The last few years have been especially difficult for our elderly population. My mother in law took a fall right near City Hall while trying to make sense of some City Hall snafu.

Her fall resulted in a smashed to smithereens elbow which led to surgery and ongoing rehabilitation. Bouncing back at 83 is no small feat and in addition to her destroyed elbow she broke a number of teeth.

So with morale at an all time low, even more so than when she was exiled out of her house, it was an especially nice touch when a local demolition contractor called her to ask her if she wanted to demolish this:

Site of Squandered Heritage Corporate Office

This little shotgun has been repaired and occupied since 2006 and is no where near in need of being razed.

So why did they call? Well I imagine they called because the steady stream of City initiated FEMA funded demolitions has ceased and they are looking for work.

I have heard from other sources that “New Orleans Demolition”:http://www.neworleansdemolitionsvc.com/contacts.htm is sending letters to people who have had code enforcement violations. This company has been at the forefront of the demolition craze.

Interestingly enough I found this article about the owners of the company in a firewall protected issue of the “Boston Globe”:http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8742534.html.

Two former Brookline residents pleaded guilty yesterday to charges relating to their role in a land flip scheme in the Boston area. Wayne Weisler and Susan Taylor, who are now residents of New Orleans, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. During the period of September 1988 to September 1991, Weisler and Taylor undertook a scheme to “flip” 41 properties in eastern Massachusetts, primarily in Brighton and Allston, federal prosecutors said. A land flip occurs when a property is bought and sold several times in quick succession, using fraudulently inflated property values to obtain excessive mortgages.

I am still unsure if this company is the one that called my mother in law, I left a message and my call has not yet been returned.

Karen Gadbois

Karen Gadbois co-founded The Lens. She now covers New Orleans government issues and writes about land use. With television reporter Lee Zurik she exposed widespread misuse of city recovery funds and led...