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Recently a friend posted some photos she’d taken of several placards recently posted in the French Quarter/Marigny area. A conversation ensued and I asked her to write up something about her opinion of the message the posters were broadcasting. Dawn … Continue reading
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Every day throughout our country, citizens discuss history and culture. They argue their viewpoints and opinions about history and the important events that have influenced our lives. Over coffee at cafés, in checkout lines at grocery stores, and in staff … Continue reading
Whether or not you agree with the politics of Occupy Wall Street you have to acknowledge it as a cultural phenomenom. The park has become a microcosm of activism spawning similar scenes in cities all over the world and I’m … Continue reading
Curious about all the stuff the ballot this Saturday? Here are some resources. There are several amendments on the ballot which will require you to do some homework to make an intelligent decision. Here are some websites that explain the … Continue reading
Last Thursday the Occupy Wall Street movement made it to New Orleans. 
With signs ranging from End the War to Government is Organized Crime, the message of the protesters was at times hard to fathom. To be frank, I all but dismissed them as an oddity that was interesting to photograph, but not something that I took seriously. As I thought and read more about the movement, I came across a great Op Ed in the NY Times yesterday that helped me put into words what I was seeing. ”As the Occupy Wall Street protests spread from Lower Manhattan to Washington and other cities, the chattering classes keep complaining that the marchers lack a clear message and specific policy prescriptions. The message — and the solutions — should be obvious to anyone who has been paying attention since the economy went into a recession that continues to sock the middle class while the rich have recovered and prospered. The problem is that no one in Washington has been listening.” The full opinion is here; http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/opinion/sunday/protesters-against-wall-street.html?scp=5&sq=Occupy%20Wall%20Street&st=cse
I was really glad that I found that link prior to posting these images….I have had some conversations recently with friends and acquaintances about the fact that this might be the hardest time to finish a college degree and enter the workforce than any other time in US history. Imagine being twenty-two years old, with a fresh bachelors degree in hand, with numerous college loans that you needed to finance that degree, hanging over your head that you need to repay. It is not a pretty sight just now here in the US for those individuals. Young college graduates still lag far behind older college-educated workers: 9.3% of them are unemployed, more than double the 4.7% unemployment rate for college graduates age 25 and older and the class of 2011 will likely face the highest unemployment rate for young college graduates since the Great Recession began. What a terrifying time to arrive in the US job market.
Add to the mix, the average American who has lost their trust in a government that bails out banks and Wall Street while ignoring the pain that the Wall Street fallout has caused to middle class America. We are constantly being assailed by the profits that JP Morgan (successor to Bear Stearns) , AIG, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, the auto industry continue to make even after receiving extraordinary bailouts from the US. It seems unbelievable that the US government was forced to bailout such companies, at the expense of the American public who has had to endure job losses, home equity losses, a credit bubble that cost them their homes and jobs, while Wall Street has hummed merrily along, thanks to the bailout, and the politicians who were elected pledging to reform Wall Street continue to maintain the status quo, all while raking in money from the corporate sponsors they had pledged to reform. Is it any wonder that the ordinary American is angry? When you factor these in, you begin to understand the need for such protests. Indeed it has even been suggested that the Occupy Wall Street protests that are beginning to spread across the US, might even become similar to the 1960′s protest. Time will tell on that forecast. For now, I think that the politicians, the pundits and the elite who are denouncing these protests should think twice about them; if you continue to bailout and coddle the rich while ignoring the middle class, the protests of the sixties could pale in comparison to these protests currently in their infancy.
The rest of my photos are here; http://laurabergerol.photoshelter.com/gallery/Occupy-NOLA/G0000vZy4n3gOvi4/
At the New Orleans District C Community Meeting on Wednesday, 9/7/11, I asked Mayor Mitch Landrieu the following question:
In the French Quarter, one of the biggest threats to the residential base is the proliferation of illegal short-term rentals. What action will the city’s Administration take to stem this tide and enforce the laws on the books? This is a potential revenue stream for our cash-strapped city. These operations don’t pay the hotel/motel taxes and they undercut legitimate hotels and bed & breakfasts. They reduce the availability of rental units for people who wish to reside in this neighborhood.
Mayor Landrieu somehow missed answering this question during his hour of responses; as he was wrapping up the meeting, he asked if there was anything he’d not replied to, and I called out “Short-term rentals!” He replied hastily, “That’s an enforcement issue, right? We’ll get to it.”
The following story appeared in the Times-Picayune on Sunday, 9/10/11: Mitch Landrieu ally snagged in crackdown on illegal short-term rentals
It’s a significant problem in the French Quarter, the Tremé, and the Marigny, and one glance at the Craigslist posts advertising “vacation rentals” will confirm that the problem is a city-wide issue.
On my block of Governor Nicholls Street, there are at least four illegal short-term rentals operating – some frequently, others intermittently. My apartment is literally book-ended by two: One is an apartment with a balcony that is rented sporadically for events such as Jazz Fest and the Red Dress Run weekend; the other is a slave quarters that is rented regularly for weekend and event stays. I’m certain that both could easily be rented as a regular apartments with year-round tenancy.
This is a wholly residential block. I’d much rather have full-time neighbors instead of a revolving door parade of weekend & festival out-of-town party people, particularly since the neighbor who offers the more frequent rental isn’t often in the main house on weekends and doesn’t have to deal with his “guests,” and occasional renters of the balcony apartment are often somehow unable to distinguish Governor Nicholls Street from Bourbon Street.
This issue was covered extensively by local media six months ago during March 2011:
Critics call on New Orleans to enforce rules against illegal guesthouses
Groups pushing city to crackdown on illegal home, apartment rentals
(The WWL story was a direct result of my sending in a list of a dozen Craigslist ads appearing over a two-week period and a website link for the slave quarter short-term rental to the station asking why the city didn’t investigate such blatant advertising of illegal rentals.)
City Hall’s response to these two stories was an unhappy one; the organizations & individuals involved were basically raked over the coals for not “working with” the city’s Administration and instead going to the media. However (to the best of my awareness), there still is no procedure in place for enforcing the “no rentals less than 60 days” in French Quarter or “no rentals less than 30 days” in the rest of the city.
Finally, I offer this for your consideration: The Film New Orleans Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy offers private residence short-term rentals for use by film & crew personnel without any notation regarding the city’s laws regarding time restrictions or limitations.
Using this list of available rentals as an example, is there a way for privately-owned residential short-term rentals to operate legally in the French Quarter (and city-wide), or not? It’s been my observation that most film crews rarely stay in our city for two-month stretches of time. If these rentals are operating legally and with the city Administration’s blessing, why isn’t this option available to private homeowners wishing to rent on a short-term basis for other purposes? And if such a mechanism does exist to permit legal short-term rentals, why are the limitation laws still on the books?
Michelle Krupa noted the following in the most recent Times-Picayune story regarding this issue:
Landrieu’s top aide in March said city officials weren’t likely to crack down on ordinary residents who rent out their homes during tourist events, opting instead to focus on unregistered proprietors who regularly rent rooms or apartments under the guise of legitimate hotels.
In contrast, it seems that our Mayor’s lecture at the meeting earlier this week has diminished significance, as it appears that the decisions being made by our city’s Administration regarding how these laws are being enforced continue to be consistently arbitrary:
When the city does start cracking down on enforcement of the laws, Landrieu warned, it will be “across the board.” So, he concluded, quoting his mother, “Be careful what you ask for.”
Either the laws regarding short-term rentals currently on the books need to change in a way that replaces the lost revenue generated by the hotel/motel tax and provides legitimacy and protection for the guests staying at these private residences, or the existing laws need to be enforced consistently.
After 30 years the Space Shuttle Program has ended. I have been lucky enough to be part of this program since 1982, working at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans East. The huge External Fuel Tank (ET) was manufactured here. The ET was the only component of the Shuttle Transportation System that was not reusable.
Last July the employees at Michoud attended the rollout of the last Tank. This is the same tank that was used for the final Shuttle Launch on July 8, 2011. (It is a strange coincedence that the rollout ceremony was July 8, 2010.) In true New Orleans fashion, a second line was held to escort the Tank onto the barge that would transport it to KSC (Kennedy Space Center). Here’s a video of the event.
As I write this and watch the video I feel a lump in my throat. The experience of working at Michoud has been very, very special. I don’t know about other companies, but working at MAF we employees feel like family. I’ve known some people for the “almost 30 years” I’ve worked there. We have grown old together, celebrated each others life milestones: marriage, children, divorce, death, grandchildren, retirement, Katrina (more than 50% of the MAF workforce lost everything from the storm),the Saints as Superbowl Champs and the BP Oilspill (the blowout preventer is still at MAF, under investigation). The number of employees at MAF has decreased to a few hundred from an all time high of about 2,500 in the heyday of the Shuttle Program. Several employees have set up webpages with archived photos of our work and play while at MAF. There is a facebook page for former employees to keep in touch. The end of the Shuttle program means so much more than jobs lost.
At MAF we employees would gather around the closed circuit televisions across the facility and watch each launch that took place during work hours. We knew each milestone in the ascent, marvelling every time the capcom would report on the speed of the bird. We knew that our Tank must work flawlessly for eight minutes before it was jettisoned off the orbiter. And the Tank worked every time! Each employee, no matter what their job was, took pride in our work.
We felt much pain in the losses of Challenger and Columbia. I still cannot look at photographs or videos of those two events. Our technical and production crews worked around the clock after those incidents to make things right. And they did. Space exploration has never been and will never be a flawless endeavour. It is an inherently dangerous science.
We will not cry because it is over, we will rejoice because it happened and we had a part in it!
Last year, New Orleanians heralded the hiring of a new NOPD Superintendent as a fresh start (even if the person in question is known to have had his eye on this post for more than 15 years’ time). I wonder: Just how much meaningful change is possible when the NOPD continues to keep officers on board in prominent roles who have well-documented tarnished records or, at the very least, who might have axes to grind?
Major Raymond C. Burkart, Jr. has a history of questionable actions stretching back through multiple NOPD command reconfigurations, including allegedly threatening an assistant U.S. attorney in 2001 and being indicted on bankruptcy fraud charges, as detailed by The Gambit in 2003. In light of recent events, I find it curious that Maj. Burkart has reportedly recently been assigned by the NOPD to work within the troubled 9-1-1 emergency dispatch center.
Captain Frederick C. Morton of the NOPD’s Inspection Division wrote the report issued in March 2011 that threw a spotlight on the police detail work issue; this report also cited the NOPD Eighth District for downgrading reported crimes to perhaps paint an impression of improvement. However, Capt. Morton has also been discovered to be the agent of record for “Rosewood Watchmen, LLC” which was also recently suspended from doing detail work. Isn’t that a bit like the cast-iron pot calling the kettle black (while acting like it’s porcelain and also microwave-safe)?
Captain Norvel Orazio was fired by former NOPD Superintendent Eddie Compass from the post of First District Commander (in which he’d succeeded Compass) for reducing criminal charges to lesser offenses in an attempt to make it appear that crime was on the decline in his District. So why, then, is Capt. Orazio currently employed by the NOPD in the Third District? Oh, right. He was reinstated by the City of New Orleans. Some suggest that the crucial factor in this reversal of fortune was the possibility that “Compass’ record was not unassailable…”.
Captain Michael Glasser is admittedly the curious outlier in this list (One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn’t belong!). While his actions do not beat a path to incidents of disciplinary action or the taint of corruption, it should be noted that he has been critical of Supt. Serpas’ reform efforts. Even his semi-positive responses to Supt. Serpas’ actions seem, at best, like backhanded compliments (such as these remarks regarding a recent NOPD employee survey):
“Capt. Michael Glasser, head of the Police Association of New Orleans, which represents officers’ interests, said the results were encouraging. But he added that he wished more officers had participated.
“‘The survey certainly reflects what the respondents said, but it doesn’t reflect all of the officers,’ said Glasser, who acknowledged taking part in the survey.”
In New Orleans, gossip and rumors are accepted as time-honored components of our city’s eclectic social currency. There’s been a lot of talk going around as of late… Some are saying that these specific members of the NOPD’s upper brass were displeased with potential reform efforts to be implemented by Superintendent Ronal Serpas.
If these four men aren’t able to attack Supt. Serpas directly, is it possible that they’re using a strategy of “the best defense is a good offense” and any available means to target the Superintendent indirectly?
Why this is personal; I stand with Planned Parenthood!
Congressional leaders and President Obama headed off a shutdown of the government with less than two hours to spare Friday night under a tentative budget deal that would cut $38 billion from federal spending this year. I am grateful that they figured out a way to avert government shutdown and not hurt Planned Parenthood in the process. But I AM REALISTIC; this battle is not over; this was simply the first skirmish in the war on women’s health. So I ask you to please support Planned Parenthood and women’s health issues; it has never been so needed especially in a time where there is an all out assault on women’s health. Please read the post that follows; it was written yesterday and it is my personal story on why this matters!
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Friday April 8, 2011; Today I received emails from Planned Parenthood that actually make me sick; due to the stupid GOP who have decided that Planned Parenthood is a bad thing, so they plan to shut down the government and hold the Democrats and all women hostage in order to prove their point because they have decided that Planned Parenthood is ONLY about abortion. The truth could not be farther from this!
I will cite articles, but what I want to do is to relate my own experience with abortion and a woman’s right to choose. The beautiful girl that you see below in the photo is my sister Brenda; I lost her when she was twenty seven years old and the world lost a great crusader for the underdog. It is because I was lucky enough to have her in my life, that I have the strength to speak out against what the GOP is doing; it is fundamentally wrong and it has to be overturned. Here is her story (and mine.)
When Brenda was 25, she found out that she was pregnant. It should have been a moment that most women who are in love and engaged to be married would cherish; the chance to have a child with the man that they love. Instead it was a time of terror for Brenda; you see, Brenda had severe epilepsy, and she could not be taken off of the medicines that kept her safe, in order to carry a child to term, and the medicines that already caused her significant side effects would have caused severe side effects to a child. If she was taken off the anti-convulsive medicines, it was highly probable that she would have died from a seizure.
Additionally, she had a hard time taking birth control, since the pill caused her to have seizures. So after much heartache, pain, and discussion with her fiance to make her decision, she chose to have an abortion, and asked me to accompany her to Planned Parenthood in Santa Clara, California. The year was 1982, and thank goodness, we had good facilities at that time that performed safe abortions. This had NOT always been the case as I was growing up, and indeed many deaths were attributed to back street abortion clinics. When they called her back for the procedure, they had her talk to several counselors before taking her back to the room. She explained over and over why she had no choice and I could see she was getting more and more upset; why couldn’t they just understand was written across her face. Finally they began the procedure; it seemed an interminably long time, though in reality, it probably was over in less than a half hour. BUT not before, my beloved sister suffered a Grand Mal seizure; I stayed with her, never leaving her side and I tried to protect her from the seizure, and to simply be there for her. She was terrified, as she always was when she had a seizure, and once the procedure was finally over, I took her home and put her to bed where she slept for 14 hours straight. She often felt guilt about that act, but I know in my heart that she would not have survived pregnancy, and that she had made the right decision. If the GOP gets their way, the Brenda’s of the world, will have no where to turn. Please do not let this happen!
To finish my story, about two summers later, Brenda married her sweetheart in June of 1984. They began their married life together, but it was to be short-lived. On October 4, 1984, my sister had a Grand Mal seizure while driving and was killed instantly when her car ran into the piling for an overpass on Highway 101 in Santa Clara, CA.
The one thing that I know about my sister Brenda, is that she would not mind me telling you this story; indeed knowing Brenda, she would be on the picket lines in DC marching with Planned Parenthood. Please do not force women to go back to a terrible time where contraception, family planning, and abortions are difficult to obtain. Please stand with Brenda and me; we support and stand with Planned Parenthood and we believe in the rights of all women to get the medical help they need, no matter their financial situation.
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Links;
Today’s (4/9/11) New York Times; http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/us/politics/09fiscal.html?_r=1&hp
From the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/what-planned-parenthood-a… “Though the fight over Planned Parenthood might be about abortion, Planned Parenthood itself isn’t about abortion. It’s primarily about contraception and reproductive health. And if Planned Parenthood loses funding, what will mainly happen is that cancer screenings and contraception and STD testing will become less available to poorer people. Folks with more money, of course, have many other ways to receive all these services, and tend to get them elsewhere already. The fight also isn’t about cutting spending. The services Planned Parenthood provides save the federal government a lot of money. It’s somewhat cold to put it in these terms, but taxpayers end up bearing a lot of the expense for unintended pregnancies among people without the means to care for their children. The same goes for preventable cancers and sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS.”
From Planned Parenthood; I stand with Planned Parenthood; https://secure.ppaction.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=pp_ppol_urgent
From US Dept of Health and Human Services; http://www.hhs.gov/opa/familyplanning/index.html
From the New York Times; http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/us/politics/09fiscal.html?_r=1&hp
Shutdown Near, No Sign of Compromise; After the nightlong negotiations that ended before dawn on Friday yielded no agreement, Senator Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat and majority leader, went on the offensive. He told reporters and said on the Senate floor that Mr. Boehner, the Senate Democrats and President Obama had essentially settled on $38 billion in cuts from current spending. But he said that Republicans were refusing to abandon a policy provision that would withhold federal financing for family planning and other health services for poor women from Planned Parenthood and other providers.“This is indefensible, and everyone should be outraged,” Mr. Reid said on the Senate floor. “The Republican House leadership have only a couple of hours to look in the mirror, snap out of it and realize how truly shameful they have been.”
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Laura Bergerol is a professional photographer in New Orleans and blogs on Posterous and at Time Captured.net. Laura also was a major contributor to our Katrina Photo Project for the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. This essay was cross-posted from her personal blog.
Here is a clip of an independent film set in 1979 suburban New Orleans
I don’t know if this is a good thing or not – and I don’t know if it will ever come to fruition since so many federal transportation and roads infrastructure to states is tied to the drinking age being 21 years old.
And the movie looks like it might not be all that – although it claims to be a comedy which is always welcome. I don’t know if I particularly want to see it myself since I spent some time in these bars, in addition to bars all over New Orleans proper, during the early 80′s (((puts bag over head))). The Last Stop, Kenny’s Key West, Kaleb’s, South Side, The Showboat, Ski Lodge all revisited! The release of this is timely what with Jefferson parish rezoning this district recently to close all the bars by Midnight during the week and 1am on weekends.
Maybe it will play at Canal Place if it makes it that far.
Opinions on this welcome…
Photo credit: Traveling Mermaid/Charlotte Ash
With regard to the Eris parade incident, rumors have been flying today and few verifiable facts have surfaced. As usual, the NOLA.com account of this incident is drawing a variety of opinions and reactions: New Orleans police and marching group clash Sunday night in Marigny
This incident reflects the general conundrum I’ve been considering during the past week: On one hand, the City of New Orleans’ Administration and the New Orleans Police Department do appear to be selectively enforcing laws; on the other, it’s a fact that many of our city’s citizens cherry-pick which laws they’ll choose to obey.
Does the lack of a parade permit warrant the use of pepper spray, stun guns, or batons? My response is an unequivocal “No.”
But I’d also like to ask, could this incident have been avoided? Maybe.
I do not doubt that many of the participants in the Eris parade spend a great deal of time creating beautiful and fantastical costumes, planning for the event, and composing original music to perform during the parade’s night of marching. That being said, why is it unreasonable to ask that someone in the organization crosses the T’s and dots the I’s by securing a parade permit and the required NOPD escort?
I learned today that the cost for a parade is $875 to meet the minimum requirements (a $275 flat fee for the parade permit and $600 for the required minimum of four NOPD officers to provide an escort and control traffic for the parade participants). It’s my guess that $10 per person marching/participating would more than cover these fees, or that the money could possibly be raised through a one-night benefit event at a local bar or club.
Accounts of the alleged violence perpetrated by the NOPD are being shared at lightning speed, however, I’ve yet to see any investigative effort with regard to reports of so-called parade participants dancing on parked cars, kicking over mailboxes, tagging and scratching cars, or throwing bricks and bottles (nor are these alleged acts mentioned in the NOLA.com story).
It has also been reported that six law enforcement officers were injured; is there more information available regarding the circumstances from which these injuries resulted? Has anyone seen or documented the reported damage to the two police cars? Has it been confirmed that all of the law enforcement officers involved were, in fact, NOPD officers? Where are the photos and videos documenting the reported incidents? Without these facts, the story is far from complete.
All things considered, I would like to learn more about what occurred before everything went sideways.
The Krewe of Eris was formed in 2005; its brief history also includes other clashes with law enforcement. I have to wonder, is this part of the Krewe’s modus operandi? (Simply put: Why is it okay to accuse the NOPD of repeatedly offending, while it seems that this recently-created krewe is somehow above reproach?) Why didn’t the parade disband on Sunday night when the crowd was told to disperse or when it reportedly faced a barricade?
It’s ironic. While researching the parade permit details earlier today, I had the pleasure of watching the Red Beans and Rice Lundi Gras parade cavort down my street, filling the block where I live with joy, color, and music (an organization that’s only in its third year of marching). I’d estimate that there were about 200 participants (with newcomers joining in as the parade flowed by); they were led by an unmarked, lighted police car and had three motorcycle/scooter cops controlling traffic (who facilitated the parade crossing N. Rampart Street at an intersection without a traffic signal). The presence of the NOPD officers did not inhibit the parade or its participants in the slightest.
With that in mind, I ask this final question: If the Krewe of Eris had obtained a permit and secured the required police escort, would the alleged threats to public safety and incidents of property damage have been as likely to occur? This one act of compliance could have been sufficient to deter those who may have been determined to be destructive instead of celebrating creativity. It is unfortunate the event’s founders did not act to protect its participants in this manner.
All those questions aside, I don’t see the artists and musicians as being the troublemakers in this incident; I am disheartened that they were caught up in the fray. If it is determined that the NOPD (or any law enforcement agency) used excessive force or engaged in unwarranted action, then I expect those officers to be identified and prosecuted aggressively to the full extent of the law. None should be exempt from being held accountable (regardless of occupation or avocation).
I was recently asked my opinion about the “Police shutdown of Mardi Gras Costume sale ‘a real drag’” story posted to NOLA.com by several people who know that I work with the New Orleans Police Department as a volunteer community liaison. (This role was essentially conferred as the result of participating in and completing the NOPD Citizens Police Academy.) The story struck a nerve with the community-at-large; it warranted follow-up.
I emailed Captain Hosli, Commander of the NOPD 8th District, the jurisdiction where the infraction occurred, simply asking and commenting, “Were there complaints about the location and/or the event? The community perception is less than favorable.” I promptly received the following response:
I’m hearing lots about it as well. It was not done by officers assigned to the 8th District. The officers were assigned to City Hall in the Finance Department.
A press release is going to be sent out.
Captain Edwin Hosli
Commander
NOPD Eighth District
I was relieved to learn that the NOPD 8th District wasn’t responsible for this nonsense. However, the shutdown of this one event struck me as being oddly and astonishingly arbitrary.
I was surprised to receive a second reply from Captain Hosli later that evening, a forwarded response from NOPD Superintendent Chief Serpas regarding “the incident on Frenchman Street”:
Thank you for your email. There is more information available for your consideration. The following statement was issued today by the appropriate authorities: “We have heard from residents across New Orleans for the City to get serious about fairly enforcing laws when it comes to proper permitting and tax and fee collection. As part of standard enforcement sweeps during Mardi Gras, field agents with the City of New Orleans Bureau of Revenue issued a subpoena for the owner of the Blue Nile to appear at City Hall this week to be advised on how to obtain the proper permits and licenses so that the sale can happen in a lawful manner. The sale was asked to be moved inside the bar premises at time. However, at no time is vending permitted on City sidewalks. As we increase field agents in the Bureau of Revenue, we will continue to communicate with residents and business owners about the types of permits needed for these types of events.”
NOPD officers assigned to the Revenue Department issued one Summons, which included violations outlined for not having a manager on premise and for operating outside of their permit for the business location.
There’s a lot about this situation that doesn’t make sense to or sit well with me in general.
The story posted to NOLA.com isn’t objective journalism, nor is it an op/ed piece; in my opinion, it’s biased and sensationalized (while this might not bother other readers, it annoys me). I prefer my news straight up, without garnish.
Be that as it may: If the City of New Orleans is going after chump change like a one-day costume sale, what’s next — issuing citations to those who hold yard sales that happen to spill over onto a public sidewalk? Will they pull the plug on the French Market’s 28th annual “Mask Market” event next?
Rumor has it that New Orleans is expecting a larger-than-average crowd for this year’s “greatest free show on Earth.” Why does the city’s Administration assign police officers to the Bureau of Revenue during Mardi Gras,when potential threats to public safety could reasonably be expected to be the top priority for all on-duty law enforcement officers?
If this reassignment is deemed to be truly necessary, then why not go after property owners who are committing chronic and repeated violations that are shorting the city’s coffers of as much as tens of thousands of dollars in tax revenue each month during Festival Season, instead of being concerned about the permit status of a one-day-only costume sale event? (Hint: An NOPD officer has noted that there’s no process in place for even issuing citations to the big money law-breakers, so these violations remain unaddressed.)
The shutdown strikes me as going after the low-hanging fruit instead of tackling the big problems head-on with every available officer.
Chief Serpas made the time to appear on the news on the morning of Tuesday, 3/1/11. Speaking about the shutdown of the costume sale, he stated that citizens can’t pick and choose which laws they wish to have enforced, and that venues where alcohol is served are well aware that if the location is open for business, then it is required that a manager be present.
Chief Serpas also alluded to quality of life issues and community complaints; none of which were mentioned by Captain Hosli when I’d asked about complaints in my email inquiry.
As a resident of the NOPD 8th District, I don’t see an event that added a little more Mardi Gras mirth into the mix as being a priority of particular concern. Instead, I’d ask Chief Serpas to refocus on the quality of life issues and citizen concerns that occur year-round and have remained unaddressed for several years’ time.
What I’ve learned by asking a question about this incident is that, when it comes to distinguishing between priorities dictated by the city’s Administration (in my opinion the true force behind this enforcement effort) and the actions of the NOPD, public opinion matters more than fact.
We call for change and improvement on the part of our city’s law enforcement, yet the only acceptable response to the shutdown story seems to be, “It’s the NOPD. Again.” This time, however, it wasn’t — it was the City of New Orleans Bureau of Revenue taking officers off of regular patrolling duty to issue citations.
This knee-jerk reaction doesn’t sit well with me, either. Pay attention, people.
The following is a list of companies that are being granted protection for any future litigation when claimants sign a no sue waiver when opting to receive a lump sum final payment from the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, known as the GCCF. The GCCF released a sample of the waiver, listing these companies in their attachment A, on their website on Friday, December 17, 2010.
Today is Blog Blast for Peace Day which was started by Mimi Lenox in 2006 and has been growing every year since. The idea is to write a blog post about peace incorporating the icon for the blast which is a globe. Mimi provides a variety of templates for the participants to choose from to create their own personalized peace globe, as I’ve done above.
I chose the quote by Indira Gandhi on my globe because it’s as meaningful today as the day she spoke it in 1968. This is not a typical post about peace. You’ll find no poets or songwriters dreams quoted here.
Today, like then, we are in the midst of fighting a war in a foreign land while people in our own country are in need. Our country is in dire economic straits because of the huge amounts of money that have been spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, people in our own country have been held hostage by big insurance companies that take our money but deny us coverage or drop us when we need it most, our education ranking is near the bottom when compared with 30 other countries in the world, families are losing their homes at an unprecedented rate and the numbers of women and children living in poverty are increasing.
Add to that social issues such as the rampant bullying of gays resulting in a plague of teen suicides and the rise of what I think of as “convenient Christians”* who are engaging in fear tactics and blatant lies to advance their political power in this country and peace seems an unattainable goal.
Where does an average American woman look for peace?
She looks to herself, her family and her friends. She lives her life being as good a person as she can be which includes empathy for others including those unlike herself. She listens and tries to understand another’s point of view and she doesn’t condemn those who think differently. She cultivates peace within herself. And she hopes with all her being the people in this country will wake up and realize that peace begins with each one of us.
*Convenient Christians claim to follow the teachings of Jesus when it furthers their own goals.
Originally published 11/4/10 on TravelingMermaid.
“Sen. Vitter knows very well that undocumented immigrants are not eligible for public benefits like welfare, food stamps, Social Security or Medicaid. They never have been,” said Susan Weishar, a migration specialist at the Loyola University’s Jesuit Social Research Institute. “It is poisonous to the political discourse that Sen. Vitter continues to scapegoat people who came to Louisiana to help us rebuild our homes and businesses after Katrina.” -The Times Picayune, Oct. 8,2010
Politics is a nasty business which is why I try to stay out of it publicly. That’s not to be confused with apathy – I keep up with the local and national scene and I have my opinions – I just choose not to flail around in the muck via this blog. There are plenty of politically experienced bloggers out there that have that domain covered so I leave it to them. This post isn’t about my political opinion of David Vitter or Charles Melancon; instead, this post is about what I, and many others, perceive as manipulative lying on a massive scale that appears to be escalating expeditiously. About a week ago I had my first viewing of David Vitter’s TV commercial portraying Hispanic illegal aliens climbing through a hole in a chain link fence and being welcomed by this scene: 
and it made my skin crawl. Adding to this despicable affront is the fact that he shares the opening scene with Sharron Angle’s equally racist ad against Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada. It’s apparent to anyone with a brain that Senator Vitter and others are attempting to manipulate a certain segment of the population through their prejudices and fears of illegals, particularly Hispanic illegals, as is evident by the growing numbers of these blatantly racist ads. Maybe Senator Vitter thinks this is what he needs to do to steer the attention of his conservative base away from his own questionable behavior. Whatever the reason, this kind of ad is racist garbage and I would call out anyone who condones it, regardless of political affiliation. This goes way beyond politics into the realm of just plain old fashioned hatred. I think the American people are sick and tired of it and it’s past time we let these politicians know with our voices as well as our votes.
For those readers outside of Louisiana I’ve embedded the offending video below.
