NAACP Urges Congress to Pass GCCW Act

Advocates take the Gulf Coast cause to the Hill

Today marks the first day of hurricane season, and much is being reported on preparations happening along the Gulf Coast to prepare for stormier weather.

But Gulf Coast advocates have also been preparing another big push to shore up Congressional support for the Gulf Coast Civic Works program, a Gulf region recovery package that would create "green jobs" along the Gulf Coast for victims of past storms. Several hundred Gulf Coast advocates, including a coalition of civil rights groups, affordable housing advocates, and Hurricane Katrina survivors, headed to Washington, D.C. this past weekend to urge lawmakers to support the Gulf Coast Civic Works Act of 2009 (H.R. 2269). Supporters of the act participated in congressional visits to bring attention to the continuing human rights crisis in the region and the vulnerability of residents to future disasters as the 2009 hurricane season begins.

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The Gulf Coast Civic Works Project, "Whose Katrina is this?"

June 1st marks the beginning of the 2009 hurricane season, again prompting concern as to how the city of New Orleans will fare in the coming summer's weather. In recognition of this fact, the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project (GCCWP) has gathered volunteers from across the country in Washington, D.C. to lobby for the passage of H.R. 2269, also known as the Gulf Coast Civic Works Act. The bill, first brainstormed by students in San Jose and introduced to Congress in May, seeks the funding of 100,000 "green jobs" for displaced residents of the Gulf Coast to rebuild the infrastructure of their local communities.

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FEMA'S GULF COAST EVICTION NOTICE

Yesterday, Gulf coast residents and advocates gathered in front of the Federal Emergency Management Agency building to protest eviction notices delivered to over 5,000 families still living in trailers some four years after Hurricane Katrina. The press conference speakers -- a diverse bunch that included representatives from faith-based groups, conservative groups, student organizations and ACORN -- called on Barack Obama to honor his campaign pledge to restore the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast.

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Unlikely allies back House bill for Gulf Coast job

WASHINGTON -- Hurricane season begins today, and with it an effort to gain some traction on Capitol Hill for an ambitious plan to create 100,000 "green jobs" along the Gulf Coast for victims of past storms.

The Gulf Coast Civic Works Act was born 2,100 miles from New Orleans at a San Jose State University "campus sleep-out" on election night 2006. Students watched Spike Lee's documentary, "When the Levees Broke," on a giant outdoor screen, and wanted to know what they could do to help.

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Gulf Coast activists protest at FEMA headquarters

WASHINGTON — With a FEMA trailer parked across the street, a coalition of Gulf Coast activists stood outside the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters Monday to mark the start of hurricane season, to demand Hurricane Katrina rebuilding and to protest the latest deadline for eviction of about 5,000 residents from FEMA trailers.

"The people of the Gulf Coast don't want FEMA trailers," Michele Roberts, of the Advocates for Environmental Human Rights, told a small crowd. "They want to rebuild homes."

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Bi-partisan Congress members urge colleagues to sign on to HR 2269