The ongoing marsh fire in New Orleans East is menacing many elderly and asthmatic citizens of New Orleans and may continue for another day. Rain is forecasted over the weekend, but this is a not a simple brush fire, but one that exists above and below ground, making it harder to extinguish.
This is not the first time in recent memory smoke or smells have hit the old city hard, and is at least the third major event since August 2005 (warehouse fires during the levee breaks on the waterfront and the oil spill on the Mississippi in 2008) and of course, who can forget BP’s destruction of the gulf, endangering health far and wide when their shoddy oil rig exploded in 2010.
Interestingly though, the city’s air is quite clear and clean most of the time, which makes the overwhelming smell and sight of thick smoke this week even more unbearable, especially in the drip of summer.
The French Quarter seemed to get a whole bunch of the smoke and made those old houses useful as chimneys for a few hours. Lucky for the residents of the Quarter, there are plenty of air-conditioned bars and restaurants in which to escape…
Story
Category Archives: trouble
Upstairs Lounge Fire June 1973
There is a plaque embedded in the sidewalk remembering the victims of the fire at Iberville and Chartres. If memory serves me, it was Councilperson-at-large Oliver Thomas who made it happen. Unfortunately, he ended his political career serving time for kickbacks from Pampy Barre over French Quarter parking lot contracts.
He is again doing good deeds with different non-profits since his release.
Cyclists ticketed in French Quarter.
Puzzling the way that our NOPD is attacking lawlessness in the French Quarter. Crime is widespread by local accounts, and yet the main issue has become the ticketing of two-wheeled, human-powered indicators of a healthy city. No doubt we need education about what constitutes lawful cycling, but starting with tickets as the first line of communication seems unduly prescriptive.
That the diversity of use in the French Quarter is the reason for its vibrancy is the belief of this blog; therefore, we hope for some sanity to return to the 8th District by getting itself almost entirely on 2 wheels, talking and patrolling before ticketing anyone and maybe focusing more on activities that actually beget criminal behavior rather than those that actually may prevent it.
And help to reduce the friction between the wealthy and those who serve their needs.
Eris parade
Even though much of the Eris parade situation did not occur in the French Quarter, it does have a bearing on it. In this first link, the organizers talk about how they rerouted the parade to not go to Jackson Square because they could sense the tension from the idea of downtown artists coming to parade in the old city.
organizer interview
Second is the video of a police officer telling someone to put the camera down while they were doing what a citizen should do:
Eris/NOPD
And lastly, the NOPD (including the 8th District) is in this paraders account of his arrest:
Eris parader account
All I can say at this point (as we watch to see how this unfolds) is that we all need to take a deep breath, count the many ways that the creative culture makes this city thrive and do what we can to support more dynamic artist activity in the French Quarter and nearby neighborhoods.
Murder on Canal Street
Recently, there was a murder on Dauphine and Canal that is one of those moments teetering between high emotion and civic anger. A bartender from Pat O’Brien’s was killed while confronting someone who had hit a car with their fist or hand or something as they crossed in front of it. He got out of the car and things seem to escalate from there.
The tragedies here are numerous.
Not only is the bartender dead and murderers being hunted, there are those who saw this happen, those who knew the people involved, those who live near there or work near there, those who have loved ones who leave that night job to travel home and so on.
There are many tragedies because no man is an island.
And when crime happens, the bad part of “no man being an island” occurs to us. That we come in contact with dozens or hundreds of people a day and some maybe closer to the edge that we know. That so much of it is truly random. And we never know when it is our time or when that time is thrust upon us by someone who has hate or boiling anger at the ready.
There is much talk about why was this guy around there at that time of night. Those who ask why he got out of the car. Why the person or persons who did this got away so easily. Or how does someone hitting an automobile escalate into a life ending. There will be accusations thrown at French Quarter police or City Council or someone else. And there will be people who point out that another senseless crime just happened in the French Quarter. And there will be general talk of the people who hang out on Canal” or of “kids” or “groups of kids” or whatever shorthand is used. But truly, as many of us have come to know personally, tragedy is often without a purpose or a clear line of reasoning to explain the moment in reflection.
Crime happens where there are too many people, not enough people, family members only, one bored person, groups of evil people-really just about any combination. It happens in lovely suburbs, city corners, million dollar homes and trailers. And it happens to kids and adults of every ethnicity.
It does not just happen to white people in the French Quarter. And it does not happen only at the hands of young African-Americans, far from it. Don’t fill that well.
People become unhinged from being a victim and in turn prey on others. People grow up with every chance and throw them all away from mental unbalance. Or a moment just becomes uncontrollable. It happens everywhere where anger or apathy live. Which, sadly is a lot of places.
So the best way to repel crime is to watch for anger or apathy. Be vigilant for signs of them and do your best to gently steer the situation away those. If a situation is already too far gone, than step away and call authorities. If you recognize apathy or anger in yourself, then you might be able to spot it correctly in others. There are so many people in the world now, we need to look at each other in every instance and take stock. Be wary when in times and places that high levels of unbalance might be lurking. Be courteous and give way when you can, when it does not cost you safety. Move carefully through a world that is teetering on the brink of something.
And stop blaming any one group for all the world’s ills.
St. Louis good citizen
Good citizen June Wiley calls police at 5 am, suspect caught soon after. AND is looking fresh as a daisy a few hours after when reporters catch up to her. (she’s my mom so maybe I’m a bit biased)…
Seriously, this is why we need to get rents in line with real costs so regular people can live in the French Quarter. This block of St. Louis is made up of mostly full-time residents except for the large house that has been empty for over 20 years. They clean their street, keep lights working and remain the “eyes on the street”. That’s even with 2 tough bars on this corner and on the next.
And sure that owner of the large empty house pays property tax (well I guess he does), but I suspect his assessment has stayed low and since the owner does not use the building or rent it or add to the liveability of the street, it seems pretty nice of the renting neighbors to watch out for his property for him.
Phones are more valuable than beads
The robbery rate in the French Quarter would probably be cut in half if folks would just put their iPhones in their pockets and not be distracted by blabbing or texting–3 of 4 simple robberies this past week were of iPhones:
* Monday (10.11.10) 2:30 a.m.: Police are trying to pinpoint the time and place of a cellphone robbery that the victim didn’t report until well after it occurred and didn’t know exactly where or when he was robbed. Police think the 30-year-old white man had his iPhone snatched from his hand by a black guy near Royal and St. Ann streets.
The robber was described as 5’8″ to 5’10” tall, wearing a long-sleeved white shirt, dark jeans, and a white hat.
* Sunday (10.10.10) 5:40 a.m.: A 33-year-old white guy standing–not texting–at the corner of Bourbon and Canal streets was robbed by a black chic who, he says, came up and pulled money out of his pocket. He tried to grab her, but she pushed him and he fell to the ground as she ran down Bourbon.
She is described as 25 to 35 years old, 5’6″ tall, weighing 120 pounds, wearing a red shirt and blue jeans.
* Sunday (10.10.10) 10:30 p.m.: A 20-year-old white woman standing in the 500 block of Bourbon Street (between Toulouse and St. Louis streets) when a black boy came up and snatched her iPhone from her hand. He fled on foot down Conti Street toward N. Rampart Street.
The police caught up with the 13-year-old juvenile and booked him for robbery.
* Sunday (10.5.10) 8:20 p.m.: A 51-year-old white woman walking on the Moonwalk near Dumaine Street had her cellphone grabbed from her grasp by a black guy riding by on a bicycle.
He was described as having short hair and dark complexion, wearing a white hoodie and dark pants.
Temper, temper: A couple of tantrums led to the guns and knives coming out:
* Friday (10.8.10) 11:20 p.m.: Two black dudes got into an argument outside a club at Toulouse and N. Rampart streets when Jeffery McEleveen, 19, allegedly took out a knife and threatened the other guy, 27. When a bouncer from the nearby club tried to intervene, McEleveen allegedly swung the knife at both guys before fleeing on foot.
Police caught up with McEleveen and booked him on 2 counts of aggravated assault. He is in OPP on $20,000 bond.
* Sunday (10.3.10) 4:37 a.m.: A 25-year-old black guy walking in the 800 block of Iberville Street (between Bourbon and Dauphine streets) got into an argument with another black guy who pulled out a pistol and fired at him before fleeing on foot.
The shooter was described as 5’5″ tall, weighing 160 pounds, with a medium complexion, wearing a navy blue shirt and blue cap.
* * *
Crimes last week in the 8th District
(Click on the crime map to enlarge it)
Sunday (10.3.10)
Simple Robbery, 500 Esplanade, 3:59 a.m.
Aggravated Assault, 800 Iberville, 4:36 a.m.
Auto Theft, 934 Esplanade, 12:43 p.m.
Armed Robbery, 600 St Philip, 9:40 p.m.
Auto Theft, 700 St Ann, 9:44 p.m.
Armed Robbery, 400 Julia, 10:26 p.m.
Monday (10.4.10)
Auto Burglary, 100 N Rampart, 12:15 a.m.
Bicycle Theft, 100 Elk, 5:56 a.m.
Bicycle Theft, 900 Convention Center, 6:50 p.m.
Tuesday (10.5.10)
Theft, 300 Canal, 7:14 a.m.
Theft, 610 Poydras, 8:01 a.m.
Theft, 843 Camp, 3:40 p.m.
Simple Robbery, Decatur & Dumaine, 8:10 p.m.
Wednesday (10.6.10)
Theft, 721 St Philip, 8:43 a.m.
Theft, 1027 Touro, 11:53 a.m.
Bicycle Theft, N Maestri & St Charles, 4:59 p.m.
Thursday (10.7.10)
Theft, 881 Convention Center, 2:40 a.m.
Theft, 900 Convention Center, 10:52 a.m.
Theft, 604 Julia, 5:53 p.m.
Auto Burglary, Iberville & N Rampart, 11:43 p.m.
Friday (10.8.10)
Shoplifting, 701 Royal, 11:00 a.m.
Bicycle Theft, 344 St Joseph, 4:39 p.m.
Theft, 8 Canal, 6:03 p.m.
Theft, 300 Bourbon, 6:25 p.m.
Aggravated Assault, N Rampart & Toulouse, 11:25 p.m.
Saturday (10.9.10)
Theft, 555 Canal, 1:56 a.m.
Theft, 200 Bourbon, 4:03 a.m.
Auto Theft, Perdido & S Rampart, 1:28 p.m.
French Quarter block by block 
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