the Student Hurricane Network volunteers yesterday for their efforts in raising over $800 in donations for our work this winter in the Gulf!

First Fundraiser Coming Up!

2009-09-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

Are you ready to get out there and help U of I students provide legal aid to the Gulf Coast? Help out at our first football fundraiser this Saturday! Those Cards don't stand a chance!

September 12, 2008: University of Illinois v. Illinois State University

For more information, email: mille125@law.illinois.edu

Grand Jury Probing Post-Katrina NOLA Police

2009-09-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

Katrina continues to have legal consequences in the Big Easy. It's likely that SHN might not be able to provide assistance on this when we head down for our week of volunteering, however, this is yet another thing to keep in mind when people say to you that New Orleans can't be hurting anymore after all this time.

From the New Orleans Times-Picayun e:

For the past several months, the federal building on Poydras Street has seen a steady stream of New Orleans police officers trudge in and out, all of them testifying before grand jurors gathering evidence of possible civil rights violations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina -- allegations that center on police misbehavior.

Federal agents, meanwhile, have been studying police e-mails and documents obtained by subpoena -- as well as through a surprise search warrant executed on the New Orleans Police Department homicide office -- in an attempt to ferret out exactly what happened in the chaotic days after the storm.

Continue reading this article here.

The State of the Levees

2008-09-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Gustav left New Orleans in relatively good shape, despite some flooding, compared to Katrina. Nevertheless, the 2008 Hurricane Season is not over and a large hurricane could very well be disastrous for New Orleans. To learn more about the state of the levees and their potential to withstand future storms, listen to NPR's story, Can New Orleans Weather Another Storm?

Upcoming Fundraising Events

2008-09-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

September 11, 2008: Burrito Bar (with PILF) at the College of Law, during Peer's Pub

September 20, 2008: Car Wash Fundraiser, 10 AM until 3 PM (approximately), at Advance Auto Parts (corner of Main & Vine, Urbana) Advance Auto Parts is in front of the Schnucks in Urbana.

Football Fundraiser Dates

2008-09-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

2008 Fall Football Game Bead Toss

September 06, 2008: University of Illinois v. Eastern Illinois University

September 13, 2008: University of Illinois v. Louisiana-Lafayette

October 11, 2008: University of Illinois v. Minnesota

October 18, 2008: University of Illinois v. Indiana

November 1, 2008: University of Illinois v. Iowa

For more information, email: msoucie2@law.uiuc.edu

Oil spill cleanup near NOLA - 7/23/08

2008-07-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

An oil spill covered the Mississippi River near New Orleans when an accident occurred on Wednesday.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25817156/

Look on nola.com for up to date information. People are stocking up on bottled water because there's a chance that tap water may not be safe to drink yet.

My contact in New Orleans has informed me that a group of volunteers at the Healthy Soil Project (healthysoilproject@gmail.com) has been working to help with the cleanup on their turf (no pun intended). This is a group that has been working on getting toxins out of the soil near the levees over the last year. If you want to help, they are accepting donations of respirators, tyvek suits, joy brand dish soap, and hair mats (if you want to mail any of these items, please contact the email address above), as well as donations of money.

Who Are the People in Your Network? (Part II)

2008-05-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

So after a long absence I'm back with a new post. I hope that everyone's having a good summer so far. A long time ago I posted an interview with Miranda Soucie and promised others. Well here I am making good on my promise. Meet Conor O'Brien, incoming Vice President of the SHN, who was kind enough to answer my questions.

Q: Where are you from?

A: I'm from Brecksville, Ohio, but I consider Chicago home. I went to undergrad in the city and lived on the North Side for several years while working in the western suburbs.

Q: What year (in law school) are you?

A: Since finals are over, I have the distinct privilege of being a 2L (second year law student).

Q: What did you do in New Orleans last December?

A: Last Winter break in New Orleans I did physical labor with the Lower 9th Ward Community Village. We gutted damaged homes, removed debris, re-roofed the local community center and built a temporary kitchen structure to serve meals to members of the community still living in the Lower 9th Ward.

Q: What do you anticipate will be your biggest challenge as Vice President of Illinois Chapter of the Student Hurricane Network?

A: Funding. We were one of the largest groups of law students to help with SHN [in New Orleans] over the past year and the largest ever from the College of Law, but this was a banner year in terms of grants from the university and fund raising. We will need a great fund raising effort and some more help from the university to reach the Executive Board's goal of 2 trips to New Orleans.

Q: What prompted you to run for Vice President of SHN?

A: I decided to run for VP because I have a background in fundraising and logistics from my previous career in marketing and finance. Given this background, I figured I could help to make this year's SHN trip the most successful yet. I had a great experience on last year's trip and really wanted to be a part of the team that helps organize such an important effort. It's amazing how much work there is to be done for this area almost 3 years following the storm and the breach of the levees.

Q: How did you first hear about SHN at the College of Law and what interested you in participating?

A: I actually heard about the Student Hurricane Network the summer before I came to Champaign from one of my friends who attends law school at the University of Iowa . It sounded like a very worthwhile cause and I was excited to find that University of Illinois had a Student Hurricane Network Chapter where I could participate.

The Jesuit priests have a deep commitment to social justice and human rights activities. I have had a great experience with the Jesuits throughout my education and wanted to maintain some of their ideals even though U of I is a secular institution. My experiences while enrolled in St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, OH and Loyola University of Chicago really established the importance of promoting the welfare of others.

Extreme Makeover goes to New Orleans

2008-04-28T04:08:00.000-07:00

If you're hooked on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, be sure to watch the season finale on May 18th, when it will focus on rebuilding in New Orleans as an end to their 50 state campaign. Two big projects were completed within the week that this was filmed. One home being built is for a family who jumped in to support each other and their community immediately following Hurricane Katrina. The second project is to rebuild a New Orleans church. Additional information can be found at the following website:

http://www.extremeneworleans.com/

It has been almost three years, but there is still a lot that can be done. If you like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, or if you want to see more examples of the great efforts that are put forth to help New Orleans and honor its heroes, be sure to watch on May 18th at 7:00 PM on ABC.

Housing Now: Public Housing Post Katrina

2008-04-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

The Newshour has a story on rebuilding in Katrina. As most of us saw when we were there in December, housing has evolved in to a controversial issue in New Orleans after Katrina. The News Hour reexamined the issue of public housing on today's broadcast. Tracy Washington, a local attorney, with whom some of our students worked, is quoted. You can listen or watch it online. This was their third story in an ongoing series.

March Madness

2008-03-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

The NY Times has this story in today's online edition about D.J. Augustin, a Katrina evacuee who is playing basketball for the University of Texas at Austin. I'm not a March Madness fan and didn't know who he was, but the story's title, A City Left Behind, but Still Inspired, caught my eye. Think about this, Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 and since then he's only been back 4 times! It seems like he still has strong connections with New Orleans, but sadly it's no longer his home.

I'm out here in Illinois for the next 3 years or so, by choice and could return home (Massachusetts) whenever I want to, but it'd be another thing altogether not to have a home to go back to, and to have to adjust to a new one. It seems like he's not only done that, but is thriving at it. I'm impressed.

Here's a quote from the story: “D. J.’s story is one of inspiration and demonstrates the power of the human spirit,” New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said through a spokesman. “Our citizens, whether living here or elsewhere, continue to demonstrate their strength and perseverance.”

Note: the photo above is from D.J. Augustin's athlete profile on the University of Texas's Athletic Department's website.

It's News To Me!

2008-03-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

It's a little ironic considering that I'm blogging on here and I wasn't aware of this, but as the title says it's news to me. It's not really a secret, just something I hadn't thought about and if you're like me, you might not have either. So what is it? Well...here goes:

Each week the Student Hurricane Network sends out a newsletter containing udates about SHN events, news and information about the Gulf Coast Region, and ways to get involved in the organization.

Moral of the story is you get more email (kidding), no, this is a really good way to keep on what's going on in New Orleans and the lingering effects of Katrina. I know, I know you're probably thinking more email, and weekly to boot? If you don't want to sign up for the newsletter, remember the Student Hurricane Network website is http://studenthurricanenetwork.org
It links to the blogs of other law schools and read what their experiences have been.

We'll be adding pics here soon, so watch for that.

Trivia: how many stories does Google News return about "Hurricane Katrina"?
Answer (as of today March 28, 2008): 12,858

Note: I tried signing up for the newsletter and got an error message, so it might not work for you, (but you can check still check out the other schools' blogs), hopefully the error I got isn't an ongoing issue. If you've signed up, recently leave a comment and tell me what I did wrong.

Who Are the People in Your Network?

2008-03-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

No. Not phone network, Illinois Student Hurricane Network. Remember the Sesame Street song, Who are the People in Your Neighborhood? Substitute "network" for neighborhood as you read along and check the blog for periodic interviews with the students that make up the SHN chapter at the College of Law. Why? Well, because I hope you'll be inspired by them and think about joining us in the future. These guys and girls are a great resource, if you want to learn more.

Miranda Soucie is not only next year's President of the SHN at Illinois, she was also the director of the College of Law's recent production of Eve Ensler's Vagina Monolgues. Here's a Q & A with Miranda about SHN and the Vagina Monologues and here's what she had to say:

Q: So, you were involved in the Vagina Monologues, how did that overlap with the Student Hurricane Network?
A: Um, the international focus of the Vagina Monologues and V-Day for 2008 is the women of New Orleans. So when I first started looking into doing the Vagina Monologues, and I found out about all the stuff that they are planning to do in New Orleans: donating to women's organizations in that area, [and] empowering women, I decided it was a great idea to get the Student Hurricane Network involved here in the Vagina Monologues.

Q: And you are also the President of the Student Hurricane Network? Is that correct?
A: Yes, I'm the incoming President.

Q: What are some of your plans or goals for SHN next year?
A: Well, currently we've been doing one trip [to New Orleans] a year. Last semester I believe we had 38 almost 40 people go on the trip. The trips are getting kind of large, so one of my main goals is to do two trips. Whether that be two during winter break or one during spring break, we're still working on. Also, we're planning on doing a lot more fund raising, involving football games and the like. So I'd be looking out for a lot more fund raising to be happening.

Q: And, just overall what was your experience with the Vagina Monologues? Being the director?
A: It was crazy. It was a lot. It was a huge time commitment, but overall the ladies were wonderful, the community was pretty receptive to the event and I think it's something we can definitely build on and do again in the future.

Q: As an alum of this past trip, what did you do in New Orleans?
A: I worked for the assistant of Bill Quigley, who is a member of the Loyola [University] law clinic. He does a lot of public interest work and we did a lot with the public housing while we were there. We worked with the protesters who were arrested. Spent a lot of time in court and I got a few instances to go along to some of their clients and deliver groceries and meet some people. It was pretty neat.

Q: What initially attracted you to participate in SHN?
A: I have a lot of friends that live in that area and I've always spent a lot of time down there. I just think it's terrible what's happened to that area.

Where Were you on V-Day?

2008-03-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

The torch has been passed, so I'm picking it up and posting about my reaction to the Vagina Monologues. I saw the March 7th show (there was one the following night as well). I have to say that it was great seeing the talents of fellow classmates. The sensitivity, humor, candor and realness of the performances was amazing.

Not having seen the monologues before, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, yet I was curious as to what would unfold. I'm really glad that I went. Of course, a show called the Vagina Monologues, is going to be told from a female perspective, but rather than alienating males, such as myself, it invites us to really hear the voices of the women embodied in the monologues. One of the most striking aspects of the performances is the realization that each of these women is as the different as the names for the vaginas that are revealed to the audience. I was happy to see the diversity of the women reflected not only in the experiences related in their monologues, but also in the cast. It reinforced the theme that these monologues are not just one woman's story or one social or racial group's but it is everywoman's story, which is to say it is a human story.

Did you go to V-Day? What did you think?

Passing the Torch

2008-03-12T17:05:00.001-07:00

We had a meeting yesterday and officially determined who would be leading the U of I SHN next year. I have to admit, being President was exhausting...and I'm glad to be passing the torch on to the next generation. But, beyond my anticipation of a slacker 3L year, I'm really thrilled about the new leadership and all the potential they have to continue to grow SHN.

All of the 2008-2009 board members have proven to be amazingly dedicated volunteers and I think they have a great combo of enthusiasm, unique skills, and connections within the law school (and beyond) to do great things! I wish them all the best in helping SHN help law students make a difference on the gulf coast!

Vagina Monologues!

2008-02-28T07:16:00.000-08:00

This year's V-day Campaign is spotlighting the women of New Orleans. V-day and the Vagina Monologues are celebrating their 10th anniversary in New Orleans this year. For us at U of I SHN, this all is fortuitous timing.

Miranda, next year's SHN president and a former theatre teacher, decided she wanted to be the local organizer of V-day and the Vagina Monologues. She put together a FABULOUS, all-law student cast, and I am honored to get to read the spotlight monologue about New Orleans, entitled "The Wetlands". At first I was reluctant to say "vagina" outloud, but then again...that's what The Vagina Monologues is all about. Why should we be ashamed to say it?

My monologue declares that New Orleans is the vagina of America, and goes into a list of ways that we want and use her (NOLA) when we want, but then mistreat her when we're sick of her. Its so true. My hope is that one day NOLA, women, and all others that have been "used" by society will be seen for what they/we are -- unique, nuanced, special, and worthy of our respect.

If you're in Champaign-Urbana, come see the show March 7 & 8 at 8pm, at the IMC in Urbana!

Talk to Bill Quigley tomorrow!

2007-08-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

Bill Quigley, Loyola New Orleans law professor (and THE MAN of civil rights law in NOLA) will be answering questions about justice law in NOLA since Katrina. Go to this website to join in or to ask a question.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20319341/site/newsweek/

The Live Talk is at noon Central time.

Sorry for the Long Delay

2007-07-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

The title says it all. Things have been hectic down in the Big Easy (that's New Orleans, right), in fact they've been awesomely hectic. I love work. I get a lot of work that I feel is incredibly interesting, but also prevents me from having the time to blog as often as I'd like.

That being said, I want to speak a little about some of my experiences with law enforcement down here. Some of it has been very pleasant. There are truly law enforcement agents down here who want to help us out. Take for example, Jovanna Cardova, who works at the House of Detention Legal Office. I caught Jovanna leaving building and she stayed overtime to help me get the records I needed to write a bail reduction motion. Jovanna Cardova is an ally.

The military police officer I had this conversation with is not an ally:

I try to walk to the jail, referred to as HOD (House of Detention) but come to a fence and am not sure the quickest way around. I approach a military police officer and a regular (in the most pejorative sense) police officer in a squad car with a presumably recent arrestee in back.

Me (speaking to military officer): Can you please tell me how to get to HOD?

Private Pile: What, where are you going?

Pejoratively Regular Officer: What does he want?

Private Pile: I don't know, they said they're going to HIV or something.

Pejoratively Regular Officer (laughs): Oh, HOD. I'm not sure.

Me: Thank you.

My thoughts: are you kidding me? HIV? You really thought I was saying HIV? and you don't know where HOD is? Then where the hell are you taking THAT PERSON YOU JUST ARRESTED YOU MORONS!? (can I swear on this blog? I was thinking swears at the time. No one ever actually thinks the word 'moron,' do they?)

That would be funny, except these are the people in charge of justice in this city.

It's thus not surprising that justice usually means stopping an impoverished black man under the pretense of "public intoxication," patting him down, and hoping to find drugs. If you do find drugs, and this person already has been convicted of 3 felonies (most likely all non-violent, drug possession charges), putting him away possibly for life. Was this person intoxicated in the first place? Who knows? But they were reasonably suspiciously drunk I guess. And in a "high crime area." And they have a darker complexion than the Commish so that pretty much takes the cake.

The real question is: why are there laws against public intoxication in a city that sections off blocks every night for people to get drunk on and allows people to drink outside anywhere in the city?

That is not a rhetorical question. The answer is: it provides yet another reason for the police to legitimize patting down poor black people.

Totally Insane Fact of the Week: If you are five times prosecuted for marijuana possession you get 20 to life.

Tootles.

Interactive map of NOLA flooding

2007-07-11T06:40:00.000-07:00

So, I was referred to this great website that steps through what exactly happened when during the flooding. It really was a complicated process with failures on many fronts. Whether those failures were due to poor levees or inevitability...we may never know.

http://www.nola.com/katrina/graphics/flashflood.swf

Justice Restored?

2007-06-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

So, while I was volunteering in NOLA over winter break ('07), one of the areas I worked on was helping people appeal their FEMA recoupment notices. Most of these people were being asked for around $20,000 to be returned to the federal government, because it had been given to them in error. This $20K was distrubuted to help people pay for lost personal property.

In the cases I saw, and I'm sure many others, these people didn't have ANY money to give back. Oddly enough...they had spent the money on...of all things...new personal property (imagine that...the nerve!) And these clients had their receipts to prove it. Receipts for pots and pans, clothes, toiletries, furniture, etc.

So, I understand the government demanding replayment of funds that were fraduently collected by survivors who were trying to "work the system." But that wasn't the case here at all. They were a woman who lived with her abusive boyfriend, so when he collected homeowners insurance on his house, and didn't share any with her so she could replace HER property that was in the house, she applied for FEMA funds. They were a woman who was encouraged by FEMA to apply for more funds, because the FEMA worker glanced in her house and saw that she had nice furniture that would certainly rise above the $5,000 she was going to get in homeowner's insurance. These are the people that were going to have their $20,000 debt, sent to a collection agency, because the government wasn't careful in reviewing claims and too disorganized to do its job properly.

The attorney I was working with told me that there was probably no chance that these people would get the waivers we were requesting, because FEMA is flooded with these sort of requests. I mean, why would they grant waivers to special cases, when nearly every recoupement they were issuing was due to a special circumstance (most notably, FEMA error in dispursing the money in the first place)? But like all of the freedom fighters in NOLA, she said we had to try.

Luckily, this week, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Lousiana ordered a preliminary injuction for FEMA and Homeland Security to stop recoupments until these people have a chance to be heard. Perhaps this is a small sign that justice is getting back on its feet in the Gulf Coast?

Poetry Slams: A Casualty of Katrina

2007-06-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

When I was living in Baltimore, the year before I came back to the midwest, god bless it, for law school, I read in poetry slams maybe once or twice a month. You know: "roses are red, violets are blue, I'm angsty and lonely, symbolism about this and that, Che Gueverra," the usual. I haven't read much this last school year, but having some extra time on weekends, I decided to seek out some slams.

Oddly, it turns out that, while New Orleans did have a slam poetry scene before Katrina, that scene left with the storm. Many of those interested in slam poetry left. Many of the venues, such as the Dragon's Den, which would host slams got shut down and are just reopening, if they are reopening at all. I went to 3 or 4 venues and searched the internet for a long time and couldn't find a slam, nor could anyone point me to one.

This just goes to show how many of New Orleans' niches were affected by Katrina. Even the poetry left.

1 Week Down

2007-06-07T18:35:00.000-07:00

Just one week and my apprehensions have faded. First of all, while I do still think fighting crime is very important, most "fighting crime" seems to consist of giving young men outrageously long drug possession sentences. At the end of the day, I can easily reconcile defending anyone, even the guilty, with my conscience for two main reasons. First, justice should not depend on class. If rich people can get good attorneys to get them off, then poor people deserve the same. Also, as just alluded to, many defendants are very young and face very long jail sentences. The system is too quick to throw in the towel on people's lives and sometimes, if given the choice between not punishing the guilty and flushing a young, albeit guilty, person's life down the drain, I choose the former. But I guess I'm rationalizing a little. Can you hear it over the world wide web?

I was also apprehensive because I thought the system down here may be too broke for me to do any good. I couldn't feel that way less. This is not too say that the public defender is adequately funded or staffed. Far from. PD's still often have upwards of 50 active cases at once and there is only one xerox machine for a staff of about 50 or 60 (I should double check that number maybe) just to name a few examples off the top of my head. Still, the PD system has been largely revamped and improved after Katrina and its fallout drew attention to its inadequacies. The PD used to have a single room office and we now have a floor. The PD used to have no permanent staff, but rather a series of private attorneys that worked part time for the PD and cycled in and out. Now there is a permanent staff. Kudos to the many former part timers who decided to work for the PD full time.

In this column I feel the same tension, to a much smaller extent obviously, as the PD staff in general. The PD is in the strange position of having to prove its own inadequacy and its own progress. Progress, to show that its possible, inadequacy, to call attention to the fact that more help and resources are desperately needed.

As to my specific job, I have been paired with two lawyers and another intern. For the lawyers, I have looked over case files and brainstormed to think of arguments (generally fact specific, not constitutional) with the lawyers. It's very gratifying. I feel like I'm getting my hands dirty and that the lawyers really appreciate the interns. Sometimes I imagine myself as Jack McCoy (open this link).

Pure Insanity Fact of the Week (hence the insaaaaaane font): Arrested people can be held in pretrial detention for 60 days without being charged with a crime. Until recently, these people would not even have a lawyer for this period of time.

N.O.t Pun II: N.O.t Working Yet

2007-05-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

I promise, this will be the last of the N.O.t-pun series. But, as is suggested by this N.O.t.-pun, I haven't started work yet. I start on Thursday. There will be an orientation and then, as one of my supervisors said, we'll "hit the ground running."

In the meantime, I've been busy alligator hunting and listening to CCR. Those are both lies, but I did get a snowball which is like a New Orleans snow cone. The difference is that snowballs are good and not only sold at the circus (is that a false childhood memory?).

My house and neighborhood rocks. Within a few blocks there are lots of independent businesses, bars, coffeehouses, dry cleaners, antique shops, and an inordinate number of chiropractors. But, being that I live in kind of a yuppy area (the Garden District, I think, though I'm not sure where the neighborhood borders lie), I'm sure the contrast between some of the areas PD clientèle live in and my neighborhood will be daunting. My neighborhood, to my knowledge, was not damaged by Katrina. This doesn't mean I feel guilty for living in the area I do. I find such guilt to generally be a neurotic way for people to feel like they are doing something when they aren't - like somehow the guilt itself contributes to society. That being said, when the contrast between my neighborhood and other neighborhoods becomes more apparent to me, some guilt may set in; hopefully guilt of the productive variety.

As time tends to do, it will tell.

N.O.t. there yet

2007-05-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Hello readers and Student Hurricane Network supporters. And hello pro-hurricane spies. My name is Eric Sirota. I am the Vice President of the University of Illinois Law School’s Student Hurricane Network. I will be working for the New Orleans Public Defender this summer and keeping those who are interested posted through this blog.

I haven’t moved down to New Orleans yet, and I don’t know most of the details of my working situation. I know I’ll be shadowing an attorney. I know I’ll be working with other interns from around the country. I am looking forward to the task at hand, but I am a little apprehensive. One reason I am apprehensive is that I am scared that the system is too broken for me to be helpful. A second reason I am apprehensive is that, despite my strong liberal leanings, I sometimes have a bit of a ‘law and order’ mentality and may feel morally conflicted about my work with the PD. Another reason is more personal – I don’t really want to be a public defender for my career and am worried that going to New Orleans was an impractical life choice. Perhaps I should have tried to fulfill a more genuine aspiration this summer – perhaps by training to be a professional baseball player or by going to astronaut camp.

Apprehension aside, I am excited for the challenge that awaits and motivated to take it head on. Even though I have little interest in becoming a public defender, I decided to take the internship in New Orleans because I feel that, in the wake of hurricane Katrina (yes, this much later is still the wake, unfortunately), they need as much help as they can get. I went to New Orleans for a Student Hurricane Network thing through U of I last winter break, and it inspired me to want to help out more. In fact, it inspired me so much that I turned down two paying jobs to volunteer in New Orleans. I’m not saying that just to toot my own horn. Just kidding. I am saying that to toot my own horn.

But, having spent the last several years engaging in public interest jobs, I have realized that pride alone motivates me to go into public interest but does not help me be good at it. I was a teacher after college, largely priding myself on my desire to better the situation of the disadvantaged. However, pride made me become a teacher, but I was a bad teacher. Hopefully, I will be a better intern. Time will tell.

I will be living with another intern in the Garden District, near Tulane. I will be driving down to New Orleans in the next few days with Adam, my cousin and close friend. Adam wants to see Bourbon Street. Hopefully, he will be able to amuse himself there while I partake in the equally exciting task of shopping for linens…AND THINGS!

Cool. That’s all for now. I’ll keep ya’ll posted. Tune in.

Survey: Blacks face housing bias in New Orleans

2007-04-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070425/ap_on_re_us/new_orleans_housing

Survey: Blacks face housing bias in N.O.

Blacks already feeling the pinch from a housing shortage in the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina are facing racial discrimination in their search for rental property, a survey by housing advocates found.

The survey sent black and white "testers" — paired by matching incomes, careers, family types and rental histories — to inquire about openings at 40 rental properties in metropolitan New Orleans.

The findings, released Tuesday by the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, found blacks encountered "less favorable treatment" than their white counterparts in 57.5 percent of those tests.

In one example, an agent told the black tester who responded to an apartment ad on Jan. 22 that only one unit was available, and not until February. The same agent told the white tester later that day that two units would available Feb. 1 and mentioned two other units.
Tammy Esponge, association executive for the Apartment Association of Greater New Orleans, she has no reason to believe housing discrimination is more acute in New Orleans than in other parts of the country.

"There's discrimination all the time out there — not just in the apartment market. I'm talking all over the place," she said. "But we are highly in support of our members enforcing the fair housing laws."

She said her group offers annual fair housing training seminars for its members, which include 34 owners and managers of 20,000 rental units in southeast Louisiana.
James Perry, executive director of the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, said the group intends to sue several landlords.

"At a time when people need housing desperately, we really can't stand to have discrimination occurring," Perry said.

"When The Levees Broke" playing at the College of Law - April 19

2007-04-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

"This intimate, heart-rending portrait of New Orleans in the wake of the destruction tells the heartbreaking personal stories of those who endured this harrowing ordeal and survived to tell the tale of misery, despair and triumph."

http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/whentheleveesbroke/

This Spike Lee documentary will be playing as part of the Social Justice Film Festival at the College of Law on Thursday, April 19. Let's have a big showing of Student Hurricane Network participant at the viewing/discussion to show our support for the people of NOLA. A post-discussion led will be led by Professor Victoria Hadfield.

Thursday, April 19, 6:30pm
Room A
Law Building

Tracie Washington fan club - Illinois Chapter

2007-04-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

I think the rest of the College of Law discovered on Friday why the Student Hurricane Network students are unofficial Tracie Washington (TW) groupies. Tracie has such a commanding presence. Maybe its because she is a kick-ass corporate attorney turned civil rights lawyer. Maybe because she can rock out a bright green jacket. Is it her uncanny sense of humor?

I think part of what makes TW so appealing is the fact that she is so darn humble. She doesn't realize she has budding law student fans across the country. She doesn't realize (or at least doesn't acknowlege it) that she's a civil rights superstar. She readily admits she likes buying expensive shoes...but when called to duty...she has forgone those luxuries in favor of doing what she can to try to save her city.

Tracie Washington at COL on Friday!

2007-04-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.law.uiuc.edu/content/news/article.asp?id=953

Come to the New Orleans Judge Arthur Hunter - 75th Anniversary of Powell v. Alabama Conference, where Tracie will be one of the guest speakers. The conference is in the Auditorium from 1-4pm, but students are allowed to come later/leave early because of class. Hope to see you there!

Welcome!

2007-04-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the University of Illinois Student Hurriane Network! We are a group of law students who are committed to providing continuing relief to the gulf coast region in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.