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After boldly declaring that they didn’t have clue as to why Mayor Ray Nagin would make such detrimental cuts to city services in the 2010 budget, the seven members of the New Orleans City Council are now all apparently back peddling as they strike a “compromise” with the city’s administration that would restore about $5 million to the budget. To us, it all seems to indicate that perhaps what they the mayor said in his Dec. 18 statement has a hint of truth. That is, he presented the council with a budget. They cut and diced without really looking at what they were slashing, and when the mayor implemented the changes, they were surprised (maybe even embarrassed), closed ranks and broke out in a rousing chorus of “it ain’t our fault.”
With the recent events it appears that the real truth is a lot closer to this: New Orleans is facing some tough financial times. The whole country is in a recession and major metropolitan locales across the country are facing tough fiscal times. And surely New Orleans—a city recovering from the worst natural and man-made disaster in history—is not immune.
At the end of the day, people of New Orleans deserve a mayor and city council that are astute, understand what it takes to lead our city and will put petty personal politics aside to work in the best interest of New Orleanians. For the remaining time that this current incarnation of city leadership is in place, we sure hope that this compromise is a step in that direction. That’s what we have to say about it. As always, we want to know whatchasay? As a resident of this great city, what’s important to? Budget shortfall or not, what are the priorities that our leaders absolutely cannot drop the ball on?

President Barack Obama dropped in on New Orleans on Thursday in the aftermath of recent criticism that he had not visited our tattered city since becoming President, and he renewed his promise to help rebuild our city. There was a visit to a 9th Ward School and a town hall-like meeting at UNO. Many New Orleanians also feel that sense of renewal and confidence in the President’s words. And then there are others—others who quip that his stop in New Orleans was little more than lip service and photo ops. And there it is, even when he visits out tattered and battered city, he is criticized. We realize that it is in your nature to never stop trying to reach out to people—even those that seem to despise you, but Mr. Obama, you simply will not please some folk.

The truth is that while it was nice and exciting to have President Obama in New Orleans—even if only for a few hours—the number of trips he makes to our city cannot define his administration’s role in helping it to recover. He said so himself on Thursday and here at The Tribune we have consistently stood by that sentiment. We appreciate that President Obama passed some time here with us, but we will continue to judge him by the role the federal government plays in recovery and justice in New Orleans and not by the number of times Air Force One lands at Louis Armstrong. Yes, thanks for stopping by New Orleans, Mr. President. But in the short months of your term, we have already seen more attention paid to our city than that rendered by the previous administration; and for that we thank you one thousand fold. As always, that just what we think. We want to know what cha say? Do you think the President’s recent visit will now silence critics or will they just find more reasons to take jabs at him?

Now that HANO has moved its Housing Choice Voucher (Section office to Algiers, those who need help the most will likely have a more difficult time getting it. Residents who live on the east bank of Orleans Parish will now have to traverse—many by bus—to file paperwork or apply for vouchers. Here at The Tribune we simply cannot resign ourselves to the notion that anyone who receives government assistance should just be glad to get it. The reality is that programs like Section 8 should be easily accessible as well. With the importance that should be placed on repopulating areas on Orleans’ east bank, it just makes more sense to us to keep the office there. Individuals who need help paying for rent quite likely lack reliable transportation as well. Many of the individuals who apply for Section 8 vouchers are among the thousands of families left without a place to call home when the city’s housing developments were torn down. We can’t help but conclude that moving the Housing Choice Voucher office to the west bank was done to make the process as inconvenient as possible considering that the office was already in a recently renovated building owned by HANO in the Gentilly area. That’s what we say, but as always we want to know what cha say? Did HANO make a good decision when it moved the Section 8 office to Algiers? Or does the move make it harder for those who need help?

This is exactly why our optimism about the recent federal investigations into civil rights violation during and after Hurricane Katrina was measured. While it seems the federal authorities are taking a serious look at how the rights and lives of Black New Orleanians were trampled on in the aftermath of the storm, some in the state and local justice systems are apparently stuck on stupid.

Two officers were charged with second-degree battery against Robert Davis, a 64-year-old retired elementary school teacher who says he was asking officers about the city’s curfew when they assaulted him. The officers were Lance Schilling and Robert Evangelist. A third officer Stuart Smith was charged with simple battery. Later Smith’s charges were dropped, and he was suspended for 120 days.

Schilling, who killed himself in the summer of 2007, and Evangelist were fired. Evangelist appealed his firing to the city’s Civil Service Commission, which upheld the firing. But now the Louisiana 4th Circuit has ruled that Schilling can go back to work.
What!!!

Evangelist’s bosses at NOPD decided that his acts warranted termination, and indeed they did. The civil service commission agreed. For a state court to allow this cop to resume duties as an officer is a travesty of gigantic proportion, an affront to the city’s Black community, in general, and to Mr. Davis, in particular.

There is only one thing that can keep Evangelist from returning to his job as an NOPD officer—an appeal to and subsequent ruling from the state Supreme Court. We hope that NOPD and the civil service commission intend to fight for their original decision and appeal to the state’s high court. As Robert Davis’s lawyer put it, Evangelist “is not fit to be a crossing guard” let a lone a police officer. We couldn’t agree more. What cha say? Should NOPD let this ruling stand, or should they plan to appeal? Tell us. Better yet, tell them. While no one can control how the Supreme Court will ultimately rule on the matter, the people NOPD has sworn to protect and serve certainly deserve to have the law enforcement agency to at least put up a fight.

We ask the question with some guarded optimism. But we are certainly buoyed to hear that federal authorities are digging a deeper into NOPD activity in the days following Hurricane Katrina. At The Tribune, we were sorely disappointed when charges were refused against police in the Danzinger Bridge shooting and when nothing seemed to be even mentioned about possible police misconduct in the Algiers area. There were eye witnesses and evidence; and still no justice.

In addition to the Danzinger case, federal agents have been looking into other post-Katrina incidents involving allegations of vigilantism among white Algiers residents shooting Black residents and a case involving NOPD officers. In that case, federal prosecutors are trying to determining the role officers of the law (and the term is used loosely, here) played in a gunshot victim found dead in a burned out car behind a Westbank levee. The car belonged to William Tanner, the Good Samaritan who happened upon a shot, but breathing Henry Glover, according to published reports. Tanner put him in his vehicle and drove him to a spot where he knew officers where staged, he said; but instead of help, Tanner said officers beat him while another cop drove off in his car with Glover still inside. Neither the car nor Glover was seen again until the charred vehicle, with Glovers’ remains inside, was located behind the levee.
Yes, justice is long overdue.

We can only speculate why the attitude about these events have changed. But we see it as a simple scientific concept of that involves a variable. These new deeper, probing investigations into possible NOPD wrongdoing are being led by the Justice Department, not George Bush’s Justice Department, mind you, but President Obama’s Justice Department, led by Attorney General Eric Holder who has already promised to increase the department’s focus on civil rights violations, which he astutely notes waned under the Bush administration. A new president and a new attorney general who are committed to justice and parity—ahhhhhhhhhhhh; that was the sound of folks at The Tribune taking in a breath of fresh air. And it’s one reason why The Tribune has been put off by all of the recent hullabaloo about why President Obama hasn’t visited New Orleans yet. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether he ever makes a ceremonial visit to our city, because actions still speak louder than words and matter a whole lot more than a parade, motorcade or speech.

At any rate, the renewed focus, the urgent and righteous pursuit of justice is a welcome change. And we hope it is just the beginning. If NOPD is to ever become the police department this ct deserves, its rogue element must be dealt with and the people of this city, especially those of us who are all too often the target of police rage and misconduct, must know that justice is blind. That’s what we say. What cha say? Do you think this new federal probe into NOPD misconduct in those dark days following Katrina will yield justice for those involved?

It was back in December of 2007 that all eyes turned on Duncan Plaza, the green area just across from city hall. The area had to be cleaned up, not of overgrown weeds or litter, but of people—homeless people. The city worked frantically to move the nearly 200 homeless men and women who had made their home in the park after Hurricane Katrina as plans to demolish the nearby state building grew near.

Here we are, more than a year and a half later; and there are still homeless New Orleanians, but no Duncan Plaza. It has been closed not only to those homeless men and women who made their camps there, but to us all.

It’s time to bring the park back!

Go to the city hall of almost any major metropolitan city across this country, and one thing you are almost certain to find is some type of common space, a green area that adds beauty, nature and serenity to a landscape otherwise marked by concrete sidewalks and towering building where the humdrum of politicking suffuses the air.

New Orleans has lost that. Instead, Duncan Plaza is closed, blocked off and off limits. And for what?

The state building has been demolished, and so the park certainly is no longer closed to facilitate that process. The homeless have been moved. Those not fortunate enough to make their ways on to a short list to receive housing vouchers have simply gone to some other part of the city. In fact, in the days and weeks after they were hustled out of Duncan Plaza colonies of homeless sprouted up in other sites throughout New Orleans. Of course, we cannot say with absolutely certainty that the powers that be refuse to reopen Duncan Plaza to prevent the homeless from making their beds their again. No, we can’t say for certain, but we have our thoughts on the matter. Of course, closing Duncan Plaza to public use does not help the city’s homeless situation, though it has relieved city officials of the burden of seeing hopeless men and women every time they go to their offices.

Still, it’s like trying cure a headache with the guillotine. If city and state officials want to do what’s right, they will work together, pool their efforts, support community organizations and agencies that work to help the homeless and they will reopen Duncan Plaza. That what we think, but what cha say? Would you like to see Duncan Plaza reopened? Do you have any thoughts on why it has been closed so long?

It’s still hard to believe that we are here—the fourth year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Those images of roof-top rescues, rising water and mayhem that played out in our city and lives have left a permanent mark. The promise was to never forget. But then again, how could we?

And so we stop and reflect on the souls lost in the storm and for those scattered by it.
The plight of this city’s residents—mostly poor and Black—was so bleak and full of despair that national media took to calling us refugees.

There has been progress in these four years. Homes rebuilt, schools reopened and refugees have reclaimed their residency. Still, there are neighbors, relatives and friends who have not yet come back. Some businesses have not reopened; many neighborhood schools are still void of the sound of children and even the doors of Charity Hospital are still shuttered. As an anniversary article in USA Today notes, downtown and the tourism industry have made significant rebounds in these four years. And we are excited to hear that. To see downtown abuzz with visitors is great, a reason to celebrate. But we also long to see other parts of the city return to their pre-Katrina posture, and we lament the void their slow recovery has left. This Katrina anniversary, like each one before it and those yet to come, will bring a mixed bag of both lamenting the loss and celebrating the found.

But in the next few days, The Tribune urges our readers to take some time to recall the acts of kindness and selflessness that occurred in the wake of the storm. Those heroes that risked their own lives in flood waters to save others or those who provided neighbors with a safe place to stay or food to eat in those most tumultuous days following the storm before the federal response and the city was clear. Maybe the act of kindness you recall did not happen here, but in some other city given by a friend, relative or perfect stranger who, with images of Katrina’s destruction fresh in his mind, reached his hand out to you. If you can, call or visit such a person to simply say “thank you.” Just as we remember the storm, we must remember their gracious acts. If you have a story of a Katrina hero that still involves a nameless face, still take a moment to reflect on him or her today. Or share your story with us. What cha say? Is there someone you want to remember or thank for their humanity after Katrina? Tell us who it is and how their acts impacted your life. Let’s never forget. Let’s never forget any of it.