Desire Projects

Desire Projects is located at with its elevation at sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the district has a total area of , all of which is land, with none covered by water. Adjacent neighborhoods • Desire Area (north, east and west) • Florida Projects (south) Boundaries The City Planning Commission defines the boundaries of Desire Projects as these streets: Higgins Boulevard, Alvar Street, Florida Boulevard, Desire Street, Oliver White Avenue, Pleasure Street and Piety Street. ==Demographics==

Note: The below demographic data is for the Desire Development and Area as these census tracts were combined for the 2010 Census. As of the census of 2000, there were 4,451 people, 1,587 households, and 1,125 families residing in the neighborhood. The population density was 2,204/mi2 (842/km2). As of the census of 2010, there were 2,005 people, 678 households, and 502 families residing in the neighborhood. ==Schools==

Two elementary schools, Robert R. Moton and Henderson H. Dunn, were included in the construction of the Desire Housing Project. Because the schools did not account for the large number of students, many children had to go in shifts. There were no playgrounds. ==Conditions==

Conditions in Desire were poor before residents even moved into their complexes. Many problems began because of the lack of building foundations: instead of concrete being laid down, the buildings were all set on wet soil which caused the structures to sink. Porches broke away from homes, etc. Gas, water, and sewer lines were also laid improperly, resulting in utility leakages. Desperate for housing, many residents moved into Desire and stayed, regardless of the conditions. Many people suffered a lack of privacy due to the small amount of space. Many shared hallways, porches, and courtyards, although this is a common attribute of most apartment dwellings. The surrounding area was isolated and lacked basic essentials for residents such as stores, churches, and bus routes. Many people would sit on their porches because their living quarters were dark and smelled of sewage. The mud that children played in contained broken glass. ==History==

1949-Federal Government program gives $300 million to public housing authorities to clear inner-city slums and build ever-bigger projects, including high-rises to span throughout the 50s and 60s. Streetcar named desire use to run through • Sits on land well outside the city's core, hidden away between a truck route, railroad tracks, and Superfund sight • Streets named by an eighteenth-century Creole who first developed that part of town: Industry, Abundance, Benefit, Humanity, Desire, Piety 1989-Larry Jones (HANO) blames racism for the problems in Desire. Goal behind construction of the projects was quantity not quality 1991-Revitalize Desire by razing some buildings 2007- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary announced that by July 2007, 100 of the eventual 500 houses would be built, as part of a development dubbed the "New Desire" or "Abundance Square." ==Black Panthers==

The Black Panthers set up a New Orleans chapter in 1970 by establishing themselves in the Desire Housing Projects which lasted for about three months. The chapter consisted of men and women who created several programs to help the residents of the Desire area. The Panthers took it upon themselves to help the impoverished neighborhood in several ways. These services included free breakfasts which are claimed by some to have helped feed over 100,000 children, free clothing, donations from merchants, as well as establishing self-respect and community responsibilities. They also taught self-defense, and fundraising and organizing tasks and responsibilities for parenting. The relationship between the Panthers and the residents grew strong making it essential to the survival of the group. After a three-month positive relationship between the Panthers, the resident's demands soon became the demands of the Party. This encouraged residents support the Panthers in their time of need as they placed themselves between the power group headquarters and the authorities during a raid in November 1970. Many community members were arrested because of their support. ==Shootout==

Two confrontations took place between the Black Panther Party and authorities in the Desire housing projects. Both can be remembered by several residents, authorities, and Black Panthers themselves. The first episode which took place was known as a thirty-minute war. This was after several months of police infiltration of the power group. Police cruisers along with buses and newsmen made their way to Desire on September 15, 1970, around 8:30 a.m. About 400 residents of Desire had gathered behind the committee headquarters and shouted antipolice slogans in support of the Panthers. Several days after the incident some Panthers headed back to headquarters and reopened. By October 25, 1970, headquarters had been moved to apartment #3315 in Desire. As months went by tensions began to escalate between Panthers and police. Although as tensions grew so did the mass amount of support from the residents of Desire who were determined to support the group which had helped them significantly. By November 17, 1970, policemen headed back to Desire to evict the Panthers permanently from their location. When they arrived they were confronted with several objects being tossed in their direction from residents. At around 11:45 p.m. as a tank began advancing towards the building of headquarters members of the community filled the streets and put themselves in a standoff between the authorities, only held back by Desire leaders who restrained them from making any advances. Residents said they would stand their ground as long as police presence continued. Five people were shot but no deaths resulted in this second confrontation. ==Reports==

Robert H. Tucker Jr. assisted Mayor Moon Landrieu and made official reports about the standards of living in the Desire projects. After three days of living in the projects Tucker reported back to the mayor with his findings. They stated “Life in any multi-family structure for the low income family is a very difficult proposition to say the least.” After this report the Desire could be known as one of the worst public housing projects ever put into place. Tucker saw children who would swim in clogged sewers, as well as families who were scared to leave their homes at night because of assault, robbery, muggings, and rape. Piles of garbage went uncollected for weeks. Desire was basically removed from the rest of the city of New Orleans not only in geography but in culture as well. About 61% of the families in Desire lived on less than $3,000 a year. People who got food-stamps would be targeted and threatened. The day people received their welfare was also the day the food market would make prices higher. The results of this report by Tucker were an eleven pointed plan weeks before the shootout given to the mayor in attempts to change some conditions in Desire for the better. ==Documentary==

This film Desire documents a five-year collaborative effect between Julie Gustafson and a group of teenage girls from New Orleans completed in 2005 before Hurricane Katrina. It starts in the Desire Housing Projects with girls who are taught to make videos about their lives discussing what they want out of life and if they think they will get it. The documentary reviews the lives of teenage girls from Desire and compares them to other neighborhoods. They review how life is in the projects including their families, social, and economic backgrounds. ==In popular culture==

The 2007 crime film Waters Rising features two Hurricane Katrina evacuees, criminal brothers from the Desire Projects named Gangsta (Michael Anthony Jackson) and Killer (Andrae Noel). The storm and their relocation to Houston, Texas, profoundly affected their fates. The 2006 documentary Welcome to New Orleans, featuring Malik Rahim (Donald Guyton) who survived the Desire shootout and Desert Storm veteran Dennis Kyne, shares the story of almost 20,000 volunteers saving Algiers after Hurricane Katrina. In the 2020 Showtime miniseries Your Honor, the Desire Crew is mentioned as one of the city's most notorious gangs. ==See also==