NEW ORLEANS -- Despite protests that at times erupted in violence, the City Council voted unanimously Thursday in favor of demolishing some 4,500 public housing units as the city rebuilds from Hurricane Katrina.
The vote to permit the federal government to tear down four public housing developments was a critical moment in a protracted fight between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and residents, activists and preservationists.
Other residents and their advocates said they fear the plan will result in loss of badly needing housing for the city's low-income black residents.
The vote crossed racial lines with the three black council members joining four whites.