help willow and feather in new orleans

[mags]

i'm posting this email i just got in its entirity. i've known willow and feather for almost 20 years, and they are the most gentle, kind, peaceful, goddess-and-mother-earth-lovin womyn i've ever known. they lived in their house long before this annoying neighbor moved in. there is no reason in this world they should be subjected to this level of harrassment in their own home. period. this is crazy.

so anyways... forward it out, send some letters, let the stupid officials and politicians in new orleans know that they are being watched in how they deal with this.

mags.
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I'm emailing on behalf of Feather and Willow, a.k.a. Sisterbeat, who many of you may known through the years, and on behalf of David's House (http://davidshouse.wordpress.com/), a recent blog dedicated to their colorful New Orleans home.

Threats of physical harm
Feather and Willow have been the target of hate speech, harassment and threats of physical harm because of their perceived religion and sexual orientation. Jo Ann Taylor, a neighbor who moved in next door at 3060 St. Peter just before Katrina, has repeatedly enlisted the help of the City of New Olreans with relentless complaints about fence heights, garden edging, garden adornments, art, foliage height...she even called the fire department out to extinguish candles burning in the backyard which turned out to be nothing more than reflections of light in puddles of water. For nearly a year, Taylor has had it out for the sidewalk art painted on the block in front of the women's home which was painted in tribute to their son David Ayo who was murdered on their doorstep in 2001. Jo Ann Taylor has said that Feather and Willow are "unnatural" and "freaks" because "two women should not be together", and "would not be able to live like this if it was ten years ago". Feather responded by asking her neighbor why they couldn't all just live and let live and live peacefully. Taylor threatened, she would beat Feather, pummel her to the ground, that she would get her husband Gregory to beat Feather, adding that while he wouldn't hit a woman he would hit Feather because she is not a woman. As Taylor's threats escalated, Feather called the New Orleans police department. Instead of addressing threats of physical violence and which Feather had called about, the officer issued Feather a summons along with Taylor and her sister and threatened to issue one to Willow who may have been on the porch or in the house when the incident took place. A hearing is scheduled for this Friday, May 15th, 2009 in Municipal Court D, 3pm if anyone would like to attend in support

Sidewalk Art
Karen "Feather" and Susan "Willow" recently received another threatening letter from New Orleans Director of the Department of Public Works, Robert Mendoza due to Taylor's incessant complaints. The sidewalk art is in jeopardy. Feather and Willow have complied and corrected all alleged violations except the sidewalk art. In December, they sent a certified letter to Mendoza requesting a face to face meeting and the legal basis / code in violation, she was told Mendoza's secretary would set something up. When Mendoza's office failed to do so, all assumed the issue had been dropped, but it seems the city may have been waiting for the press and the outpouring of support to die down. The sidewalk art seems to have become just one more way to harass Feather and Willow as a result of Taylor's homophobia and intolerance. Unfortunately, it does not seem that threats will end if the women paint the colorful sidewalk art gray as Mendoza has requested. With the state of streets and sidewalks throughout New Orleans, it's hard to imagine why one small stretch of sidewalk would get so much attention.

Please join others (Silence is Violence, Ironrail, NOLA Rising, Squandered Heritage and many others) who offered support to Karen "Feather" and Susan "Willow" over the past year.

Please ask the city of New Orleans to stop enabling Taylor's harassment and ask the city to preserve the sidewalk art in the 3000 block of St. Peter Street. While you're at it I suggest that you report the worst pothole, sidewalk or ditch in your own New Orleans neighborhood to Mr. Mendoza.

Director of Public Works, Robert Mendozza: rmendoza@cityofno.com
Councilmember-at-large, Arnie Fielkow: afielkow@cityofno.com
District A Councilmember, Shelly Midura: smidura@cityofno.com

Larry Bagneris, Exec. Director of Human Relations: lbagneris@cityofno.com

PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS INFORMATION TO WOMEN NEAR AND FAR.

All ideas or suggestions welcome.

Karen Ocker

[Artemis]

Mags, thanks for posting this. How alarming!

Art is considered a form of speech and is protected under the first amendment. We have to indulge it here in NYC, whether we like it or not. Feather and Willow may be having this civil right violated and there may be other civil liberties violations happening too. I don't know the state of protection ordinances for queers in LA (let me guess.. not so much) but it does sound like there are some FEDERAL laws being broken with the harassment. The local police arent going to help educate them on these. I would suggest they file a complaint with the ACLU of Louisiana, it can be done on line http://www.laaclu.org

Also, is it possible to get a restraining order against the Taylor woman? She sounds like a bully in addition to being a hater. I've learned the only truly effective way to get them to stop is push back, so to speak. How about a counter campaign? People can picket her in front of her house or place of worship. That is protected speech too, which is why fred phelps rarely gets arrested.

[AmazonTrader]

Bump.

Folks like this are unbelievable and I think Artemis may be right. Pushing back is sometimes the only thing they understand although it won't go anywhere in lessening their resentment & bullshit. If they rent the place I'd certainly put in a complaint with their landlord.

My prayers are with them tonight.

[Artemis]

How did it go in court on Friday?

[mags]

hey artemis - i just got this from feather:

"A date was set for trial on July, 17th.....and we were all required to sign peace bonds (me, Joann "neighbor" and her sister Trina). The judge asked what the problem was on St. peter st. Joann responded by saying she had taken a walk with her sister that morning and when she came back, I used the hose pipe to wet her.....I asked to speak, and I told him about the ongoing harassment the homophobic hate speach and the threats of violence..and that I had been the one that called the poice because I had been threatened...the judge seemed sympathetic and allowed me to speak without interupting me.. He also told me when I asked him that the police officers had put in the report that Joann was not wet. He said we had to stay away from each other; and then joann commented "i hope susan and karen can do that". and the judge said "I expect everyone to stay away from each other!"

next up....meeting with Mendoza on Wednesday."

Mendoza is the Dir. of the Dept. of Public Works.

thanks for everyone's support.

[hempster]

update?

[Daddy Devin]

Bump