Friday, February 20, 2009

Recall document (click here)

We just want to thank everyone who has already signed. We will not expose names regardless of what pressure is put forth to make us do so. If we do not get our desired number, the list will be destroyed.

Blight ( Click here to see slideshow )

While the Parish targets homes in the process of repair or funding, we would like to share something that we also consider blight, and invite you to take the tour yourself and really drive this area and have a good hard look at this. It is so shocking and so massive it's just mind whirling why this shouldn't be torn down or even all marked with the Demo X on it. You will not find Demo trucks anywhere in this area. Our Question is why?


Thursday, February 19, 2009

What about the poor and elderly?

The median income for a household in the parish was $35,939, and the median income for a family was $42,785. Males had a median income of $34,303 versus $24,009 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $16,718. About 10.50% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.50% of those under age 18 and 11.40% of those age 65 or over.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Let's talk about the reasons

There is a lot of debate as to why the recall is happening, what are the reasons. For us, it was the endless permits, constant hassles and the feeling that no matter what we did, It all could be torn down tomorrow. The non-stop worrying just had to stop, and for us, there seemed to be no other way. We continued to get targeted over and over again. You would be standing in the office while being told, that you had everything right, only to get to the site within a half hour and have a slab.

We have rights too, and also see many homes that no one ever even cut grass at, have no windows and yet stand tall, as the homes we worked hard to get and repair, got torn down, permits attached to homes. We feel unwanted in the place we've always known and been. Why would other come here when we're not welcomed?

But it's not only for ourselves, but all of us who suffer at the Nazi like tactics being used against us all. We are just not being treated like any of us do anything, and if Mr. Taffaro had his way, he would take credit for every clean home and all new homes too.

He has got to understand that he has not created St. Bernard all by himself. It took many. Demo's are not the only issue that brought this about. Poor judgment, bad attitudes and bad behavior brought us here. This is not over a grudge, we have no reason to dislike him as a man.
We dislike his practices on the job. We know nothing about the red x clan, but they seem to have some of the same concerns. I can not say that they are right or wrong in their quest, but can say that this movement is NOT a result of anything to do with that one, other then subject content. This is an act of desperation. When no amount of time or money or speaking to, or going to see, has gotten results. So many calls, so many visits, so much money. It just had to somehow stop.

Recall, does not always guarantee a change in office, but it does get the attention from the President, that you can not get if you call or going down to the office. It does say that something is wrong. Recalling a President is not easy, is not pleasant, is not hoped for. But it sometimes is the only thing left to do, when the people have been ignored, and progress is on the wrong tract.
These are all among the reasons we asked for a recall.

Mr. Taffaro spoke of God fearing people today, and the Taffaro fearing people stood behind him fearing a pink slip in the morning, as so many have already received. Yes the God fearing people of St. Bernard do know what's happening. They do know he is a spin Doctor, a specialist of the mind. Capable of fixing the mind. But also capable of breaking it as well. Not all of what is fed to us through his office is true. He is and will continue to cause many despair.

Some of these issues are the Hospital, Foundation, DMV and SDT problems. The hopelessness peppered with a few good deeds, just doesn't equate. We are being told that things are wonderful, while we have no hospital, we have to drive out of town to get our drivers licences renewed. And God knows what else we won't get because business is just not easy to do in St. Bernard.

It is clear Mr. Taffaro is just not the leader we hoped he would be. We should easily have many of these issues behind us, but fear they will never happen. He is more focused on demolishing homes then building community essentials. We urge those who can investigate this office and it's doings, to please do so.

We welcome comments, good or bad, and we challenge you to take back ST. Bernard.

Taking St. Bernard Back

In August of 2005, we all witnessed the worst thing that ever came to St. Bernard. It took our homes, it destroyed our community and caused many, to move away forever. Katrina was a force that changed the face of St. Bernard, but the will of it's people just couldn't be suppressed. No, this storm would not take us from our Parish, we would stay and fight. And so it was that the people came home. They cleaned, scrubbed, cleared and started to rebuild.

The struggle for St. Bernard was not taken lightly. Our people could have chosen to move into already complete neighborhoods in an already finished community, anywhere in the United States. But chose to deal with the hardships that St.Bernard was facing.

In those days, there was no electricity, groceries, or supplies. A handful of small businesses, were all we started the journey back to life with. We were consumed with bringing our Parish back, and would eagerly rush to windows, or tent doorways to see any auto that happened to pass by. Hoping to see the face of a family member or friend. Strangers became family and each greeted the other with hugs and words of support. There were no strangers in St. Bernard, only new friends.

We voted for change when it was time for elections, and we voted in people who we believed would respect our hardships and pain. People we honestly believed he would respect our culture and do his best to see us through this. After all, no one was untouched, damaged both financially and mentally. So we wanted a leader who would help us get past the pain and get to the healing.

That did not happen. Within weeks of the election, the first signs of trouble was already in the works. The big push to put the hospital into the Meraux Foundation's hands was begun, and no one understood why our Parish President was so strongly pushing for it to be handed over so easily, without an open bidding process that was fair. We only recently obtained a sketch that explained why that was happening. They needed to get those housing projects build, and they need the funds that would be spent on the hospital to lay the groundwork for those projects and complexes. More money on site construction means less money in the hospital it self, even knowing the other site, has between 6 and 8 million dollars of already finished, paid for infrastructure, on Parish owned property. It would seem an obvious choice.

Then, the building process started, and again, we saw difficulties. The rules changed daily and the permits began to multiply. Anyone who tried to get started, found the process as difficult to understand and comply with, as FEMA, SBA, or Road Home ever could be.

The suffering and agony was not over, or past us. As the world cried out, they were tired of hearing of the Katrina woes, the St. Bernard people struggled on, trying their best to put it behind them as well. Only to find themselves at war with their own Parish, who began to slowly become the most difficult problem to over come then the storm itself.

Many went through the process with little difficulties. Others found themselves in a sea of uncertainty and bleeding money that they no longer had. With no grant in hand yet, suddenly it seemed that if you had not built fast, you no longer were needed here. If you were caught up in the quagmire of LRH, SBA, or Fema, you were in for added problems from the place you called home.

As our people who found themselves in rented spaces in other places, the road home, got longer and harder to travel. Hundreds of people who wish to build, rebuild or return, found themselves attacked by the Parish they longed to be part of again. New businesses found it hard to get started and stay opened, the regular man, who may have lost all, in/and his home, tried to buy a better structure that had less damage to start over with.

They purchased these partially gutted homes, and got down to business while other homes were never touched. Those trying to rebuild would wake to find their nearly completed homes demolished and thousands of dollars they had spent, gone over night. People in finished or nearly finished homes, often find they return home from work to no water or sewer lines, yards dug up, or their home completely gone. The untouched houses, still untouched. Strange that they somehow got away from being demolished.

Had the people come home, or somehow found themselves in 1940's Germany. Rules they scrambled to abide by just the week before, now changed, and with a price tag to get beyond. The political mafia had moved in, and they are holding our people hostage for a ransom. And there was nothing they could do about it. Calls to Mr. Taffaro went unanswered.

Now is the time to take St. Bernard Back. Return it to it's people, allowing us to rebuild without fear. Mr. Taffero has not reinforced confidence in our people, he is not putting us on the road to recovery. He has instilled fear, and has prolonged the suffering of many of the people who have placed their lives in his hands. No, Mr. Taffaro can not be trusted. His hands are in deep with everything that our people have tried their best to vote out of office. Making the rich even richer, the middle man poor, and turning the poor into the homeless.

If you have been victimized by the Taffaro Mafia, we urge you to contact us today. Help us recall this man who is not looking out for the betterment of our Parish, but lining the pockets of already rich supporters who are trying to turn our Parish into something we do not know. Help us keep our Parish out of the hands of the Meraux foundation, and the contractors that support him. Most of us got less then we started with, while Mr. Taffaro's world has been highly improved. From a middle class home in Lexington, to a Mansion in exclusive Jumonville. We all do not have contractors we can pull off of other jobs to rebuild our homes quickly and without Parish permit woes. Stay tuned in and watch our President cover his tracks, while clearing the way for his cronies to take what is ours. Stand up, sign up, and say no to being further abused by the people who have always pulled the political strings of St. Bernard. Take St. Bernard Back!

See others dealing with this issue at: http://www.wwltv.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=332813&shu=1 or click on Title of this article for direct connect to video.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Television Stations


  1. WWL-TV 1024 North Rampart Street New Orleans, LA. 70116-2487
    (504) 529-4444 main(504) 529-6298 news

  2. WUPL-TV Channel 54 1024 North Rampart Street New Orleans, LA 70116-2487
    (504) 529-6206 main

  3. NewsWatch Channel 15 1024 North Rampart Street New Orleans, LA 70116-2487
    (504) 529-6391 phone

contact numbers

Office of Inspector General

NEW ORLEANS FIELD OFFICE

365 Canal St., Suite 2420

New Orleans, LA 70130(504) 589-2875

Governor Jindal's Office

Nicholas Cahanin [Cahaninn@GOV.STATE.LA.US]