More GRITtv by GRITtv was published on August 20th, 2008 Will progressives fight for public housing? As goes New Orleans, so goes the nation. In our week of special programming we continue to look at what post-Katrina New Orleans tells us about the nation at large. Housing would seem to be a basic human right. Food, water, shelter–right? Not so. In the last decade almost 100,000 public housing units have been demolished nationwide. Over 60 percent of these units have never been replaced. Just last month Las Vegas and Atlanta announced they were getting rid of their public housing altogether. Earlier this year, San Diego got out of the public housing business too. The trend of privatization and all out individualism continues. On GRITtv we discuss the fate of public housing in New Orleans and beyond with Judith Browne-Dianis Executive Director of Advancement Project, Rob Robinson Housing Campaign Organizer for Picture the Homeless, Dr. John Derek Norvell a Human Rights specialist with the NYS Division of Human Rights, and Sam Jackson a public housing activist and member of May Day New Orleans. Public housing units in New Orleans, already in peril, have suffered further in the aftermath of the hurricane. Thousands of public housing units in buildings that suffered only minimal damage have been destroyed. Homelessness has doubled and new development is in the form of high-end hotels and condominiums, not public housing for those who need it. Moreover, many residents who returned to their homes were denied their property and the right of return. Our guests discuss efforts to preserve public housing, what progressives can do, and why Obama hasn't said much at all about the housing crisis.