Problems in Chalmette

De facto Segregation-
From our experience in Chalmette it seems that Chalmette citizens are very interested in separating themselves from minorities in the area. Coming from New Orleans to Chalmette it is necessary to drive through the Lower Ninth Ward. However, Chalmette citizens seems to ignore the shared border and see them as completely separate areas. We talked to a young African-American school teacher at the Dollar General in Chalmette. When we asked her about the housing situation she explained to us that the city was very segregated. She said that the intersection of Judge Perez and Paris Road is the dividing line, the further west you go the more pockets of African-Americans you find, an example of de facto segregation.

Tension over Housing-
After Hurricane Katrina Chalmette faced a new racial fight over housing when people were starting to resettle in the area. The storm destroyed many houses and a majority of the houses that have not been rebuilt are low-income houses. Additionally, the housing prices in the New Orleans area have increased by 35 percent since the storm, making it very difficult for low-income families to move back into the area. Four years after the storm there is a lot of tension over housing because federal funding for storm victims is coming to an end and affordable public housing was eliminated in 2007, leaving the poor with few options.

Chalmette experienced a drastic population decrease and may on paper seem like a great place to build affordable housing to accommodate those displaced by the storm. However, the culture of Chalmette and the deeply seated racial beliefs motivated Chalmette residents to fight against low-income housing. In September of 2006, the St. Bernard Parish Council created a law that said owners of single-family houses could only rent the house to blood relatives. This is a clear effort to keep minorities out; since people can only rent to blood relatives the racial breakdown of the area will stay the same. The law was revoked when the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center filed a lawsuit.

In 2007 the racial housing problem was once again brought to the forefront of local politics when Realty Advisors tried to build $60 million four apartment buildings in Chalmette. Thirty percent of the apartments would be at market price but the other 70 percent would be reserved for low-income residents. Chalmette residents were adamant that this could not happen. They defended it by saying that they did not want apartments to be built in the area. A moratorium was established by the parish council on all residences with five or more units. A large-scale low-income housing development like the one proposed has the potential to dramatically alter the racial makeup of the area, something that long time residents of Chalmette are opposed to.

Chalmette is not the only New Orleans area to experience this sort of tension post-Katrina. Multiple lawsuits have been filed about similar incidents. In the case Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center vs. St. Bernard Parish a federal judge ruled that the Parish’s motives was racially based and that the construction should proceed. The parish is currently appealing the decision.