What can Be Done??
We are 9 days into the new year. New Orleans is at this time facing a murder a day. The latest victim was found in his house. 2 blocks from my house. Last year we had about 161 murders. For a small amount of time city officials tried to make that sound good. However when you look at the fact that compared to other years, there aren't as many people in the city, it is not a good number. This Thursday there will be a march on City Hall. Citizens are getting tired of the bad. It really is time to take back this city. It is just now starting to thrive, tourism is finally on the rise, people are willing to come back. Now this. They are even in talks for putting a curfew back in affect. That is really going to mess up Mardi Gras Season, tourism and just about everything but in the long run if it will help and they actually ENFORCE the curfew it, we may all have to grin and bear it for awhile. However there has been a juvenile curfew in effect since June and I really don't think they are enforcing that so well. It is a sad time right now. New Orleans needs more help in surviving, it is a city that is struggling everyday.
Officials looking for answers as killings continue
By Laura MaggiStaff writer
The 2007 murder total continued to climb Monday to eight killings in New Orleans - an average of one murder per day - as city leaders and citizens grappled with how to stem a seemingly unstoppable wave of violence. Over the weekend, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Warren Riley floated the idea of imposing a citywide curfew as a way to help police control the streets. A juvenile curfew is currently in place, implemented in June after a slew of violent murders, including a quintuple killing. But on Monday morning, Riley spoke more tentatively about the idea, saying that the concept was still in the discussion phase and that input was needed from a variety of groups, such as business leaders and community organizations. Meanwhile, Mayor Ray Nagin and the City Council were readying their own crime-fighting initiatives, with an announcement of short-term strategies expected for sometime Tuesday, according to sources at City Hall.Later on Monday, Riley called a press conference to detail a string of gun and drug arrests made by officers in Central City, attempting to send a signal to frazzled residents that police are tackling the roots of violent crime. Police say that murders in New Orleans are linked to the bustling drug trade in certain neighborhoods, with dealers and users alike most often the targets of street violence. But at least two of the recent murders have reached beyond that paradigm, including the shooting of Dinerral Shavers, a teacher and drummer for the Hot 8 Brass Band, in late December. Police arrested his alleged shooter a day later, saying the 17-year-old was actually targeting Shavers' 15-year-old stepson. Residents have also galvanized over the shooting death of Helen Hill, an animator and filmmaker, in her home on North Rampart on Jan. 4. The spate of murders has ignited a new focus on violent crime in a city still struggling to gain a foothold 17 months after Hurricane Katrina. At the core of the city's fragility is its seeming inability to lower the per-capita murder rate, despite the fact that the NOPD's somewhat-depleted ranks have been supplemented for months by Louisiana National Guard soldiers and Louisiana State Police officers. To express their outrage, citizens met Sunday in the Marigny to plan a march on City Hall for Thursday that one organizer said could rival a similar protest more than 10 years ago that prompted increased financing for the NOPD. "I think it is going to be significant. I think it will be reminiscent of when the citizens came up and arms around the Louisiana Pizza Kitchen murders," said Nathan Chapman, president of Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents and Associates Inc. The brutal slaying by a former employee and two accomplices of three employees of the French Quarter pizza restaurant on Dec. 1, 1996 sparked a public outcry that led then-Mayor Marc Morial and the City Council to reverse their positions on providing more money for police. Similarly, city officials and business leaders are expected to announce initiatives this week to tackle crime, although details were few on Monday. As well as the curfew idea, Riley has said he is looking at increasing foot patrols and reassigning officers to front-line duty. Officials within the tourism industry reacted negatively on Monday to the idea of imposing a curfew on a city where visitors come to have a good time into the early morning hours. "The damage would far outweigh the good. The implementation of a curfew in New Orleans could have a devastating impact on the pace of tourism recovery and have little overall impact on incidents of crime," said Stephen Perry, president and chief executive officer of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. French Quarter bar owner Earl Bernhardt agreed, saying that his Bourbon Street Alliance sent a letter to Mayor Ray Nagin and Riley expressing their objections. "We are just now starting to get tourism back to some semblance of normality. If you do this, it is going to kill things," Bernhardt said. Perry said the city's business community is readying its own proposals for improving crime fighting, which will be announced over the next week. He would not offer specifics, but said that many will likely need financial backing from the state, necessitating that Gov. Kathleen Blanco and the Legislature help tackle this escalating problem. After a quiet weekend with no murders, 40-year-old Steve Blair was found by police early Monday morning inside an abandoned Hollygrove house. Blair became New Orleans' 8th victim of the year. A 9th victim, an unidentified woman discovered last week underneath a rug in the Lower 9th Ward, is believed to have been killed in the last days of December, according to the coroner's office. Officers responding to a report of shots fired found Blair around 12:30 a.m., lying on the floor inside a residence in the 2500 block of Dublin Street, police said. Blair was shot multiple times in the head and torso, police said, and emergency medical technicians pronounced him dead at the scene. Streaks of blood stained the house's front porch, littered with broken furniture and beer cans. Several neighbors declined to comment. While they had no news Monday on possible arrests in any of the murders since the beginning of the year, Riley and leaders from the NOPD's 6th District held a press conference to highlight the arrest of a number of men in Central City on drug and gun charges over the weekend. Capt. Robert Bardy, the commander of the district, said one arrest in particular showed the importance of citizen input, which the police in recent days have highlighted as absolutely necessary to solving homicides. "That is what we are trying to encourage," he said. Following a tip from a citizen, the newly formed "crime abatement team" task-force was able to arrest a group of drug dealers on Magnolia Street, collecting five grams each of heroin and cocaine and three guns. Bardy said district officers also nabbed three Harvey men who held up a pedestrian on Terpsichore Street, later finding an assault rifle in the men's vehicle. On Monday, Riley also met with a group of ministers who are members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil-rights group, to try to tackle another problem for his department: the recent indictment of seven police officers for the murder and attempted murder on the Danziger Bridge following Hurricane Katrina. Several civil rights organizations have expressed concerns that four police officers indicted on first-degree murder for the shooting of two men were recently released on bail, saying it raises questions about possible preferential treatment. After the meeting, which both sides termed "productive," Riley and the ministers agreed that they all wanted the criminal justice system to deal with the case. "We need to give the system an opportunity to work and function," said Rev. Byron Clay, the regional vice president of the SCLC. Riley also invited the group to offer "sensitivity training" to police officers. Clay and other ministers said they too are concerned about the increase in violent crime, saying that they will offer the police department any necessary help to work with the community.Staff writer Brendan McCarthy and the Associated Press contributed to this report.Laura Maggi can be reached at lmaggi@timespicayune.com or at (504) 826-3316.
We are 9 days into the new year. New Orleans is at this time facing a murder a day. The latest victim was found in his house. 2 blocks from my house. Last year we had about 161 murders. For a small amount of time city officials tried to make that sound good. However when you look at the fact that compared to other years, there aren't as many people in the city, it is not a good number. This Thursday there will be a march on City Hall. Citizens are getting tired of the bad. It really is time to take back this city. It is just now starting to thrive, tourism is finally on the rise, people are willing to come back. Now this. They are even in talks for putting a curfew back in affect. That is really going to mess up Mardi Gras Season, tourism and just about everything but in the long run if it will help and they actually ENFORCE the curfew it, we may all have to grin and bear it for awhile. However there has been a juvenile curfew in effect since June and I really don't think they are enforcing that so well. It is a sad time right now. New Orleans needs more help in surviving, it is a city that is struggling everyday.
Officials looking for answers as killings continue
By Laura MaggiStaff writer
The 2007 murder total continued to climb Monday to eight killings in New Orleans - an average of one murder per day - as city leaders and citizens grappled with how to stem a seemingly unstoppable wave of violence. Over the weekend, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Warren Riley floated the idea of imposing a citywide curfew as a way to help police control the streets. A juvenile curfew is currently in place, implemented in June after a slew of violent murders, including a quintuple killing. But on Monday morning, Riley spoke more tentatively about the idea, saying that the concept was still in the discussion phase and that input was needed from a variety of groups, such as business leaders and community organizations. Meanwhile, Mayor Ray Nagin and the City Council were readying their own crime-fighting initiatives, with an announcement of short-term strategies expected for sometime Tuesday, according to sources at City Hall.Later on Monday, Riley called a press conference to detail a string of gun and drug arrests made by officers in Central City, attempting to send a signal to frazzled residents that police are tackling the roots of violent crime. Police say that murders in New Orleans are linked to the bustling drug trade in certain neighborhoods, with dealers and users alike most often the targets of street violence. But at least two of the recent murders have reached beyond that paradigm, including the shooting of Dinerral Shavers, a teacher and drummer for the Hot 8 Brass Band, in late December. Police arrested his alleged shooter a day later, saying the 17-year-old was actually targeting Shavers' 15-year-old stepson. Residents have also galvanized over the shooting death of Helen Hill, an animator and filmmaker, in her home on North Rampart on Jan. 4. The spate of murders has ignited a new focus on violent crime in a city still struggling to gain a foothold 17 months after Hurricane Katrina. At the core of the city's fragility is its seeming inability to lower the per-capita murder rate, despite the fact that the NOPD's somewhat-depleted ranks have been supplemented for months by Louisiana National Guard soldiers and Louisiana State Police officers. To express their outrage, citizens met Sunday in the Marigny to plan a march on City Hall for Thursday that one organizer said could rival a similar protest more than 10 years ago that prompted increased financing for the NOPD. "I think it is going to be significant. I think it will be reminiscent of when the citizens came up and arms around the Louisiana Pizza Kitchen murders," said Nathan Chapman, president of Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents and Associates Inc. The brutal slaying by a former employee and two accomplices of three employees of the French Quarter pizza restaurant on Dec. 1, 1996 sparked a public outcry that led then-Mayor Marc Morial and the City Council to reverse their positions on providing more money for police. Similarly, city officials and business leaders are expected to announce initiatives this week to tackle crime, although details were few on Monday. As well as the curfew idea, Riley has said he is looking at increasing foot patrols and reassigning officers to front-line duty. Officials within the tourism industry reacted negatively on Monday to the idea of imposing a curfew on a city where visitors come to have a good time into the early morning hours. "The damage would far outweigh the good. The implementation of a curfew in New Orleans could have a devastating impact on the pace of tourism recovery and have little overall impact on incidents of crime," said Stephen Perry, president and chief executive officer of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. French Quarter bar owner Earl Bernhardt agreed, saying that his Bourbon Street Alliance sent a letter to Mayor Ray Nagin and Riley expressing their objections. "We are just now starting to get tourism back to some semblance of normality. If you do this, it is going to kill things," Bernhardt said. Perry said the city's business community is readying its own proposals for improving crime fighting, which will be announced over the next week. He would not offer specifics, but said that many will likely need financial backing from the state, necessitating that Gov. Kathleen Blanco and the Legislature help tackle this escalating problem. After a quiet weekend with no murders, 40-year-old Steve Blair was found by police early Monday morning inside an abandoned Hollygrove house. Blair became New Orleans' 8th victim of the year. A 9th victim, an unidentified woman discovered last week underneath a rug in the Lower 9th Ward, is believed to have been killed in the last days of December, according to the coroner's office. Officers responding to a report of shots fired found Blair around 12:30 a.m., lying on the floor inside a residence in the 2500 block of Dublin Street, police said. Blair was shot multiple times in the head and torso, police said, and emergency medical technicians pronounced him dead at the scene. Streaks of blood stained the house's front porch, littered with broken furniture and beer cans. Several neighbors declined to comment. While they had no news Monday on possible arrests in any of the murders since the beginning of the year, Riley and leaders from the NOPD's 6th District held a press conference to highlight the arrest of a number of men in Central City on drug and gun charges over the weekend. Capt. Robert Bardy, the commander of the district, said one arrest in particular showed the importance of citizen input, which the police in recent days have highlighted as absolutely necessary to solving homicides. "That is what we are trying to encourage," he said. Following a tip from a citizen, the newly formed "crime abatement team" task-force was able to arrest a group of drug dealers on Magnolia Street, collecting five grams each of heroin and cocaine and three guns. Bardy said district officers also nabbed three Harvey men who held up a pedestrian on Terpsichore Street, later finding an assault rifle in the men's vehicle. On Monday, Riley also met with a group of ministers who are members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil-rights group, to try to tackle another problem for his department: the recent indictment of seven police officers for the murder and attempted murder on the Danziger Bridge following Hurricane Katrina. Several civil rights organizations have expressed concerns that four police officers indicted on first-degree murder for the shooting of two men were recently released on bail, saying it raises questions about possible preferential treatment. After the meeting, which both sides termed "productive," Riley and the ministers agreed that they all wanted the criminal justice system to deal with the case. "We need to give the system an opportunity to work and function," said Rev. Byron Clay, the regional vice president of the SCLC. Riley also invited the group to offer "sensitivity training" to police officers. Clay and other ministers said they too are concerned about the increase in violent crime, saying that they will offer the police department any necessary help to work with the community.Staff writer Brendan McCarthy and the Associated Press contributed to this report.Laura Maggi can be reached at lmaggi@timespicayune.com or at (504) 826-3316.
1 Comments:
It breaks my heart every time I read of another murder in the city. WTF is the mayor doing? Is the National Guard still there? I dont know what the answer is...but someone better.....
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