*Drops Smoke Pellet*

There was a thread that I read in the MCNO email listserv that I found increasingly insulting about how the answer to crime in New Orleans was to initiate a stop and frisk policy.  Below was my response.  I think I just walked into their house, told them all why and how to fuck themselves, and smoke pelleted out.  Oh well.  That was my first post, too.

I usually lurk in this group, especially avoiding the massive strings of debate/arguments that tend to develop in conversations about the NOPD or MCSD, but I really had to respond to the idea that stop and frisk is a policy that should be implemented in New Orleans, an idea that is based on little factual information.  The reason why stop and frisk has recently been the topic of so much conversation is because studies have finally been released that find that it is an expensive policy that has not been effective, but has been racist and contributed to communities of color not trusting the police and, you know, generally feeling oppressed and criminalized for being Black or Brown.

Here are some facts for the factless, which can be found in your local Google search:

• In 2011, 685,724 people were stopped, 84% of whom were Black and Latino.
• Blacks and Latinos represent 23% and 29% percent of NYC's total population.
• 88% of 2011 stops did not result in an arrest or a summons being given.
• Contraband was found in only 2% of all stops.
• Weapons were recovered in only 1% of all stops.
• Blacks and Latinos are more likely to have physical forced used against them.
• Stops made of Whites were slightly more likely to yield contraband.
• Whites were twice as likely to be found with a weapon.

Here's a list of "15 Shocking Facts About a Controversial Program" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/13/nypd-stop-and-frisks-15-shocking-facts_n_1513362.html), which are not at all shocking if you have a degree in sociology or live in America with your head outside of your rear end.

Recently a judge granted a lawsuit against the NYPD class action status.  The lawsuit states, among other things, that the police department concentrates its stop-and frisk activity on Black and Latino neighborhoods, and that officers are pressured to meet quotas and are punished if they do not.  One of the reasons why judge Scheindlin granted the suit class action status is because she was disturbed that the city responded to the lawsuit by saying that a "court order to stop the practice would amount to judicial intrusion, and that no injunction could guarantee thatsuspicion-less stops would never occur or would only occur in a certain percentage of encounters".  Because...cops aren't supposed to stop you without reasonable suspicion.  In case you didn't know.  I guess the NYPD doesn't.

If you actually care about how the victims of this NYPD policy feel, see this video here from the Melissa Harris-Perry show on MSNBC:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46979745/vp/46843623#46843623

Hard data  from the NYPD itself, that most of these articles and the lawsuit itself quote. (http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/analysis_and_planning/stop_question_and_frisk_report.shtml)

An article that weighs the pros and cons (http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120519/OPINION/205190303/-1/SITEMAP).  The author seems to conclude that the racial profiling is worth the lower murder rate, but:

1.  The crime rate is lower than it was in the 80's, but I'm not sure if comparing current numbers to numbers that existed 3 decades ago is useful - surely stop and frisk is not the only policy that's changed about the NYPD or the city in general that could affect crime during all of that time?

2. As this article points out (http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120605/new-york-city/stop-and-frisks-have-done-little-reduce-shootings-nypd-data-shows), compared to more recent years the stop and frisk stops have increased exponentially, but the number of victims of gunfire have remained stagnant for the most part.

3. It's really bad statistics for Bloomberg to think that he can predict how many lives have been saved because of stop and frisk.  One of the few things that stuck in my head from my statistics classes at Cornell University is that correlation does not equal causation.  Try saying "stop and frisk increased at the same time that gun violence decreased (but not really), so stop and frisk must be working!"  That is a correlative statement.  They could  be related, but that does not mean that one caused the other to happen.

Another article about how stop and frisks have not decreased shootings in NYC (http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/06/stop-and-frisks-havent-stopped-shootings.html).

And a brand new petition from Color of Change (http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2012/07/colorofchange-org-tells-nyc-officials-time-to-unite-the-two-new-yorks/), which includes many more stats, and mentions that some of these stops include full-body searches and the NYPD demanding that victims hand over their valuables (sources are included at the link).

So, in short, the practice is racist and ineffective, but if you come to a different conclusion by actually looking up facts using resources that I'm sure you all have, I'd love to hear it.  And I agree with Mrs. Wayman - bringing up the fact that most of NOLA's murderers are Black without mentioning that most of the murder victims are also Black is offensive, and I'll go even further - white murder victims are valued higher, which is why there are so many unsolved murders in any major city with a high Black or Brown populace.  Why do I know the names of the white victims of murder from the past few years?  It's not just because there are few - it's because even though I don't even watch the news, I heard their names everywhere and the little resources that the NOPD apparently has were focused on those people and finding their killers as quickly as possible.  Since I just spent the past hour and a half doing research to fight someone else's ignorance, you (anyone) tell me how many white victims of murder there were in 2011, and whether or not their killers were caught?

Anecdote:  A friend of mine recently did grand jury duty.  He eventually had his therapist write him a note to get out of it because he was becoming depressed seeing all of the indictments that his fellow jurors were handing down on cases that had very circumstantial evidence.  There were a couple of cases, though, where there was an immense amount of evidence, down to crossed T's and dotted I's.  The difference?  Not in the race of the accused, but the race of the victim.

So I find it massively insulting that it can be insisted on a forum that is made up of a class of people who are actually valued and protected by the NOPD that the answer to the issue of crime that mainly affects a community of people who are devalued, alienated, and criminalized by the police department is to further alienate, degrade, and insult those people.

The Other Side + A Debate:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/21/nypd-stop-and-frisk-ray-kelly-daily-news_n_1532930.html

http://www.blackyouthproject.com/2012/06/bloomberg-visits-black-church-stop-and-frisk/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mari-fagel/beyond-the-numbers-_b_1536589.html

Other Sources:

http://www.ccrjustice.org/stopandfrisk/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/16/ny-stop-and-frisk-lawsuit_n_1521081.html?ref=black-voices&ir=Black%20Voices

http://ccrjustice.org/files/CCR_Stop_and_Frisk_Fact_Sheet.pdf

http://www.nyclu.org/node/1598

NOPD Declares War on Sex Workers

Really?

Calling prostitution "a dangerous, violent crime," NOPD Police Chief Ronal Serpas announced today that New Orleans police had arrested 67 sex workers in the months of July and August in an undercover operation that also involved State Police, the FBI and the Secret Service.

...

Chief Serpas' official statements further demonized the sex workers, accusing them of nearly every crime short of terrorism. "We find time and time again that women and men who actively participate in prostitution tend to commit other crimes," claimed Serpas. "Such as some form of battery, simple robbery, armed robbery, illegal drug deals, or carrying concealed weapons. In some cases, customers of prostitutes find that their wallets have been lifted, which means bank card theft and sometimes stolen identity cases. This is why it’s an incredibly worthwhile effort to target people involved in the prostitution business."

But the men who solicit prostitutes are fine, upstanding citizens? Also, this is just lazy. How many open cases involving robbery, drugs, and weapons are sitting open on the books right now, unlikely to be solved by a few out of hundreds of sex workers being arrested? How about dealing with the fact that if you look at the rate of conviction in this city, murder and especially rape (a crime that sex workers are vulnerable to - I wonder how seriously the NOPD takes that violent crime when it's committed against a prostitute) are barely crimes. I could kill someone right now, do the bare minimum to cover it up, and I'm guessing that there would be about a 25% chance that I'd be arrested and convicted. I once had to call the police for a rape in progress (some asshole was raping a young woman on the porch across the street from my office. At 9am. Yeah.) Never saw a cop. If I ever see something like that again I'll just stab him with my switchblade, since I probably won't get caught anyway (another problem - cops don't give a damn when Black men are killed).

And I know why they're suddenly concerned about this issue. I get the crime alerts from the French Quarter district - tourists are soliciting "prostitutes" and getting ambushed and robbed. Of course, the alerts don't actually say that. I remember one from a few months ago where the victim met two (unknown) women - one black, one white - in Jackson Square. They headed somewhere to "hang out", he got into an SUV with them (remember, he just met these ladies), that was being driven by a man, and of course, after some dramatics involving a gun, ended up exiting the SUV a little while later sans wallet. He also, presumably, didn't get to be apart of that interracial threesome that he was after. Yes, he's a victim because they had no right to liberate his wallet, but ... really? He had intended to hire two women to engage in an illegal act with him. That makes him a criminal too, even if he was some middle class white tourist. Also, since fucking did not actually occur ... the ladies were not really sex workers anyway.

I guess what I'm saying is that even if some of these sex workers are connected to other crimes, this city has so many other more important crimes to deal with that effect whether or not people choose to live here. Yeah, a tourist who got tricked into getting robbed might not come back and the city loses money, but not as much money as it loses when people with middle and upper class incomes decided that they're aren't going to move here, or people who've been here for generations decided to pick up and leave because they can't guarantee that they're not going to get caught in a crossfire, or no one will take their daughter's rape seriously. I don't think those people are worried about being victimized by prostitutes.

Also, the oldest profession in the world is a "dangerous and violent crime"? Get the fuck out of here. Sex workers experience much more danger and violence than their Johns do.

In Henry Glover trial, defense tried to bump all black people off jury pool | NOLA.com

This doesn't surprise me. At all.

"The New Orleans police officers tried late last year in the death and burning of Henry Glover sought unsuccessfully to eliminate all of the eligible black jurors from the jury pool, according to a recently unsealed transcript of jury selection in the federal case."

NOLA.com : Henry Glover jury finds 3 officers guilty in death, burning of Algiers man

http://mobile.nola.com/advnola/pm_29227/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=nYusoxOj

Denise

Sent from my iPhone!

New Orleans Law Enforcement Leaders Say Child Abuse Linked to Future Crime

You mean, they're actually looking at preventing crime, rather than just punishing it?  Wow, NOPD still has a long way to go, but I'm really (happily) surprised by this.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: NOLA Info <info15086@nolaready.info>
Date: Mon, Nov 8, 2010 at 10:26 AM
Subject: New Orleans Police Department-Public Information Office
To: NOLAReady <rsan@nolaready.info>

November 8, 2010

 

New Orleans Law Enforcement Leaders Say

Child Abuse Linked to Future Crime

Police Superintendent, Sheriff, Assistant District Attorney say home visits needed to prevent child abuse, later crime; 27 kids abused or neglected every day

 

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana -- Law enforcement leaders will hold a press conference on Tuesday to raise awareness about the connection between child abuse and neglect and juvenile crime. They will release a report showing that, on average, one child in Louisiana is abused or neglected every hour of every day. 

The report will also show that high-quality voluntary home visiting programs can cut child abuse and neglect by as much as 50%, while also significantly reducing later crime and saving taxpayers dollars in the long run. The group will call on state lawmakers and the Governor to prioritize Louisiana's investment in voluntary home visiting programs and pursue new federal funding for these services proven to curb child abuse and improve public safety.           

WHO:               Superintendent Ronal W. Serpas, New Orleans Police Department
                        Marlin N. Gusman, Orleans Parish Sheriff

                        Barron Burmaster, Executive Assistant District Attorney, Jefferson Parish D.A.'s Office

                        Cyndy Rees, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids

A Nurse-Family Partnership nurse who is an expert in the home visiting program and a New Orleans parent who has graduated from the program will also speak at the press conference. 

WHAT:              News Conference

WHEN:             10 a.m. CST

                        Tuesday, November 9, 2010

WHERE:           New Orleans Police Department

                        Fifth Floor Conference Room

                        715 South Broad Street

                        New Orleans, Louisiana, 70119

VISUALS:         Law enforcement leaders in uniform

###

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NOPD Gets Serious About Rape

Dear Blog:
Denise thought you would be interested in this item from nola.com
http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2010/11/new_orleans_police_department.html

It's about fucking time they get serious.

Bigger OPP?

Hell no.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: James Rucker, ColorOfChange.org <no-reply@colorofchange.org>
Date: Wed, Nov 3, 2010 at 11:29 PM
Subject: Thank you for taking a stand. Please spread the word.
To: 

Dear Friend,

Orleans Parish Prison is in terrible condition, and a new jail is badly needed. But will the new facility reflect the sheriff's narrow priorities -- or the people's? Your voice can help decide.

New Orleans Sheriff Marlin Gusman wants to build a huge new jail that would cost much more to operate without making the public any safer. Instead, it would create a perverse incentive to fill the jail with low-level offenders while eating up resources that would be better spent fighting violent crime.

Building a 5800-bed jail to replace the present 3500-bed jail is a bad deal for New Orleans. But with enough public outcry, new Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the New Orleans City Council will reject the huge prison and call for a smaller facility that reflects the city's real priorities. That's why I've joined my friends at ColorOfChange.org in calling on them to build a smaller parish prison. Will you join me? It takes just a moment:

http://colorofchange.org/oppjail/?id=2146-1183488

Conditions at OPP have been so bad that the Department of Justice has launched an investigation into widespread and systemic civil rights abuses at the facility.1 There's no question that a new prison is needed, and thankfully FEMA will foot the bill for constructing the prison. But a larger prison will be more expensive to run, and the operating expenses will fall overwhelmingly on New Orleans' citizens.2

And a larger prison would mean that New Orleanians will pay more money for less actual public safety. Because OPP is funded according to the number of prisoners it holds each day (called a per diem system), there is a powerful financial incentive to keep the jail as full as possible. As criminal justice policy expert Michael Jacobson put it, "The only incentive a per diem system provides is to have more people in jail. Because the more inmates you have, the more money you have."3 And to keep the prison full, New Orleans police officers won't try to haul in more violent offenders who endanger public safety -- they'll instead arrest people for minor offenses that would only merit a ticket in the overwhelming majority of American cities.4

Just look at the numbers from last year: only 13% of NOPD's 60,000 arrests were for felonies, while 42% -- more than 25,000 -- were thrown in jail for traffic violations and breaking minor city laws.5 Statistics like this point to one reason why a full 1% of New Orleans' population sits in prison today. A larger prison will only boost the incentive to arrest more people and mismanage public safety resources.

What's more, a huge prison budget means less money left for the city to spend on real priorities -- education, recreation programs, good healthcare, and better roads and other critical infrastructure. Moreover, New Orleans should instead invest in cheaper, more effective alternatives to incarceration. These are the things that will bring New Orleans back -- not a huge new prison.

Please join me and my friends at ColorOfChange.org, the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, the Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition, and hundreds of New Orleans' residents in telling Mayor Landrieu that New Orleans' future lies in investing in its communities, and not in incarcerating more of its residents. And when you do, please ask your friends and neighbors to do the same.

Thanks.

Links

1. The Trumpet, 9-1-2010
http://bit.ly/bwXrxK

2. "Bigger Jails Don't Mean Safer Cities," Unity of Greater New Orleans, 9-21-2010
http://bit.ly/aVIIO9

3. "Sheriff headed to court without budget increase," ProjectNOLA.com, 9-30-2010
http://bit.ly/9ZtfxW

No discipline for New Orleans cop despite complaints

No discipline for New Orleans cop despite complaints

Facing South

By Brendan McCarthy, New Orleans Times-Picayune, and A.C. Thompson, ProPublica

The disciplinary file on the New Orleans Police Department's Dwayne Scheuermann is inches thick -- as thick as any on the police force.

The lieutenant has weathered more than 50 separate complaints, ranging from accusations of brutality, to rape, to improper searches and seizures. But none of the allegations has ever stuck, although two complaints are still pending. Every time, Scheuermann was cleared and sent back onto the streets.

He has also fired his gun in at least 15 different incidents, wounding at least four people. Experts on police practices say the number is unusual -- most officers never fire their weapons.

Scheuermann's history of complaints would seem to make him an obvious candidate for the NOPD's early-warning system, which aims to highlight and rehabilitate possible problem police officers.

Yet, according to the city attorney's office, Scheuermann was never "flagged" for entrance into the monitoring program. The NOPD, meanwhile, said all of its early-warning system files were lost in Katrina and that it does not know if Scheuermann was involved in the program.

Amid the complaints, Scheuermann received plenty of commendations. The awards depict Scheuermann as a top cop, a relentless workhorse whose arrest numbers are unparalleled and leader who has patrolled the most dangerous corridors of the city over a 23-year career. He was a hero in the eyes of many of his peers.

In the NOPD yearbook is a photo of a smiling Scheuermann shaking the hand of former President Bill Clinton, who bestowed a national award on him for "outstanding productivity throughout his career."

Today, Scheuermann, 49, is preparing to stand trial on some of the most disturbing charges ever filed against a New Orleans police officer. Federal prosecutors accuse Scheuermann and a colleague of setting fire to a car containing the body of Henry Glover, who had by shot by a different police officer during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Scheuermann declined to be interviewed for this story because of the pending charges against him.

A review of his file shows a pattern of complaints and red flags that should have jumped out at NOPD officials.

Top-ranking police commanders long knew Scheuermann was a controversial cop. In a letter written in July 2004, Deputy Chief Daniel Lawless expressed concern about how frequently Scheuermann was using his firearm, noting that Scheuermann had fired his gun in three separate incidents over a three-month period.

Lawless didn't want the lieutenant kicking down any more doors or chasing crime suspects.

"You are not to lead operations," the deputy chief wrote. Since 2001, Scheuermann has held the rank of lieutenant, making him a sort of mid-level manager.

Scheuermann represents a paradox in modern policing, experts and cops say.

Agencies encourage officers to be "pro-active" and make arrests, viewing big numbers as a sign of productivity. But when an officer who puts up big arrest numbers is accused of cutting corners or violating civil rights, supervisors often brush it off and declare the complaints unsustained, said Anthony Radosti of the watchdog Metropolitan Crime Commission.

"Where there is smoke, there is fire," Radosti said. "The more productive you are, the less you are scrutinized. Production means arrests, it's quantity versus quality. These arrest numbers became more important to the command structure in their efforts to regain control of the crime situation."

Radosti said the NOPD's breakdown in discipline, which he said dates back a decade, came home to roost in recent years, especially in the wake of Katrina.

From a police perspective, Scheuermann does the jobs others don't want to do. Capt. Michael Glasser, president of the Police Association of New Orleans, called Scheuermann an industrious officer who works constantly to better the city.

"From time to time, he has ruffled feathers because he puts people in jail," Glasser said. "He is an aggressive officer who handles a lot of people. You have to keep that in perspective."

He was always a frontline officer willing to be the first to barge into a home while serving a warrant, Glasser said: "No matter how dirty or unattractive the job is, Dwayne is the first to volunteer."

Because he is proactive, Scheuermann has significantly more interaction with citizens, so his high number of complaints should be taken in context, Glasser added.

"We put policemen in those positions to do that kind of difficult work," Glasser said. "In every instance, he has been found not to be at fault. We can't condemn a man for complaints, especially when we find they don't have merit. . . To his credit, the complaints have not stopped him from doing his job."

David Klinger, a former cop who now teaches in St. Louis and is considered an expert on use-of-force issues, reviewed Scheuermann's files and said it's "highly unusual" for an officer to be involved in so many shootings.

"The use of deadly force is pretty rare," said Klinger, author of "Into the Kill Zone: A Cop's Eye View of Deadly Force." "Most cops go through their careers and never shoot even a single person."

However, Klinger also said it was impossible to fully judge Scheuermann's record without obtaining more information about each shooting.

Sam Walker, professor emeritus in the criminal justice department at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and author of numerous books on policing, was one of three researchers to analyze the NOPD's early-warning system in the late 1990s. A review of Scheuermann's work history gave him pause.

"I think the real question is with all of these shootings, was there ever any discipline? Not just a reprimand or suspension or something -- was any corrective action taken?" Walker said. "I mean this is precisely what an early intervention system would pick up. You've got like three [shootings] within one brief period. Something's going on."

It's difficult to know exactly how many accusations have been filed against Scheuermann. At least seven brutality complaints against him were filed with the Office of Municipal Investigation, the city's own watchdog office that later dissolved. That file, obtained through a public records request, is incomplete. Other case files, for allegations investigated by the NOPD in the 1990s, were damaged or lost in Katrina, according to the city.

Sent with Reeder

Prisoners of Katrina | BBC Video

This documentary was made about 4 years ago, but it details some things that I'd only heard bits and pieces of about what happened to the prisoners durring the hurricane and subsequent flooding.  I'm sure that the BBC has its own biases, but man, do they do a better job at real journalism then American cable news channels do.  Do you know what "breaking news" CNN was emailing me about tonight?  Modern Family and Mad Men (I think) winning Emmys.  Really?  Not your job, CNN.  There's about a bajillion sources where I could get that information from, and it makes me sad that you're America's most legitimate 24hr news channel.

Local News Briefs: NOPD Cover-Up Charges, Kristin Palmer stands up for non-profits, New LSU Clinic Open 24hrs, and the Greenway is on the Way!

Charges were filed in murder (and subsequent cover-up) of Henry Glover at the hands of several NOPD officers in the aftermath of the levee failures nearly 5 years ago.

Newly elected city councilwoman Kristin Palmer laid into the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) over all of the red tape and slow disbursement involved with the Non-Profit Rebuilding Pilot Program (NPRPP) grant.  I had the misfortune of being at one of the NPRPP meetings a few months ago, that the state holds to answer any questions and provide guidance to the non-profits that have been awarded this grant.  Many questions were asked, and I can't remember if any were answered to anyone's satisfaction.  It eventually devolved in frustrated yelling, since the money was "awarded" nearly a year ago, but as the article states, a minuscule amount has actually been disbursed.  I'm excited to see what Kristin Palmer will do as a city councilwoman.  I found her frightening when I worked at Rebuilding Together last summer, but scary people are the best ones to have on your side.

LSU opened a 24hr clinic at 2025 Gravier St. to treat minor injuries earlier this year, and they are now fully operational.

The City of New Orleans recently acquired the last parcel of land needed to turn the Lafitte Greenway from a dream to a reality.  I participated in the annual walk of the Lafitte Greenway back in May, and was so inspired and excited by all of the ideas that they presented that I became a member of Friends of Lafitte Corridor.  Check out their website at the link above, and help support the cause!  Check out the pictures that I took during the walk below.

Bike Thief in Lakeview

Dear Blog:
Denise thought you would be interested in this item from nola.com
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2010/06/nopd-bike.html

So, part of the reason why there are so many murders in this city is because killers know that they have a very low chance of actually being arrested, charged, and convicted, because the NOPD and the District Attorney's office is in need of some serious overhaul from the ground up. That said, I'm not sure if creating digital police sketches of bike theives is a good use of the NOPD's time or money. I've heard of people who had their cars broken into, stereos and valuables stolen, get a shrug from officers when they ask what will be done to catch the thief. But snatch a bike? Call the press, release a sketch. Kill a Black man in Central City? Eh, must have been drug related.  Rape a college girl?  Let the school handle it.  This bike must have belonged to someone very important.

The Federal Filing On The Danziger Bridge Massacre

BLIND. RAGE. And people wonder why some Black folks hate the police? Because there is apparently a thin line between protecting and serving, and terrorizing and murdering.

Police Force in New Orleans Continues to Face Chaos - NYTimes.com

Police Force in New Orleans Continues to Face Chaos - NYTimes.com

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News Briefs: Franken Amendment, ACoE Lies Again, OPP Unconstitutional

It's sad that amendments like this even need to be passed, but I'm glad that Franken knew that this was important enough to make it a priority.

I'm real late on this, but how much more of this bullshit are New Orleanians going to have to take from the Army Corps of Engineers?  It's like they're trying to kill everyone here.

Conditions are unconstitutional in the OPP.  Color me shocked.  The sheriff tries to use the Katrina excuse, but really, I wouldn't be surprised if conditions were unconstitutional before Katrina.

I've thought about this more and more often.  What caused us to be so selfish as a country?

News Briefs: Crumbling Levees in Algiers, True Blood Beverage, Free Amazon Downloads, Racism in Schools, Police Monitor Resigns, Trailer Trials Begin

The levee in Algiers is crumbling, but the Army Corps of Engineers is saying that this is totally not a problem.

B-positive for me, please.

Free music!!!!!!!  Get it while you can!

NOLA Film Fest Line-up.  They're showing Precious!  Can't wait, and I'll actually have money this year.

How should teachers discuss racist attitudes towards each other and students?

I didn't even know about this, and already this dude's resigning.

First FEMA trailer trial is about to begin.

I think most of these links came from New Orleans Ladder.  I keep forgetting to note where this info comes from, if it's not something I discovered myself.  That's what happens when you leave a hundred tabs open for several days in Firefox, you end up with no idea where any of it came from.

The NOPD, Crooked?

Dear Blog:

Dsxyfemme85 thought you would be interested in this item from nola.com

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1252215129260100.xml&coll=1

Dsxyfemme85

News Briefs: Louisiana Film Museum, NO-style Cooking School, DC Metro News, L9 and NO East Police Districts, Bill Now Cat 4, Free Katrina Doc

Opening September 1st, the Louisiana Film Museum will be located on the Riverwalk at Julia Street, in a section of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.

This fall a New Orleans style cooking school will open in the Riverwalk Marketplace on Level C.

In news probably only important to me, the Metro in Washington DC will be expanding cell phone service by adding underground equipment so providers other than Verizon will get signals.  This service will start October 16th.  This seems a little unnecessary (do people get signals on the NY subways?), but it's a luxury I'll enjoy when I'm visiting my mom in the future.

I actually agree with Riley when he says that the Lower 9th Ward and New Orleans East need their own police districts.  Both are very isolated, and NO East is huge enough to be it's own city.

Hurricane Bill is a bad motherfucker, but he seems to be heading northward further into the Atlantic (um, sorry Bermuda).

There's a new Katrina documentary called "Survival, Strength, Starting Over" that will be screening for free tomorrow at Canal Place at 7pm and Sunday at Celebration Church in Arabi.

News Briefs: Cops Lie, Contractor Thief Pleads Guilty, Our Corrupt Mayor, Potential Mayoral Candidates

From WDSU, the FBI is now investigating the murder and cover-up of a man who was murdered in Algiers in the aftermath of Katrina, when white vigilantes roamed the neighborhood shooting and shooting at Black men who they thought didn't belong.

Remember the RTA vs. NOPD throwdown that happened last year? Well, the NOPD's own internal affairs probe found that the cops involved planted weapons, coerced witnesses, and lied their way out of the punishment that they deserved, according to the Times-Picayune. Am I surprised?

The Georgia contractor who stole a total of a half million dollars from 17 families has plead guilty. He's, unfortunately, only one of hundreds of contractors who have done this, and most have gotten away with it. When I was organizing I heard countless stories of people, particularly the elderly, who were tricked out of their Road Home money, loans, or savings. The city should have long ago set up an office (and advertised it, LOUDLY) to specifically handle these claims and help people get their money back, or at least punishment doled out.

A post from Your Right Hand Thief, may provide evidence that our mayor isn't just a jackass, but a crooked jackass.

And finally, the Gambit blog does a roundup of suspected candidates for the upcoming mayoral race. I would add Tracie Washington to this list, because I've heard rumblings and believe that the email fiasco was all about getting her name out there to black voters who can't stand Stacy Head. I like James Perry, but right now I don't think that he'll win. Not only is he the least known, the people who do know him know that he fought against the demolition of the projects, which won't sit well with white voters. Of course, that's the reason why I like him. Karen Carter Peterson I recall liking for some reason, but I can't remember why...