On Monday, memorials were held across the country to mark Martin Luther King Day. A number of protests also took place. In New Orleans, activists with a housing rights advocacy group occupied a number of buildings in a public housing project slated for demolition. The Department of Housing and Urban Development plans to demolish over 5,000 units of public housing in New Orleans despite the overwhelming need of affordable housing in the city following Hurricane Katrina. The building takeover occurred at the St. Bernard housing project.