It's safe to say New Orleans has some housing problems these days, as in, people need housing and there isn't any. The city planned on demolishing 4,500 public housing units today to help that situation and, in response, opponents planned a large protest outside of City Hall. At some point the police must have gotten a little uneasy because they shut the City Hall gates. The protesters broke through and so, naturally, the police beat the living shit out of them. More, plus some video, after the jump.

Nothing quite brings to mind the heroic imagery of and great strides in race relations since Dr. King's civil rights era marches more than a white cop punching a black man in the face while others are sprayed with mace. No doubt city officials will take the grievances of these concerned citizens seriously once they stop beating on them. Because nothing says "I feel your pain, citizens" like spraying mace from a fire extinguisher and tasing them, really.

Police, Protesters Clash in New Orleans [Associated Press]

[Video courtesy of Raw Story]