This is Zach walking out of the first house we gutted. Common Ground Collective was trying to gut homes for as many residents as possible.

Gutting houses was important because the City Government [of New Orleans] announced that if homes were not gutted by January 31st, the city would come around and do it for them. Then, they would send a bill to the homeowner.

If the homeowner couldn't pay for the gutting (which was most of them, because they were or still are living elsewhere and out of work), the City would foreclose on their home.