JANUARY 20, 2007 Musicians Union Hall 2401 Esplanade Ave. New Orleans, LA 70119
Marching in
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together.
“No,” he said, “we just all met up here.” He explained that he was a teacher at Nunez Community Walking with the Anti-crime crowd College in Chalmette. He said he’d marched before ten years ago after by Travis Leger “the Pizza Kitchen murders,” he called them. He said his name was Budda Bill McPherson We parked on Decatur near the French Mar- and introduced me to his wife, Nevada, beket and walked toward Canal St. We turned hind him. She also teaches at Nunez Comon Canal St. to face the gathered crowd at munity College. “Some of the staff at the college, the entrance to the Canal St. Ferry. A red secretaries, have had their FEMA trailers helicopter roared above us. broken into and stuff stolen. The trailers are We stopped and soaked it all in. right there on campus,” Nevada told me. Signs of all kinds in the air. One asked, “I’m a speech teacher,” Budda Bill MORE MURDERS THAN ROAD HOME CHECK? Another, DO YOU KNOW chimed in. “All of my students know someWHAT IT MEANS TO MISS EARTH? one who’s been killed. They show their bulCOME TO NEW ORLEANS. The head of let wounds for show and tell,” he said in the crowd started up Canal. We joined the disgust. A minute later I saw him venting march. A single drum thundered somewhere his frustrations to a reporter. I spotted a group of teens from ahead. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. More Rabouin High School, the school of the redrumming began from behind. cently murdered band director Dinerral Shavers, killed over Christmas break, and student Traydell Keeler, who was killed over Thanksgiving break. Their pictures were on one of their signs. “Stop the violence!” one of the girls shouted, echoing the sign she held. Another sign read VIOLENCE IS CALLING – DON’T ANSWER DA PHONE. I talked to one of the young ladies named Tyra. I mentioned that I read about the English class at her school writing essays on the theme ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. She said they were also creating a newspaper called the R-Report, “because a lot is going on.” Tyra pointed ahead at a sign and read aloud to her classmate beside her, “Shot in car jacking.” There ahead of us was a woman I had noticed before carrying We progressed up Canal St. and turned left off of Canal. The trailing mem- two signs. SILENCE IS ber of a group of three drummers appeared VIOLENCE, it read on the next to me. I asked him if they had all come top. ONE YEAR OLD SHOT IN CAR JACKING. There was a picture of the child in what looked like a hospital bed. There was a bandage on the child’s head and tube Send us your favorite Mardi in its mouth. Further on I met a retired woman Gras Recipe to be entered in a named Charlotte from Gentilly who was, raffle for dinner for two! “tired of the crime.” “We have to put God first,” she told
January 20 , 2007 Dear Reader, Please allow us, in this first installment of Neigh borhoods Planning Net work's THE TRUMPE T , to toot our own horn. We are proud to offer of the neighborhoods to all of New Orleans this pap er. It is yours. THE TRUMPET is a con nector, sounding the voic es and stories of neighborhoods through out New Orleans. Wr ite your own piece or collaborate with us to des cribe the progress in you r community and neighborhoods. Ask yourself, "How is my nei a difference?" Share you ghborhood changing? And who is a making r neighborhood's succes rebuilds. You do not s and experiences as have to be a journalist. it You just need a story. Just like a brass band, every instrument is ess ential to reach that sou sound. One trumpet lful alone does not make a brass band. Add you to the chorus of neighb r voice ors and neighborhoods working everyday to improve. Together we will recognize our triumphs and tribulations while marching on towards the future. Ready? To submit or to find out more call the NPN office at (504) 527 0499 or email us at the npntrumpet@gmail.co m. THE TRUMPET. Com e on, toot your own
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me. “People want Nagin fired, but you have to put God first.”
She said she didn’t have any sons but if she did she wouldn’t allow them to get caught up in this violence. She has a daughter who works at City Hall. I asked her if her daughter knew she was marching. “I just called her and told her,” she said. We turned on Loyola off of Poy-
The mission of the Neighborhoods Planning Network is to provide an inclusive and collaborative city-wide framework to empower neighborhood groups in the New Orleans planning process.
dras. A helicopter whined above. We turned left onto Perdido. “I wish the AfricanAmerican community was more represented,” a man next to me said. “They are the victims of most of the crime.” He told me his name was Luis Michael Velez and he owns the Garden District Bed and Breakfast on Magazine. I asked him how the violence has effected him. He said just around the corner from his bed and breakfast is Parasol’s, a bar which was re(Continued on page 3)
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