The Trumpet Blog

Mayor Landrieu Reveals 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness

2011-12-02T09:11:00.000-06:00

Already with one of the nation’s biggest population of the homeless, New Orleans officials, as well as Federal representatives have been putting in extra time to commit to a plan to end to the numbers of homeless people in the city. Mayor Mitch Landrieu revealed a 10 year plan to work with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Monday in an effort to put an end to the heavy amount homeless issues that have stricken the city since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Recent estimations of New Orleans population of homelessness pointed towards 6,500 people living on the streets. The 10 year plan is set to include more construction on housing, as well as a center built within the Veterans Affairs Department hospital in downtown. The picture of homelessness is said to become even more visible with the recent Occupy demonstrations near City Hall, where many of the homeless have come together with the regular protesters.

The plan will aim to use the Veterans Affairs Department hospital as a public center where those who are in need of employment and housing can receive help. The original veterans’ hospital was damaged in Hurricane Katrina, but an upgraded facility is expected to open in 2013. The construction and coordination of New Orleans apartments and homes for the homeless is expected in the long term. City representatives are planning on working with development organizations in an effort to have over 2,000 beds for the homeless, as well as over 500 beds for families in need.

Another of the primary objectives of the plan will be establishing a group of experts to deal solely with the issue of homelessness. This group will be named the New Orleans Interagency Council on Homelessness and they will be fitted with the responsibility of being in charge of the entire 10 year plan. Mayor Landrieu believes that the city government will look to money that is already there for targeted use in an effort to support the plan.

Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the city of New Orleans has struggled with homelessness of course, but also with unemployment and poverty. The city has worked to provide housing for about 2,000 people since Katrina in 2005, but this new plan should allow for a larger target for services.

Another of the main goals of the approach will be to not only allow aid for those who are already homeless, but also those who are at risk of becoming homeless in the near future. With one of the largest populations of homeless people in the entire nation, the public-private plan to help end homelessness over the next decade should be welcomed as it will likely maximize resources in ways that they haven’t been used to combat homelessness before.

News from Around the Neighborhoods - Gentilly welcomes New Community Center with Festival of Hope

2011-11-15T12:20:00.013-06:00

Residents from across Gentilly celebrated the new Gentilly Community Center of Hope this past Saturday, Nov. 12 with the 1st Annual Festival of Hope. The Festival featured music by the Treme Brass Band, food from the Ju-Ju Bag Restaurant and others, as well as pumpkin painting and an inflatable jump castle for kids, art exhibits, the NOFD Fire Truck and a mobile Health Unit. Located at 2747 Robert E. Lee Boulevard, the Gentilly Community Center of Hope's mission is to provide a community center that has activities for people of all ages in the Gentilly area. The facility has a computer center, an indoor gym, outdoor fields for sports, and indoor meeting space for various organizations. Visit the new Gentilly Community Center of Hope's website for more information. http://gcchno.org

This weekend's festival was put on by the Gentilly Civic Improvement Association (www.gcia.us) and Hope United Church.

How you can help or get involved!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

The Center is looking for volunteers to work with seniors - leading exercises, arts and crafts activities; to work with young people on computers; and for other programming.

Potential volunteers contact: Pastor Nichols - donald_nchls@yahoo.com, 504.453.7450

Join the Community Center of Hope SEWING CIRCLE

Do you like to sew, knit, crochet or do crafts? Join the group that meets at the Gentilly Community Center of Hope, Tuesdays from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. ($3.00 suggested donation to the Center). Join a community of sewers, knitters, crochet and craft enthusiasts of all experience levels.

Contact info@sewsweetgentilly.com or call 504-376-5211 for additional information

Gentilly is a diverse community of 22 neighborhoods that collectively seek to strengthen our bonds with each other and our City - New Orleans, LA.

Photos left to right: Treme Brass Band Performs at the 1st Annual Gentilly Festival of Hope; musician Irvin Mayfield and others pose for a photo inside the gym and community center; children paint pumpkins on the lawn of the new Gentilly Community Center of Hope

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program accepting applications

2011-09-02T09:10:00.002-05:00

Interested small business owners must apply by Thursday, September 8

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is currently accepting applications from the greater New Orleans area to enroll in the program. 10,000 Small Businesses is designed to help local small business owners create jobs and economic opportunity by providing them with greater access to business education, financial capital, and business support services.

Small business owners accepted into the program will study accounting, human resources, negotiation, and marketing. Accepted applicants will also participate in one-on-one business advising sessions, accounting workshops, and pro bono legal clinics.

Applications for eligible small business owners will be accepted by Delgado Community College until Thursday, September 8. Business owners eligible to apply for the program are required to have been in business for two years or more, have at least four employees, a revenue stream of $150,000 to $4 million per year, and a business that is poised for growth.

Small business owners interested in applying to the business and management education program can contact Delgado Community College at 504.671.5000 or click here for more information. Small business owners interested in applying for capital can contact Hope Enterprise Corporation at 10KSB@hope-ec.org or click here for more information.

Goldman Sachs is also seeking candidates for the 10,000 Small Businesses Program Executive Director at Delgado Community College. Interested individuals should click here to review duties and qualifications or to apply via WorkNOLA.com.

To learn more about Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses in the greater New Orleans area you can view a short video that features stories of New Orleans business owners who have graduated from the program.

Enter to win the Crimestoppers Night Out Against Crime Contest!

2011-08-30T16:27:00.002-05:00

Is your group planning a party or another event for Night Out Against Crime on Oct. 11? Then Crimestoppers wants to promote YOUR good work in the Party and Stop Crime Contest!

Enter to win our Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans Night Out Against Crime Contest!

Neighborhood groups, civic associations and other organizations in our eight-parish service area are eligible to enter their Night Out event to hold the title of “Crimestoppers #1 Party to Stop Crime.”

Your group will win refreshments, (up to $200 or $400 depending on event size), for your Night Out Party, a visit at your event from the Crimestoppers Party Van, “Party and Stop Crime,” T-shirts, plus other Crimestoppers prizes, including VIP local and federal law enforcement, Crimestoppers and media attendees!

Crimestoppers is looking for a few standout parties to support to help combat crime in our communities and make our neighborhoods safer, so enter the contest today!

*The deadline to enter is Sept. 5.

*Download the contest flyer at the website: www.crimestoppersgno.org.

*Complete contest details can be found on the main Crimestoppers Facebook Page and “Like” it at www.facebook.com/CrimestoppersGNO.

*To stay up-to-date on the contest and other Crimestoppers news and tips, you can also follow on Twitter @CrimestopperGNO.

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact the Crimestoppers Office at 504-837-8477. Crimestoppers of GNO works in partnership with law enforcement, the media and the community.

Crimestoppers GNO supports National Night Out Against Crime.

Six Years After Katrina, The Battle for New Orleans Continues

2011-08-29T16:07:00.002-05:00

Political power has shifted to whites, but blacks have not given up their struggle for a voice -- and justice.

By Jordan Flaherty

Published today on The Root: http://www.theroot.com/views/battle-new-orleans-continues

As this weekend’s storm has reminded us, hurricanes can be a threat to U.S. cities on the East Coast as well the Gulf. But the vast changes that have taken place in New Orleans since Katrina have had little to do with weather, and everything to do with political struggles. Six years after the federal levees failed and 80 percent of the city was flooded, New Orleans has lost 80,000 jobs and 110,000 residents. It is a whiter and wealthier city, with tourist areas well maintained while communities like the Lower Ninth Ward remain devastated. Beyond the statistics, it is still a much contested city.

Politics continues to shape how the changes to New Orleans are viewed. For some, the city is a crime scene of corporate profiteering and the mass displacement of African Americans and working poor; but for others it’s an example of bold public sector reforms, taken in the aftermath of a natural disaster, that have led the way for other cities.

In the wake of Katrina, New Orleans saw the rise of a new class of citizens. They self-identify as YURPs – Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals – and they work in architecture, urban planning, education, and related fields. While the city was still mostly empty, they spoke of a freedom to experiment, unfettered by the barriers of bureaucratic red tape and public comment. Working with local and national political and business leaders, they made rapid changes in the city’s education system, public housing, health care, and nonprofit sector.

Along the way, the face of elected government changed in the city and state. Among the offices that switched from black to white were mayor, police chief, district attorney, and representatives on the school board and city council, which both switched to white majorities for the first time in a generation. Louisiana also transformed from a state with several statewide elected Democrats, to having only one -- Senator Mary Landrieu.

While black community leaders have said that the displacement after the storm has robbed African Americans of their civic representation, another narrative has also taken shape. Many in the media and business elite have said that a new political class – which happens to be mostly white – is reshaping the politics of the city into a post-racial era. “Our efforts are changing old ways of thinking,” said Mayor Mitch Landrieu, shortly after he was elected in 2010. After accusing his critics of being stuck in the past, Landrieu -- who was the first mayor in modern memory elected with the support of a majority of both black and white voters -- added that "We're going to rediscipline ourselves in this city."

The changes in the public sector have been widespread. Shortly after the storm, the entire staff of the public school system was fired. Their union, which had been the largest union in the city, ceased to be recognized. With many parents, students and teachers driven out of the city by Katrina and unable to have a say in the decision, the state took over the city’s schools and began shifting them over to charters. “The reorganization of the public schools has created a separate but unequal tiered system of schools that steers a minority of students, including virtually all of the city’s white students, into a set of selective, higher-performing schools and most of the city’s students of color into a set of lower-performing schools,” writes lawyer and activist Bill Quigley, in a report prepared with fellow Loyola law professor Davida Finger.

In many ways, the changes in New Orleans school system, initiated almost six years ago, foreshadowed a battle that has played out more conspicuously this year in Wisconsin, Indiana, New Jersey and other states where teachers and their unions were assailed by both Republican governors and liberal reformers such as the filmmakers behind Waiting for Superman. Similarly, the battle of New Orleans public housing -- which was torn down and replaced by new units built in public-private partnerships that house a small percentage of the former residents -- prefigured national battles over government’s role in solving problems related to poverty.

The anger at the changes in New Orleans’ black community is palpable. It comes out at city council meetings, on local black talk radio station WBOK, and in protests. “Since New Orleans was declared a blank slate, we are the social experimental lab of the world,” says Endesha Juakali, a housing rights activist. However, despite the changes, grassroots resistance continues. “For those of us that lived and are still living the disaster, moving on is not an option,” adds Juakali.

Resistance to the dominant agenda has also led to reform of the city’s criminal justice system. But this reform is very different from the others, with leadership coming from African-American residents at the grassroots, including those most affected by both crime and policing.

In the aftermath of Katrina, media images famously depicted poor New Orleanians as criminal and dangerous. In fact, at one point it was announced that rescue efforts were put on hold because of the violence. In response, the second-in-charge of the New Orleans Police Department reportedly told officers to shoot looters, and the governor announced that she had given the National Guard orders to shoot to kill.

Over the following days, police shot and killed several civilians. A police sniper wounded a young African American named Henry Glover, and other officers took and burned his body behind a levee. A 45-year-old grandfather named Danny Brumfield, Sr. was shot in the back in front of his family outside the New Orleans convention center. Two black families – the Madisons and Bartholomews - walking across New Orleans’ Danziger Bridge fell under a hail of gunfire from a group of officers. “We had more incidents of police misconduct than civilian misconduct,” says former District Attorney Eddie Jordan, who pursued charges against officers but had the charges thrown out by a judge. “All these stories of looting, it pales next to what the police did.”

District Attorney Jordan, who angered many in the political establishment when he brought charges against officers and was forced to resign soon after, was not the only one who failed to bring accountability for the post-Katrina violence. In fact, every check and balance in the city’s criminal justice system failed. For years, family members of the victims pressured the media, the U.S. Attorney’s office, and Eddie Jordan’s replacement in the DA’s office, Leon Cannizzaro. “The media didn’t want to give me the time of day,” says William Tanner, who saw officers take away Glover’s body. “They called me a raving idiot.”

Finally after more than three years of protests, press conferences, and lobbying, the Justice Department launched aggressive investigations of the Glover, Brumfield, and Danziger cases in early 2009. In recent months, three officers were convicted in the Glover killing (although one conviction was overturned), two were convicted in beating a man to death just before the storm, and ten officers either plead guilty or were convicted in the Danziger killing and cover-up. In the Danziger case, the jury found that officers had not only killed two civilians and wounded four, but also engaged in a wide-ranging conspiracy that involved planted evidence, invented witnesses, and secret meetings.

The Justice Department has at least seven more open investigations on New Orleans police killings, and has indicated their plans for more formal oversight of the NOPD, as well as the city jail. In this area, New Orleans is also leading the way – in a remarkable change from Justice Department policy during the Bush Administration, the DOJ is also looking at oversight of police departments in Newark, Denver, and Seattle.

In the national struggle against law enforcement violence, there is much to be learned from the victims of New Orleans police violence who led a remarkable struggle against a wall of official silence, and now have begun to win justice. “This is an opening,” explains New Orleans police accountability activist Malcolm Suber. “We have to push for a much more democratic system of policing in the city.”

In the closing arguments of the Danziger trial, DOJ prosecutor Bobbi Bernstein fought back against the defense claim that the officers were heroes, saying the family members of those killed deserved the title more. Noting that the official cover-up had “perverted” the system, she said, “The real heroes are the victims who stayed with an imperfect justice system that initially betrayed them.” The jury apparently agreed with her, convicting the officers on all 25 counts.

Jordan Flaherty is a New Orleans-based journalist. His award-winning reporting from the Gulf Coast has been featured in a range of outlets including the New York Times, Al Jazeera, and Argentina's Clarin newspaper. He is the author of FLOODLINES: Community and Resistance from Katrina to the Jena Six. He can be reached at neworleans@leftturn.org, and more information about Floodlines can be found at floodlines.org. For speaking engagements, see communityandresistance.wordpress.com.

Mayor Listens, Responds at Algiers Budget Meeting

2011-08-22T14:46:00.002-05:00

By Valerie Robinson

Mayor Mitch Landrieu fielded questions from Algiers and other District C residents for about an hour on Aug. 17, then fired back answers to those gathered to provide input into the 2012 City of New Orleans budget.

Landrieu touted the accomplishments of the past year: 28,000 potholes filled, seven miles of roads paved in District C, 735 blighted properties demolished, 3,600 inspections completed, 17 teen summer camps and 12 swimming pools open. He said he knows these numbers because everything is tracked in order to provide a more efficient manner of accomplishing goals.

"I am proud of our accomplishments, but we have a long way to go," he said, as he explained that he wants to improve both customer service and the delivery of service to the consumer.

District C Councilmember Kristin Palmer and Councilmember-at-Large Jackie Clarkson, both from Algiers, attended the meeting along with Mayor's Office staff and representatives from assorted city agencies, who offered one-on-one counsel prior to the meeting.

Constituent comments ran the gamut from street lights that need repair, catch basins that need to be cleaned and potholes waiting to be filled to questions about ethics and transparency in government.

By far, the largest number of complaints came from homeowners in areas where the streets are in what was described as "deplorable" condition...places such as Behrman Heights, Somerset Drive, Old Behrman Highway and Gen. Meyer Avenue. But one resident said she just wants a street of some kind in the Elmwood subdivision off the Old Behrman Highway. This area was developed without paved streets or drainage several years ago.

Transportation was also a common theme, whether it was bike paths, better access roads or ferry service, which is subsidized by the tolls on the Crescent City Connection and set to expire in 2012. The mayor explained that he is in favor of the keeping the tolls because it is a dedicated source of funding to maintain the bridge and keep the Canal Street and the Algiers ferry operating. Landrieu and many attendees in the room agreed that pedestrian tolls could offset the deficit on the ferry.

"The impact of the global economy is that within 5, 10 to 15 years, our economy will get smaller. Government will be forced to get smaller too. As the federal and state governments contract, at the local level we will have to be smaller, leaner, faster and more efficient," he said. "If we want to keep moving forward, we will need to find other ways to pay for it."

Connie Burks, representing Friends of the Ferry, suggested integrating the ferry service into the Regional Transit Authority system so that it connects to other modes of transportation. Although neither the ferry nor the RTA is operated by the City of New Orleans, having such discussions brings the city closer to a solution, Landrieu said.

And solutions are what he hopes are the outcome of the meetings he is holding in each councilmanic district prior to the presentation of the budget to the city council in October.

"We need your help finding solutions to the problems the city faces," Landrieu said. "We want your input into how we spend your money, because at the end of the day, you are going to hold us accountable.

Old Algiers Richly Grounded in Economic Development & Culture

2011-08-16T14:34:00.007-05:00

By Valerie Robinson
Robinson Marketing & Public Relations

The area known as Old Algiers, nestled in the curve of the Mississippi River’s west bank (which incidentally is not west of the rest of the City of New Orleans), was established in 1719, making it the second oldest part of the city. Originally granted to Jean Baptiste LeMoyne Sieur de Bienville, it was originally part of the “King’s Plantation” that stretched from Plaquemines to Donaldsonville and then to Natchez, Mississippi. Native Americans lived along the river banks before it was settled by the French. For nearly a century and a half, the area served as the place where African slaves were held before they were sold into a lifetime of slavery. Some scholars argue that this place is actually sacred ground, the site of the origins of jazz. The slaves -- frightened, sick, isolated from the families -- quite likely used their tradition of “call and response” and single-line melodies to communicate and comfort themselves and their families. These sounds form the basis of jazz today.

During the years of building New Orleans, Algiers became the site of the city’s powder magazine, for which Powder Street was name. The city’s slaughterhouse was also located in Algiers, called Slaughterhouse Point in its early history. In 1769, the Spanish took control of Louisiana, and they sold the Algiers land to homesteaders who established large farms and plantations. Two of the most famous of these early landowners were Barthelemy Duverje, who owned most of the property that is now called Algiers Point, and John McDonogh, who lived between Newton and Homer Streets. Several communities developed over the years, including Duverjeville, Belleville, Brooklynville, McDonoghville, LeBeoufville, and Hendeeville. Around 1819, shipbuilding and ship repair operations set up along the riverfront. Later, related industries such as saw mills, lumber yards, dry docks and an iron foundry added to the commercial vitality. By mid-century, most residents depended on the shipbuilding industry for their livelihoods.

The United States Naval Station was sited in Old Algiers in 1848, and large tracts of land were purchased. By 1894, the facility was in operation and continued to expand until after World War II. For many years, it was the largest employer in Algiers. Old Algiers further prospered with the development of the railroads in the 1850s. At one point, there were 4,000 men working in railroad-related jobs. The railroad yard stretched 22 blocks across Old Algiers in the area that now houses the Riverpointe development, Port Cargo and other industrial uses. During the Civil War, Algiers warehouses were burned and Union troops set up camp in the area. Freed slaves established their own communities in Old Algiers, primarily in the McDonoghville area and Freetown, which will established by John McDonogh for his own slaves, whom he emancipated, and other free people of color.

McDonogh left his considerable wealth to develop a public school system in New Orleans, including McDonogh 32 in Old Algiers. The Great Fire of Algiers in 1895 destroyed approximately 200 homes in the Algiers Point area and the Duverje Plantation house, which was being used as the courthouse. However, new structures took their place, and soon after the turn of the 20th century, Old Algiers was thriving. For entertainment, Algerines went to theatres, such as Philip FOTO’s Market Theatre and the Folly Theatre, where they could enjoy vaudeville, silent movies and music. There was a lively jazz and burgeoning R&B scene along Newton Street and Teche Street, as well as in the locations such as the Masonic lodges and Knights of Columbus dance halls. Many musicians famous in their day, such as George Lewis, “Kid” Thomas, Peter Bocage, the Matthews Brothers, Freddie Kolhman, Clarence “Frogman” Henry and others, plied their trade in these establishments.

Old Algiers remained fairly self-sufficient through the first half of the century, with corner stores, schools, churches, bars, restaurants and theatres, but when the railroad yard closed in the 1970a and the oil industry started to shrink, the area suffered from neglect. It would be 20 years before parts of the area began to come back, with renovators scooping up the real estate. Parts of Old Algiers remain neglected, but with the help of a variety of programs, including the Old Algiers Main Street Corporation, new focus is being placed on recreating a thriving Old Algiers community.

Read more history and current events on Algiers in the upcoming issue of The Trumpet in the September/October issue. Sign up for our e-newsletter for Trumpet publication dates and release parties at newsletter@npnnola.com!

Whole Foods Wants to Break Agreement with Uptown Residents

2011-08-09T15:46:00.001-05:00

By Betsy Stout

Whole Foods has applied to change the ordinance that regulates their operation. Uptown residents believe that this ordinance and it’s provisos were carefully crafted by land use and transportation professionals, including the staff of the city planning commission and national land use expert Dan Mandelker out of St. Louis, and more than happily agreed to by Whole Foods and by property owners Hixon and Sarpy.

The purpose of the provisos was to mitigate the impact of a large grocery store operation that extends into a residential neighborhood with no buffer between it and the residences. The provisos also helped level the playing field as much as possible between this large commercial operation and the small local businesses it joined on Magazine St.Whole Food’s explanation that their customer base has grown such that they have to ask for this expansion of their operation is answered by asking them to please open another Whole Foods location – thus reducing congestion at this location and better serving the community. We would like to suggest that they consider the vacant Lower District location on Annunciation St. where a Schwegmann, then Roberts used to operate.

This would serve the lower Magazine St. neighborhoods, the Warehouse District (which has no grocery store at all), and is very close to the bridge to the West Bank, convenient for people who work downtown but live on the West Bank.They are requesting increased eighteen wheelers, when even the trucks that come now cannot make the turn from Magazine St. on to narrow, residential Arabella. There have been at least 4 different sink holes this summer alone in this block of Arabella. We have offered a solution to their delivery problems that would reduce the impact of their trucks and delivery hours – that is to revisit an original design that recognized that the street cars and buses in the old barn used Magazine St. Although they would not want to reconfigure the entire store at this late date, they could place a loading dock on the Magazine St. apron and unload trucks there all night long (when Magazine St. is empty of traffic) without any increased impact on our streets or residents.

They are asking to have permission for live music, both inside and outside the building, which together with their ABO, makes them an entertainment venue. Changes to the ordinance or title run with the property forever and cannot be written to restrict the use to one tenant such as Whole Foods. Text changes that attempt to restrict the live music to the tenant of Whole Foods are unenforceable according to the staff of the planning commission and the opinion of land use attorneys we have consulted.Whole Foods has managed nicely to have music whenever they wish to date, by applying for a permit for the band. We have no objection to this as it does not create a permanent change in the permitted use of the building as a music hall.

Changes to the ordinance that allows Whole Foods to have displays of flowers, etc, on the apron of the building give Whole Foods an advantage over other small flower shops along Magazine – one in the very next block even – that are prohibited from having sidewalk displays.The mystique of Whole Foods exercises a zombie like influence on some of the young people who live close by – mostly all newcomers to New Orleans, who will agree to anything that will increase their Whole Foods lifestyle experience. These mostly young folks make up the board of ARNA, which is now actually in the process of changing their by-laws to reflect their aim to give bigger businesses free reign on Magazine St. and within the neighborhood. (I must explain this very unusual situation, because to see ARNA in action is to render those of us who understand the ramifications of these actions speechless.)

They voted to allow live music and restrict it to Whole Foods despite the warning from Council member Guidry’s representative Kelly Butler, that such wording was not enforceable. Fortunately another neighborhood organization, Burtheville Association of Neighbors is fastly becoming the neighborhood association of record and will oppose these changes.

The CPC will consider this on AUGUST 23, at 1:30 pm.Short URL: http://katrinafilm.com/public/wordpress/?p=2254

411 NOLA is sponsoring a poetry contest with cash prizes

2011-08-09T15:43:00.001-05:00

Details at http://www.411nola.com/2011/08/09/the-poetic-soul-a-contest-for-poets-and-spoken-word-artists/

Urgent Town Hall Meeting on August 15

2011-08-09T15:29:00.001-05:00

Rethinkers take on ‘Candy Bars, Prison Bars’ and how schools can reverse the major youth epidemics of our time

2011-08-09T15:14:00.000-05:00

By Kelly Parker
Contributing Writer

Two of the nation’s most pressing issues involving young people — childhood obesity and violence — are indeed connected. How so? Just ask the Rethinkers.

The correlation between unhealthy food choices and crime and violence was at the focal point of this year’s Rethink press conference. Candy Bars, Prison Bars-How Schools Can Reverse the Major Youth Epidemics of Our Time took place last Thursday at the New Orleans Charter Science & Math high school, in uptown New Orleans.

RSD Superintendent John White address member of The Rethinkers - Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools - who range in age from 8 -18, at their most recent press conference.

“Here in Louisiana, we have the fourth highest obesity rate in the nation; 20 percent of our children in this state are obese,” Rethinker Vernard Carter stated. “The school-to-prison pipeline is when children are pushed out of school because a many policies and pushed into the juvenile justice system.”

Carter added that this year, there are over 4,000 youth under the supervision of the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice. “Why?” he asked. “What’s wrong here?”

The (Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools) Rethink summer news conferences have become a post-Katrina tradition; packed with school officials and community members who listen closely to these advocates for New Orleans school reform; many of them middle schoolers. Thursday’s event was no different; on hand was Karen DeSalvo, City of New Orleans Commissioner of Health, Troi Bechet, Executive Director, Center for Restorative Approaches, Marsha Broussard, and Benjamin Marcovitz, founder and principal of New Orleans Charter Science and Math Academy (Sci Academy) and RSD Superintendent John White.

This was the second Rethinkers press conference for White. “This is an extraordinary program and I’m so happy to be back here for the second time in a couple of months to speak with these extraordinary youngsters,” he said.

Rethinkers — school reformers, aged eight to 18 – has set out to cease what they call “the two biggest youth epidemics of our time,” childhood obesity and the school-to-prison pipeline. Last month, the Rethinkers received a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing to conduct a youth-driven campaign to stem childhood obesity in area schools. The July 21 news conference marked the official campaign launch.

“Over the summer, we learned that childhood obesity and the school-to-prison pipeline are connected,” Vernard Carter told those in attendance. “First, they both affect a disproportionate amount of low-income, Black youth. Second, when students eat unhealthy, sugary foods, have no exercise and have a lot of stress, they tend to act out in school, which often leads to suspension and expulsion — which basically puts them in the juvenile justice system.

“We as young people, most affected by these epidemics, should be at the forefront of this fight for change,” Carter told those in attendance.

The Rethinkers delivered twelve recommendations to their superintendents, principals, charter school operators, and fellow students.

The recommendations detail concrete changes schools can adopt to make kids healthy and keep them out of the criminal justice system; for example: at school events, replace snacks like nachos, candy bars and hot dogs with healthier choices, teach cooking and gardening at every school and keep school gardens open after school so healthy habits carry on after school ends; by students as well as other members of the community.

The group also asks that teachers reward students with healthier treats, in place of candy bars. “That’s really not helping us to be healthy and fit,” says Rethinker Arieanna McKnight.

Another goal of the Rethinkers is to provide healthier options in school vending machines.

This parallel addressed by the group is nothing new. In 2009, research led by Simon Moore, a senior lecturer in Violence and Society Research at Cardiff University (in the U.K.) showed that “kids with the worst problems tend to be impulsive risk takers and that these kids had terrible diets — breakfast was Coke and a bag of chips” for example.

“We are thrilled at the kind of thinking and work that the Rethinkers are doing,” City Commissioner of Health, Karen DeSalvo said. “You guys are a wonderful voice, not just of youth, but I think for everybody who cares about us being healthy. I hope we can become a model for other cities.”

The rethinkers are asking that schools provide all students (grades K-8) 30 minutes of physical exercise a day (which is a Louisiana state law). They also recommend the inclusion of the innovative Instant Recess Activity a concept introduced by Dr. Toni Yancey, a UCLA professor, which is regular 10-minute exercise breaks that can be incorporated at work, in the community and in the classroom) twice a day, and to give more exercise options to all students. Rethinker Jada Cooper stated that many her of female classmates often opted out of P.E. because the activities were often geared to male students. “A lot of times, they snuck in candy, chips and sunflower seeds.” she added.

Ron Triggs, a 4th-grade (PreThinker) says “All students need to exercise, so they can burn off energy and focus in class. If some don’t exercise, they will act out and get in trouble. We have P.E. in my school, but not every week.”

The group highly stressed the need for community-building activities in every homeroom, along with support groups including teachers, counselors and students. To the rethinkers, the issue of conflict resolution is a key component in this campaign.

“After someone has participated in a restorative justice circle, they are 60 percent less likely to get in trouble again,” says Vernard Carter. “We strongly suggest that restorative justice be placed in all schools, in place of suspensions and expulsions.”

RSD Superintendent White invited the Rethinkers to meet with his staff to take the next step in helping change many of the policies the group has addressed.

“I’d like to invite (a committee) of the Rethinkers to come in and meet with me and experts who have advised us on the issues.”

Kelly Parker is a freelance reporter for The Louisiana Weekly. This article was originally published in the July 25, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.

Deliberations Begin Today in Danziger Trial

2011-08-09T15:12:00.001-05:00

Jury to weigh two very different perspectives of police and Katrina
by Jordan Flaherty
Wednesday, August 3, 2011

A version of this article was originally published on the New Orleans Tribune/TribuneTalk website

With closing statements completed on Tuesday, focus in the Danziger incident now turns to the jury, which began deliberating today on the 25 charges faced by the officers, after receiving final jury instructions from U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt. The 12-person jury is evenly split between men and women, but has only one African-American member. The jury is drawn from thirteen parishes in the greater New Orleans area.

Kenneth Bowen, Robert Gisevius, Anthony Villavaso, and Robert Faulcon, the officers involved in the September 4, 2005 shooting, could receive life sentences if convicted. Sergeant Arthur Kaufman, who was not on the bridge, is charged only in the conspiracy and could receive a maximum of 120 years. Justice Department investigations of other incidents are continuing, and it is likely that some form of federal oversight of the department will be announced in the coming months.

During closing statements of a trial that has brought international attention to this city’s violence-plagued police department, lawyers for defense and prosecution directed what often sounded like personal attacks against each other as well as key witnesses while laying out very different versions of what happened on that fateful day.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore Carter said that officers deliberately did not follow procedure, and that if they had done what they were supposed to, no one would have died that day. “It was unreasonable for these officers to fire even one shot,” said Carter, who referred to video footage from that day which he said showed at least “fifty four seconds of gunfire.”

In a spirited defense that seemed to echo Tea Party themes, police attorney Frank Desalvo told the jury, “We know that the United States is the greatest country on earth, and the only thing wrong with it is the people running it.” Depicting Justice Department attorneys as furthering an anti-cop agenda, he told the jury that the prosecutors in this case do not represent the United States and that they are the true Americans.

Desalvo also accused the prosecution of speaking “meaningless, emotional drivel,” and giving ammunition to “a segment of the community that believes police are always brutal.”

The trial, which began five weeks ago, focuses on an incident that occurred days after Hurricane Katrina, as two families were fleeing the storm's flood waters, crossing New Orleans’ Danziger Bridge to get to dry land.

In what prosecutors have described as a “hail of gunfire,” two people were killed and four were wounded. Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally challenged man described by family members as gentle and loving, was shot several times in the back and died at the scene. James Brisette, a high school student who friends called nerdy and studious, also died on the bridge. The wounded included Lesha Bartholomew, who was 17 at the time of the incident, as well as her father, cousin and mother, who lost her right arm in the incident.

The case has presented two radically different narratives of not just the shootings, but the overall period after Hurricane Katrina. Defense attorneys have said that their clients were facing a violent and lawless city, while the prosecution has painted a picture of civilians facing a violent and lawless police force.

Defense attorneys filled the nearly five hours allotted for their closing remarks with what they said were questions the prosecution had left unanswered.

Both prosecution and defense spoke often about the testimony of Robert Faulcon, the only defendant to testify. Prosecution attorneys noted that Faulcon had admitted that Lance and Ronald Madison were unarmed, and that police officers had continued shooting dozens of shots after any threat had been “neutralized.” Most damning for the defense, Faulcon admitted under cross-examination that there had been a cover-up.

Paul Fleming, one of Faulcon’s attorneys, said that he had been “tricked” by Bernstein in her cross-examination.

“He’s not as smart as Bernstein. Neither am I,” said Fleming, who also called FBI agent William Bezak, the lead investigator on the case, “smug.”

Lindsey Larson, another attorney for Faulcon, said that his client was tired and hadn’t known what he was saying when he admitted to the cover-up, saying it was “like when you’re arguing with your spouse” and you just say yes to whatever they say. “He wasn’t even listening,” to Bernstein’s questions, added Larson.

Tim Meche, attorney for Officer Anthony Villavaso, implied that Lance Madison, a key prosecution witness, had colluded with government to change his story. “After he got with the government and all lawyered-up and all that he changed his mind,” said Meche.

Desalvo also levied accusations at Madison, saying that he had a gun, and that the Bartholomew family was also armed. Suggesting that Madison may have thrown his gun in the industrial canal, Desalvo added, “Did he really care about his brother, or was he just trying to get away?” The Madison family, including Lance, filled nearly two rows at the closing, and many seemed visibly upset during defense arguments.

In a breathless 40-minute rebuttal to the defense, Bobbi Bernstein, Deputy Chief of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said that attorneys for the officers had engaged in outright lying on behalf of their clients, saying that the accused had “delivered their own kind of post-apocalyptic justice,” and called at least one of the cops, officer Bowen, “a cold blooded murderer.”

She also mocked the defense for complaining about the “big bad government.” Saying that the DOJ had to intervene because the victims were denied justice from every local source, Bernstein declared “The law is what it is because this is not a police state.”

Pacing back and forth, speaking quickly, and gesturing pointedly to illustrate her arguments as she attempted to respond to as many defense arguments as possible, Bernstein also refuted the claim that the officers were heroes, saying the family members of those shot that day deserved the title more. Noting that the official cover-up had “perverted” the system, she said “the real heroes are the victims who stayed with an imperfect justice system that initially betrayed them.”

Jordan Flaherty is a journalist and staffer with the Louisiana Justice Institute. His award-winning reporting from the Gulf Coast has been featured in a range of outlets including the New York Times, Al Jazeera, and Argentina's Clarin newspaper. He is the author ofFLOODLINES: Community and Resistance from Katrina to the Jena Six. He can be reached at neworleans@leftturn.org, and more information about Floodlines can be found at floodlines.org.
Jury to weigh two very different perspectives of police and Katrina
by Jordan Flaherty
Wednesday, August 3, 2011

A version of this article was originally published on the New Orleans Tribune/TribuneTalk website

With closing statements completed on Tuesday, focus in the Danziger incident now turns to the jury, which began deliberating today on the 25 charges faced by the officers, after receiving final jury instructions from U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt. The 12-person jury is evenly split between men and women, but has only one African-American member. The jury is drawn from thirteen parishes in the greater New Orleans area.

Kenneth Bowen, Robert Gisevius, Anthony Villavaso, and Robert Faulcon, the officers involved in the September 4, 2005 shooting, could receive life sentences if convicted. Sergeant Arthur Kaufman, who was not on the bridge, is charged only in the conspiracy and could receive a maximum of 120 years. Justice Department investigations of other incidents are continuing, and it is likely that some form of federal oversight of the department will be announced in the coming months.

During closing statements of a trial that has brought international attention to this city’s violence-plagued police department, lawyers for defense and prosecution directed what often sounded like personal attacks against each other as well as key witnesses while laying out very different versions of what happened on that fateful day.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore Carter said that officers deliberately did not follow procedure, and that if they had done what they were supposed to, no one would have died that day. “It was unreasonable for these officers to fire even one shot,” said Carter, who referred to video footage from that day which he said showed at least “fifty four seconds of gunfire.”

In a spirited defense that seemed to echo Tea Party themes, police attorney Frank Desalvo told the jury, “We know that the United States is the greatest country on earth, and the only thing wrong with it is the people running it.” Depicting Justice Department attorneys as furthering an anti-cop agenda, he told the jury that the prosecutors in this case do not represent the United States and that they are the true Americans.

Desalvo also accused the prosecution of speaking “meaningless, emotional drivel,” and giving ammunition to “a segment of the community that believes police are always brutal.”

The trial, which began five weeks ago, focuses on an incident that occurred days after Hurricane Katrina, as two families were fleeing the storm's flood waters, crossing New Orleans’ Danziger Bridge to get to dry land.

In what prosecutors have described as a “hail of gunfire,” two people were killed and four were wounded. Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally challenged man described by family members as gentle and loving, was shot several times in the back and died at the scene. James Brisette, a high school student who friends called nerdy and studious, also died on the bridge. The wounded included Lesha Bartholomew, who was 17 at the time of the incident, as well as her father, cousin and mother, who lost her right arm in the incident.

The case has presented two radically different narratives of not just the shootings, but the overall period after Hurricane Katrina. Defense attorneys have said that their clients were facing a violent and lawless city, while the prosecution has painted a picture of civilians facing a violent and lawless police force.

Defense attorneys filled the nearly five hours allotted for their closing remarks with what they said were questions the prosecution had left unanswered.

Both prosecution and defense spoke often about the testimony of Robert Faulcon, the only defendant to testify. Prosecution attorneys noted that Faulcon had admitted that Lance and Ronald Madison were unarmed, and that police officers had continued shooting dozens of shots after any threat had been “neutralized.” Most damning for the defense, Faulcon admitted under cross-examination that there had been a cover-up.

Paul Fleming, one of Faulcon’s attorneys, said that he had been “tricked” by Bernstein in her cross-examination.

“He’s not as smart as Bernstein. Neither am I,” said Fleming, who also called FBI agent William Bezak, the lead investigator on the case, “smug.”

Lindsey Larson, another attorney for Faulcon, said that his client was tired and hadn’t known what he was saying when he admitted to the cover-up, saying it was “like when you’re arguing with your spouse” and you just say yes to whatever they say. “He wasn’t even listening,” to Bernstein’s questions, added Larson.

Tim Meche, attorney for Officer Anthony Villavaso, implied that Lance Madison, a key prosecution witness, had colluded with government to change his story. “After he got with the government and all lawyered-up and all that he changed his mind,” said Meche.

Desalvo also levied accusations at Madison, saying that he had a gun, and that the Bartholomew family was also armed. Suggesting that Madison may have thrown his gun in the industrial canal, Desalvo added, “Did he really care about his brother, or was he just trying to get away?” The Madison family, including Lance, filled nearly two rows at the closing, and many seemed visibly upset during defense arguments.

In a breathless 40-minute rebuttal to the defense, Bobbi Bernstein, Deputy Chief of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said that attorneys for the officers had engaged in outright lying on behalf of their clients, saying that the accused had “delivered their own kind of post-apocalyptic justice,” and called at least one of the cops, officer Bowen, “a cold blooded murderer.”

She also mocked the defense for complaining about the “big bad government.” Saying that the DOJ had to intervene because the victims were denied justice from every local source, Bernstein declared “The law is what it is because this is not a police state.”

Pacing back and forth, speaking quickly, and gesturing pointedly to illustrate her arguments as she attempted to respond to as many defense arguments as possible, Bernstein also refuted the claim that the officers were heroes, saying the family members of those shot that day deserved the title more. Noting that the official cover-up had “perverted” the system, she said “the real heroes are the victims who stayed with an imperfect justice system that initially betrayed them.”

Jordan Flaherty is a journalist and staffer with the Louisiana Justice Institute. His award-winning reporting from the Gulf Coast has been featured in a range of outlets including the New York Times, Al Jazeera, and Argentina's Clarin newspaper. He is the author ofFLOODLINES: Community and Resistance from Katrina to the Jena Six. He can be reached at neworleans@leftturn.org, and more information about Floodlines can be found at floodlines.org.

From Heroes to Villains NOPD Verdict Reveals Post-Katrina History

2011-08-09T15:04:00.005-05:00

By Jordan Flaherty
http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/08/from_heroes_to_villains_nopd_convictions_set_katrina_history_straight.html

In an historic verdict with national implications, five New Orleans police officers were convicted on August 5 of civil rights violations for killing unarmed African Americans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and could face life in prison when sentenced later this year. The case, involving a grisly encounter on the Danziger Bridge, was the most high-profile of a number of prosecutions that seek to hold police accountable for violence in the storm’s wake.

The officers’ conviction on all 25 counts (on two counts, the jury found the men guilty but with partial disagreements on the nature of the crime, which could slightly affect sentencing) comes nearly six years after the city was devastated by floodwaters and government inaction. The verdict helps rewrite the history of what happened in the chaotic days after the levees broke. And the story of how these convictions happened is important for anyone around the U.S. seeking to combat law enforcement violence.The results of this trial also have national implications for those seeking federal support in challenges to police abuses in other cities.

New Orleans is one of four major cities in which the Department of Justice has stepped in to look at police departments. Any success here has far reaching implications for federal investigations in Denver, Seattle, Newark, and other cities.The Danziger Bridge case begins with Hurricane Katrina. As images of desperate survivors played on television, people around the world felt sympathy for people waiting for rescue after the storm. But then images of families trapped on rooftops were replaced by stories of armed gangs and criminals roaming the streets. News reports famously described white people as “finding” food while depicting black people as “looting.” Then-Chief of Police Eddie Compass told Oprah Winfrey that “little babies (are) getting raped” in the Superdome. Then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco announced she had sent in troops with orders to shoot to kill, and the second in charge of the police department reportedly told officers to fire at will on looters.Evidence suggests that the NOPD acted on these instructions. On Sept. 2, just days after the storm, a black man named Henry Glover was shot by a police sniper as he walked through a parking lot. When a good Samaritan tried to help Glover get medical help, he was beaten by officers, who burnt Glover’s body and left it behind a levee.

The next day, a 45-year-old named Danny Brumfield, Sr., was killed by officers in front of scores of witnesses outside the New Orleans convention center when he ran after a police car to demand that they stop and provide aid.The following morning, two families were crossing New Orleans’ Danziger Bridge, which connects Gentilly and New Orleans East, two mostly middle-to-upper-class African American neighborhoods. Without warning, a Budget Rental truck carrying police officers arrived and cops jumped out. The officers did not identify themselves, and began firing before their vehicle had even stopped.Officers had heard a radio call about shootings in the area, and according to prosecutors, they were seeking revenge. James Brisette, a 17-year-old called studious and nerdy by his friends, was shot nearly a dozen times and died at the scene. Many of the bullets hit him as he lay on the ground bleeding. Four other people were wounded, including Susan Bartholomew, a 38-year-old mother who had her arm shot off of her body, and her 17-year old daughter Lesha, who was shot while crawling on top of her mother’s body, trying to shield her from bullets. Lesha’s cousin Jose was shot point-blank in the stomach and nearly died.

He needed a colostomy bag for years afterwards.Further up the bridge, officers chased down Ronald Madison, a mentally challenged man, who was traveling with his brother Lance. Ronald was shot in the back by one officer and then stomped and kicked to death by another. Lance was arrested and charged with firing at officers, and spent weeks behind bars.At the time, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that officers “sent up a cheer” when word came over police radios that suspects had been shot and killed.A cursory investigation by the NOPD justified the shooting, and it appeared that the matter was closed. In fact, for years every check and balance in the city’s criminal justice system failed to find any fault in this or other officer-involved shootings from the days after the storm.Eddie Jordan, the city’s first black district attorney, pursued charges against the officers in late 2006. When the cops went to turn themselves in, they were greeted by a crowd of hundreds of officers who cheered for them and called them heroes. Before the case could make it to trial, it was dismissed by a judge with close ties to the defense lawyers, and soon after that Jordan was forced to resign.After the dismissal of Jordan’s charges, the story of police violence after Katrina remained untold.

Jordan believes an indifferent local media bears partial responsibility for the years of cover-up. “They were looking for heroes,” he says. “They had a cozy relationship with the police. They got tips from the police; they were in bed with the police. It was an atmosphere of tolerance for atrocities from the police. They abdicated their responsibility to be critical in their reporting. If a few people got killed that was a small price to pay.”Other elected officials, like the city coroner, went along with the police version of events. For example, the coroner’s office never flagged Henry Glover’s body, found burned in a car, as a potential homicide.But the Madisons, the Bartholomews, and the Glovers, along with family members of other police violence victims, refused to be silent. They continued to speak out at press conferences, rallies, and directly to reporters. They worked with organizations like Safe Streets Strong Communities, which was founded by criminal justice activists in the days after Katrina, and Community United for Change, which was formed in response to police abuses. Monique Harden, a community activist and co-director of Advocates for Environmental Human Rights, helped to bring testimony about these issues to the United Nations.

Another post-Katrina organization, Peoples Hurricane Relief Fund, presented the charges to an international tribunal.Activists worked to not only raise awareness of specific issues of police violence, but to say that these problems are structural and that any solution must get at the root causes.“This is about an entire system that was completely broken and in crisis,” says former Safe Streets co-director Rosana Cruz. “Everyone’s job in the criminal justice system depends on there being a lot of crime in the city. The district attorney’s office doesn’t work on getting the city safer, they work on getting convictions at any cost. As long as that’s the case, we’re not going to have safety.”Former District Attorney Jordan feels that investigators should pursue charges up to the very top of the department, including Warren Riley, who was promoted to police chief shortly after Hurricane Katrina and served in that role until 2010. “Riley, by his own admission, never even read the report on Danziger,” Jordan points out. “It’s so outrageous, it’s unspeakable. It’s one of the worst things that anyone can do. It’s hard to understand why he’s not on trial as well.”“Fish starts rotting at the head,” adds Jordan. “This was all done in the backdrop of police opposition at the very top. It’s not surprising that there was a cover-up. You just have to wonder how far that cover-up went.”In 2008, journalist A.C. Thompson did what New Orleans media had failed to do, and seriously investigated the accusations of police violence. His reporting, published on ProPublica and in The Nation, spelled out the shocking details of Glover’s killing and pointed toward police coordination with white vigilantes in widespread violence.

It brought national attention to the stories that had been ignored. Activists took advantage of the exposure and lobbied the Congressional Black Caucus and the Justice Department for an investigation.In early 2009, a newly empowered civil rights division of the Justice Department decided to look into the cases. Federal agents interviewed witnesses who had never been talked to, reconstructed crime scenes, and even confiscated NOPD computers. They found evidence that the Danziger officers had radically rewritten their version of what happened on the bridge that day. When FBI agents confronted officers involved in the Danziger case, five officers pleaded guilty and agreed to testify about the conspiracy to cover-up what happened. They revealed that officers had planted evidence, invented witnesses, arrested innocent people, and held secret meetings where they worked to line up their stories.Before last week’s verdict, the Justice Department had already won four previous police violence convictions, including of the officers who shot Glover and burned his body, as well as of two officers who killed Raymond Robair, a pre-Katrina case in which officers beat a man to death and claimed (with the support of the city coroner) he had sustained his injuries from falling down. About half a dozen other investigations are ongoing.

The Justice Department is also looking at federal oversight of the NOPD, a process by which they can dictate vast changes from hiring and firing to training and policy writing.The Danziger trial has been the most high-profile aspect of the federal intervention in New Orleans, and this verdict will have far-reaching implications for how the effectiveness of federal intervention is perceived. The convictions and guilty pleas in the case reveal a wide-ranging conspiracy that reaches up to sergeants and lieutenants. Marlon Defillo, the second-in-charge of the NOPD, was recently forced to retire because of his role in helping cover-up the Glover killing.Most importantly, the verdict has helped shift the narrative of what happened in those days after Katrina.The defense team for the Danziger officers was steadfast in describing their clients as heroes. Attorney Paul Fleming described the cops as “proactive,” saying, “They go out and get things done. They go out and get the bad guys.” Police attorneys in the Glover and Danziger trials also sought to use the so-called “Katrina defense,” arguing that the exceptional circumstances following the storm justified extra-legal actions on the part of officers.

With these convictions, the juries have definitively refuted this excuse.In her closing arguments, Bobbi Bernstein, deputy chief of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, fought back against the claim that the officers were heroes, saying the family members of those killed deserved the title more. Noting that the official cover-up had “perverted” the system, she said, “The real heroes are the victims who stayed with an imperfect justice system that initially betrayed them.”Officers went out with a mission to deliver “their own kind of post-apocalyptic justice,” she added. “The law is what it is because this is not a police state.”In comments immediately after the verdict, family members of those killed on the bridge expressed gratitude for those who had helped them reach this point, but stressed that their pain continued.Speaking outside the courthouse after the verdict, Sherrel Johnson, the mother of James Brisette, said that the officers, “took the twinkle out of my eye, the song out of my voice, and blew out my candle,” when they killed her son.Jacqueline Madison Brown, the sister of Ronald Madison, told assembled press, “Ronald Madison brought great love to our family. Shooting him down was like shooting an innocent child.” Commenting on officers who had testified for the prosecution in exchange for lesser charges, she added, “We regret that they did not have the courage and strength to come forward sooner.”Kenneth Bowen, Robert Gisevius, Anthony Villavaso, and Faulcon, the officers involved in the shooting, could receive life sentences.

Sergeant Arthur Kaufman, who was not on the bridge, but was convicted of leading the conspiracy, could receive a maximum of 120 years. Sentencing is scheduled for December, but will likely be delayed.

Jordan Flaherty is a journalist and staffer with the Louisiana Justice Institute. His award-winning reporting from the Gulf Coast has been featured in a range of outlets including the New York Times, Al Jazeera, and Argentina's Clarin newspaper. He is the author of FLOODLINES: Community and Resistance from Katrina to the Jena Six. He can be reached at neworleans@leftturn.org, and more information about Floodlines can be found at floodlines.org. For speaking engagements, see communityandresistance.wordpress.com.

Save the Thomas Day Bridge in City Park

2011-08-09T14:58:00.001-05:00

From Faubourg St. John Neighborhood News:

We may want to consider an effort to save the Thomas Day bridge in City Park.

It is 100 years old this year, and was built to stand the test of time.

Unfortunately, it was not built to stand the pressure of an old cypress tree growing into it.

Please visit the links below for photos and more on this pressing need.

http://business.fsjna.org/2011/08/century-old-bridge-has-pressing-need/

http://katrinafilm.com/public/wordpress/?p=2229

PARKWAY PARTNERS SEMI-FINALIST WITH TOM’S OF MAINE

2011-08-09T14:45:00.000-05:00

With funds, trees will be planted

Parkway Partners is one of 20 finalists for a $50,000 grant in the Tom’s of Maine 50 States for Good program. The Orleans Parish-based non-profit would use the proceeds for its tree-planting program if Parkway Partners receives the most votes atwww.50statesforgood.com.

Anyone can vote once a day, and the poll is open through Sept. 13.

“We feel honored to be selected as one of the best community-benefit programs in theUnited States,” said Jean Fahr, executive director of Parkway Partners. “Tom’s of Mainelearned about our ReLeaf New Orleans initiative, which is helping to replace the urban canopy we enjoyed prior to Hurricane Katrina. Since the program started, we have planted more than 9,000 trees in the city. If we are chosen for the $50,000 grant, we will focus on the eastern portion of New Orleans where a significan number of trees were destroyed.”

Tom’s of Maine is known for supporting sustainable efforts in communities nationwide.

About Parkway Partners

A partnership between the community and the city for 29 years, Parkway Partners works to improve and expand green spaces in New Orleans. With no government funding, the organization and active members have helped support the Department of Parks and Parkways in restoration of the urban canopy while educating and empowering citizen action Ongoing campaigns include ReLeaf New Orleans, Adopt-A-Neutral Ground, Save Our Trees, Community and Schoolyard Gardens, and Second Saturday Program. Parkway Partners achieved certification in 2008 from the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations, the first “green” organization to receive this distinction. For more information, visit http://www.parkwaypartnersnola.org/. All donations are tax-deductible.

HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR PROPERTY ASSESSMENT?

2011-08-09T14:43:00.001-05:00

The Orleans Parish tax assessor has sent out letters informing
property owners of new assessments for 2012. If you did not receive a
letter, you may be one of the four in five homeowners whose assessment
is NOT being changed. If you did receive an increase and feel it is
unfair, find out how to appeal an assessment by going to the website,
www.nolaassessor.com. Keep in mind that assessments may only be
changed in the first two weeks of August, through August 18!

The tax assessor's office is open weekdays but no appointments are
available, it is on a first-come, first served basis.

Tax Assessor Office, City Hall, fourth floor, 1300 Perdido Street,
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., 504.658.1300,
www.nolaassessor.com.

CLOUET GARDENS POCKET PARK ON THE BRINK

2011-08-09T14:39:00.000-05:00

Our visionary friends and neighbors on Clouet Street are very close to
making their dream of a pocket park a reality in the 700 block of
Clouet.

They have been maintaining the unused grassy lot for a while
now and have been negotiating with the Housing Authority of New
Orleans, the lot's owner, to assume ownership. The group has formed a
nonprofit group and planning for future.

You can help by taking a simple, quick online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/HJQVK89.

To find out more by going to their website, www.clouetgardens.org
or email Erica Amrine at clouetgardens@gmail.com.

Sankofa Farmers Market moving to Holy Angels

2011-08-09T14:31:00.000-05:00

Rashida Ferdinand, director of the Sankofa Farmers Market, will formally announce at the Bywater Neighborhood Association meeting tonight that the market is moving from its Lower Ninth Ward site to Holy Angels, beginning August 27. The meeting will be held at the Holy Angels Convent, 3500 St. Claude Avenue, 7 p.m.

"Getting Down To Business": A Educational and Savings Program For Small Business Owners

2011-08-09T14:29:00.000-05:00

Opportunity:

Capital One and the partners listed have developed a free business training program with a multi-facted approach: an in-class eductional program ,a savings account with matched percentagesof funds and a mentorship component. Classes have a limited amount of space.

Educational Program:

Free training session's that will ehance the owners' operational efficiency and capacity to grow their business through increased knowledge of best practices in the business world.

IDA Savings Account:

Provides financial encouragement, each partcipant will be required to open an Individual Developement Account (IDA) with Capitaln One Bank, to be matched upon the business owner's successful completion of the program.

Welcome

If you own a small business in the New Orleans area, you can take advantage of this free training program to gain, knowledge, operational effiency, money and expansion capacity for your venture

For More Information

Mark S. Boucree
VP, Community Development Banking

Capital One Bank

E: mark.boucree@capitalonebank.com

Lynette Colin
Women's Business Resource Cente r

Urban League of Greater New Orleans

E: lcolin@urbanleagueneworleans.org

Mayor's Office of Cultural Economy and L.C.E.F Give Free Health Screening for Cultural Workers

2011-08-09T14:27:00.000-05:00

The Mayor's Office of Cultural Economy with the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation Healthcare Initiative, Tulane University Community Health Center at Covenant House and the Greater New Orleans Mobile Health Unit Consortium present:

Free Health Screenings for Cultural Workers

Musicians, Artists, Designers, Performers, Theatrical, Film, Culinary, Literary, Historic Preservation and Traditional Culture Bearers

Saturday, August 13
11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tulane University Community Health Clinic (TUCHC) at Covenant House
611 Rampart Street, New Orleans, LA 70112
...........................................
COME CHECK ON YOUR: Blood Sugar for Diabetes Blood Pressure for Stroke Cholesterol for Heart Disease
COME GET INFORMATION ON: No and low pay coverage for uninsured Tulane Community Health Center New Orleans Musician's Clinic ARTDOCS
COME SIGN-UP FOR: GNOCHC Medicaid Waiver, ARTDOCS & Musician's Clinic

TO SIGN-UP BRING: Proof of income (Copy of most recent W2, Filed tax forms, Most recent pay stubs, Unemployment award letter, Social Security/Disability award letter, Food stamp award letter) Government issued photo ID - if current address is not on ID, a utility bill must be provided. Birth certificate or US permanent residency card Indication of craft (ARTDOCS: Postcard from gallery showing, write-up in a newspaper/magazine); (Musician's Clinic: Notarized letter from your bandleader, club owner or manager/agent or employer)
Your income is PRIVATE - just as your medical record is PRIVATE! However, we need details about your household income to determine eligibility for discounted fees. The information you provide is kept HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL and is never disclosed in grant applications or other documents.

For more information contact:
Asante Salaam
Outreach Manager for Cultural Economy
(504) 658-4289 | asalaam@nola.gov

Help lowernine.org win free gas!

2011-08-09T14:07:00.001-05:00

HELLO FRIENDS OF LOWERNINE.ORG,
The good folks at CITGO are giving away $120,000 in Gas Gift Cards in 2011 for their Fueling Good Program. They'll award 24 charities throughout the year with a gift of a$5,000 Gas Card, and we're registered with the hope of being one of them. But we need your help to win.
Just think of how much good we could bring to our
community every day with an entire year's supply of fuel.
Thanks for your vote!
LOWERNINE.ORG

Trumpet Contributor, NOLA Blogger Profile: Marcia Wall of 411 NOLA

2011-07-26T13:27:00.001-05:00

On St. Joseph’s Day a few years back, a man and a woman stumbled upon our celebrations at St. Augustine. I was serving food from our altar and asked them if they wanted any. They asked me what the cost was. I replied that there was no cost and began explaining to them the customs and traditions of St. Joseph’s Day. They were thrilled to be with locals and partake in our traditions but noted that if it weren’t for mere chance, they never would have found us. Read more here.

Michelle Obama Announces Commitments to Provide Millions of People Access to Healthy, Affordable Food

2011-07-20T16:05:00.002-05:00

Michelle Obama Announces Commitments to Provide Millions of People Access to Healthy, Affordable Food

SUPERVALU, Walgreens, Walmart and regional retailers among those making major commitments

First Lady Michelle Obama joined leaders from major retailers, foundations and small businesses today to announce commitments that will provide access to healthy, affordable food to millions of people in underserved communities. The commitments from SUPERVALU, Walgreens, Walmart and regional retailers will include opening or expanding over 1,500 stores to serve communities throughout the country that currently do not have access to fresh produce and other healthy foods. These stores estimate that they will create tens of thousands of jobs and serve approximately 9.5 million people in these communities throughout the country. Currently, 23.5 million Americans – including 6.5 million children – live in low-income areas that lack stores likely to sell affordable and healthy foods. Studies have shown that limited access to healthy food choices can lead to poor diets, higher levels of obesity and other diet-related diseases.

“The commitments we’re announcing today have the potential to be a game-changer for kids and communities all across this country,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “We can give people all the information and advice in the world about healthy eating and exercise, but if parents can’t buy the food they need to prepare those meals because their only options for groceries are the gas station or the local minimart, then all that is just talk. Let’s Move is about giving parents real choices about the food their kids are eating, and today’s announcement means that more parents will have a fresh food retailer right in their community – a place that sells healthy food, at reasonable prices, so they can feed their families the way they want.”

Mrs. Obama has been leading a nationwide effort to combat childhood obesity so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight. The Let’s Move! Campaign is a comprehensive, collaborative, and community-oriented initiative that has sought to engage every sector of society to tackle head-on the many different factors that lead to childhood obesity. Today’s announcement is a historic step towards addressing that issue and achieving the primary goal of Let’s Move! – solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation

The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity Report to the President identified access to healthy, affordable food as key to solving childhood obesity. In February 2010, Mrs. Obama traveled to Philadelphia where she announced the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, a multi-million dollar public and private investment to improve access to healthy food. The President’s 2012 Budget proposes funding for the multi-year initiative to increase the availability of affordable, healthy foods in underserved urban and rural communities. The Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Treasury are proposing $330 million in financing to community development financial institutions, other nonprofits, public agencies, and businesses with sound strategies for addressing the healthy food needs of communities.

Partnership for a Healthier America secured the following commitments and will be working with the companies to evaluate and monitor their progress with these efforts. Decisions on store locations will be made with communities based on their needs.

National Commitments

SUPERVALU – Committed to opening 250 Save-A-Lot stores over the next five years
SUPERVALU is committed to opening 250 new Save-A-Lot stores over the next five years in areas with limited or no access to healthy foods, and estimates that these new stores will serve approximately 3.75 million people and create more than 6,000 new jobs. Headquartered in Minnesota, SUPERVALU is one of the nation’s largest retail and wholesale grocers serving customers across the United States through a network of approximately 4,294 stores, includingACME, Albertsons, Cub, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Save-A-Lot, Shaw’s, Shop ‘N Save and Shoppers, as well as independent grocery retailers served primarily by the company’s food distribution business.

Walgreens – Committed to expanding its food offering to include whole fruits and vegetables, and other healthy options in at least 1,000 stores
Walgreens is the nation’s largest drugstore chain, operating 7,733 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. More than 45% of those stores are located in underserved communities. As part of today’s announcement, Walgreens is committing to convert at least 1,000 of its stores into food oasis stores. This means that whole fruits and vegetables, pre-cut fruit salads and green salads as well as basic amenities like breads and ready-made meals will now be available at these locations, along with Walgreens accessible pharmacy, health and wellness services. This will bring basic fresh and healthy food to many communities where there currently is limited or no access. Walgreens estimates that these stores will serve nearly 4.8 million people.

Walmart – Committed to opening or expanding up to 300 stores by 2016
In January, Mrs. Obama joined Walmart executives to help launch the company’s initiative to make food healthier and healthier food more affordable. Walmart’s healthier food initiative will reduce sodium and added sugars form packaged food items, make healthier food more affordable and develop a simple front-of-package seal for identifying healthier food choices. Today, Walmart is committing to opening or expanding 275 to 300 stores which will serve more than 800,000 people in rural and urban areas with limited or no access to grocery options. Walmart also estimates that more than 40,000 associates will work in these stores.

Regional Commitments

California FreshWorks Fund – Secured $200 million to promote healthy food retailing in California
A project of The California Endowment and an all-star team of partners, FreshWorks is a $200 million public-private partnership loan fund created to increase access to healthy, affordable food in underserved communities, spur economic development, and inspire innovation in healthy food retailing. The fund will provide financing to grocery stores and other healthy food retailers and distributors who meet a subset of skillfully developed program guidelines designed to move healthy food retailing forward in an affordable and accessible way and prioritize healthy choices from top to bottom. FreshWorks estimates that this fund will create or retain approximately 6,000 jobs.

Brown’s Super Store – Committed to building one new supermarket in Philadelphia and expanding one existing store in Chelthenham, PA
Brown’s Super Stores is a family owned and operated supermarket chain of Philadelphia area ShopRite supermarkets and was founded in 1988 by President and CEO Jeffrey Brown. Brown operates 10 ShopRite Supermarkets in the Philadelphia area, with five of his stores located in communities that were previously underserved communities. Brown will be opening one new supermarket in North Philadelphia and expanding an existing location in Chelthenham, PA as part of Mrs. Obama’s campaign. The state-of-the-art stores will feature several new innovations including a culturally inspired International Foods Department, Health Clinic, social service office and Pharmacy. Brown expects this expansion and new store will create approximately 325 jobs and serve 150,000 people.

Calhoun Grocer – Committed to building 10 stores in Alabama and Tennessee
Calhoun is an African American, family owned, small local chain based in Montgomery, Alabama. They serve areas in and around Mobile where their stores are often the only ones serving the community they are operating in. They are working to expand their reach and work on improving access to communities in the south who are underserved. As part of today’s announcement, Calhoun has committed to building 10 stores over the next 5 years in Alabama and Tennessee. Calhoun estimates they will create approximately 500 jobs and serve 10,000 people.

Klein’s Family Markets – Committed to opening one new store in Baltimore, MD
Klein’s Family Markets is headquartered in Forest Hill, MD and operates 7 ShopRite supermarkets in Maryland. They were founded in 1925 and have been operating supermarkets for four generations. Klein’s has committed to building one new store in Baltimore, MD and estimates creating approximately 275 jobs and serving 75,000 people. The state-of-the-art store will feature several new innovations including a culturally inspired International Foods Department, Health Clinic, social service office and Pharmacy.

A fact sheet on today’s announcement is available athttp://www.letsmove.gov/sites/letsmove.gov/files/Food_access_factsheet.pdf.

What’s Next after Retiring? A Story of One Woman’s Reflection and Revelation

2011-07-19T11:45:00.004-05:00

By Denise Botticher

Almost a year to the day after her retirement from a high-pressure job with the City of New Orleans as its Chief Administrative Officer, Brenda Hatfield started her “What’s next?” The “What’s next?” came to her after achieving a successful career of nearly 45-years in public service and corporate business in addition to active involvement in the community.

What’s next for Brenda meant taking a full year to reconnect with friends and family before taking on a new adventure. “I really had never taken time to be free and relax without having a schedule or boss,” said Brenda. “The idea of retiring really frightened me because I had always worked. I’m energetic and goal oriented. The joke with my family was ‘She’s really not going to retire.’

Brenda isn’t alone when it comes to planning life after retirement and taking time to be with friends and family. According to a recent AARP survey of over 400 Louisianans who are 50-plus years in age, many said they, too, wanted to reconnect with loved ones. Thirty-eight percent said they were looking forward to planning vacations and traveling, and 20 percent said they were looking forward to pursuing their hobbies and interests.

While Brenda was cleaning out a drawer, she came upon pages of notes she had written outlining her personal vision. She unfolded the papers and reflected upon what she had written some time ago. Enjoy my home. Community involvement. Education.

“That’s when I started looking online for opportunities in Gonzales where I live. Late one night, I opened my email and saw an opportunity from AARP Louisiana. It was a recruitment piece to become Louisiana’s next volunteer state president. I said, ‘That’s it!’, and I immediately started writing my cover letter,” said Brenda.

After a competitive process, AARP appointed Brenda as Louisiana’s State President, the top volunteer leadership position representing nearly 500,000 members in the state. “I’m honored to have been chosen to lead the volunteer efforts in Louisiana for AARP,” said Hatfield. “AARP has been a longtime trusted partner and advocate for the 50-plus population in Louisiana on issues such as health care, long-term care, economic security and livable communities. I’m excited to work with AARP and help all Louisianans live their best life.”

Hatfield will serve an initial two-year appointment and will lead AARP’s Executive Council as its Chair. The council, in collaboration with Louisiana’s State Director and staff, develops the framework for the state’s strategic plan and implements planned activities and legislative initiatives in the areas of economic security, health and livable communities.

“I was serious when I said I wanted to find something meaningful. And I’ve found it,” said Brenda.

Do you have a story to tell about your “What’s next?” Please share it with us at www.aarp.org/shareyourthoughts.

Green it Yourself July Workshop

2011-07-19T11:33:00.003-05:00

2011-07-12T16:58:00.001-05:00

“The Budget Breakdown”

Citizen Training On The City’s Budget Process

Wednesday, July 13th, 6-8pm

Grace Episcopal Church

3700 Canal St.

Presented by the New Orleans Coalition for Open Governance

Pre-register by responding to this email or call (504)940-2207

Free and Open to the Public

This training, conducted by former New Orleans Commissioner of Criminal Justice, Bob Rhoden, is designed to help you understand the budget process and how you can have more influence on how your tax dollars are spent.

The City of New Orleans’ new budget process calls for public input on how your tax dollars are going to be spent across six result areas: Public Safety, Children & Families, Economic Development, Sustainable Communities, Open & Effective Government, and Innovation.

Did you know that 58% of the city’s budget goes to public safety? Are we spending the right amount of money on the right programs?

Does spending 3% on Children & Families, 2% on Economic Development, and 17% for Sustainable Communities make for a safer city?

Did you know that greater community input last year could have resulted in more money for Emergency Medical Services or a Spanish Interpreter for Municipal Court?

School Facilities Master Plan Prep Meeting

2011-07-11T16:31:00.000-05:00

Training session for citizenry input in budgetary process set

2011-07-11T16:18:00.001-05:00

By Matt Davis

http://thelensnola.org

The New Orleans Coalition on Open Governance is holding a training session for citizens next week to teach them how, when, and where best to speak up so that their voices are included in the city’s budget process, which is already underway.

The coalition, of which The Lens is a member, wants to help citizens identify areas where their input can be effective in setting the city’s budget priorities for 2012.

“What we’re hoping to do is galvanize residents into working with more intention on the budget and giving informed input into budget allocation,” said Deborah Cotton, communications director for the coalition. “Right now the majority of the money is going to public safety, but it’s not clear whether we’re spending the right amount of money on the right programs.”

The session will be led by Bob Rhoden, a former city official who has experience, familiarity and contacts with the current budget planners in Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration. In advance of the meeting, the coalition also has been in communication with Norman Foster, chief financial officer for the Landrieu administration, Cotton said.

“He is helping us to think about our overall plan, how to look at the budget and find key strategic areas where folks can have the most impact,” Cotton said.

The Landrieu administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The session will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Grace Episcopal Church on Canal Street.

This article originally published in the July 11, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.

The Politics of Public Education

2011-07-11T13:57:00.002-05:00

By J. Samuel Cook

There is a saying in politics that if you’re not at the table, you’re on the table.

In lean times, when elected officials find anew their cost-cutting nerve, eliminating waste, fraud and abuse becomes a euphemism for cutting government services. Understanding this unfortunate fact of our political process, moneyed and influential groups who stand to benefit or lose from legislative sausage-making spend massive amounts of money to curry favor from decision-makers. There’s the oil lobby, which protects the interests of Big Oil. Then, there’s the gun lobby, which fights against any legislation they feel will infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of Americans. And then, there’s the ethanol lobby, which works to protect farm subsidies. The list of “lobbies” goes on and on, with each special interest group doing whatever it can to stay “off the table.” Usually, those efforts pay off.

Unfortunately, the most vulnerable Americans seldom employ powerful lobbyists who can maneuver the Beltway or descend on state capitols to press for favorable legislation for their clients. Of course, this leaves the disinherited altogether voiceless as movers and shakers make decisions which most often affect their lives. At the bottom rung of the political food chain, as usual, are our nation’s children. Louisiana, it seems, is no different. And while the state consistently ranks as one of the lowest in the nation for education, (ranking a paltry 45th for “best educated” states in 2010), it seems public education is low on Louisiana’s list of priorities. Recently, the Louisiana State House voted to cut $130 million from the state’s 2011-2012 operating budget. Of course, $11 million of those cuts fell squarely on the backs of the state-controlled Recovery School District and were in addition to more than $310 million in education cuts since 2008.

As if draconian budget cuts weren’t enough, a relatively new push for “private school vouchers,” funded as an appropriation from the state’s general fund, have become the latest craze in education reform. The vouchers, which pay up to 90 percent of a student’s private school education up to $7,562, assist roughly 1,943 New Orleans youth to attend private schools. While private school vouchers are not necessarily an evil, they are merely a panacea that obscures much larger systemic problems in education, particularly when measured against the backdrop of the harsh reality that the Orleans Parish School District and Recovery School District combined serve nearly 40,000 students. Altogether, the Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program (SSEP) assist a mere 5 percent of the total number of students who receive a public education in New Orleans.

And while groups such as the Louisiana Black Alliance for Educational Opportunities are lobbying the legislature to expand the program, 95 percent of public school students—the majority of whom are poor and minority—are being left behind. While it’s true that private school vouchers provide choice for low-income families, this push for education privatization, long a cause célèbre of conservatives, distracts from the pressing, important issue facing all Louisiana residents: how we fix public education in the state.

Even now, the debate rages regarding the return to local control of schools in Orleans Parish from the state’s Recovery School District to the Orleans Parish School Board. Education reformers insist that the Orleans Parish School Board, which has only overseen the city’s well-performing schools since Katrina, must put forth a plan which demonstrates its ability to maintain the academic growth experienced by previously-failing schools under the RSD. Conversely, there is a growing chorus among residents demanding a return to local control as a right of local governance. Teachers in Orleans Parish, having lost their collective bargaining rights, rightfully advocate for a bargaining agreement which recognizes their worth and validity to the educational process.

Their voices, however, are drowned out by those who wrongly claim that extending collective bargaining rights for New Orleans teachers would be too costly for the school system. On the whole, however, missing from the debate are the most important voices: those which advocate for the best education policies for New Orleans kids.

As Louisiana—and states across the nation—grapple with budget deficits and dwindling federal dollars, a single question arises: who will fight to spare our children’s interests from the chopping block?

Yes, ATMs are Taking Our Jobs: How Technology Can Create Unemployment

2011-07-11T13:42:00.005-05:00

By J. Samuel Cook

When President Obama recently remarked during an interview with the Today Show that “when you go to a bank and you use an ATM, you don’t go to a bank teller. Or you go to the airport and you’re using a kiosk instead of checking in at the gate,” his words became a running joke to conservatives, yet another exempli gratia that the community organizer-turned-president is blithely unaware of how the nation’s economy works. The chorus range out from conservative pundits ranging from Rush Limbaugh to Erick Erickson, accosting Obama for claiming, in a moment of stupor, that ATMs were responsible for the nation’s high unemployment (a quote Limbaugh claimed exemplified Obama’s “utter ignorance” and “insulting incompetence”; Phillip Klein of the Washington Examiner even suggested that “Obama doesn’t get ATMs or job creation”).

Indeed, Obama’s “ATM” remark, in which he suggested that structural issues with respect to the United States economy were responsible for slower-than-normal job growth, made for a good sound bite. And, properly spun, fit into the Right-Wing meme that the President lacks the business savvy to get the economy going again. Unfortunately for the Right, however, Obama’s remarks, to most economists, made perfect sense. Businesses are becoming much more efficient (and much more profitable) with fewer workers. And the advent of more sophisticated technology inadvertently results in greater efficiency for companies, which often results in fewer jobs for unskilled laborers. This effect is referred to as “creative destruction,” and for decades has been a rallying cry for conservatives.

Creative destruction, essentially, is what occurs when something new renders something old inefficient or ineffective. For example, the “assembly line” made famous in the manufacturing sector by Henry Ford, employed as many as 50 or 60 workers who each performed a specific task following its creation in 1913. Prior to the assembly line’s implementation, one worker took 20 minutes to assemble a single flywheel. Once Ford implemented the assembly line method, a Ford plant could assemble a flywheel in 5 minutes by breaking its creation down into 29 separate operations, thus employing 29 separate individuals for each task. By 1949, Ford had introduced the electric conveyer, which enabled production to increase its productivity from 429 cars in a nine-hour workday to more than 1,200 in a single day. Today, however, robots are largely used for welding and materials handling and assembly line workers, instead of focusing on a single function, are now responsible for multiple functions. Of course, these technological advances and increased manufacturing efficiency have resulted in fewer manufacturing jobs for American workers. Today, manufacturing accounts for roughly 5% of American employment; a mere decade ago, it accounted for 10% of overall employment. For decades, American manufacturing provided a path to the middle class; today, it stands as a shell of its former self, an industry that while not dead is definitely on life support.
There are those who disagree with the President and correctly argue that new technologies naturally create employment opportunities for highly skilled workers. Indeed, in the manufacturing sector, there is a growing need for engineers and other individuals with advanced skills (such opportunities exist in sectors such as utilities, transportation, mining and agriculture, as well). As creative destruction has reduced the need for American workers in “blue collar” sectors, the new jobs borne of that process have required skills beyond those possessed by the workforce. When the automobile industry laid off thousands of factory workers at the height of the 2009 financial crisis, many of those workers lacked job skills which could transfer to other industries. Often, this is the quandary blue collar worker (workers who typically perform manual labor and earn an hourly wage) in an economic downturn. So while ATMs are not taking American jobs in a literal sense, the technological advances that often improve productivity and make labor conditions better for American workers often simultaneously result in less need for workers.

In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt and American Express CEO Ken Chenault estimated there are some 2 million jobs available in the United States manufacturing sector that are unfilled today because many American workers lack the advanced skills to fill them. A projected 3 million more such jobs are expected to become available as growing numbers of baby boomers retire in the next decade. This creates a significant void in the job market, and while younger workers (recent high school and college graduates) may be able to transition into the industry, baby boomers who find themselves out of work are faced with a difficult decision: acquire the skills necessary to return to the workforce or retire.

Politics is a contact sport, a rough-and-tumble scuffle whose participants expect to absorb their fair share of jabs. President Obama is no exception. But the structural issues of the American economy are so severe, so complex, they require putting aside the scorched earth politics that have come to define our political system and a level of intellectual honesty and serious unprecedented since the days of the Great Depression. If we’re going to win the future, it’s going to take a common sense of purpose and belief in American exceptionalism to put Americans back to work and get our economy moving again. Let’s hope Rush Limbaugh and Eric Erickson got the memo.

J. Samuel Cook is director of the 7th Ward Neighborhood Center. He is pursuing a Ph.D.

in public policy at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Southern University.

Did New Orleans Media Ignore Police Violence After Hurricane Katrina?

2011-07-11T13:27:00.003-05:00

By Jordan Flaherty

Monday, June 27

This article originally appeared at Truth-out.org:

http://www.truth-out.org/new-orleans-police-violence-trial-begins-today/1308853109

Opening arguments begin today in what observers have called the most important trial New Orleans has seen in a generation. It is a shocking case of police brutality that has already redefined this city’s relationship to its police department, and radically rewritten the official narrative of what happened in the chaotic days after Hurricane Katrina. Five police officers are facing charges of shooting unarmed African-Americans in cold blood, killing two and wounding four, and then conspiring to hide evidence. Five officers who participated in the conspiracy have already pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against their fellow officers.

Jose Holmes Jr. was shot several times, then as he lay bleeding an officer stood over him and fired point blank at his stomach. Two other relatives of Bartholomew were also badly wounded.

The shootings occurred on September 4, 2005, as two families were fleeing Katrina’s floodwaters, crossing New Orleans’ Danziger Bridge to get to dry land. Officers, who apparently heard a radio report about shootings in the area, drove up, leapt out of their vehicle, and began firing. Ronald Madison, a mentally challenged man, was shot in the back at least five times, then reportedly stomped and kicked by an officer until he was dead. His brother Lance Madison was arrested on false charges. James Brissette, a high school student, was shot seven times, and died at the scene. Susan Bartholomew, 38, was wounded so badly her arm was shot off of her body.

Danziger is one of at least nine recent incidents involving the NOPD being investigated by the US Justice Department, several of which happened in the days after the city was flooded. Officers have recently been convicted by federal prosecutors in two other high-profile trials. In April, two officers were found guilty in the beating of death of Raymond Robair, a handyman from the Treme neighborhood. In December, a jury convicted three officers and acquitted two in killing Henry Glover, a 31-year-old from New Orleans’ West Bank neighborhood, and burning his body.

From Survivors to Looters

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, people around the world felt sympathy for New Orleans. They saw images of residents trapped on rooftops by floodwaters, needing rescue by boat and helicopter. But then stories began to come out about looters and gangs among the survivors, and the official response shifted from humanitarian aid to military operation. Then-Governor Kathleen Blanco sent in National Guard troops, announcing. “They have M-16s and are locked and loaded. These troops know how to shoot and kill and I expect they will.” Warren Riley, at that time the second in charge of the police department, reportedly ordered officers to “take the city back and shoot looters.”

In the following days, several civilians – almost all of them African American - were killed under suspicious circumstances in incidents involving police and white vigilantes. For years, family members and advocates called for official investigations and were rebuffed. “Right after the hurricane there were individuals and organizations trying to talk about what happened on Danziger,” says Dana Kaplan, executive director of Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana (JJPL), a legal and advocacy organization based in New Orleans. “But their voices were marginalized.”

There is evidence that local media could have done a better job. Alex Brandon, a photographer for New Orleans’ Times-Picayune newspaper who later went on to work for Associated Press, testified in the Henry Glover trial that he knew details about the police killings that he didn’t reveal. “He saw things and heard things that proved to be useful in a criminal investigation. He didn't report them as news," wrote Picayune columnist Jarvis DeBerry after the Glover trial concluded.

Former Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan, who led an initial investigation of the Danziger officers, believes an indifferent local media bears partial responsibility for the years of cover-up. “They were looking for heroes,” he says. “They had a cozy relationship with the police. They got tips from the police, they were in bed with the police. It was an atmosphere of tolerance for atrocities from the police. They abdicated their responsibility to be critical in their reporting. If a few people got killed that was a small price to pay.”

Family members and advocates tried to get the stories of police violence out through protests, press conferences, and other means. Peoples Hurricane Relief Fund, an organization dedicated to justice in reconstruction, held a tribunal in 2006 where they presented accusations of police violence – among other charges – to a panel of international judges, including members of parliament from seven countries. Activists even brought charges to the United Nations, filing a shadow report in February 2008 with the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva.

But it was not until late 2008 that a journalist named AC Thompson did what the local media failed to do, and investigated these stories in detail. “It’s unfortunate that it took a national publication to really dig to the root,” says Kaplan, referring to Thompson’s work. “In New Orleans the criminal justice system has been so corrupt for so long that things that should be shocking didn’t seem to be raising the kind of broad community outrage that they should have.”

In 2009, after years of pressure from activists and the national attention brought on by AC Thompson’s reporting, the US Justice Department decided to look into the accusations of police violence. This has led to one of the most wide-ranging investigations of a police department in recent US history. Dozens of officers are facing lengthy prison terms, and corruption charges have reached to the very top of the department.

The Danziger trial is expected to last two months. Kenneth Bowen, Robert Gisevius, Anthony Villavaso, and Robert Faulcon, the officers involved in the shooting, could receive life sentences if convicted. Sergeant Arthur Kaufman, who was not on the bridge, is charged only in the conspiracy and could receive a maximum of 120 years. Justice Department investigations of other incidents are continuing, and it is likely that some form of federal oversight of the department will be announced in the coming months.

Jordan Flaherty is a journalist and staffer with the Louisiana Justice Institute. His award-winning reporting from the Gulf Coast has been featured in a range of outlets including the New York Times, Al Jazeera, and Argentina's Clarin newspaper. He is the author of FLOODLINES: Community and Resistance from Katrina to the Jena Six. He can be reached at neworleans@leftturn.org, and more information about Floodlines can be found at floodlines.org. For speaking engagements, seecommunityandresistance.wordpress.com.

Musicians’ Village: A Place of Tradition and Music for the Future

2011-07-08T14:50:00.014-05:00

By Michael Gottwald

As I walked down Bartholomew Street with Margie Perez, a tall, graceful singer who lives a block away, stopped to show me a concrete slab where many of the Musicians’ Village’s most famous residents had scrawled their names. Little Freddie King, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, Bob French, and others had marked the ground beneath our feet as theirs. I realized that I wasn’t just strolling down any New Orleans street. I was inside a kind of residential hall of fame of local musicians.

It was only five years ago that the Musicians’ Village, constructed on the 1700 and 1800 blocks of Alvar and Bartholomew streets in the Upper Ninth Ward, with the support of big names and nationwide reverence for the area’s musical legacy, gave New Orleans one of its most prominent post-Katrina rebuilding success stories. Habitat for Humanity, in partnership with Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis, began an initiative to fill homes that would be erected by volunteers on recently purchased land for musicians who were displaced by the storm. If they met the criteria and were approved, they would receive a reduced-rate mortgage, with no interest; this was a traditional Habitat for Humanity deal, but entirely oriented around the city’s most famous profession. Ground was broken, pictures were taken and doors were opened. To ask how it is doing now, one should anticipate an answer as complex as to ask how the city itself is doing now.

On the surface, the story departs from the city’s own. Unlike New Orleans as a whole, the Musicians’ Village is at maximum capacity. All the houses are built, and all but two are without an owner currently. There are no plans to expand beyond its eight- acre spread of 77 homes. The construction, which began on Roman Street, then reached toward the lake on Alvar Street, and the final blocks were completed on Bartholomew Street in the last couple years.

Margie Perez’s home on the 1800 block of Alvar was one of the first built; you can tell by the fact that the solitary tree in her backyard, planted like everyone’s in the neighborhood as a gift from the LSU Agricultural Center, reaches up to the sky just above those of her neighbors.

“I lost everything,” Perez told me, in regard to what Hurricane Katrina did to the downstairs apartment in Broadmoor where she lived before the storm. Margie, a singer-songwriter in multiple bands, and a regular act on Frenchmen Street, has become a sort of de-facto spokeswoman for the Musicians’ Village – a role that has allowed her to meet former President Jimmy Carter and President Barack Obama, and even took her to Denver for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

A Musical Home

Homeowners who are approved are required to perform 350 hours of sweat equity in the construction of their home or other Habitat homes, in lieu of a down payment, and Margie takes pride in her experiences.

“I was involved in every step – except the roof. I got up on the roof once, and I said, ‘I think I’ll leave this to someone who has less balance issues than I do,” Perez said. She was also gratified by the fact that volunteers were coming to give a whole week of their time and their family’s time – sometimes their only vacation all year – to work on her house.

However, if one looks beyond the newspaper snapshots, Margie’s sense of ownership and home comes from a place that isn’t exactly what you would expect. Originally from Washington, D.C., she had actually been living in New Orleans for only a year before the storm. “Once I qualified for the house here, I said, ‘All right, I really got to step up. I’m a musician, and I was in a couple bands before the storm, but … if I’ve got a house here, I got to really represent,’ ” she added. “I started working really, really hard, and it’s stayed with me. I sing in a whole bunch of bands, and I get to make music with some incredibly amazing people, the way it’s supposed to be here.”

“Survivor’s guilt” is a term she threw out, as we strolled along the finely cut lawns, the uniform houses, and the pastel-colored facades, in what almost seems like a suburban utopia. She doesn’t just refer to the weathering of the storm; one must have good credit or no credit to qualify for a Habitat home; and, given the nature of the business, many musicians didn’t fit the bill. Margie has always had a second job to ensure against these problems, but the fact that several aren’t so lucky clearly weighs on her.

It’s almost hauntingly quiet on this sunny, humid day in June, as we greet young children on bikes and admire one of Margie’s neighbors’ solutions to a flower problem she’s having herself in her front yard. She hugs a friend she hasn’t seen in a while – Jesse Brunet, who lives between Houma and Pass Christian, Miss. The Musicians’ Village is home to Brunet’s godmother, who is renowned Voodoo priestess Mama Lola. Later, I’ll see Mr. Brunet, his wife, and two young people cleaning their boat outside Lola’s house.

As we walk down Bartholomew Street back toward Margie’s, she stops me and, whispering, invites me to listen. I hear the faint sound of someone practicing drums inside their home. It’s the only sound I hear besides police sirens off in the distance, and birds chirping.

Gabriel Velasco is a Venezuelan-born drummer in a number of bands in New Orleans, including, but not limited to Otra, Government Magic and Equal Opportunity Employment. He was living in a family home in the Irish Channel before the storm, and his story is in some ways the inverse of Margie’s, having experienced exclusion from good opportunities in the wake of Katrina. For almost a year, Gabriel sought refuge in California because it seemed that the only opportunities for musicians remaining in New Orleans were on Bourbon Street.

“Each club has, in my opinion, sort of a level of how they treat musicians and why they pay and what-have-you, and unfortunately some of the better ones took a little bit longer to reopen,” Velasco told me. He would have stayed in California, too, but his Habitat application was approved, and he came back to New Orleans.

However, three years to the day after he moved into his new home on Bartholomew Street, he had to move out. Why? Because Gabriel was a victim of the Village’s most unfortunate problem to date: the drywall issue.

Drywall Dilemma

It began with a handful of residents comparing stories about blackened wiring, tarnished silverware, and air conditioning units turning off. Some had heard external reports of corrosive Chinese drywall, and, checking the label on theirs, put two and two together.

According to Gabriel, Habitat first declared to him and his neighbors that the drywall in the Musicians’ Village was not of this type. Then, when they did admit that it was, he says it took some time to draw their attention to the symptoms that would show up in homes like his, despite negative test results.

Aleis Tusa, the communications director for New Orleans Habitat for Humanity, refutes this claim. “I feel like we’ve been as diligent as possible about that.” In Habitat’s defense, the use of corrosive drywall is a problem that has crippled the Gulf Coast and its builders as a whole region since the storm. “I think we went above and beyond what was expected,” Tusa said. “A lot of homeowners in New Orleans, in the Gulf Coast, their builders and contractors are doing nothing for them.”

But even Margie, although not a victim herself, spoke to the perception amongst her neighbors. “For a while there, residents were feeling that Habitat was doing more damage control than speaking the truth about what was going on.”

More than holding any grudges, though, they talk about it simply as a deeply unfortunate revelation. It’s also one that proves that even New Orleans’ most lauded post-storm success story is not immune to the shadow of apathetic, bottom-line mentality that hindered so many other recovery efforts. On a personal level for Gabriel, temporarily moving out of his home so that Habitat could remediate it just meant an uncomfortable change to his professional habits. “Here, I have a lot of drums, I have recording equipment that I record people with and it’s a source of income as well…. [I] went from 1,100 square feet by myself to two rooms, basically,” he recounted. “I started taking every gig I got called for, gigs I didn’t even want to do, just so I could stay up on my chops with the drums and percussion, because I couldn’t really practice where I was.”

Storage pods dot the curbs of the Musicians’ Village streets these days, but only five or six homes on the blocks are left to be remediated by this point, according to Tusa.

The Village Stands United Through Difficulty

Beyond the drywall, the neighborhood isn’t an exception to the problems of the area that surrounds it. Crime has always been an acknowledged fact of the Village, ever since some neighbors started playing music together under the name The Copper Thieves, in reference to the materials thefts during the construction era. It became more grave when a few months ago, a teenager staying in a house on the 1800 block of Alvar was shot and killed on his porch, in what was reported to be a targeted hit-and-run. Months prior to that, across the street (not part of the Musicians’ Village) there was another homicide.

Mostly, however, surrounding neighbors are pleased to have a concentrated area of homeowners in a part of New Orleans that seems to be just about 50 percent occupied. “It’s beautiful. It’s quiet. Everywhere has its problems,” sums up Sandy Ricard, one of a handful of residents who is not a musician, (her housing here was sponsored by Habitat before it was deemed for the Musicians’ Village). For a woman who lost her job, her home, and eventually, after illness, her parents to Katrina, she is just grateful that Habitat was able to find a place for her. “I think other places have far more problems than we have going on,” she says. She enjoys sharing wine, food and conversation with her next- door neighbor, a Brazilian musician named Ricardo.

The Village Brings Hope of Music for Tomorrow

Finally, on August 25, the musicians will have a long-awaited opportunity to further strengthen ties with the community around them as well as their own internal community. A much-anticipated project ever since its conception five years ago, the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, in the heart of the neighborhood, will provide recording studios, performance space and after-school classes for young people – specifically and exclusively kids in the Upper Ninth Ward. And the goal for these kids is lofty: “Mr. Marsalis has a vision for a jazz orchestra,” said Michele Jean-Pierre, executive director of the center. More than anything, though, this sprawling building, similar to the brightly painted wood-beam style of the homes around it, will give this five-year-old neighborhood a place to convene, see each other and share conversation and music.

Ms. Jean-Pierre was meticulous; too, in making sure that the design for the center’s use was organically conceived from its neighbors’ ideas. “We conducted focus groups and collected information from the residents on how they could best be benefited by the center…. From those focus group sessions, I went on to develop a work plan.”

When the center opens in August, it will be almost six years to the day since Hurricane Katrina left the Upper Ninth flooded and almost totally abandoned. As always in New Orleans, the sentiment in the Musicians’ Village in regard to the future is one of hope – hope despite tragedy, and despite the complications on the path to recovery.

Five years ago, the woman who gave Sandy Ricard her home in the Village joked with her about her admittance being contingent on a deal with Sandy’s musically inclined daughter, then 15-years-old. “She said, ‘If you just promise us that your daughter would be able to come in and help with the community center.”… My daughter, now [that] she’s grown, she wants to live up to her promise; she still wants to come in and help.”

Horseback Riding and Outdoor Adventures for City Youth

2011-07-08T13:59:00.011-05:00

The Crescent City Cowboy Ranch is everything inside of the blue line, and all the land to the northeast as far as you can see!

There is something special that often happens when a youngster comes face-to-face with a 2,500 lb horse. While horses can be large, they are intelligent, alert, curious, trainable, and fun.

They are also loving, sensitive, responsive, and easy to interact with. This makes them very special --– like a big, overgrown puppy. And that’s only some of what this adventure promises.

This is not your typical organized summer camp! In the lovely English Turn region of New Orleans, over the bridge and near the Mississippi River, this 40+ acre Crescent City Cowboy Ranch spread is all level, grassy, with a large pond and numerous shady trees. Each pasture is fenced. There are 14 stables. Most horses are turned out and wonder freely in the pastures.

From 10 to more than 300 youngsters can spend the day, (or several days), at the Crescent City Cowboy Ranch, south of the Mississippi River, but still in New Orleans. To enjoy the countryside, the fresh air, the quiet and the smell of the horses. They can sit together under the trees using the wood picnic tables; walk the area and explore nature; investigate the various pieces of farm machinery, even ride a farm tractor; have a horse assigned to care for – to clean, brush, feed and walk; help clean and organize the saddles and bridles; learn to ride and use only the fenced riding ring or even take a supervised trail ride.

Or they can do nothing but just enjoy watching their friends trying to learn about horses and riding! Kids can attend an evening cookout with a nearby campfire to make the entire trip most memorable.

The Crescent City Cowboy goes back many generations

Horse rancher Dave Williams was “born in the saddle”. He comes from generations of horse folk, is an expert rider and instructor, and routinely is hired to break horses for area families. He owns the horses on the ranch. He is also the “Horse Whisperer” of this region. Cowboy Dave participates in annual Mardi Gras parades with his Crescent City Riding Club, and has a black and gold Crescent City Cowboy float he sponsors.

Horses: Beautiful, healthy and in very great condition

There are more than 25 horses of all sizes and varieties, from ponies to muscular thoroughbreds, from Quarter horses to Western saddle horses. All of the horses are broken, friendly and can be ridden. They don’t bite! Each one will nuzzle your hand looking for a treat or just a friendly pat. Each horse will also stand quietly while being brushed. The horses are definitely available for you to have a casual ride around the farm to make your day. Riders with experience or promise will have the opportunity to ride on the trail at another time by arrangement –-- not during special events.

Other Activities

There are goats, a fierce ram, geese, ducks and chickens on the ranch, too! Children can pick eggs, feed the ducks, (bring bread), and the goats will eat virtually anything, (bring along this dry dog/cat food is great for goats and the ducks!) There are also fish in the lake! Bring a rod and some bait. Bring equipment such as a Frisbee, softball, football, volleyball, and any others to enjoy the wide open spaces. This is all up to you!

Permission

Any age allowed! Under 18 requires a signed written permission slip from parent/guardian. Over 18 signs proper paperwork at the ranch. These forms are supplied before the visit, or on-site.

Cost: Free to ride and play!

For up to 20 guests, a day at this ranch is free to all participants – free to just hang around, or free to ride, and everything in between. For 21 to 50 guests, there is a charge of $50 for portable toilet rentals, payable by check or cash on the day of your visit. For 51 to 100, a charge of $100 is required. Unless otherwise arranged, the Ranch rents all portable toilets.

Insurance

The ranch provides a $1 million liability insurance policy. Certificates of insurance will be provided on request.

Equipment

The ranch will provide electricity and water. Also provided will be picnic tables and barbeque grills. Portable toilets are rented and set-up.

Visitors will need to provide the following:

• Transportation - round trip

• Portable toilet for over 20 guests

• Bottled water

• Meals, snacks

• Charcoal for the grill

• Snacks for horses – carrots, apples

• Bread for goats, ducks and chickens.

Clothing

Jeans and boots, (over the ankle) are recommended for riders. Soft-soled sneakers are not recommended. Remember, horses routinely fertilize the grounds, so expect to step in something before the day is over! Light gloves may also be preferred. A cap or hat may be needed, too.

Dates

Bookings will be on a first come basis, and can be any day excluding Sundays. The ranch is open from 10 a.m. until dusk.

Directions

It’s a 30-minute drive from the CBD.

Take the ramp onto US 90 Bus West – Crescent City Connection

Take the right exit toward General De Gaulle Dr.

Keep left at the fork and merge onto General De Gaulle Dr.

Stay south until you go over the next major bridge

At end, turn right onto LA-406 E which becomes River Road

The River is on your left as you pass fields, cattle and more

Turn right onto Delacroix Rd (see Crescent City sign)

Small shack on right corner “Man Cave”

Take the 1st left onto Willow Dr. (see Crescent City sign)

Delacroix turns into dirt if you miss this turn.

Turn left onto Crescent City Ranch Driveway (see sign)

You will have passed a Ranch pasture on left – many horses

Turn left into furthest Ranch pasture and park (the last pasture)

4.8 mi

2.7 mi

0.5 mi

0.9 mi

187 ft.

0.4 mi

For more information:

Crescent City Cowboy Ranch

Horseback Riding and Outdoor Adventures for City Youth

11514 Willow Drive, New Orleans, LA 70131

Or contact:

Brian Opert

504-250-7115

brian@wgso.com

“From the Ground Up’

WGSO 990 am Radio

Crime Fighting Live Radio Show in Greater New Orleans

2011-07-06T12:58:00.002-05:00

Trumpet Release Party this Wednesday

2011-07-05T16:22:00.003-05:00

Featuring Charles "DJ Bam" Belonge and M. Francis Art Gallery exhibit!

RSVP at rsvp@npnnola.com.

Drainage strategies clinic Thursday sponsored by Capacity College

2011-06-22T09:37:00.001-05:00

June 22 2011 Neighborhoods Partnership Network

Improve Drainage and the Appeal of your Street and your Neighborhood Clinic Part of the Capacity College Summer Leadership Colloquium

Learn how you and your neighbors can improve drainage in response to rainwater that collects on your street and in your neighborhood.

Space is still available, so register today!

This can help you maintain, protect, and even increase your property value.
Finally, learn from and ask questions of Sewerage and Water Board, state environment, and land-use representatives.

Thursday, June 23
9 a.m.- 11 a.m.
Mahalia Jackson Early Childhood & Family Learning Center
2405 Jackson Avenue, Board Room
New Orleans, LA 70113

Facilitators
Steve Picou, LSU AgCenter
Jeff Dauzat of the State Department of Environmental Quality
Scott Finnney, Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans
Jen Roberts, Bayou Land Resource Conservation & Development Council
Louis Jackson, CDM Engineering

NPN Members: $10
Non-Members: $15

Become a NPN Member now!
Questions? Call NPN at 504-940-2207
Email info@npnnola.com
http://www.npnnola.com

To register for NPN events and programs, go to ABOUT NPN on the website and click Register for NPN events.

Report: BlightStat 16 (Thurs. 6/9/2011)

2011-06-16T11:39:00.003-05:00

From NPN member Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association -

June 16th, 2011
by Charlie London

This was the sixteenth BlightStat meeting where the public was invited to attend.

The City continues to march toward its goal of eradicating 10,000 blighted properties within three years. City departments that can help with this process meet every two weeks for a “BlightStat” meeting.

Goals have been set for each department and a presentation is made at each meeting to show how each department is doing toward meeting those goals.

BELOW ARE NOTES FROM THE JUNE 16th BLIGHTSTAT MEETING

Attendance continues to be sparce at the BlightStat meetings but interest from the public remains strong. Reports from various sources allow people to get the information without having to attend the meetings.

Mr. Oliver Wise continues to work as moderator for the meetings.
Mr. Jeff Hebert asked Ms. Lear to talk about Household Hazardous Waste day.

Ms. Cynthia Sylvain Lear – over 600 vehicles showed with up 5 tons of ewaste, 3,400 gallons of paint which was donated to the Green Project. City is committed to doing it again. Ms. Lear urged citizens to save their hazardous waste for the event.

Mr. Winston Reid – inspections remain above target in spite of Memorial Day holiday. Uptick in sweep levels. Targeting FEMA properties. Continuing demo pipeline and inspections for hearings. Continuing sweeps. Still working on backlog. Updated backlog by address with internal filtering to look for matches of properties already done.

Mr. Jeff Hebert – Kristin away. Slight increase in hearings but remains far below the target. JPHebert, AKopplin, and Brenda Breaux working together on a strategy to get cases moving. Dedicating two Saturdays to just go through files. Considering staff adjustments.

Mr. Andy Kopplin – there is a much bigger backlog than two Saturdays. Fill the capacity of hearings officers. Spend two Saturdays to fill the short term pipeline but that doesn’t remove the backlog. Suggested to go back to the bar association for help. Let’s get together to make a pitch to the bar association to Brenda Breaux…will do.

For the rest of the report as well as access to the City's BlightStat presentation, visit http://business.fsjna.org/2011/06/blightstat-16/

Register now for the Capacity College Summer Leadership Colloquium

2011-06-15T15:08:00.002-05:00

NEW! Capacity College Summer Clinic

Improve Drainage and the Appeal of your Street and your Neighborhood

Learn how you and your neighbors can improve drainage in response to rainwater that collects on your street and in your neighborhood.

This can help you maintain, protect, and even increase your property value.
Finally, learn from and ask questions of Sewerage and Water Board, state environment, and land-use representatives.

Thursday, June 23
9 a.m.- 11 a.m.
Mahalia Jackson Early Childhood & Family Learning Center
2405 Jackson Avenue, Board Room
New Orleans, LA 70113

Limited Seating Available!

NPN Members: $10
Non-Members: $15

Become a NPN Member now!
Questions? Call NPN at 504-940-2207
Email info@npnnola.com
http://www.npnnola.com

To register for NPN events and programs, go to ABOUT NPN on the website and click Register for NPN events.

NOLA City Council Meets in Regular Session

2011-06-15T14:02:00.001-05:00

NOLA City Council Meets in Regular Session Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10 a.m. in the City Council Chamber, City Hall, 1300 Perdido St. Click the link below to access the agenda, and go participate in the process!

Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Engagement Updates

2011-06-13T15:58:00.002-05:00

Thank you for a great success with our 3^rd Fight the Blight! City wide we had 250 volunteers give about 750 volunteer hours. At George Washington Carver Playground, (District A location), we had a great turn-out of 71 volunteers, including 13 city employees.

A huge thank you to Uptown Triangle Neighborhood Association, Rebuilding Together New Orleans, the LA West bank Warrior Football Minor League Team, NORD, Council Member Guidry, Chief Serpas and NOPD, Code Enforcement & Blight, and many others, especially residents of the neighborhood for your partnership with the City of New Orleans in this effort to fight the blight in our city together.

Successes included:

· Built 3 picnic tables

· Built 6 benches

· Painted two welcome signs

· Re-painted silver fence

· Spread clay on Baseball diamond

· Planted four new trees to provide shade

· Mulched new and old trees

· Picked up 5 bags of trash

· Removed a large old stump

· Fixed the bottom of the backstop of the baseball field

· Installed 4 new trash cans

· Removed old cut trees

· Re-painted the bleacher benches

· Uptown Triangle Neighborhood Association obtained and installed doggy bags boxes

Check out this out:

New Crime Maps by NOPD! http://www.nola.gov/GOVERNMENT/NOPD/Crime-Maps/ Click “accept” and it will take you to the map. It is currently updated at 4:00 p.m. every day.
Business Information Session with the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. Information, resources and opportunities helpful for business owners and entrepreneurs. June 16, 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at City Church of New Orleans, 13123 I-10 Service Rd. Free and open to the public.
Please sign up for free recycling. Follow this link: www.recycle.nola.gov.

Please be in touch,

---

Katrina Badger

Neighborhood Liaison, Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Engagement

Email: kebadger@nola.gov

Office: 504-658-4976

City Hall, Room 8W03

1300 Perdido St. New Orleans, LA 70112

Profile: John White, New Head of Recovery School District

2011-06-13T14:31:00.001-05:00

News from Around the Neighborhoods

Profile: John White, New Head of Recovery School District

By Zoé Belden of Crosstown Conversations

On the June 9 episode, "Crosstown Conversations" featured newly installed superintendent of the Recovery School District John White. Replacing four year veteran Paul Vallas, at a mere 35 years old, White has already built a substantial résumé. Coming to New Orleans form New York where he served for five years as deputy chancellor of the city's school system, White spent five years before that as Chicago-area director of Teach for America, but began his career as a teacher in the post-industrial town of Jersey City, where he was placed in a high school of 3,000 students.

His passion for education began when he himself was a student; it was while writing a college English paper at the University of Virginia, where White spent his undergraduate years, (he is originally from Washington, D.C.), that his vocation became clear. While doing research for the paper, he came across a quote of William Faulkner's which, White says, has always stuck with him.

"There are three kinds of people in the world: there are people who don't know their problems at all, there are people who know their problem and choose not to do anything about it, and there are people who know their problem and say 'I'm going to do something about it...I'm going to change it.'" White's problem has become the focus of his career: the under-producing and often under-whelming education system in our nation's urban centers.

White says New Orleans education difficulties are a mere symptom of a greater decades-long illness nationwide, wherein education reforms are consistently lead by bureaucrats in the states' and nation's capitols.

A government employee himself, White insists he is a bureaucrat only in title. The general perceptions and stigmas attached to those in legislative positions White says don't apply to him. When asked by Crosstown Conversations host Jeanne Nathan whether he is aware of the waves of education reform over the past century, White says he acknowledges these historical precedents but says that his time spent in education taught him that true "reform must involve parents and educators and members of the community."

"Having schools that are run by communities run by educators and run by parents, that's where you get the reforms, that's where you get the innovation, that's where you get the people who know the kids best and what they need."

Repeatedly stressing the importance of community involvement in a child's education rather than strict guidance at the state or federal level (though he does make the point that state funding has been severely cut-$350 per child), how does White respond to the very vocal objections many in the community put forth? When queried by Nathan on how to deal with local resistance to his policies, White answers, indirectly, that he doesn't like to make the difference between charter and district, but rather "great schools and not great schools, and how do we do everything we can to make sure the not great schools become great schools?"

Consistently referring to pupils in the New Orleans schools as "our" children, White's over-arching message is that the success of a child's growth depends largely on the adults in their immediate environment, and not on those in office many miles away. It is White's conviction that children must be surrounded by grown-ups who nurture them scholastically and care for their overall well-being. This should be the primary concern when discussing education reforms, but "too often," says White, "adults let adult issues get in the way of being the safety net around that child."

June 2011 Entrepreneurial Training

2011-05-24T14:56:00.000-05:00

Event Description

Women’s Business Resource Center in partnership with the New Orleans Entrepreneurship Center Presents: June 2011 Entrepreneurial Training
Register until June 1, 2011
Visit the link for more information

1. 50 Steps for Starting Your Business / Organizational Structure
2. How & Why to Write a Business Plan
3. Business Management: The Right People
4. Operating for Success
5. Marketing & Understanding who the Customers Are
6. Marketing & Networking: How to Connect to the People
7. Understanding Business Financials, Projections, Cash Flow and Budgeting
8. Finding the Money /Series Wrap Up

Fee:
$60 for 8 Classes
(Fees cover cost of Materials/Speakers)
Attend individual classes for only $10 each.

Class Info
2475 Canal St., NOLA 70119
Mondays & Thursdays
June 2, 2011-June 27, 2011
6 p.m.-9 p.m. Seating is Limited!!!

Location

2475 Canal St., NOLA 70119, Mondays & Thursdays June 2-27, 2011

Time(s)

6 p.m.- 9 p.m.

Cost

$60 for 8 Classes

AEDF-Old Point Bar June Business Mixer

2011-05-24T14:47:00.000-05:00

Event Description

Click here for more information here

Location

Old Point Bar, Algiers

Time(s)

6 p.m.-9 p.m.

Cost

Free; Discounted Domestic Beer

City Council District "C" Annual Report 2010 - 2011

2011-05-24T14:33:00.001-05:00

May 24th 2011 Neighborhoods Partnership Network

Today, District “C” Councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer released the first District “C” Annual Report of the Councilmember’s first year in office.

Click here to read the full annual report:
http://www.nolacitycouncil.com/docs/news/2011/DistrictC_AR.pdf

Contact: Kelisha Garrett Office of District “C” Councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer

Office: (504) 658-1038

Cell: (504) 251-8154

kegarrett@nola.gov

PORCH CRAWL

2011-05-24T14:26:00.001-05:00

Faubourg St. John

Event Description

PORCH CRAWL tickets online
$30
Please notify info@fsjna.org that you paid online.
Thank you for your support!

Featuring cocktails from your favorite neighborhood places!
Pal’s
Café Degas
Santa Fe Restaurant
Crescent City Steakhouse
Liuzza’s by the Track
Home of Jimmy Fahrenholtz

Tickets available
@ FSJNA.org &
Terranova Brothers
Click here to purchase tickets: http://business.fsjna.org/2011/05/porch-crawl-june-11/

Location

3308 Esplanade

Time(s)

4 p.m.-7 p.m.

Cost

$30

City Council Encourages Citizen Participation in Cable Television Franchise Renewal Process

2011-05-18T11:04:00.003-05:00

May 18, 2011 Neighborhoods Partnership Network

New Orleans, LA – May 17, 2011 – The current Orleans Parish Cable Television Franchise is up for renewal this year. Citizens are encouraged to participate in a survey prepared to help the City Council evaluate the performance of Cox Communications, the current cable television provider for Orleans Parish.

The renewal process begins in the City Council Cable, Telecommunications, and Technology Committee, chaired by District “A” Councilmember Susan Guidry.

“We want to hear from citizens. Our public engagement process will include an online survey and public hearings,” said Councilmember Guidry.

To assist the City Council, please take a moment to answer the survey:
http://www.nolacitycouncil.com/resources/resources_coxrenewal.asp

Cox has a non-exclusive franchise to operate in Orleans Parish. The non-exclusive franchise was initially granted in the mid-1980s and renewed in 1995.

Federal law governs cable television franchises and designates citizen input as a step in the local renewal process. The public input gathered will be used in the renewal evaluation process. Federal law does not allow the City Council to set subscriber rates; therefore the Council has no influence over a Cox subscriber’s monthly bill.

The second phase of the citizen engagement process will be a public meeting hosted by the New Orleans City Council Cable, Telecommunications, and Technology Committee. The public meeting will be held in the Council Chamber later this summer.

Click here to participate in the online survey:
http://www.nolacitycouncil.com/resources/resources_coxrenewal.asp

For additional information, visit http://www.nolacitycouncil.com.

Community Benefits Agreements

2011-05-16T17:36:00.002-05:00

NPN Member Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association blogged about the Urban Land Institute - Louisiana's Symposium on Community Benefits Agreements:

May 11th, 2011 |

DEVELOPERS AND CITY OFFICIALS NEED TO KNOW about a new vehicle for community involvement in the land use planning process for major public-private developments.

What Is a Community Benefits Agreement?
A Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) is a legally enforceable contract
negotiated and executed directly between the developer and a community coalition of neighborhood associations, faith-based organizations, unions, environmental groups, and others representing the interests of people who will be impacted by proposed new developments. The community obtains important benefits, and in return, developers receive crucial public support for the project through the community coalition’s testimony before land use planning and economic development agencies, city councils, and bond financing entities. Please click here to read the rest of the article about Community Benefit Agreements. Article by David Marcello

Please click here for a handbook about Community Benefit Agreements

Please click here for an example of an actual Community Benefits Agreement

For more information please visit The Public Law Center at
http://www.law.tulane.edu/tlscenters/PublicLawCenter/home.aspx?id=3906

http://business.fsjna.org/2011/05/community-benefit-agreement/

2011-05-10T12:04:00.001-05:00

Officials say schools chief Paul Pastorek quitting

By The Associated Press

BATON ROUGE — State education superintendent Paul Pastorek is resigning, state officials familiar with his decision say.The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because a formal announcement had not yet been made, told The Associated Press that Pastorek was to meet with his staff early in the afternoon to inform them.Gov. Bobby Jindal wouldn’t confirm the resignation directly, saying Pastorek should make any announcement.

Salad bars coming to 32 schools in the New Orleans area

2011-05-02T10:54:00.004-05:00

Story from www.nola.com:

Published: Monday, May 02, 2011, 9:30 AM

By Andrew Vanacore, The Times-Picayune

Email Print

New Orleans students at 32 schools around the city will be getting new healthy lunch options by the end of the year with donated salad bars from the United Fresh Produce Association.

Matthew Hinton, The Times-Picayune archiveShanice Burton, 5, has lunch at Joseph A. Craig Elementary School building in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans in 2010. Craig is one of the New Orleans public schools that will be getting a salad bar.

The group, a trade association made up of produce companies, is raising money to provide salad bars for 6,000 schools across the U.S. over the next three years, a campaign aimed at improving childhood nutrition. Also in on the push, dubbed "Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools," are the National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance, Whole Foods Markets and The Lunch Box, a nonprofit that advocates for sustainable food production.

The produce association said it was able to raise enough cash to provide a salad bar for every school in the city that requested one. It took in a total of $80,000 for salad bars that cost from $2,500 to $3,000 each. The list includes traditional public schools and charters in New Orleans, as well a single suburban school, Emily C. Watkins Elementary School in LaPlace. The latest gift comes on top of a donation of 10 salad bars by the produce association in 2010 and six by Whole Foods this year.

The salad bars dovetail with various other government initiatives intended to improve children's health. Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced in February that New Orleans has been selected as a "Let's Move!" city. The program was created by Michelle Obama and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to encourage a long-term, holistic approach to fighting childhood obesity. As part of the program, city officials plan to work with community partners to help parents make healthy family choices, create healthy schools, promote physical activity and provide access to healthy and affordable foods.

A 2007 study by the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality pegged the obesity rate among children age 10 though 17 at 36 percent in Louisiana, compared with a national average of 31 percent. Only five other states had a higher rate.

Andrew Vanacore can be reached at avanacore@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3304.

Trumpet Release Party & Capacity College Graduation

2011-04-28T15:14:00.003-05:00

May/June Trumpet Magazine

Winter/Spring Capacity College Graduation

Visit our website for event info
Theme: Community Service and Neighborhood Wellness
Neighborhood Spotlight: Lakeview
Release Party: May 4 @ 5:30 p.m. – 8p.m.

Harrison Cove, 801 Harrison Ave.

JOB1, NORDC and Partner Agencies Revamp Programming Including New Focus on Teens

2011-04-27T11:31:00.002-05:00

Deadline April 30

By Trumpet Staff

The deadline is April 30 for the city’s summer recreation and job opportunities for New Orleans youth that is offered by JOB1, and the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission.

“Creating meaningful summer opportunities for all of our kids is a top priority for our administration,” said Mayor Landrieu recently. “Our best tool in improving our economy and reducing crime is by investing in activities for our youth which is why we doubled funding for recreation in 2011 and have completely revamped the summer jobs program. We now have opportunities for youth ages 4-21 with a new focus on teens. We must ensure that our youth will have world-class recreation, work, and educational opportunities that are worthy of their great promise – now and for all future generations. That’s why this improvement in summer programming is so important.”

JOB1 Summer NOLA Experience

The revamped JOB1 Summer NOLA Experience aims to provide quality summer opportunities to 2,000 teenage youth, (ages 14-21), to cultivate a career-ready workforce by providing meaningful skill-building support, career exploration and access to entry level jobs in high-demand industries. Landrieu increased funding from previous summer jobs programs from $1 million in 2010 serving 1,000 youth to $2.7 million in 2011. All programs range from 6-7 weeks.

As such, these programs are intended to have long-lasting and long-term impact on each participant. Youth participants will gain experience that helps them refine and advance their career goals while also earning a paycheck.

Through deliberate program design, cross-sector collaborations and strategic incentives, the Summer NOLA Experience will host four distinct program opportunities: Traditional Summer Jobs, Signature Programs, Intern NOLA and Work and Learn program. Each program is targeted to meet an observed need in the community.

The Traditional Summer Jobs program will serve 16 to 21 year-olds who, with some initial training, require minimal oversight and direction. This program has been strategically modified to broaden the types of placements we are able to offer youth.

Approximately 1,000 participants can expect to be engaged in a youth-friendly environment and receive hands-on work experience that is reflective of the job-site placement. Job duty options include clerical, child care, maintenance, customer service, landscaping, sales, culture and tourism, hospitality, banking, parks and recreation, as well as jobs at Audubon Zoo and Aquarium.

The Signature Program is a compilation of unique summer experiences. Each Signature Program will serve a large subset of participants though one entity. Every program is designed in collaboration with the partnering organization in order to maximize the effectiveness of placements.

Signature Programs will offer flagship training for participants and unique branding opportunities for the City and our partners in the areas of architecture, science, biomedical careers, computer programming, and community service.

The Intern NOLA program retains local talent and engages the private business sector by offering high-quality internship opportunities to local residents ages 18-21.

Internship positions will focus on research and short-term projects that provide impact to the host organization. Participants in this program will be selected to participate based on their responses to a supplemental application. Participants can expect to receive a high-quality intern experience in a local business, firm, or public office. Intern sectors include business, city government, education, finance, health care, human services, and philanthropy.

The Work and Learn program serves our youngest youth, ages 14-15 years old, through incentivized learning, project-based learning, and service learning opportunities. Work and Learn is important because most of our 14-15 year old participants still require a lot of oversight and direct instruction in order to complete work-place tasks.

Additionally, many are performing below grade level academically and would benefit greatly from academic support. Most participants in the Work and Learn program will receive grade-level specific instruction half of their day and spend the remaining time doing career exploration, job-readiness and project-based learning. Activities include but are not limited to culinary arts, visual arts, media arts, cosmetology, theater, and community service.

Additionally, the city is launching a seminar series that will afford every participant 2-3 opportunities over the course of the summer to participate in seminars tailored to the needs of our youth.

New Orleans Recreation Development Commission, (NORDC)

The primary goals of the public-private partnership include creating a sustainable, permanent governance structure; providing governance that includes key stakeholders from the private sector, schools, and city government; and, creating a structure to allow the recreation department to leverage city resources with private funds, grants, and other funding opportunities.

In December, Landrieu announced that the city entered into an agreement with the American Red Cross Southeast Louisiana Chapter to fund a year-round swimming lesson and lifeguard training program, under the direction of NORDC, to include:

Fall and Spring swimming lessons in collaboration with the University of New Orleans, Tulane University Reilly Center, Lake Pontchartrain Lake Basin Foundation, and Ashley Marie Kelly Foundation;

Lifeguard training for NORDC’s aquatics staff.

The city will open 12 pools this summer on June 6, up from 8 pools last year.

Approximately 6600 youth will be served by swimming lessons and programming in 2011, compared to approximately 500 in 2010.

New pool openings will include A.L. Davis in Central City, Sam Bonart in the Lower 9th Ward, Joe Brown Indoor Pool in New Orleans East, and Taylor in Hoffman Triangle.

Additionally, NORDC will offer 31 kiddie (ages 4-12) camps which will serve at least 4,625 kids across the city through partnerships with schools, non-profits and faith-based organizations.

In 2010, 1663 kids were served through kiddie camps at four city locations. There will be 7 teen camps, (ages 13-17) which will serve 1000 teens across the city.

There were no teen camps last year. In partnership with JOB1, teen camps will offer local teenagers career exploration seminars to allow for exposure to a variety of job fields. Additionally, teens will earn a stipend of $75 per week.

Sign up for teen camps and jobs are underway Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at two locations: 3400 Tulane Ave. and 3520 General De Gaulle, Suite 1030. Partnerships between NORDC teen camps and JOB1 allow there to be a streamlined registration process for youth ages 13-21, along with the city's Kiddie camp, which started this month.

“Today marks another step in ensuring that New Orleans youth are provided with quality, well-designed opportunities each summer,” said Landrieu. “We have the leadership, vital new programming, and public investment in place to make a real impact in every neighborhood in our city.”

READ YOUTH SUMMER EMPLOYMENT GUIDE HERE: http://www.nola.gov/PRESS/City-Of-New-Orleans/All-Articles/~/media/BDF18DBA77C9429C9BC26336559BDC53.ashx

Cut The Pork: How Washington's Deficit Affecting New Orleans Non-Profits

2011-04-27T10:26:00.003-05:00

By J. Samuel Cook, Trumpet Contributor

When I became director of a local non-profit in June 2010, I assumed the position with reckless aplomb.

Overly confident in my ability to cut the organization into prosperity, and recognizing the tough economic times non-profit organizations were facing, I set an ambitious goal by trimming the organization’s roughly $150,000 annual operations budget down to less than $90,000, excluding salaries and benefits. Within days of beginning, I made tough cuts to areas such as printing, postage, vendor services and professional development, scaling back the operations budget by thousands. The loss of a staff member, though ordinarily a painful experience, provided further budget savings by not hiring a replacement. The organization had streamlined its operations, cut waste, trimmed the fat, learned to do more with less, or any other idiom used in the private sector to indicate cuts in operations.

And then, an unnerving e-mail arrived that was forwarded from a project manager: an outstanding, one-year-old vendor’s bill totaling nearly $1,000 demanded remuneration.

I was floored.

It wasn’t exactly that anyone had been irresponsible; rather, a simple computing error had resulted in non-payment of the vendor’s bill.

Then, after a heavy rain, I came in to work on a Monday to find that the roof had collapsed. Another $1,000 for repairs.

Then, all four computers in the center’s resource lab then crashed, racking up another $160 bill.

Then, a toilet malfunction resulted in a nearly $500 sewage and water bill.

Suddenly, my “cut, cut, cut” rhetoric hit the reality of an organization that, already on a shoestring budget, had been able to afford little general upkeep in its nearly three-year existence.

As an executive, it’s important to look at real-world business experience as Washington prepares to tackle its $14 trillion debt, (amount of money borrowed and currently owed) and its deficit, (the shortfall between income and expenditures) of more than $1.5 trillion—and why applying a business model to the nation’s fiscal issues won’t work.

Let’s be clear: It’s important to note that the nation’s debt and deficit are cumulative. They are not the result of profligate spending on the part of President Obama since taking office in January 2009. Congress has run a deficit each year since 1969, prompting the Treasury Department to borrow money to meet appropriations demands. And despite heated partisan rhetoric, this has been true of both Republican and Democrat presidents. And so, the nation’s $14 trillion debt is the result of 42-years worth of borrowing to meet the nation’s demands.

Just as the nearly $1,000 vendor’s bill that came across my desk had to be paid, despite the fact that it was for an expenditure that I’d not personally authorized, the president inherited a $1.2 trillion deficit before signing a single law, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

It is true that former President George W. Bush inherited a budget surplus. How then, did he leave office with a massive deficit? It comes down to a couple of factors: First, how the government operates and, secondly, how government expenditures are financed.

As much as voters, who are disgruntled by the economy’s sluggish recovery indicate they’d like to elect a president with executive experience, the government does not operate in the same way a business does. There are similarities between the private sector and the government, but there are stark differences as well. Businesses exist to turn a profit, and only provide products or services when doing so is profitable.

Government, on the other hand, fundamentally exists to promote human welfare. In order to remain solvent, a business must sell a product or service. It must sell enough of that product or service that its income exceeds it expenses. By selling those products or services, a private business is then able to meet its financial obligations. If one product doesn’t work, a business can change its product offerings. It can expand its market or reach out to new consumers. It can merge with more, (or less) lucrative companies, and there is a wide array of money-making options for private sector businesses.

For the government, “revenue” is taxes. In order to meet its obligations, whether it be Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, the government collects taxes based upon one’s income, (a progressive tax). Those taxes then fund government projects such as bridges and roads, the United States military, Veterans benefits and education.

While President Bush inherited a $236 billion surplus, several initiatives under his leadership, including Medicare Part D and No Child Left Behind, were either poorly funded or not funded at all. The largest drivers of the Bush-era deficit, however, were dual wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which cost taxpayers roughly $10 billion a month.

It is important to note here that, historically, the United States has raised taxes during times of international conflict in order to pay for the costs of war dating back to the Civil War era. Not only did President Bush not raise taxes in order to finance Middle-East conflicts, he also lowered taxes twice during his administration through the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, and Job and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003.

As a result of reduced revenue and increased costs, the exorbitant cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan not only eliminated any budget surplus Bush inherited, but ultimately resulted in a deficit.

Even taking into account the fiscal irresponsibility of the Bush Era, the blame is not his alone. Each president and each Congress since Richard Nixon has directly contributed to the nation’s $14 trillion debt.

And in order to fix this 42-year-old debt, it will take a comprehensive approach to both the nation’s spending and revenue problems that involves both revenue increases and cutting unnecessary spending. While the compromised $38 billion in spending cuts brokered by President Obama was a promising sign, it is unconscionable that Congress should only make cuts to education programs and jobs training.

This is particularly offensive when the Defense budget in 2010 exceeded $700 billion, but the Department of Education Budget in that same year was less than $100 billion.

If we’re truly going to put America back on the path to prosperity, it’s going to require a whole lot more honesty and a whole lot less demagoguery from our elected officials regarding real solutions to solving the debt crisis. The United States could cut all discretionary spending from its budget, and would only have cut about 14 percent of its spending. Increasing revenue isn’t an end-all, be-all either. But taxes for all income levels are at their lowest level since the 1950s despite increased appropriations commitments.

And for all the fear-mongering about reckless social welfare spending, a recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States ranks dead last in spending on social welfare programs, spending a mere 7.2 percent of its gross domestic product on its social contract with its people, (as an example of the dissonance between social welfare spending and national debt is Canada, which spends 26 percent of its GDP on social welfare programs ,and has substantially less debt than the U.S.).

It’s clear, then, that a comprehensive approach that examines areas of waste, fraud and abuse in government spending and increases revenue to meet the demands of a 21-century economy and to maintain American exceptionalism at a time when the United States trails other developed nations in education, ranks fourth in the world for economic competitiveness, and has an infrastructure which is rapidly crumbling.

The U.S. once led the world in education, economy and infrastructure, and we can again—but we cannot and will not do so by neglecting necessary investments to ensure international competitiveness or by whittling away at the social safety nets which have ensured a quality standard of living for our seniors, our disabled and our disinherited.

It’s a delicate balancing act, but we are a nation that has a long history of rising to meet the challenges of the day.

This time, the threat is not from a malevolent-opposing nation or foreign-born terrorists.

Rather, we must meet the challenge of defining who we wish to be as a nation and the social contract we wish to have with all Americans.

City Redistricting Meetings Only Opportunity to Voice Opinions

2011-04-20T11:38:00.004-05:00

At the city's District D meeting in Gentilly on April 19, the councilmembers said they are not going to develop any alternatives for the proposed districts until after the community redistricting meetings are held.

After they develop these alternatives, the councilmembers said the only public meetings will be with the City Council Committee, which is responsible for the redistricting efforts. But, the committee will not host any more community meetings, so the community redistricting meetings will be the only opportunity for residents to share their opinions with councilmembers.

This is the schedule for the City Council district redistricting meetings. All of the meetings are from 6 p.m. to 7:30pm.

You can visit the City Council calendar for more information on these meetings: http://www.nolacitycouncil.com/content/calendar/default.asp?YYMM=1104&id=53

District ‘D’ Redistricting Meeting

Wednesday, April 20

St. Maria Goretti Church – 7300 Crowder Blvd.

District ‘B’ Redistricting Meeting

Thursday, April 21

Grace Episcopal Church – 3700 Canal St.

District ‘C’ Redistricting Meeting

Monday, April 25

Holy Angels Church – 3500 St. Claude Ave.

District ‘B’ Redistricting Meeting

Tuesday, April 26

Sacred Heart Nims Arts Center – 3901 St. Charles Ave.

District ‘A’ Redistricting Meeting

Monday, May 9

Myra Clare Rogers Chapel – 1229 Broadway St.

District ‘C’ Redistricting Meeting

Tuesday, May 10

Delgado Community College – 2600 General Meyer Ave.

District ‘A’ Redistricting Meeting

Thursday, May 12

First Baptist Church – 5290 Canal Blvd.

District ‘E’ Redistricting Meeting

Tuesday, May 17

St. Maria Goretti Church – 7300 Crowder Blvd.

District ‘E’ Redistricting Meeting

Thursday, May 19

All Souls Episcopal Church – 5500 St. Claude Ave.

For more updates, visit http://www.npnnola.com/all_news/ or The Trumpet Blog at

http://npntrumpet.blogspot.com.

How you too can help contribute to the oil spill victims

2011-04-19T16:45:00.001-05:00

1. Donate an item for the Community Center to sell on eBay to raise awareness and funding to help oil spill victims. Gift certificates for your products or services make great sales items and help spread good publicity about your business! Please phone our Executive Director Iray Nabatoff to discuss an item donation at 504.281.2512.

2. Make a donation by cash, check or credit card using the red donation button at ccstb.org/commevents. We offer a range of support levels for any budget, or you can donate whatever amount works for you!

Bronze Level: $25 provides enough rice to feed 30 families nutritious grains for a week at our food pantry.
Silver Level: $100 buys enough nonperishable dried beans to supply 150 families with protein for 1 week.
Gold Level: $250 pays for 200 lbs of chicken thighs so that low-income families are able to eat a healthy diet.
Platinum Level: $1200 pays for the Center's utility bills for 1 month so that we can continue to help families in need.

Live Music Fundraiser to Benefit the Community Center

2011-04-19T16:37:00.003-05:00

Event Date: April 20, 2011

Location: The Maison, 508 Frenchmen Street

Cost: There is no fee for this event.

Time: 8PM

Description: The Community Center of St. Bernard will celebrate its Fifth Anniversary with a live music fundraiser. is "5 Years of Caring" benefit will start at 8 PM and will feature performances by the New Orleans Cotton Mouth Kings and the Mike Hood Band. David and Roselyn will also be on hand to emcee and keep the music playing!

The event will benefit the nonprofit Community Center of St Bernard. Since its founding in 2006, the Community Center has developed into a major resource provider for residents in St Bernard Parish and the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans who are struggling to recover from the devastation of hurricane Katrina and more recently, the Gulf Oil Spill. Serving more than 5,300 clients every year, the Community Center of St. Bernard is a "one-stop shop" for wide range of essential services including a public computer lab, food pantry, clothing bank, financial literacy training, and computer classes. The Center also serves as a host site for additional social service organizations such as Food Stamps, Medicaid, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, the Red Cross, St Anna's Medical Mission, and more.

The "5 Years of Caring" celebration will help raise awareness about the Center's mission as well as provide an opportunity for music lovers to enjoy a great night of free performances. Door prizes will be offered throughout the evening, and the Center will also have a variety of items for sale including this beautiful commemorative postcard, which you can also order online now at ccstb.org/oilspill. They also have some great bumper stickers so that you can show your NOLA pride in style, starting from $3 at ccstb.org/commevents.

Also available for purchase will be a commemorative "5 Years of Caring" CD featuring 6 music tracks generously donated by acclaimed New Orleans musicians Mike Hood, Bonerama, Smoky Greenwell & the Blues Gnus, Margie Perez, New Orleans Cotton Mouth Kings, and Dominick Grillo & the Frenchmen Street All Stars. As a bonus, the CD also includes an award-winning documentary video about the Community Center which took 2nd place at the 2011 Pelican d'Or Film Festival. The CD is available online at ccstb.org/oilspill as well for $14.99 plus $3.00 shipping.

For more information about the "5 Years of Caring" fundraiser, including how make a donation or become a sponsoring partner, please contact the Community Center of St. Bernard at 504.281.2512

Celebrating 5 Years of Caring at the Community Center of St Bernard!

2011-04-19T16:36:00.000-05:00

2011 is off to a great start here at the Community Center. We've certainly been busy, putting in a new garden, painting and decorating the waiting room, trying out some new programs like homework help and exercise classes, and getting ready for our 5th Anniversary Celebration. Here are some of the ways we've been helping local families during the past 3 months:

The Mustard Seed Food Pantry has given out 75,599 lbs of food to 2,301 low-income individuals
Over 220 senior citizens have received free food boxes through the Food for Seniors program every month.
Office staff have passed out 3,093 flyers, brochures and pamphlets to help clients find the help they need. We've also made 1,057 referrals.
52 people have signed up for our free computer classes
The Mustard Seed Clothing Bank has been accessed 3,700 times
So far 1,213 free books have been given out in our reading area
And our media lab (internet computers, public phones, fax & copying services) has been used 914 times

And this list wouldn't be complete without a big THANK YOU to all the volunteers and AmeriCorps team members who've put in an incredible 2,173 hours so far this year to make all this possible. With your help, 2011 is shaping up to be an exciting year, and we're looking forward to doing even more in the months ahead!

“Preserving, Protecting, & Promoting Natural and Sustainable Cultures at Home and Abroad!”

2011-04-19T16:31:00.002-05:00

Event Date: Friday, April 22, 2011

Location: Mckenna Museum of African American Art - 2003 Carondelet St., New Orleans, LA. 70130.

Cost: A $50.00 application fee is required

Time: 6pm-8pm

Description: Eco-Lifestyles, L3C is happy to launch the 1st Bi-Annual Bush Man Competition 2011 on Earth Day. A 6 pm press conference followed by a 7 pm film showing of 'The Gods Must Be Crazy' (a South African film classic) will take place at the Mckenna Museum of African American Art. The public is invited. Movie cost $5.00.

As an indigenously-owned, environmentally & socially responsible New Orleans based business, Eco-Lifestyles, L3C feels that it is imperative they honor & promote the positive attributes of natural Eco-friendly men, an endangered species. They have chosen to do this in the form of a multi dimensional Eco-competition that is intended for, but not limited to Black males whose natural ethnic identity is too often negatively stereotyped and ostracized.

Young men, 21-35 years of age are encouraged to come out and enter the competition as a contestant. A $50.00 application fee is required. Following the launch, there will be a series of qualifying Eco-social, cultural, and sports related events leading up to the final pageantry event on October 16, 2011 (save the date).

Press Contact: Merle Ramsey-Boissiere or Bobby Toomer| 504-214-6022

www.info@bman2011.com
www.bman2011.com
www.facebook.com/savethebushmen

Tomorrow: Gulf Coast Leadership Summit

2011-04-18T16:47:00.001-05:00

Starting tomorrow, the summit will be observing the one year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill by gathering together hundreds of Gulf Coast leaders and residents to empower a healthy and economically vibrant U.S. Gulf Coast. See our powerful program below.

Will you be part of the solution?

Can't make the summit?

Follow the live blogging and tweeting during the event.

Follow @gulfcoastsummit and bookmark the summit blog:

Gulf Coast Leadership Summit

*Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #gulfsummit

University Medical Center Breaks Ground Today Amid Critical Analysis of the Project

2011-04-18T14:47:00.004-05:00

(News from the Times-Picayune received today via NewCity Partnership )

As ground is broken today for new medical complex, new analysis criticizes project's scope

Published: Monday, April 18, 2011, 8:00 AM

Bill Barrow, The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune

Some of Gov. Bobby Jindal's top lieutenants and a host of other dignitaries will don hard hats and drive ceremonial shovels into dirt today for an academic medical complex designed to put the New Orleans medical corridors in the same orbit as Houston and Birmingham, Ala.

David Grunfeld, The Times-PicayuneGov.

Bobby Jindal has announced that site preparation and early construction should begin even as the UMC board navigates how to finance the rest of the project beyond the $700 million-plus cash the state has committed.

Yet as they celebrate the long-awaited replacement for Charity Hospital, a new financial analysis of the planned University Medical Center offers a highly skeptical assessment of the 424-bed, $1.2 billion construction plan that state authorities and Louisiana State University System administrators have pushed for years.

"UMC, as currently envisioned, is materially larger than is supportable" in the existing New Orleans health care market, "an environment that promises to intensify in the future," according to the analysis from Kaufman, Hall & Associates, an Illinois firm that provides consulting services on health care financing.

The report comes on the heels of Jindal's announcement that site preparation and early construction should commence even as the UMC board navigates how to finance the rest of the project beyond the $700 million-plus cash the state has committed.

Kaufman Hall does not offer an absolute recommendation for a bed count or financing strategy, but the authors frame as likely a scenario that would warrant 332 beds, including both psychiatric and acute care. And even given those assumptions, Kaufman Hall projects a need for annual state general fund subsidies ranging from $72.5 million in 2015, the projected opening year, to as high as $108.4 million in 2019 and $100.7 million in 2020. The idea of direct state support for a teaching hospital is not at issue, but the amount is of particular interest given the long-term uncertainty of the state's finances.

Report commissioned by UMC board

Read the reports

· New business plan analysis commissioned by University Medical Center Corp. governing board from Kaufman, Hall & Associates

· 2010 study commissioned by Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals from Verité Healthcare Consulting, LLC

The 83-page document is the latest in a long line of analyses contemplating the ideal size and scope for the hospital. But Kaufman Hall, selected by the University Medical Center governing board in December, is the first consultant not hired directly by either the state, which is responsible for construction, or LSU, which runs the existing charity hospital system, including Interim LSU Public Hospital.

The report also is the first to extend its detailed projections to 2020, well beyond the scheduled implementation of the federal health-care overhaul. Members of the UMC board appointed by entities other than LSU backed the hiring of Kaufman Hall with considerable emphasis.

During Gov. Kathleen Blanco's administration, the state and LSU projected a 484-bed hospital. A Jindal-commissioned review lowered that projection to 424 beds. A second Jindal study by Verite Healthcare Consulting ratified that conclusion but raised the state general fund subsidy forecasts. LSU administrators say that the larger scale is necessary to pool doctors, research teams and other resources on one campus to develop the kinds of programs that distinguish an elite academic hospital, while also generating income.

Still 'bullish on the hospital'

The report does not question whether a new teaching hospital should be built, and Louisiana Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce Greenstein said, "I remain bullish on the hospital" even as he weighs all projections. Nonetheless, the findings are sure to recalibrate the discussion of exactly what the hospital should look like and how it should operate.

UMC Board Chairman Robert "Bobby" Yarborough said Friday the board will continue its business analysis independent of the Jindal administration's push to begin construction with the two-thirds equity committed to the project. He said Kaufman Hall analysts will attend the board's May 5 meeting "to pour over every page." Yarborough said he also expects the board will invite the authors of earlier projections to explain their work again.

Kaufman analysts have taken a more conservative view than previous consultants on several variables. Among the factors, Kaufman Hall projects a slower population growth in the surrounding region, meaning fewer patients for all hospitals to compete for, and posits that LSU physicians can steer 650 to 680 new insured patients -- commercial or Medicare -- rather than the 2,200 the university has projected. It also makes conservative assumptions about other federal revenue streams and the percentage of new Medicaid patients UMC would attract once the program expands under the new federal health-care law.

Greenstein, whom Jindal has designated as the administration's point man on the project, emphasized an argument that has spanned the terms of two governors: UMC is not intended as a Charity Hospital replacement but as a "new entity with its own business prerogatives," meaning an institution meant to be a "destination for patients throughout the region" regardless of their insurance status. He conceded the Kaufman point that attracting more commercially insured patients "would require a cultural change."

Kaufman Hall noted that Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes, the primary service area for the hospital, already have 2.83 beds per 1,000 residents, higher than the 2.7 national average. A 424-bed UMC, closing Interim LSU Hospital and opening a planned 40-bed hospital in Chalmette would bring that ratio to about 3 beds per 1,000 residents. The calculations don't include an 80-bed facility envisioned for the old Methodist Hospital in eastern New Orleans.

'I don't think it is big enough'

The analysis is at odds with what Jerry Jones, the state facilities chief, told the board at its inaugural meeting in August: "People ask are we building too big a hospital but, frankly, my personal feeling on that is I don't think it is big enough."

It was that confidence that state officials have used to justify buying and expropriating 34-plus acres in Mid-City, several city blocks more than what is needed for the complex as designed.

Yarborough said Friday: "There is a lot of disparity there. ... None of this is black-and-white. It's based on so many assumptions and variables that change, what becomes law, what doesn't. It will be a challenging process going forward, and we'll try to get it as right as possible and have this academic medical center at its best."

The question is how that affects the construction calendar. The University Medical Center Corp. was created in 2010 as a state-affiliated entity with the fiduciary responsibility for the hospital, including any debts, and management authority once the hospital opens. Yet Jones' office started planning the hospital -- with influence from LSU and a bevy of consultants -- long before the UMC board was seated.

Architects have completed designs. The state has hired the construction firm that will manage the project. Jones told the board earlier this month that the construction manager would by the early summer provide the state with a final estimate on construction based on the existing plans.

All of that could proceed, Jones said, even as J.P Morgan Chase advisers and other consultants hired previously by LSU continued to pursue federal government insurance for a potential bond sale. Under the ideal for UMC, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development would back the bonds, making the rate considerably lower and reducing annual payments to investors. The other option, which the Jindal administration announced when it called for an immediate construction launch, calls for the state to spend what it has on patient towers, diagnostic facilities and one parking deck, while contracting with a third party that would build an ambulatory care center, energy plant and second parking deck, leasing those facilities back to UMC.

Yarborough said he did not know whether the board's pace on a business plan and financing would affect Jones' schedule. He reiterated the board's ultimate authority in the matter, saying he sees no scenario under which the state forces construction of a hospital at odds with the board's preferences.

Jindal's place in the dynamic is unclear.

In January, Jindal predicted that "the hospital will be built" and that it would win the coveted HUD mortgage insurance. Yet by last week, with U.S. Sen. David Vitter continuing to hammer the plan as "unsustainable," Jindal's top appointee, Paul Rainwater -- also Jones' direct boss -- backed away from any bravado about bed count and noted the expected delivery of the Kaufman Hall report.

Yarborough and his colleagues, Rainwater said, would make the final call.

Bill Barrow can be reached at bbarrow@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3452.

"5 Years of Caring" Live Music Fundraiser for the Community Center of St Bernard

2011-04-12T16:14:00.002-05:00

Event Date: April 20, 2011

Location: The Maison, 508 Frenchmen Street

Cost: There is no fee for the event

Time: 8 PM

Description: The Community Center of St. Bernard will celebrate its Fifth Anniversary with a live music fundraiser. This "5 Years of Caring" benefit will start at 8 PM and will feature performances by the New Orleans Cotton Mouth Kings and the Mike Hood Band. David and Roselyn will also be on hand to emcee and keep the music playing!

There is no cover for the event, which will benefit the nonprofit Community Center of St Bernard. Since its founding in 2006, the Community Center has developed into a major resource provider for residents in St Bernard Parish and the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans who are struggling to recover from the devastation of hurricane Katrina and more recently, the Gulf Oil Spill. Serving more than 5,300 clients every year, the Community Center of St. Bernard is a "one-stop shop" for wide range of essential services including a public computer lab, food pantry, clothing bank, financial literacy training, and computer classes. The Center also serves as a host site for additional social service organizations such as Food Stamps, Medicaid, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, the Red Cross, St Anna's Medical Mission, and more.

The "5 Years of Caring" celebration will help raise awareness about the Center's mission as well as provide an opportunity for music lovers to enjoy a great night of free performances.
Door prizes will be offered throughout the evening, and the Center will also have a variety of items for sale including postcards and bumper stickers.

Also available for purchase will be a commemorative "5 Years of Caring" CD featuring 6 music tracks generously donated by acclaimed New Orleans musicians Mike Hood, Bonerama, Smoky Greenwell & the Blues Gnus, Margie Perez, New Orleans Cotton Mouth Kings, and Dominick Grillo & the Frenchmen Street All Stars.

As a bonus, the CD also includes an award-winning documentary video about the Community Center which took 2nd place at the 2011 Pelican d'Or Film Festival.
The CD can also be
ordered online at www.ccstb.org/commevents

For more information about the "5 Years of Caring" fundraiser, including how make a donation or become a sponsoring partner, please contact the Community Center of St. Bernard at 504.281.2512 or via e-mail : info@ccstb.org

LSUHSC CELEBRATES DNA DAY WITH HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES AT THE ZOO

2011-04-12T16:04:00.002-05:00

Event Date: Friday, April 15, 2011

Location: The Earth Lab in the Audubon Zoo

Cost: There is no cost for this event

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon

Description: The Department of Genetics at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans will celebrate National DNA Day Friday April 15, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon with hands-on experiments at the Earth Lab in the Audubon Zoo. While you’re at the Zoo, also check out the opening celebration for Cool Zoo, a new wet and wild splash park, at 10:30 a.m.

National DNA Day commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 and the discovery of the double helix of DNA in 1953. It is a unique day when students, teachers and the public can learn more about genetics. LSUHSC geneticists will be on hand at the zoo to teach students, teachers and the general public how to isolate, make and color DNA using various techniques (among other things).

“We organized the DNA Day event with the goal of making the public aware of the importance of DNA and genetics in our everyday lives,” notes LSUHSC’s Dr. Fern Tsien. “Everyone is encouraged to participate in the activities, which will be both fun and educational. Kids will learn as they perform hands-on experiments using safe ingredients found at home. Parents and teachers will benefit from learning interactive projects that they can use at home or in the classroom.”