The Listening Post is teaming up with the Unprisoned project, a new media initiative by award winning independent radio producer Eve Abrams. We want to understand better how jails and prisons impact society here in Louisiana, where 1 in 75 residents are incarcerated, the highest rate in the world.
We asked our Listening Post audiences two questions:
1. What do jails and prisons do?
2. How do jails and prisons change people?
Here’s what people had to say.
1. What do jails and prisons do?
Jails are businesses, it all goes back to money. They’re there to keep people of color scared and of course they change people by giving them ptsd, and other psychological disorders. 9 times out of 10 that person shouldn’t even be in a jail, instead they should be getting medical treatment. But it’s easier to lock our problems away and forget about them instead of facing them head on and making a true change. Just look at how this country has dealt with the fact that the European settlers massacred an entire race of people and then pretend as if nothing happened. Do you actually think that those same people would help the people that they brought here, enslaved, and ruined for generations? Of course not.
Physically prevent criminals from pursuing more crimes while in jail. That is it. Does not prevent after they are released. In fact could make worse.
I understand they provide no real solutions to serve society – more can be done here. In the UK nobody earns money from prisoner but I’ve learnt that’s not the case in the US. It makes no sense to the level headed mass people
In my opinion jails and prisons breed racial hatred and hardened criminals. I am a member of the Welcome Table of New Orleans. It is a partnership between the city of New Orleans and the Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation. I have been waiting my whole life to be part of an effort to break down racial isolation.
Put lives on hold
Perpetuate a police state.
Teach folks that there is no way out of the way they was brought up
Simply serve as a warehouse for criminals.
A lot of psychological damage for starters
Transfer wealth from taxpayers to the prison industrial complex
Jails are short-term holding facilities for criminals, prisons are longer-term.
Harden the human soul
Ensure recidivism.
Supposedly reform criminals
They don’t reform… The produce better criminals
Prisons is doing more harm than good unless there is restoration present To many in over time the crime doesn’t fit the crime
Ruin the lives of our most vulnerable and waste our tax dollars
Nothing
Keep some criminals locked up but mostly it’s people with misdemeanor charges.
Jails create disconnection and indifference, and seem to make money doing it… we are squandering a chance to make a greater world by locking up the victims of our problematic society. every human deserves love in their lives, especially those who have lived through violence and desperation. we should hate the crime and not the criminal. a ‘jail’ should be an environment of forgiveness and healing.
They make the owners of them very wealthy. To my knowledge, mostly all prisons in La are privately owned and receive a perdeim on each jailed person. Now, what’s wrong with that? Do you think the owners want their jails empty?
2. How do jails and prisons change people?
The prison expierence can have a variety of emotional and physical effects on people, mostly negative. Generally, it hardens people and compromises their health. The more time a person spends in prison, the less likely they are to successfully transition back into the community after their release.
Probably for the worse. No experience.
Make them harder criminals
In a negative way although it can humble men having solace to realize what’s important - this being a double negative. Yes in the UK I have…
No personal experience, but from what I’ve heard and read, often they do little good for the majority that end up incarcerated.
No. I don’t believe they change folks for the better, usually.
I think some criminals benefit, but some learn to be better criminals.
They strain relationships and stigmatize people.
Yes. They completely derail lives. It’s so hard to reintegrate.
No personal experience. I can imagine people who are locked up feel more anxiety, and may have long-lasting mental and emotional difficulties. Not necessarily severe, but I imagine it changes a person.
It institutionalizes the mind and behavior of men. Neither of those things worm best when constrained.
I’ve worked for criminal lawyers in another state. The United States has the highest rate of incarceration of children. It usually makes them worse. Jails wind up being a viable short-term housing/meal option for people in poverty. With very few exceptions prisons do little to rehabilitate and often harden their inhabitants even more.
No personal experience. It seems to be a broken system
They more r less stunts the mind !!!.No . No personal experience now r never
They make them career criminals and dehumanize them. I run the Louisiana campaign for equal justice and fight full time for this
They don’t change u, help is needed for your problem than if that don’t work jail. I spent 3 yrs in jail.
People can’t see they’re relatives on the regular. Find out they’re loosing people and it’s nothing they can do about it because they can’t see them. It’s sad.
Jails teach the world to hate and hold grudges. They create polarity. They are the antithesis of family.
I know first hand and it’s not good. It ruins people and families lives. For those who deserve to be in jail, have to pay the price and nobody cares who else it hurts. Especially the perpetrators!!!
A recent Pew Research Center report highlighted the fact that the United States is no longer a majority middle income country. We here at the Listening Post thought dropping this report during the holiday season made for some interesting questions. So, we’re asking folks around New Orleans both how they’re feeling about their place on the economic scale, and how that impacts their gift buying this December.
How do you feel when you look at your bank statement this time of year?
I feel like my income isn’t enough and rent is too high. It makes me consider leaving my craft and picking up a better paying soul crushing job.
I try to finish my Christmas shopping by the end of October so there is no shock on my bank statement.
Depressed.
Not too bad but somewhat depressed.
Nervous
Poor
I know it’s going to be going fast because of the holidays
Bad
Happy
Depressed
Annoyed
Good Morning and Merry Christmas; God demonstrates his own love for us in this, While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Pissed off because I’m overqualified and underpaid. However, I eat everyday and pay all my bills.
Depressed
Like I’m way more privileged than I like to think I am
Totally depressed. Extremely depressed and immobilized.
Distraught
Not great.
I have a conviction on my record frm 23yr ago. Not even Lowes for 10 an hour will hire me. They say black men don’t want to work! Excuses and lies.
Not sure about that
Are you joking? Take a guess. Have been unemployed for four months now!and it’s not because I choose to be.
Depressed, on paper , sure I’m middle class add kids and life; I’m just an ants hair from poor.
Grateful, thankful and blessed
Depressed
Fortunately, I am a hustler and work very hard for a GREAT company that pays decent. My husband also has great work ethic and owns his own business in New Orleans. We have kids and created a comfy lifestyle for them. Neither one of us finished college and together we make over 120k a year. We are not rich but we live well. It’s all about busting ass and not being lazy!!!
😳😱😭
Nauseous
Nauseous
I find joy in many other things beside money, so I’m not affected by the number I see.
Depressed, stressed
Yikes!
I feel panic, regret, despair, and hopelessness- all year.
Depressed!!
Not good
I work two jobs and still do not seem to be getting anywhere
👍
Depressed. Supplemental taxes due. Sincerely, a California resident
I’m depressed when I look at my bank statement any time of the year, but the holidays is especially the pits.
On a boner scale, flaccid penis.
I have no bank statement I live from pay check to pay check
I feel very lucky to be able to save a bit most months - no debt, no kids, low cost lifestyle - but this time of year I can’t save much.
I feel great, I don’t believe n go'en broke for tha holidays.
Sad and depressed.
Grateful but inspired to hustle in 2016
😄
I feel fine
I feel poor and I’m not technically poor. Nor do I have outrageous expenses. I think “living wages” in this country need some serious fucking reassessment.
Where’s my bonus?
Feel ok
I’m fine with it. We’re on the upper end of the middle class
You know…how am I gonna make it all happen?
Disgusted. Due to the shift in the economy, we are not making it even with two full time jobs
I feel bad because of economy and no money no work and just trying to make sure that everything is going well
Been feeling anxious. Feeling even worse since signing up for affordable health care yesterday.
I live check to check. Nothing to see in my bank account.
Where did my life go so wrong
What happened to all my lofty savings goals
Cautious
Good warm weather and little rain has been good llll the SOD Business
Depressed at the taxes I have to pay
Depressed
Worried sick
I try to finish my Christmas shopping by the end of October so thete is no shock on my bank statement.
How much will you spend on holiday gifts?
First year I won’t be able to purchase one for everyone special. Only 2.40$
Probably around $200 only because I picked up some extra income this month
More than I can afford I’m sure. $200-300
$200
Very little
200-300
Less than 150
Under $100
I don’t know yet
$600
$150
$0.00
$175
Zero or less.
$400
$1
$300 total
$400.00
Too much? Big familyZ
Prob won’t buy any
I usually make gifts to make them more personal and economically feasible. This year I don’t have access to all my craft supplies because my house is being renovated and everything is packed up. So I’m buying gifts for the first time in a decade and am ashamed at how much I’ve spent.
I bought my kids gifts from my job with my employee discount, the most I spent was $16.99
I have spent about $300 on gifts
No more than $200
Not much, maybe a couple of hundred dollars
Ain’t nobody gettin’ presents this year. Uncle Sam caught up with Ol’ St. Nick
Less than $500
$1200
$300-$400
About $200
The going rate of hookers and Coke. About that much
Several hundred dollhairs between family and friends. Which is pretty friggin stressful.
$400
Depends, about same as years past.
$3,000
$500
Less than $500
I will spend maybe $100.00 on my grand children
$600
$1200
$72.00
two gifts-$40 each
$1000
$60
Will spend $600
$300
$250
$300 throughout the year
The cost of a seafood gumbo, which I’ll make with my aunt and share with friends and family - merry merry.
$300 for boyfriend and mother.
Around $400
30 for company exchange
Around $300
More than I should
$150
😂
2000k
$150
That’s personal
$500
Don’t have anything to spend.
What’s the gift you wanted most as a kid?
Ha! Ice skates I swore I was going to be a figure skater.
Puppy
Cars
A tree house.
A robot.
Cap pistols.
Drumset
An electric guitar
Remote control car
A cell phone
Scooter
I’m still a teenager-Xbox One
Braces
Holly hobbie doll. Jordache jeans.
A banjo.
To be rich
A Optimus Prime
My parent’s time and/or attention.
A dog
Skateboard
Don’t know.
A dog
A parent
We didn’t have a lot of money growing up. I was happy with new shoes and clothes.
power wheels 🚗 lol I never got one my dad said they’re a waste of money and will break and he was kinda right
Star wars stuff
A mannequin
Guitar
I don’t remember
A wolf
Adulthood.
Horse
Toys that can be built - trains with tracks, cardboard cut out castles to sit in - or just a cardboard box
A unicycle!
Money
A horse.
Unlimited gifts.
A bike
I most wanted a CD player/ sound system
An easy bake oven.
Bycicle
Baseball glove
A horse
Bike
A bike, roller blades, things to get me around!
A skateboard. And a carpentry set. Comical homo harbingers.
Magic potty baby
Berkshire Hathaway stock
A cabbage patch kid
Cabbage patch doll & mcdonalds cooking set
Hot Wheels Racing Track
Easy Baker oven and bicycle
Doll House
Big Wheels
Teen years was music (albums) before that I just wanted the day to come.
With news that more than 20 US Governors are seeking to restrict Syrian refugees from resettling in their state’s, we wanted to see what our loyal Listening Post audience had to say. And also see what questions they’d like to ask Syrians who have already been resettled here in the US.
Should Louisiana help refugees from other countries–Why/Why not? How?
Of course Louisiana and the rest of this great country should help refugees from other nations, especially refugees from countries we are at war with. There are refugees who seek political asylum and even those who actually change their minds and find themselves under an oppressive regime after war; we should take them in too. Bottom line is if we are involved we should try to help more than kill. I’m speaking from a personal point of view. I was born in a refugee camp. My family could have moved to France (a country’s language they were fluent in) or Australia, but they chose America, because my dad said he was seeking the American dream. As cliche as it sounds it’s a very real thing that exists in the minds of people who want a second chance when they are caught in desperate situations. We should help refugees with social services, sponsorships and education. Accepting refugees is the only way to make things right.
No ! Why is the US always coming to everyone’s rescue ?? We’re all the way across the ocean -thousands of miles from there-why can’t other countries closer do it ??
Yes. Every country and state in the U.S. has an obligation to take in refugees. Syria took in countless refugees during WWII, the Soviet Union and Bosnian Genocide. We do have the money, despite what people like to think. We are out of our recession and recovering quite nicely. Put them in subsidized housing, send their kids to public school where they may learn English, and parents look for jobs.
Refusing Syrian refugees is contemptible.
Yes!!!
Lets see, weren’t cajuns originally refugees? I would rather have hardworking Syrians living nearby than a close minded, hard hearted tea-party bigot. Besides the vetting process for refugees is pretty secure.
YES! Because combined they would boost the brainpower of this stupid state.
Of course we should. Refugees are fleeing from ISIS. Malicious actors are probably already here/would come in some other way. Refugee backlash is pure racism in disguise
Yes, we should help. They should be investigated thoroughly before being let in to our state and city.
Yes! Because we should not shut out doors to people in need
Yes. The strength of this country is in its diversity. Also, immigrants work extremely hard. We benefit from their presence.
Yes! It is part of our history and what our country stands for.
America was founded on the principle of this country being a melting pot..coming together, blending and assimilating..not a smelting pot..actions of reducing or separating. A great nation of free people who speak the common language, English, owe honor and allegiance to our common Flag instead of burning it and desecrating it. SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING.
Absolutely. Anybody know about the MS St Louis? USA denied entry to a ship full of Jewish refugees during the start of WW2, who ultimately had to go back to Europe. Approx ¼ to ½ of them died in death camps. Is this who we want to be as a society? We’re a country that claims the Bible as our guiding light, but where’s our compassion that the Bible teaches? Are we just a country of Convenient Christians? Anybody know what the Bible says about lukewarm Christians?..
Yes!! We most definitely should. There is room in the Gumbo for some Syrians. Hard to imagine NOLA without the Vietnamese. They are such an important part of our culture now. Plus, by saying no we are letting the terrorists from outside win. Would we lay down if it were jerks like the KKK in our own country? Mr. Obama only wants to admit 10k Syrians, all of which would be submitted to our rigorous screening process. Jindal and the other 30 governors are sowing fear and hate.
I would hope they would be open to meeting and speaking with the public and different organizations to open up the publics eyes that not all Syrians are bad
New Orleanians were refugees just 10 years ago. After many of these people committed crimes in welcoming communities, we were still accepted. I’m sure glad the rest of the country didn’t turn it’s back on us after Katrina. Besides, had Jindal done anything right yet?
Block resettlement until residents of LA are taken care of. It is an unnecessary burden on an already struggling state.
Yes, yes and yes. Absentminded fear breeds xenophobia. There is a way to intelligently bring folks in need to our state. The question is whether or not we will be intelligent about it!
Absolutely! Refugees are some of the most well screened people to enter our country. They are fleeing from the terror that we are trying to prevent and it is wrong to deny them aid.
No. We have too many of our own that need help first.
No. Unless America is problem free, which it is not, our money should be used to strengthen us first and foremost. Afterwards, sure and most definitely we should help where we can.
Of course. We should help any way me can. The US is built on being a refuge for those fleeing oppression.
Louisiana has one of the highest murder/incarceration rates in the nation, Jindal knows this but chooses to distract us with right-wing grandstanding. Jindal as a Christian should remember the lesson of the Good Samaritan who helped someone from a different ethnic group as an example of true charity!
No because they might have terrorist mix up with the people
Yes the bible is quite clear on this. One should help all refugees.
We dont have the money to do it, whose going 2 pay for all this?
Of course we should.
Yes, we should offer help. We are very lucky to live in a country where we are protected as citizens, assisting refugees is the humanitarian minimum.
Yes! Our country was founded by people fleeing persecution. The statue of liberty invites the huddled masses. Fear is not what made America great. Where are Jindal’s parents from? What a disgusting hypocrite.
No! Not on our land. We cannot risk it. We have no way to check and prove their true identity. Maybe some how assist them on their own land but not here.
Of course we should. That’s what we do. That’s what people did for us after Katrina. All Jindal and his type want is to appear tough when I’m fact their reactions are anything but. They operate from a place of fear. They are the cowards they are the ones that cannot be trusted to keep the people safe. Shame on him for being afraid.
Yes by actually taking refugees. Practically none have arrived. Jindal is just posturing.
Yes! Louisiana should continue to help refugees from other countries and should increase the aid given to nonprofit social service organizations that are doing so.
ABSOLUTELY.
With his recently purported 70% disapproval rating, who cares what he thinks? The number of refugees resettled in La. is in double digits (wow) and if they’ve been allowed THIS far in the process, then they’ve already been vetted through a high level of national security. No one gets planted into a U.S. community overnight, it actually takes closer to three years from start to finish. Bad folks are EVERYWHERE, but that doesn’t stop us all from being compassionate and helpful to the less fortunate, people who are truly struggling for BASIC human rights and human dignity.
No help for right now or there needs to be better screening
Yes. Why should we not?
Yes! It’s one of the founding principles of our country. We can’t change who we are in the face of fear. Should we have also turned away WW2 refugees fleeing
YES- Louisiana should support Syrian refugees. Jindal is an ignorant bigot. Governors have no jurisdiction to deny refugees. That’s federal domain
Yes. Always help those in need.
Yes. Because we are a humane nation built by refugees. Traditional safety screening measures aided by new technology should be adequate.
No. No resettlement In La. especially for Syrian refugees to prevent terrorism at home. By not allowing them refuge.
Yes, of course it should. It has a legal and moral obligation to do so.
Yes! Of course. Our country is a nation of immigrants and we are fortunate enough to have plenty to share. We should open our heart and arms to these poor souls that are in true need of a home.
Yes, of course. Louisianans, especially those from New Orleans, should understand how it feels to be a refugee. Where would we be if other states had turned us away after Hurricane Katrina? Our culture, job market and overall state will only be enriched by accepting Syrian refugees. We can simply start by giving them food, shelter and love.
Yes absolutely
Yes. Louisiana is a state rich in immigrants from other countries – though some were brought forcibly against their will. Syrian refugees need a place to feel safe and free from persecution.
Yes, It is in both America’s & Louisiana’s best interests to accept immigrants from wherever they come from, assuming they are law abiding & willing. Gov. Jindal needs to toss his own political/personal agenda to the curb & do the job he’s paid to do, which is to serve the citizens of Louisiana. Diversity is our greatest strength & people are our greatest resource.
No we should not. We have our hands more than full. Atrocious crime rates as well as police response times, lack of education and employment opportunity, incarceration of our youth- let’s address just one of these before we solve the problems of the world.
Yes, it is our duty to take in refugees.
YES! LA should help. Of the hundreds of thousands of refugees one terrorist does not negate our responsibility to aid so many in need.
Of course we should. We have an obligation to help others and any attempt to ignore that obligation based on recent actions by extremists is irrational, reactionary, and self-defeating. Surely nothing could further encourage terrorism like mistreatment of war victims/refugees.
If you could ask a Syrian resettling here in Louisiana a question, what would you ask?
I’d ask them what their skills and profession are so I could do my best to put them in contact with likeminded individuals.
Welcome! What do you think of your new home? Xoxoxo
What was the level of scrutiny you went through in order to settle in the US?
How well is your English and how has it impacted your job prospects?
How they ended up here…
I would just be a listener. Listen to their plight, ask them about their lives, their homes, their families. Give them an eager ear and open heart.
What would you do to fix the problems in Syria?
What can I do to help you feel at home?
How long did it take for you to get here?
What made you flee?
When are you moving to another state ?
What is the root cause of all the terrorism. What is it they truly want?
What is their perspective on everything that is happening? What food do they miss from home? Is there a Syrian artist we should all know about? Did they leave family behind?
WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT YOUR NEW HOME??
Are you hungry? Come on in.
Will you assimilate and how will you be of value to society?
What more can we do to make this feel closer to home for you?
What benefits have you experienced from being relocated to Louisiana?
Do u really want to be here?
I would ask them if they have ever tried crawfish or gumbo before. And proceed to offer them some if not! We are known for our hospitality, let us not abandon our values out of irrational fear!
Can you be ready by noon to leave?
What more can I do for you?
What do you need?
How can I help?
What more can we do to help you become a productive American citizen.
Why did you leave your home?
When will you go home?
What are your greatest needs? How can I help?
Have you been treated well & were you able to get out with your family?
How are you? What do you need to establish yourself so you can contribute to society?
When are you going back?
What do you need?
I’d leave them alone.
What has been one of your biggest challenges in the US after leaving your home?
Is there anything you need that I could help you with?
Why did you need to leave Syria?
How can we help you?
What was the vetting process you had before you were granted asylum in the USA? How long did it take? Do you feel welcome in the US? Do you feel safer? What are your concerns?
How’s ya mom'em?
How can you help us understand the refugee challenges and what could we do to improve screening measures? Can you actually help?
How do we know you’re not a terrorist?
I would ask them to tell me about their experiences in Syria & in coming here.
What can we do to help you feel welcome and comfortable?
Read about the History of the Listening Post, and our Guide to making your own. As always, drop us a note listeningpostnola@gmail.com if you have any follow up questions.
Walking around New Orleans, it’s hard not to run into live music. This city has a soundtrack, and it changes from block to block.
Thanks to smart phones, it’s easier than ever to record some of that sound, and share it. Please! if you hear some music and record it around town, send it our way, we’d love to post it-listeningpostnola@gmail.com
You’ve just been elected mayor of New Orleans, what’s your plan to reduce crime citywide?
And you replied:
Return charter schools to control of OPSB. Create vo-tech programs at schools that feed into apprenticeships with businesses. Raise min wage. Rebuild scattered site public housing. Have well staffed community centers in high poverty areas with health care, counseling, job help etc. Require 20% affordable housing for any private project over twenty units. Decrim drugs. Improve mass transit. It’s all related. Crime is response to poverty and institu racism
Make better schools that make children and teenagers happier by giving them more opportunities to explore their interests and by working with them to develop their emotional and social skills.
Build more community centers so kids have a place to go after school. Pay more and hire more cops. Get them to walk the streets – we need more beat cops.
Take a trip to the Aspen Ideas Festival to tell other mayors how effective my plan is. Plus midnight basketball.
Safety is always illusory
Citywide free music education
Increase social services offered; recognize that “crime” is a construct of poverty rather than a group of bad guys to defeat
I would make a general tax hike for police new hires and I would make sure that we as a city are not saying anything unnecessarily that way we can shift that money over to pain for more police officers giving them a better salary. I would also try to start better community outreach programs to help with you that are at risk
sonofasaint.org
Legalize marijuana. Decriminalize possession of small amounts of all drugs. Enforce prosecutorial misconduct. Create economic programs in most marginalized areas of city
If I was elected mayor I would have more in house and out house activity for the young youth …do more of keeping our young kids off the st’s also a after school job for the youths (like a summer job)
To reduce crime, start by implementing a real public school system. Education is the only way out of poverty and crime. As for corruption and white collar crime, this town is fucked.
Long term focus on greater funding for education and employment opportunities for low income people. Repair streetlights, put in more street cams, hire more cops. Have to work on tax structure to find funding though, which could require help from state govt. (ex end tax subsidies for oil industry and use to fund schools). State troopers (often) won’t be familiar with community cultures; we need police officers who are connected to the city who know the beat. Also sales tax is regressive. If residents want to fund state police in their hood, increase property taxes. Although the idea of tourists absorbing some of the burden makes sense…
People are desperate here. The average cost of a two bedroom apartment here is no less than 900.00 a month for working people. NOT SEC. 8. WORKING PEOPLE. Things in this city and abroad will continue to get worse , until thier are much better wages for people who just want to earn a honest living.
Work tightly with Project NOLA.
More better high-quality jobs.
Begin by expanding mental health services~~providing Grief Counseling for anyone who has lost someone to gun violnce #blacklivesmatter
Provide incentives for parents if children are enrolled in after school extracurriculars, summer programs, etc. Also by providing more options for families who cannot afford summer programs/extracurriculars for their children. Make it mandatory for younger students to participate in a “scared straight” type of program where they visit a prison and are able to see what their life would be like if they committed crimes.
Clean out the police department and hire and pay officers well.
The only solutions that work! Massively fund both the local school system, prompting higher teacher salaries and lower attrition, as well as funding criminal justice re-entry programs targeted towards GED and skills training.
Make everyday Mardi Gras
Fire all of Mitch’s deputy mayors. The money they get for doing nothing is certainly criminal.
Neighborhood watch. Increase police presence. Renovate areas that encourage crime to rejuvenate them. Work on removing blight differently and improving the strategy to increase jobs and adult education/training.
We also asked:
What’s a recent crime that sticks with you? Do you feel like safety is better/worse/same in the city?
I think crime is more or less the same overall. Crime is getting more attention because it’s affecting the white and affluent now.
I don’t know how it has evolved because I don’t read or listen to that kind of news. I’ve heard some people say that it has gotten worse.
the rash of break-ins and rapes is super scary to me.
Everywhere I go I feel unsafe, and the people around me seem uneasy and scared.
A friend of a friend was the subject of a home invasion by some sadist, and was subsequently stabbed 12 times
The string of sexual assaults in the Bywater struck me as a woman who bikes alone for transportation often. I cannot say that safety is “better or worse.” Better or worse for who? Things may be safer for affluent white people as rent rises and only people who can easily participate in the local business economy as a result of growing up highly educated, having access to contraception (so as not to become a teen mom) etc can live in the city. But for local black families who have lived here for generations, I think it’s worse. The city sells the culture of our historic black neighborhoods to tourists but then fails to protect them.
There was a second line shooting next to my house on Easter and another drive by at the same area this past weekend. I feel like the safety is deteriorating because the people in power are only focusing on the areas where tourists frequent
Gunshots outside my house two nights ago. Probably the same
Basically the same but with a little more interesting from our community …it could be better an all unsolved crimes sticks with me …we need some great cops that Don’t mind getting there hands dirty on a good deed
We’re not safe anywhere in this town. I grew up here and it has never gotten any better. It only gets worse. Then you give it a week and it’s a regular day again. I’ve known eight people who have been murdered in this town. That’s not normal and I don’t fall in a marginalized population. The recent serial rapes are bothersome. It would be nice if whoever gets elected really cared.
It seems to me like crime comes in ways and in terms of individual experience so random, I feel the same in terms of my personal safety. Recently there have been several armed sexual assaults in my neighborhood (upper 9th) and that has been on our mind. Locking up and being more cautious than I was six months ago. But people are getting robbed having dinner at atchafalaya so crime doesn’t seem to be isolated in any geographical sense.
Too many. Safety is worse.
Arm robbery. Definitely worst. Without a doubt.
The murder rate in general It will not go down until the focus becomes NOT “stop the shooting” but creating a support system for the factors that contribute to WHY
Uptown robbings. I feel like safety is worse.
The recent restaurant robberies, I do not feel safe to eat out at night.
I’d rather not perseverate on crime. The numbers don’t lie regarding the changes in safety.
Atchafalaya stick up
The 11- and 6-year olds looking for trouble, armed with a gun.
Safety is bad. Not better or worse. I don’t feel safe walking downtown in the evenings.
We’ve been asking people all summer a few questions about commemoration and the art of moving on. But best you hear more about that from the experts…the wonderful voices…
…and SMSers that reached out to our project the last few months.
-To not have Obama, Clinton, AND Bush come to our city. It is a time of mourning and remembrance, not a publicity stunt. They can send their condolences from afar, that’s fine.
-I think we should remember the positive things that came out of Katrina. In some way each of us have experienced, learned something positive from disaster. Let’s remember how bad our public schools were pre Katrina, and how they are improving with each passing anniversary of the storm.
-Storytelling
-Fuggetaboutit! But seriously, tribute those who helped and remember those lost.
-I think monuments are important for keeping significant stuff in public conciousness. In an unconventional way, the lingering blighted houses with the Katrina search markings on them are disaster monuments. I think the personal monuments people keep, especially in the 9, are important. I think public art is also a really important way to express the emotional shitstorm of Katrina.
-First off, by having a day of prayer. Secondly, perhaps doing something for our children living in poverty and fear in our city. A day when they can be outside enjoying life without fear!!
-Through music. Bring our city together to heal through music. There’s nothing more powerful or spiritual than that feeling of being connected through song and harmony.
-The Best way ll Commemorate KATRINA is ll wake up put your pants on one leg at a time, Throw your love to the Memories of it all And just keep, keeping
-Give to others in need- (Nepal), light candles that can float on the lakefront for every life lost..from federal disaster that continued long after the flood- from stress as well as the heat, dehydration, life on the road for elders etc. many more than the recorded numbers
-We can hold on to the memories forever, yet it’s time to move on and make our city the best it can be.
-Preserve the lessons, remember the lost. Don’t hold onto he past if it only hurts. The best way to move past a tragedy is to not dwell on the negative but the positive where it might be, I would think.
-I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive. Ignoring the specter of Katrina wouldn’t change a damn thing. It’s how you address all the complicated feelings about it that determines how you move forward.
-We who have returned have lived with the changes and re-built our lives understanding that some things may never be the same as pre K
-Gradually let go of judgment, but never forget
-We always preserve. We always remember. We reflect and we think about how that pain has pushed us, molded us, and changed us in positive and not so positive ways. We never forget because that pain makes us who we are.
-Ask what’s going to be better for you in the end- is the preservation going to benefit you and your community? If not, let go
-Preserve the Last bit of the Dark Chocolate this City Knows, And Let Go All of the Haters, NOLAW
-We need to remember the lives lost and how far we’ve come, and how far we still have to go. A ritual helps us bow to the lives of the past, the present and future
We’ve teamed up with Nola.com | The Times-Picayune to produce a segment called Street Wise. First, we head out to the hardest-to-pronounce streets in New Orleans, then we hit up a linguist for a little background.
We’ve teamed up with Nola.com | The Times-Picayune to produce a segment called Street Wise. First, we head out to the hardest-to-pronounce streets in New Orleans, then we hit up a linguist for a little background.
