Gulf Coast Reconstruction Project

Fighting for a just and democratic reconstruction in the Gulf Coast

One week after classes began at UCLA School of Law in 2005, the international community witnessed Hurricane Katrina ravage the Gulf Coast.  As it became apparent that existing social inequalities in the region played a significant role in determining who survived the Hurricane, CRS took action.  We brought to bear our intellectual resources to assist the civil rights community that would fight for a just and democratic Reconstruction in the region.  Since then, CRS, in partnership with the David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy, has helped to address the various ways in which law has shaped the Reconstruction in the region.  The links below reflect the CRS Program’s commitment to collaborative partnerships that deepen law students’ education while supporting community and civil rights advocacy efforts in this unprecedented Reconstruction. 

• CRS and PILP Students Coordinate Volunteer Efforts in the Gulf Coast – Summer 2008  
• Materials Related to the CRS Program’s Efforts in the Gulf Coast Reconstruction - Fall 2008  
• CRS Students Help Produce Report on Labor Violations in Post-Katrina New Orleans; Leads to the Creation of the New Orleans Worker Center for Racial Justice – Spring 2006 
• CRS Deploys Law Students to New Orleans; Assist Civil Rights Lawyers to stop Violations of Constitutional Rights, Labor Laws, and Voting Rights – Winter Break 2006 and Spring Break 2006 
• CRS Hosts a Public Forum on Natural Disaster, Social Justice and the Law – Fall 2005 
• CRS Convenes a Historic Cross Regional Consultation of Civil Rights Lawyers and Advocates – Fall 2005 
• Biographies of the Participants in the Gulf Coast-West Coast Consultation – Fall 2005