You heard it here first

But last evening, FOX8 did a great piece on the final family left in the VA Hospital Footprint:

"It's worse than Katrina to have your house paid for, totally restored and to have someone come and just take it from you,” said Deborah Brown Cassine.

Deborah has consistently made an articulate, thoughtful argument about her situation.  It's worth a read.

She appears in court facing eviction tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. in Civil District Court at Loyola and Poydras.

Correction: "Still In Limbo"

The Deborah Brown-Cassine family, with its two small children, is "the last man standing" in the VA Footprint.

I observed yesterday, after doing my due diligence beyond what I even mentioned on the blog, that nobody remained living in the VA Footprint.  But I heard back today from Deborah, who noted that her family on Cleveland Avenue is in fact still "in limbo."

Although she hoped to move out yesterday, she is waiting for the money necessary to move, and while she has retained counsel, she has not heard from the state in some time.

Demolitions and site preparation began in the VA Footprint back in May of 2010.  When you add in the date of the first public discussion of the new "preferred site" for the VA above S. Galvez back in 2007, Deborah and her family have been in limbo for almost four years - after returning in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The continued presence of residents inside the footprint as it's been razed has been one of the most surreal aspects of the place and the process.  It's hard to believe that it actually happened.

Rally/Meeting/Press Conference

Late on Friday, the Committee to Reopen Charity held an event at the venerable Outer Banks Bar at the corner of Palmyra and S. Tonti, pictured above.

A number of folks showed up to see what all the fuss was about.

Fox8 - the channel that has provided the best continuing television coverage of the LSU/VA Footprint story - interviewed Ms. Deborah Brown-Cassine in front of her fully renovated house, a hybrid camelback, where she still lives.  Her children, along with a friend, watched from the screen door as she gave a powerful, eloquent account of her status as someone who "had tried to comply in every way," but who felt that her civil rights were being violated as utility shut-offs threatened her legal right to remain.

She noted that she was one of the plaintiffs in a federal suit filed two weeks ago which seemingly played a role in keeping utilities on in the VA Footprint.

Back at Outer Banks, Mr. Guth, the owner of the structure (former owner?) noted that he plans to fight the eviction notice for the bar down at the CDC on Thursday, November 4 at 10 a.m.  Here, he talks with Nicole, the manager, as patrons trickled in after work.