New Orleans residents have long charged Jackson as being involved in similar unethical deals with his former business partner, Columbia Residential, which was given the contract to demolish and reconstruct the St Bernard Housing project. Columbia owes Jackson up to a half a million dollars due to his prior business dealings with the company.

Residential representatives from five New Orleans public housing developments and their supporter had a press conference demanding their voices be heard regarding demolitions and reconstruction plans.

The gathering comes on the heels of HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson's resignation due to a scandal involving sweetheart deals and conflict of interest in Philadelphia.

Local residents have long charged Jackson as being involved in similar unethical deals with his former business partner, Columbia Residential, which was given the contract to demolish and reconstruct the St Bernard Housing project. Columbia owes Jackson up to a half a million dollars due to his prior business dealings with the company.

Though this is a well known fact to both the political establishment, as well as the local media, public housing residents has charged both entities with ignoring the issue in their haste to speed up the elimination of  low income, subsidized housing in New Orleans.

The residents further charge that local, state, federal government and the media with ignoring their proposed solutions to the housing crisis in New Orleans.

This involves immediately stopping the illegal, corrupt process of current demolitions/reconstruction of four housing developments, until the residents' rights of governance, potential home ownership and employment are brought to fruition.