Local writer CW Cannon defends the vitality of the current vendor base and questions the new French Market director’s understanding of tradition and desired products.
Category Archives: informal economy
Notes from meeting with city about Jackson Square issues
Jackson Square meeting
Scott Hutcheson, Asante Salaam, and city attorney had a second meeting with folks interested in maintaining Jackson Square as a dynamic public space.
Artist, musician and psychic spokespeople were in attendance and spoke convincingly about their wish for a viable community space in Jackson Square. Here are my notes from the meeting: in the notes below, the statements were made by the artists, musicians and readers that attended the meeting. SH is Scott Hutcheson, Mayor’s Advisor on Cultural Economy and is the city staff person who responded during meeting, and his responses are in italics. Overall, it was a very amiable meeting.
SH has talked to Farmers Market Corporation (FMC)
FMC security may start patrolling the Square
City can do in-depth training with FMC security personnel
FMC has 11 security personnel, 3 full-time, the rest part-time
Psychic org: fine with that, but no one will still have permit oversight.
Recently, readers leaving set-ups 24 hours a day.
Vendors illegally chalking their spaces to hold, including artists.
Out of control artists ignoring rules and entreaties from peers to follow rules; video on YouTube of artist on Square passed out with needle in arm.
Can licenses be in jeopardy when they ticket?
NOPD has said in past that they will not enforce the rules, they have just woken people up and told them to stay awake.
SH said they ticketed Thursday before FQF
Ticket should go to revenue dept, rather than municipal court to relate the infractions back to license.
All artists should have to show licenses. Some scofflaws leave a homeless person with their stuff so it is “attended”.
Guidelines before Katrina were clear and enforceable, need to go back to that.
Pre-Katrina: Set up more than an hour was unattended, the setup would be moved by NOPD or other readers or artists.
SH: not sure it’s legal to do that, have to be clear about codified law versus standards of conduct
Illegal activity is widespread and unenforced.
Calling emergency services is almost impossible as they want street addresses.
Extra space when big events for artists? State museum says yes, but FQF says no.
Want to talk to French Market about using more space.
Dutch Alley, used to be an open spot, street entertainers still get run off.
SH: FMC asks street performers only to “register”, although it says “permit” on it.
SH: No such thing as a street performer permit in the city.
dba licenses, can anything be done? (No says city attorney)
Enforce before 6 pm on St. Peter and St. Ann that readers cannot hold spaces.
FMC security already has oversight over Jackson Square: can manage city owned property.
FMC demanded FMC permit for Decatur reader
Illegal vending happens on Jackson Square and artists/readers are powerless to stop.
Vieux Carre church sets up table and does ceremonies illegally.
Segways in the square are problem.
Stanchions-have a hard time getting them unlocked in emergencies and locked to stop cars and trucks.
Slope of the entryways is problematic for older people, needs to be textured.
Loading zone tickets are given to musicians and artists even though they have been told they can use them to unload and load.
NOPD says artists and musicians can unload in the “curve” but only informally.
Barkers are working illegally, overwhelming honest vendors.
Street performers with amplifiers are a problem.
Television from museum plays constantly and loudly.
Echoes of community
There is often a bittersweet air to these posts that I find reporting the loss of one of the bygone characters of the Quarter and the Marigny. When you read the details, you can almost hear and see the late nights and shared experiences in these groups of friends having fun while also struggling to find their own way. In this blog piece are the names of some of our literary folks who, back in the day, were working toward something, something that they achieved in this case.
It’s the same as when I read about the group that started the Arts And Crafts Club back in the 1920s, or the friends who began Southern Decadence or Barkus or Tiptina’s; I can hear the laughter and fun that they had while doing it.
I’m glad that camaraderie is alive and well with new groups of friends and colleagues in the Quarter working on their own future.
Letter to Councilperson Palmer
I would like weigh in on the ordinance to ban pedestrians in Jackson
Square between 1 am and 5 am. As someone who grew up in the Quarter
and often walked home from my second shift job after 1 am, having the
“eyes on the street” in the Square made that the safest route home.
I also recently lived on Saint Ann for a year a half a block from the
square and often saw tourists make their way there to get their
bearings late at night. The “regulars” who are there actually reduce
the opportunity for petty crimes.
I am SURE that shutting down the square is a bad move for safety. I
also know that it takes about 45 minutes for the cleaners to power
wash the square and that they do it around 6 am.
I appreciate the way that your office has shown leadership and a
thoughtful approach to representing your district. Most of the time, I
am fully behind your initiatives, but this one is misguided at best,
and at worst, is pandering to the few residents that want to believe
they live on a residential street, rather than the public square that
it truly is.
There are ways to restrict loud activity (if that is what you mean to
target) and ways to reduce, well whatever this is designed to reduce
without creating a safety vacuum.
How do you penalize staff working late who might be standing outside
of their door, or someone using the light to check a map? Who are
these people that must be removed for 4 hours anyway? How will this
assist the city in building a more vibrant future?
Please reconsider.
Street Piano
Keep an eye out for Ed and his piana….
Great rummage sale and Boo-tique day
Get to the edge of the French Market at Barracks to get your one of a kind Hallowe’en costume pieces from an amazing array of local artists. 17 years of dressing New Orleans for tricking and treating and it doesn’t look like its aged at all! Led by Cree McCree, the queen of flea (markets) as well as our region’s daring nutria fashionista paired with her fellow royalty, Tracy Thomson, milliner to well, everyone in the city, you’ll find all of your favorites artists here today from 12-6.
They’re set up in the place next to the flea market, right between Louisiana Pizza Factory and Tyler’s Produce, along the barricade.
After you see and buy there, get to Barracks and Chartres for the neighbors usual twice a year “yard” sale. Amazing finds as always from these professional pickers (and Lakin tells me that they will also be out tomorrow with more stuff from the warehouse, so stop by both days…)
All with a drink in your hand and the sun on your back….
Meeting at Mayor Ruffins place
French Quarter block by block 
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