While the fight for self determination for all residents of New Orleans—their right to return and to rebuild their communities—has not been the focus of mainstream news coverage, it is an issue that many readers have probably read something about. As in New Orleans, the interest of white developers in predominantly African American neighborhoods is not a phenomenon produced by Hurricane Katrina.
Before Katrina, one of the more recent community battles ended in something of a victory for the residents of Turkiey Creek. This was the story from 2000-2003:
With this victory, there were still other serious challenges to tackle, before Katrina ever arrived in Gulfport.
This is some of the background against which to evaluate current discussions of rebuilding and redevelopment in Gulfport.
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