The Greater New Orleans Citizens Relief team
Let's share our gifts, skills, talents, and resources with the least of us, and design a world where we all live in humanity.
"It's the ones in pain that know where they hurt and what is needed to not have pain again." - Curtis Muhammad
In Loving Memory Of Volunteer Organizer, Mimi Mladenoff (1966-2023)
About
The Greater New Orleans Citizens Relief Team (GNOCRT) was founded by Recording Artist/WWOZ host/Activist, Cole Williams, in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Under the guidance of 60-year Civil Rights Veteran/Organizer, Curtis Muhammad, GNOCRT and other housing activists were successful in getting the City Of New Orleans to use empty hotels to house The Houseless in April 2020.
What We Do
We are a grassroots organization committed to uplifting humanity through bottom-up organizing, and sharing our Gifts, Skills, Talents, and Resources with The Houseless, "the least of ours".
Bottom-Up Organizing
Our method is to create a support system for The Houseless, starting with housing, and teaching marketable skills during the construction.
Solution-Oriented Organizing
Our focus is to participate in rebuilding abandoned houses with presently unhoused persons, and learn how to build communities that can be self-sufficient in the face of disease and enforced poverty.We look for and focus on solutions!
Our Action
Organized in March 2020, and following frequent street demonstrations at New Orleans’ City Hall, The Greater New Orleans Citizens Relief Team (GNOCRT) succeeded in getting the City to provide emergency housing in empty hotels in August.Now dozens of activists are asking the city government, those individuals with construction skills, and the community to assist in this dramatic and impactful project.
Team
Cole Williams, Founder/Ld. Organizer
Curtis Muhammad (1943-2021), Founding Member
Mimi Mladenoff (1966-2023), Organizer
Volunteer Organizers
Organize
Curtis Muhamad
HOW TO ORGANIZE POOR BLACK PEOPLE FOR THE POLITICAL REVOLUTION!
Our goal as Organizers is to build community with The Houseless. This includes speaking with individuals currently or previously sleeping on the street.
House The Houseless
Without resolution a representative from N.O.R.A. forcibly remove Houseless and disabled men from sheltering under blighted house in Central City, New Orleans.
It is with deep sadness to report to you all today the current state of our houses on First street. Although we were told that Mimi and three other unhoused men would be allowed to stay in the house we are currently renovating with them. We regret to inform you that they have been kicked out by NORA and both homes have been boarded up.
This is inhumane and unjust to the unhoused people and countless volunteers that have spent their time renovating the spaces to make them more inhabitable for them while also maintaining the land around them through yard cleanup and maintenance.
The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) is currently responsible for this egregious act of turning these unhoused men on the street in the cold DURING THE HOLIDAYS! One of our unhoused partners is physically disabled and they removed him, his wheelchair, and his belongings from that space as well. We are reaching out to you to share our current status and bring attention to what’s currently happening with the housing crisis and the state of our unhoused neighbors.
This is our call to action to ensure our unhoused partners can return to their spaces safely with their property unharmed, while we continue to support them through home renovations. NORA plans to demolish both homes, tear down (4) trees we planted in partnership with SOUL NOLA in order to auction the bare land to the highest bidder.
It is cruel and destructive for NORA to remove their belongings with no warning and provide them with no adequate options for shelter.
NORA and the city of New Orleans pride themselves on celebrating neighborhoods and honoring traditions. If they truly value the neighborhood and citizens that inhabit it, that should also include helping to create adequate housing for our unhoused neighbors.
The Unhoused are not disposable and should be treated with the respect and dignity every human being deserves.
Together, we can stop the bullying of the unhoused by the nonprofit industrial complex and stand with our unhoused neighbors who have been given no option for permanent housing during a freeze advisory.
We urge you to sign and tell NORA, Councilwoman Harris, and Mayor Cantrell that we the people find it unacceptable to remove people from their homes that have been nothing short of good and essential to the community. The Greater New Orleans Citizens Relief Team, Mimi, and his roommates stepped up when the city chose to ignore the First street block and not remove the garbage from the streets or help clean up the sidewalks.
The Unhoused deserve better help and treatment than this.
SHAME ON NORA FOR THIS!!!
SHAME ON THEM FOR REMOVING AND BLOCKING ACCESS TO OUR NEIGHBORS’ HOMES!
WE MUST STAND UP FOR HUMANITY AND FIGHT BACK AGAINST THESE
INJUSTICES!If the City of New Orleans is against gentrification, why are they hoarding and withholding land instead of using it to house The Houseless? If the City of New Orleans is for The Culture why don’t they support The Greater New Orleans Citizens Relief Team's action and solution to the housing crisis; to continue renovating blighted homes with the unhoused persons that will live in them?
It is with deep sadness to report to you all today the current state of our houses on First street. Although we were told that Mimi and three other unhoused men would be allowed to stay in the house we are currently renovating with them. We regret to inform you that they have been kicked
out by NORA and both homes have been boarded up.
We DEMAND 20% of the properties being put up for auction through NORA are set aside to house the Unhoused, including the houses we reclaimed in 2020.
The number to the offices for NORA is 5046584400
You can also speak with NORA executive director Brenda Breaux at bbreaux@nola.gov
You can also reach out to Councilwoman Lesli Harris at (504) 658-1020 and through her email at Lesli.harris@nola.gov
There’s also New Orleans mayor, Mayor Latoya Cantrell at mayor@nola.gov
Thank you for helping do good work with The Greater New Orleans Citizens Relief Team and being advocates for positive change within the community.
Partners
To date, we have distributed over 40,000 bags of groceries to The Houseless and at-risk communities in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans.
Our organizing work has been featured on Democracy Now, WBOK, WWOZ, and currently on the monthly podcast, "House The Houseless: Music And Action" presented by Ropeadope Records on YouTube.
In 2021 Soul NOLA planted (4) trees on-site in Central City, New Orleans
We are proud to partner with Trader Joe's and Culture Aid NOLA to provide fresh fruits, vegetables, and groceries to The Houseless and at-risk community in Central City, New Orleans.
Outreach
Outreach is ServiceThis action is our way of intentionally building relationships with those in need.We go to the spaces where The Houseless sleep, eat, and exist. We ask questions to get to know them, and we share information about ourselves to allow them to get to know who we are.Without judgment we respect their right to not engage with us and encourage conversation with all who accept.We deliver grocery bags filled with fruit, nonperishable items, water and other items our partners make available.It is a privilege to serve the least of us.
Become A Volunteer Organizer Today!
Grocery Distribution and Outreach happens every Saturday from 8-10am.Fill out the form to become a Volunteer Organizer
Contact
As a grassroots, volunteer-operated organization our work depends on your donations and volunteer hours.Donate to our GoFundMe and let's build community together!
Email: gnocitizensreliefteam@gmail.com
Phone: (917) 310-4168
DONATE TO OUR GOFUNDME
Thank you
"We can't build a revolution or a movement without figuring out how to pick us up from the bottom." - Curtis Muhammad