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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: carranza2 who wrote (232167)	12/20/2007 1:07:51 PM
From: carranza2	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793885

More on the action at City Hall in N.O.: Police used chemical spray and stun devices as dozens of protesters seeking to halt the demolition of public housing in New Orleans tried to force their way through an iron gate at City Hall. Some people were arrested as officers tried to establish order and an ambulance arrived on the scene. It was unclear whether there were injuries or the ambulance was a precautionary measure. The council chambers seat fewer than 300. Once capacity was reached, people who were not permitted into chambers marched and chanted outside and eventually violence broke out. The clash happened at an iron gate that separates the council chambers from City Hall grounds. On the grounds, more than 50 had been chanting, calling for the council to reject plans by the Department of Housing and Urban development to demolish the housing projects. Then, protesters tried to storm the gate with a few able to squeeze through a narrow opening before police began using the spray and stun devices. A woman identified by bystanders as Jamie Bork Laughner, was sprayed and dragged away from the gates. She was taken away on a stretcher by emergency officials on the scene. Before that, she was seen pouring water from a bottle into her eyes and weeping. "I was just standing, trying to get into my City Council meeting," said Kim Ellis, a woman who said she was stunned by officers and still had what appeared to be a Taser wire hanging on her shirt. A knot of protesters also was inside among spectators as the meeting opened and a scuffle inside the chambers led to a recess after several protesters were forced out, including one woman who was bodily carried out. But the scene inside, where the crowd also included supporters of demolition, was orderly once the meeting resumed, in stark contrast to the bedlam outside, where police on horseback sat just inside the iron gate. City Council approval of the demolition is required under the City Charter. Thursday's expected vote will be a critical moment in a protracted fight between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and residents, activists and preservationists.