Group stages two-farced ruse over public housing

A prankster group posing as federal housing officials caused confusion at a rebuilding conference Monday, following up speeches by Mayor Ray Nagin and Gov. Kathleen Blanco with a phony announcement that several local housing developments slated for demolition would instead be renovated and reopened.

A group called the Yes Men carried off the hoax, one in a series of politically tinged jokes it has played. The group said it intended to draw attention to the plight of public housing residents. Some others didn't find it so funny, particularly those on whom the joke was played, including developers and contractors.

Their high jinks included inviting Patricia Thomas, a former resident of the Lafitte housing complex, to help cut a ceremonial ribbon at the site that she -- for the moment -- believed would signal a return to her home.

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Some news organizations reported the policy reversal before learning of the prank. Meanwhile, the hoaxsters managed to stage yet another ruse, when dozens of contractors showed up for a 1 p.m. ribbon-cutting at the Lafitte public housing development where they thought they would learn of millions of dollars in contracting opportunities.

Some called the fake speech and accompanying news release, sent to dozens of media organizations about 10:30 a.m., simply disrespectful. The joke was lost on Rahim Islam, a developer from Philadelphia who attended the ribbon-cutting.

"This is a serious situation," Islam said. "People want to come back."

His business partner Maxine McIntyre put her objection more succinctly. "He's an ass," she said.

Yes Men member Mike Bonnano, who has posed as a member of the World Trade Organization and of President Bush's re-election campaign, conceded the prank was something of a cruel joke, but added: "It's a question of what the greater injustice is."

The real injustice, he said, is the federal government's decision to tear down housing complexes that should be reopened to poor and displaced residents.

William Loiry, president of Equity International, which organized the conference attended by several hundred members of the building industry, said they were contacted last week by a man, claiming to be with a reputable public relations firm, who said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson would be willing to speak at the conference.

At the last minute, Loiry said, conference organizers were told that Jackson was sending an assistant secretary, who joined Nagin and Blanco onstage and followed their speeches with the bogus announcement. Loiry said he bought it until a reporter tipped him off to the prank.

In a separate incident, six housing activists were arrested for trespassing after they allegedly climbed a ladder and broke into an apartment, seeking to install a displaced resident there, a Housing Authority of New Orleans official said. The former resident did not take part in the break-in.

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Steve Ritea can be reached at sritea@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3396.