Actor Wendell Pierce, star of HBO’s The Wire and Treme, was born and raised in Pontchartrain Park, an all-black middle class New Orleans community that some say provided a “Leave It To Beaver” lifestyle. The tight-knit community built on a golf course and home to two historically black colleges, boasted a 97 percent home ownership rate for nearly 50 straight years until it was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Katrina’s flooding in 2005. Immediately after, the once strong and vibrant historic community experienced the second lowest return rate in the city – second only to the Lower Ninth Ward. Many of the residents, including Pierce’s parents, were senior citizens who required extra rebuilding assistance.

Fearful that his beloved community would cease to exist, Pierce says he answered the community’s call to spearhead the rebirth of The Park. He has joined forces with several African-American owned companies in New Orleans and others across the country, along with government agencies to help residents return.”
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