Hoaxsterism Meet Hactivism

The Yes Men are back (see their message below).

Amazingly, while I was walking through a public space earlier today, there was a TV with CNN on. On the screen was one of The Yes Men delivering a speech (available here) with the subtitle "Breaking News: Imposter Holds News Conference on Katrina." The NOLA headline was "Hoaxsters dupe crowd with bogus HUD announcement." Ten minutes later, the cameras broke away to an equally stagecrafted, fictionalized speech on Katrina, this time delivered by The Grand Poobah of Hoaxster Art, the POTUS himself, George W. Bush...

----- Forwarded message from hudpublicaffairs@hano.us -----
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:43:52 -0400 (EDT)
From: hudpublicaffairs@hano.us
Reply-To: hudpublicaffairs@hano.us
Subject: HUD REVERSES NEW ORLEANS POLICY
To: amerika

10:30 AM CDT
MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 2006

HUD SECRETARY ANNOUNCES ALL
PUBLIC HOUSING TO REOPEN IN NEW ORLEANS

In a bold reversal of policy, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that they will reopen public housing in New Orleans and embark on a bold new plan to help former residents get back home.

At The Gulf Coast Reconstruction & Hurricane Preparedness Summit, organized by Equity International (http://www.katrinareconstruction.org), HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson admitted that the agency has been headed down the wrong path for the last year.

"Our charter, here at HUD, is to ensure access to affordable housing for those who need it the most. This past year in New Orleans, I am ashamed to say that we have clearly failed to do this," said Jackson.

For many years, the official policy of HUD has been to replace existing HUD projects with mixed-income developments, and to disperse the remaining residents throughout the city. This policy has continued after Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans last year, even though thousands of residents would like to return.

"We were wrong to prevent people from returning home at this critical time, especially when the new master plan was going to keep them out for good," Jackson said. "Today, it is my great pleasure to announce to you that HUD is reversing our policy. From now on, and beginning at all Orleans parish housing communities, our policy will no longer be to destroy much-needed housing, but to do all in our power to make it work."

The new plans include a significant increase in funding, amounting to 3.8 billion dollars in renovation and opportunity creation contracts in the affected communities. This is welcome news not only for the public housing residents, but also for the contractors who can help them get home. Equity International's Reconstruction Summit was chosen for the announcement because it brings together key business executives and government leaders at the local, state, and national levels to facilitate new reconstruction and preparedness solutions.

"With the know-how in this room today, and this new funding package from the federal government, we can fix New Orleans, not just for the benefit of a few but for everyone," said Jackson in closing.

For the entire text of the speech, please visit
http://www.hano.us/announcement.html.

Media Contacts:

Rene Oswin
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street S.W., Washington, DC 20410
r_oswin@hano.us

William Loiry
President
Equity International
wloiry@equityintl.us
202-413-2258

Erica Orange
Communications Manager
Equity International
eorange@equityintl.us
202-494-9671

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Metadata: politics, satire, performance art, hactivism, media