November/December 2011 by Neighborhoods Partnership Network

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November/December 2011 • Community Voices Orchestrating Change • Issue 5 Volume 6

INSIDE • Poverty Skyrockets in New Orleans • Explore an Education Corridor that Delivers on its Mission • Get Healthy Hollygrove • Neighborhood Spotlight: Downtown • 2011 Trumpet Awards

NEIGHBOR OOD SPOTLIGH HT

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Neighborhoods Partnership Network’s (NPN) mission is to improve our quality of life by engaging New Orleanians in neighborhood revitalization and civic process.

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

Letter From The Executive Director

The Journey to Apostleship Photo: Robert X. Fogarty

eptember 25, Sunday morning, like many of you who learned of the misfortunate tragedy that occurred in the Mid-City neighborhood I received a call at 5:45 AM that would put me closer to the unnatural state of New Orleans more than I ever thought I would be. I learned that 2 very dear friends had been hurt and one was Rafael Delgadillo left with physical hurt that at the time was uncertain of its permanency. I was MAD and was unclear as to why, how, and what was next. I left the hospital filled with a frustration that I couldn’t shake and went home with the question of “why.” Talking to my mother she guided me to the scripture Acts 9. According to the New Testament (Acts 9), Saint Paul was on the road to Damascus when he was blinded for 3 days and told to go and see the prophet Anaise who then laid hands upon him and he regained sight. Paul experience on the Damascus road was a conversion and he was “sent out” to share a message of Good News. Paul converted and brought more people to his belief than any other disciple in the Bible. What’s the difference between a disciple and an apostle and how does this relate to Rafael and why am I discussing this in this issue of Trumpet? The word disciple comes from the Latin word for pupil or learner. In ancient times, there were few higher learning institutions. Instead, those who wanted to learn a skill or a philosophy attached themselves to a journeyman or a teacher and spent significant time with them to learn the trade. An apostle on the other hand is one who has been sent out to share a message, philosophy, or belief. Rafa and I have shared many days talking about history, the state of the city and how we as community organizer were going to make a difference in our respective communities. We also discussed the value of those who mentored us to where we were. He would tell me how he understood the plight of many youth without mentors but could not relate as he has always had a strong male figure in his life. Whether it was his father, or Dr. Cashemere (His history teacher at UNO) or Lucas Diaz (former director of Puentes) He knew that his blessings were great and abundant. So for the last 28 years of Rafa’s life he has been a disciple. Learning, observing, replicating what he has seen his mentors accomplish and choosing to replicate that in some way, but these last three pain and long waiting days have been a journey of transformation to apostle status. An apostle is someone sent out on a mission to engage in other cultures and cross boundaries that others have tried to cross and failed, whereas a disciple is someone who chooses to be a follower or a student. After reading and meditating over this passage I called was Anna, the Executive Director of Puentes. We both smiled and said to each other he will see again and his work will be larger than what any of us ever imagined. Since writing this article Rafael has regained his sight and his passion for youth has inflamed to a level that sometimes have many of us who know him saying “slow down Rafa.” His response is only “An opportunity has been created and we must seize that opportunity.” I believe that we are about to experience a Rafa who will have a greater charge to inspire, engage and uplift the community and youth of New Orleans. I hope that you too will receive new vision as to your role in this journey. In reading this issue of Trumpet I charge you with identifying your platform, your opportunity or your message on how you can be an asset to the city.

NPN provides an inclusive and collaborative city-wide framework to empower neighborhood groups in New Orleans.

Find Out More at NPNnola.com

NPN Board Members Victor Gordon, Board Chair, Pontilly Neighborhood Association Angela Daliet, Treasurer, Parkview Neighborhood Association Benjamin Diggins, Melia Subdivision Katherine Prevost, Upper Ninth Ward Bunny Friend Neighborhood Association Leslie Ellison, Tunisburg Square Civic Homeowners Improvement Association Sylvia McKenzie, Rosedale Subdivision Sylvia Scineaux-Richards, ENONAC Tilman Hardy, Secretary, Leonidas/Pensiontown Neighborhood Association Vaughn Fauria, Downtown Neighborhoods Improvement Association Wendy Laker, Mid-City Neighborhood Organization Third Party Submission Issues Physical submissions on paper, CD, etc. cannot be returned unless an arrangement is made. Submissions may be edited and may be published or otherwise reused in any medium. By submitting any notes, information or material, or otherwise providing any material for publication in the newspaper, you are representing that you are the owner of the material, or are making your submission with the consent of the owner of the material, all information you provide is true, accurate, current and complete. Non-Liability Disclaimers The Trumpet may contain facts, views, opinions, statements and recommendations of third party individuals and organizations. The Trumpet does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement or other information in the publication and use of or reliance on such advice, opinion, statement or other information is at your own risk. Copyright Copyright 2011 Neighborhoods Partnership Network. All Rights Reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the express written consent of Neighborhoods Partnership Network is expressly prohibited.

Sincerely, Timolynn Sams

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

N E I G H B O R H O O D S

P A R T N E R S H I P

The Trumpet

N E T W O R K

Contents

4 Poverty Skyrockets in New Orleans 5 JJPL Has Made Huge Strides for Louisiana Youth 8 Explore an Educational Corridor that Delivers on its Mission 10 Get Healthy Hollygrove 12 Home for the Holidays! 16 Neighborhood Spotlight: Downtown 20 Trumpet 2011 Award Winners 26 CeCe Gets 20 Thoughts: The Artist Suave 8 Explore an Education Corridor 30 Neighborhood Meetings That Delivers on its Mission

Aware–and Shining a Light for the Future

16 Neighborhood Spotlight: Downtown

On the cover: Lafayette Square, Downtown — photo by Scott Bicking

The Trumpet Editorial Board

The Trumpet Editorial Staff

Brian Opert, Talk Show Host, WGSO 990AM

Scott Bicking, Art Director

Becki Chall, Global Green, USA

Kathleen Burns, Copy Editor

Jessica A. Goins, Spears Consulting Group

Nora McGunnigle, Local History Editor

John Koeferl, Holy Cross Neighborhood

Lakshmi Sridaran, Policy & Advocacy Editor

Linedda McIver, AARP Louisiana

Patricia A. Davis & Tia Vice, Associate Neighborhoods Editors

Melinda Shelton, Xavier University School of Journalism Ray Nichols, Maple Area Residents Inc. Rocio Mora, Puentes Lindsay Nash, HandsOn New Orleans Zoé Belden, Creative Industry

Special thanks to Mimi DiMassa for her photos

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

4902 Canal Street • #301 New Orleans, LA 70119 504.940.2207 • FX 504.940.2208 thetrumpet@npnnola.com www.npnnola.com

Poverty Skyrockets in New Orleans

65% of Black Children Under Age of Five Living in Poverty By Lance Hill

When President George Bush waived the prevailing wage provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act following Katrina, he provided employers with a financial incentive to hire low-wage outside temporary workers. State contracts to rebuild storm-damaged schools have provided little employment for black storm victims. The new rise in poverty can be attributed in part to the exclusion of local blacks from recovery jobs, including rebuilding school facilities and school operations. It is self-defeating to attempt to solve the long-term public education problems while children and their parents are pushed deeper into poverty by education agency employment and contracting policies. Separating out the numbers by race shows a profound and growing racial inequality. While the overall adult poverty rate is 27%, black poverty is nearly double the white poverty rate: 34% compared to 14%. The child poverty rate of black children under five years old is an appalling 65% compared to less than 1% for whites. The Census Bureau data indicate that there are 9,649 black children under the age of five living in poverty in New Orleans in contrast to only 203 white children. But what is truly stunningly is that the survey indicates that while there are several thousand African American males ages 12 to 15 years old living in poverty, the survey could not find a single white male in the same age bracket in poverty. With all the triumphal rhetoric of New Orleans as a city rising from the dead, the Census Bureau data offers the harsh truth that some have risen while others have fallen. We act at our own peril if we ignore these troubling developments; the problems of education and youth crime and violence cannot be solved as long as local blacks are unfairly deprived the economic benefits of the recovery and the recovery jobs for rebuilding the city.

n September 22 the Census Bureau released information from their 2010 annual American Community Survey based on a poll of 2,500 people in New Orleans. Not surprisingly, the report was ignored by the local mainstream media since it speaks volumes about the inequality of the Katrina recovery. Despite the billions in post-Katrina federal dollars for building But what is truly schools, streets and bridges, and homes, the New Orleans poverty rate has actually increased stunningly is that the back to the highest level since 1999. The survey survey indicates that revealed that 27% of New Orleans adults now live while there are several in poverty and 42% of children. thousand African This recent development reverses the temporary American males ages 12 decline in poverty rates reported in 2007 and to 15 years old living in 2008 surveys when the poverty rate was nearly cut in half compared to pre-Katrina numbers. Those poverty, the survey could early declines in poverty were probably the result not find a single white of large numbers of low-income African Americans male in the same age who could not afford to return or lacked housing bracket in poverty. and employment. The new spike in poverty, despite the increase in overall education levels in the city, may signal that blacks are not sharing equally in the employment benefits of recovery dollars. Indeed, the city may be creating a new generation of chronically unemployed poor who were previously part of the low-wage working poor.

Sources: Racial breakout data from U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2010 1-year Estimates (Fact Finder files); for general non-racial 1999 and 2007 data, Greater New Orleans Community Data Center which used Census Bureau reports, Numbers Talk Newsletter September 26, 2011. Dr. Lance Hill is the Executive Director of the Southern Institute for Education and Research, a tolerance education and race relations research center based at Tulane University in New Orleans. He is the author of The Deacons for Defense: Armed Resistance and The Civil Rights Movement (University of North Carolina Press, 2004

Get Connected to the New Orleans Neighborhood Network. Post News & Events for Your Organization at NPNnola.com 4

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

Members of JJPL’s youth group, Young Adults Striving for Success, (YASS).

JJPL Has Made Huge Strides for Louisiana Youth Dana Kaplan, Executive Director

hen Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana (JJPL) first opened our doors in 1998, our state was acknowledged to have one of the country’s worst systems to treat and prevent delinquency. Louisiana’s juvenile justice system provided virtually no representation to children accused of crimes - the majority of whom were African American and low income - and then detained them under inhumane conditions where they regularly suffered bodily and emotional harm. The negative impacts of this brutal system were twofold. On the one hand, the broken juvenile justice system left many families and children irreparably harmed, with physical and mental scars that took years to heal. On the other hand, the broken system did nothing to improve public safety. While costing millions in taxpayer dollars but without access to any real rehabilitation, recidivism rates for youth remained high. In recognition of both the human rights abuses that plagued the Louisiana juvenile justice system and its failure to improve public safety, JJPL partnered with the U.S. Department of Justice to bring litigation challenging conditions of confinement in state facilities, and with stakeholders across the state -– including judges, district attorneys, faith leaders and

the families of those in the system – passed sweeping legislation to reform Louisiana’s juvenile justice system in 2003. Co-authored by then-State Senator Donald Cravins, Jr., and then-State Representative Mitch Landrieu, the legislation led to a significant reduction in the number of youth incarcerated for non-violent offenses, a commitment to smaller, regional and more therapeutic juvenile facilities and an increase in alternatives to incarceration for youth. National foundations like the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation invested both dollars and technical assistance to the state, partnering to help turn around a broken system. Now, close to a decade after the legislation was passed and as a result of our collective work, the juvenile justice system has made great strides. Yet, we are far from a model system -- and it is the ongoing implementation of these reforms that JJPL continues to this day. Although Louisiana has stated commitment to a more treatment-oriented model, youth facilities are still plagued by brutality and a lack of effective services for youth. There is a lack of opportunities for youth before they reach the juvenile justice system, with an insufficient number of alternatives to incarceration and prevention programs, and state budget cuts in the last two years further decimating many of already-existing programs. continued on page 6

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In 2008-2009, Orleans Parish had a school expulsion rate that was 17 times the national average, as schools continued to lack the effective resources, training and support to address the challenges that youth face in the classroom. At the same time, crime remains one of the number-one issues for residents of New Orleans, with the most vulnerable of the city – our low-income youth – particularly fearful about what opportunities their future may hold. Alongside our many community partners, JJPL works day in and day out to improve our local and state systems and to help inform public policy so that we can one day see the realization of our collective goals – increased opportunities for youth, improved public safety, and stronger and healthier communities for all.

Just some of JJPL’s current projects to achieve these goals include: Working to Improve Conditions in Juvenile Prisons and Jails: JJPL monitors conditions at all three state-run youth facilities with a hotline to the youth inside, as well as conditions in the Youth Study Center, the New Orleans Juvenile Detention Center. We are also working to establish juvenile detention center standards statewide, which will be in effect by January 2012. Fighting for Alternatives to Incarceration: It costs $5,000 to place a child in a community-based alternative to incarceration, but over $100,000 to house that same child in prison. JJPL not only works to educate stakeholders on the benefits of prevention programs and community based alternatives but also fights for their funding and support.

Ensuring the Protection of LGBTQ Youth: Research demonstrates that 15 percent of the youth in the juvenile justice system are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, and that once in the system they are subject to treatment that is particularly harsh and discriminatory. JJPL works to educate juvenile justice officials on the issues faced by LGBTQ youth and it works to ensure that they are not funneled into the system through our LGBTQ youth program. Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline through our Schools First! Project: JJPL is working to improve school security in the Recovery School District and to reduce the numbers of suspensions and expulsions in Orleans Parish by connecting students facing disciplinary proceedings to volunteer advocates. Our hope is that by reducing the number of kids pushed out of the schools, we can see fewer and fewer youth end up in the juvenile justice system. Building Youth and Community Power: In 2008, JJPL launched Young Adults Striving for Success, a youth organizing project that works to empower young people and increase their engagement in public policy decisions that impact their lives. Alongside four other youth organizations, YASS is part of a city-wide coalition of youth working to change their communities, called Power of a Million Minds (POMM). JJPL accepts volunteers and interns and is always interested in partnering with other organizations that are working to improve opportunities for youth in New Orleans and statewide. You can also join us at our Annual Justice for Youth Awards Gala, held this year on November 19th at 7:00 p.m. at the Basin Street Station. For more information, please visit us at www.jjpl.org or contact Charlotte D’Ooge at 504-522-5437 x288 or via email at cdooge@jjpl.org.

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

(L – R): D’Juan Hernandez, AEDF President-Elect; Barbara Waiters, AEDF Executive Director; Nicolas Perkin, Co-Founder and President, The Receivables Exchange.

New Orleans Culture

A Selling Point for Big Business Investments

usiness owners and local leadership were reminded to “toot the city’s horn” at the Algiers Economic Development Foundation’s (AEDF) Quarterly Business Luncheon in October. The keynote address showed how the online marketplace is transforming every segment of society – from health information to relationships and, most importantly, business. Following that, speaker Nicolas Perkin, co-founder and president of The Receivables Exchange, told attendees that his company decided to invest in New Orleans because the quality of life here is comparable to that of larger cities. As such, New Orleans will inherently attract entrepreneurship, Perkin said. At the end of the end of the day, The Receivables Exchange “wanted a city to associate with.” “You should take your message to the masses of this city,” New Orleans City Council President Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson told Perkin at the close of the event. AEDF serves as a conduit of information between businesses, community members and elected officials in Algiers. The organization holds monthly business mixers and quarterly business luncheons for networking purposes and to share information that is vital to economic development in Algiers and the Greater New Orleans region. To learn more, visit www.algierseconomic.com.

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

Explore an Education Corridor That Delivers on its Mission By Broadmoor’s Education Corridor Team and Holley Roberts, Education Corridor Intern

Despite having sustained some of the worst damage in New Orleans from Katrina, the Broadmoor Neighborhood has bounced back with incredible energy and support since the storm. Numerous individuals and groups have had a hand in the rebuilding, and Broadmoor’s Education Corridor is a key component of the community’s revitalization process. 8

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

o what is the Education Corridor? Essentially, it is an eightblock area along General Pershing Street comprised of Andrew H. Wilson Charter School, Keller Library, APEX Youth Center, Broadmoor Community Care, Blessed Trinity Fine Arts & Wellness Center, the planned South Broad Health Center and the YMCA of Greater New Orleans. But dig a little deeper and you will find much more than just a series of buildings. You will discover a wealth of exciting programs and activities for people of all ages in the community. The Corridor’s mission is to provide a holistic set of resources for education, recreation, culture, health and individual development over a resident’s entire lifetime. In partnership with countless entities in New Orleans and around the country, the Corridor aims to meet the needs and enrich the life of the whole person. Take Wilson School. By day, the building houses a traditional education facility. By night, it transforms into a bustling community center. Enter the school any evening of the week, and you will witness ballet classes taught by the New Orleans Ballet Association, basketball practices coached through the Broadmoor Basketball Club, viola and

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

violin lessons facilitated by the New Orleans String Project, a rowdy group of smiling dancers kicking up dust with Zumba Fitness and a multigenerational Chess Club matching off. And Wilson School is just the beginning. Keller Library, while currently housed within the Wilson School library, will soon move back into the beautifully renovated Rosa F. Keller Library and Community Center. The library will serve as the focal point for many exciting Corridor programs such as cooking classes, book readings, community discussions, tutoring services, film showings and more. Finally, the Corridor’s partnership with Broadmoor Community Care enables citizens to lead happier, healthier lives through counseling services, parent circles and mediation services. Also, gardening and nutrition programs for children, young adults and seniors are central components of the Education Corridor. The new medical clinic, South Broad Health Center, will open in the fall of 2012. Community participation is a must, and residents are always coming up with new ideas for innovative ways the Corridor can stretch and grow to meet the needs and interests of all who live, work and play in Broadmoor

“Get Healthy Hollygrove” By Patricia A. Davis, Associate Neighborhoods Editor

As the sun shone over Conrad Park in Carrollton Hollygrove, a few days before the onset of fall, local health organizations gathered at the basketball court to set up for a community event which would deliver health information to the residents and the public.

n January 2011, Carrollton Hollygrove Community Development Corporation, under Paul Baricos, Executive Director, and the General Manager of Hollygrove Market & Farm, was awarded a cooperative agreement from the federal Centers for Disease Control on Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health for Communities Organized to Respond and Evaluate to focus on the drivers (obesity and lack of physical activity) of Type II diabetes for Hollygrove residents. To bring about an awareness of the risk factors (drivers) of this chronic disease, it was important to relate two important facts for those presently diagnosed with diabetes: 1) diabetes has no cure; however, 2) diabetes can be managed by a healthy lifestyle. The ultimate objective in management of the disease process is to continue to inform residents of the risk factors of diabetes while responding to the overwhelming concerns of the residents through the cooperative agreement. At the request of the Carrollton Hollygrove Community Development Center, the Hollygrove Market & Farm, Trinity Christian Community (Kevin Brown, Executive Director), AARP’s Hollygrove Livable Community, Soul Steppers (Ruth Kennedy), and Hollygrove Seniors (Gracie Atkins), it was agreed to present an event to residents that would deliver health resources for all. Bill Pastellak, CHCDC Community Coordinator, and Jarvain Bingmon, Executive Assistant at Trinity Christian Community, began the journey to work with Neighborhoods Partnership Network (NPN) and Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI) to implement a successful and healthy event. The Hollygrove Seniors worked diligently by disseminating health education material on diabetes (risk, prevention and management) provided by the American Diabetes Association. Tulane University students presented community health surveys with emphasis on Type II diabetes to the residents of Hollygrove. Among the local health organizations represented were the American Cancer Society (ACS), which provided breast and cervical cancer

education and early detection through the ACS COFFEE Mate Program. Tulane Health Science Center’s Rudolph Matas Library gave a PowerPoint presentation on Health Literacy, an introduction to the use of Medline Plus and Pub Med. In addition, Hollygrove residents received services (blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol screenings) provided by the Daughters of Charity Health Clinic Mobile Unit and others. As lagniappe, Wireless for Hope presented Hollygrove residents with free activated cell phones!!! “Get Healthy Hollygrove” was an engagement of residents with health organizations. What a difference we make by coming together as one.

Thanks to all the many organizations who participated in “Get Healthy Hollygrove”!!

AARP American Cancer Society COFFEE Program American Diabetes Association Breast Care & Nutrition Carrollton Hollygrove Market & Farm Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans Healthy Start New Orleans Hollygrove Seniors Lakelawn Burial Services Louisiana Community Health Outreach Network Louisiana Public Health Institute Neighborhood Partnership Network New Orleans Faith Health Alliance The Prevention Research Center Research at Tulane University Trinity Christian Community Tulane University Health Sciences Center Rudolph Matas Library Tulane University Undergraduate Students Well Care Wireless for Hope

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

Building a Roadmap for

Meaningful Neighborhood Participation in City Government

Neighborhood Participation Plan (NPP) meeting

great deal of work and input over the years has gone responsibilities and a vision to which we can all aspire. into citizen participation efforts in New Orleans. As in any team effort, lack of clear goals, roles and responsibiliMany community and non-profit leaders, researchers, ties, from leadership on down, usually yields poor results. We can’t and other advocates have offered thoughtful ideas get there if we don’t know who is driving, who is navigating, or on how local government can work better with where we’re going. Mayor Landrieu’s administration understands the community. Today, the Neighborhood Engagement office is this, which is why under his leadership City Hall is looking toward taking care to pay attention to what the greater partnership with the community. community has said over the years, while Neighborhood participation is critical to This roadmap, called also researching what other cities do, the success not only of neighborhoods, but what local leaders say and what national all of city government. Through meaningful the Neighborhood researchers recommend. From this participation we can connect the wisdom Participation Plan (NPP), work, we have come to understand very of communities and the critical knowledge is a document that will set clearly that current tools and practices for of public officials in order to create better public engagement have much room for solutions that all of us can support. The a tone for improved public improvement in the City of New Orleans. community has a role to play in local participation in the near On all fronts of decision-making, governance, and this role takes place between future by providing clear local government needs more and better elections. Understanding this role enables input from the community it serves. public officials to work more productively with roles and responsibilities The research states this. The people the community and vice versa. and a vision to which who work in government say this. The The Neighborhood Engagement office we can all aspire. community advocates who have pushed believes that the public participation over the years demand this. The general roadmap it is creating will provide both community asks for this. Yet, we have communities and city government the struggled to make this happen, until now. opportunity for meaningful participation on an ongoing basis. Everyone speaks of greater accountability and greater access As a foundational tool, this roadmap will help guide the from local government. Participation is key to this, which is why we transformation of the relationship between City Hall and the are enthusiastic about the work we are doing to create a roadmap community from one that is filled with distrust and antagonism to for improved, meaningful neighborhood participation in city one that is built on trust and collaboration. This is the future to governance. This roadmap, called the Neighborhood Participation which we aspire, and the Neighborhood Participation Plan will Plan (NPP), is a document that will set a tone for improved public help us move toward that future. participation in the near future by providing clear roles and

Public Policy & Advocacy NPN seeks to assist neighborhoods to advocate for change through local public policy. NPN’s advocacy committee meets monthly to discuss issues important to neighborhoods. The purpose of the committee is to help neighborhoods develop a framework for issues and effectively engage city government officials to address them. PleasevisittheNPNpolicyblogathttp://npnpolicyspotlight.blogspot.com/toreadarticlesandcurrenteventsconcerningallpolicyissues. To contribute to this blog, email your requests to lakshmi@npnnola.com.

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

Canal Street during the holidays

Celebrate the holidays Downtown with Canal Street

Home for the Holidays! The Downtown Development District (DDD) has recently completed a significant rebranding project that has culminated in the launch of a new visual identity for the organization and a new place brand for Downtown NOLA, its historic districts and its unique micro neighborhoods.

he DDD’s emphasis on better defining and branding Downtown’s individual neighborhoods is based on specific recommendations of a market research study on the preferences of creative class individuals—including what matters most to them in choosing where to live, what cultural amenities are most important to them and what modes of transportation they most prefer, among other things. The DDD’s newly launched website, www.downtownnola.com, features a guide for exploring not only each individual neighborhood, but also its businesses and residents. One of the most exciting features of the Downtown Development District’s new site is the ability for Downtown business and property owners to “claim their page” and customize their business or property listing on the site. These pages can contain the most

basic information, such as address and business hours, to details such as links to their Facebook and Twitter pages, photos and events. And more than just a guide for places, news and events, the website also hosts a wealth of information on doing business Downtown, grants and other incentives available for businesses, Public Safety Rangers, Downtown Clean Teams and much more. A considerable amount of this information can also be found on the new Downtown NOLA iPhone app as well, available for free on iTunes. In addition to the new Downtown NOLA website, the DDD has launched another site, www.DowntownNOLAWorks.com, where visitors can interact directly with some of Downtown’s best and brightest— architects, lawyers, entrepreneurs, designers, store owners and other Downtown “experts.” The site is packed with video interviews of each of

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

Mr. Bingle at Krewe of Jingle Parade

Reindeer Run & Romp

the ambassadors and users are encouraged to “ask them anything” by Mississippi River. The first 50 families at each event will receive a free emailing them directly through the site. fleece blanket, courtesy of the DDD. If you have not been Downtown lately, the DDD invites you to revisit Back for it’s fourth year, New Orleans’ official holiday parade, the its retailers, restaurants, hotels and other venues during the holidays as Krewe of Jingle parade, will once again delight locals and visitors alike part of Canal Street: Home for the Holidays. The DDD created the Canal with authentic parade floats, marching bands, stilt walkers, Christmas Street: Home for the Holidays celebration in 2008 to characters and many more magical surprises! After the support Canal Street retailers during the holiday season parade, all are invited to join in the merriment at The Now in its fourth year, and to encourage family activity along the grand Roosevelt New Orleans hotel’s Baronne Street entrance for Canal Street: Home corridor. Now in its fourth year, Canal Street: Home the Jingle Mingle—this block party will transform the street for the Holidays, for the Holidays, presented by the DDD & The Roosevelt into a wonderful wintery wonderland with music, crafts, a presented by the DDD New Orleans, will bring more than 10,000 locals and petting zoo, face painting, a holiday train and much, much & The Roosevelt New visitors Downtown for holiday magic and merriment! more! Orleans, will bring more The DDD will officially kick off the holiday season And finally, on Saturday, December 10, the Downtown than 10,000 locals and in New Orleans with the annual Canal Street Lighting Development District and Entergy present the 2nd annual visitors Downtown for Ceremony on Tuesday, November 22 at 5:30 p.m at Reindeer Run & Romp for kids on Canal Street! Rudolph, holiday magic the Astor Crowne Plaza hotel. The public is invited Santa and friends will jingle their bells to signal the start of and merriment! from 5-7 p.m. to decorate holiday cookies, enjoy cider the race. Participants will receive bells for their sneakers, or cocoa and visit with Santa in the hotel’s St. Charles antlers, a race t-shirt and a bag of holiday goodies. After Ballroom. Guests who bring a new, unwrapped toy for Children’s the race, “Romp” around the Aquarium plaza and enjoy healthy activities, Hospital will receive a free picture with Santa. games, music,crafts and more! Looking for even more fun? Participate in On Friday, December 2 and Friday, December 9, the DDD and the Canal Street Holiday Scavenger Hunt to collect treats and register for Riverwalk Marketplace present Holiday Movies on the Mississippi, two a chance to win exciting holiday prizes! weekends of free outdoor holiday movies. “Elf” will play on Friday, December 2 and “The Year Without a Santa Claus” will play on Friday, More information on Canal Street: Home for the Holidays December 9. The movies begin at 6:30 p.m. and guests can enjoy can be found at www.CanalStreetHoliday.com. hot chocolate, tasty treats and a front-row seat along the beautiful

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The Faubourg St. Marie, the American Sector, and the CBD

The Evolution of Downtown By Nora McGunnigle, Local History Editor

he area now known as the Central Business District (CBD) has also been known as Faubourg St. Marie, Faubourg St. Mary and the American Sector. It was also founded by Jean Baptiste le Moyne de Bienville, who used this area of the city as a plantation. He also sold 32 arpents of his land to Jesuit priests, who were subsequently expelled from the area in 1763 by the King of France. That land went up for auction and eventually came into the hands of the Reynard family. The surviving widow of the Reynard family married Bertrand Gravier, who then inherited her land in 1792. Before her death but after the great fire in the French Quarter in 1788, Gravier hired Carlos Laveau Trudeau to plan a subdivision community of the area, which, when completed, was named Faubourg St. Marie (later anglicized into Faubourg St. Mary). It was during this subdivision process that the major streets we know today came into being: Calle del Almazen (Magazine Street) came from the warehouses of Bertrand Gravier that fronted on it; Calle del Campo (Camp Street) was named thusly because the slaves owned by Gravier lived or camped on that street in basic huts. Calle San Carlo (St. Charles Avenue) was named in honor of the King of Spain. Carondelet Street was named for the Spanish Governor Francisco Luis Héctor de Carondelet; Baronne Street was named for his wife, and Phillipa (now Dryades) Street was named for his daughter.

In 1794 and 1795, after his wife’s death, Bertrand Gravier sold lots of his land to Nicholas Girod (who later became the mayor of New Orleans from 1812 to 1815), Jean Baptiste Sarpy, and Julien Poydras (a noted Louisiana and Orleans Territory representative and politician). In 1796, Gravier again hired Trudeau to design a plan for the area of his land near the river, which included the public plaza now known as Lafayette Square. Upon Bertrand Gravier’s death in 1797, the property passed to his brother Jean Gravier. Due to various lawsuits and appropriations that occurred during Jean Gravier’s ownership of the property, once Jean Gravier died in 1834, it was unknown how much property he actually held. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 brought a wave of Americans to New Orleans and they settled primarily in Faubourg St. Marie/ Mary, earning it the moniker “The American Sector.” Buildings such as custom houses, churches and theaters sprang up. Magazine Street was the first street developed in the area, with stores and markets being constructed throughout the neighborhood. Later in the 1830s, the construction of the New Basin Canal brought Irish immigrants to the area, which inspired the building of St. Patrick’s Church, still standing today. In addition, the business of banking flourished until the “Panic of 1837.” Row houses were built as well as Greek Revival- style buildings, such as the St. Charles Hotel and

The African-American community also made their place in history in the CBD. In 1908, a group of AfricanAmerican businessmen built the Pythian Temple on the corner of Gravier Street and what is now Loyola Avenue.

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Gallier Hall. In the 1850s, the local economy had recovered enough to begin another cycle of tremendous growth: the three municipalities and the City of Lafayette were united as one city; sugar and cotton business was booming; and the sale of dry goods and other retail goods was everywhere. After the Civil War and the end of Carpetbagger rule, the area returned to its busy trade and development. Despite a major fire that destroyed many buildings in the neighborhood in 1892, insurance companies, homesteads and merchant associations thrived and prospered until the Great Depression. Subsequent rebuilding was slow and hampered by post-desegregation “white flight” and the development of the suburbs in the 1960s and 1970s which tempted businesses away from the CBD. The African-American community also made their place in history in the CBD. In 1908, a group of African-American businessmen built the Pythian Temple on the corner of Gravier Street and what is now Loyola Avenue. And in 1909, a musical skit about a Zulu tribe and its king, performed by a local group known as the “Tramps,” inspired that group to reorganize themselves as the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, the most famous African-American carnival organization in New Orleans. The Pythian Temple was also a popular jazz and music club during the first half of the 20th century. Another legendary music institution in the African-American part of the area was the Eagle Saloon, well known as a key location of the “Birthplace of American Jazz Music.” It is still standing, but abandoned, on South Rampart Street, a street which at that time primarily served the African-American community with stores, music clubs, theaters, barber shops, saloons and more. This area of the CBD overlapped with what was known as the “back o’town”, which reached into Tremé and the Seventh Ward. Notable buildings in the Central Business District today include the Louisiana (now the Mercedes-Benz) Superdome, the adjacent New Orleans Arena, Harrah’s Casino, the New Orleans World Trade Center, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the former New Orleans Cotton Exchange. The main branches of both the New Orleans Public Library and the United States Postal Service are located in the Central Business District, as are City Hall and the main bus and train station, Union Passenger Terminal. Bertrand Gravier and Carlos Laveau Trudeau’s vision of a central park still stands in the form of Lafayette Square. Other public spaces include

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Duncan Plaza, Elk Place, Mississippi River Heritage Park, Spanish Plaza and the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Survivor’s Plaza. In addition to the Arts and Warehouse Districts, which contain a multitude of art galleries, many museums can be found in the CBD, including the National World War II Museum, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the Louisiana Children’s Museum, the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center and Confederate Memorial Hall. The entire French Quarter and CBD areas, being several feet above sea level, was largely unflooded during Hurricane Katrina. There was, of course, some localized wind and water damage, but the neighborhood was spared the looting that occurred in other parts of the city in the storm’s aftermath. Nearly all the antique shops and art galleries were untouched. As of June of 2010, the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center (GNOCDC) has estimated that 95% of the pre-Katrina population still lives in the Quarter and that the population has increased to 157% of pre-Katrina residency in the Central Business District. The latter estimate is likely due to the post-Katrina influx of building renovation and apartment/condominium conversions. New Orleans’ CBD was one of the few areas of New Orleans that escaped the catastrophic flooding of Hurricane Katrina.

Did you know?

• Charity Hospital opened in the CBD on Canal Street (where the Roosevelt Hotel is now located) in 1815 and was moved to another location at Girod, Gravier, St. Mary, and Common 1832. It stayed the Faubourg St. Marie location for over a hundred years until it moved to Tulane Avenue in 1939. • City Hall is located on Perdido Street, and “perdido” is the Spanish word for “lost.” • One Shell Square, at 697 feet, is not only New Orleans’ but also Louisiana’s tallest building. • The boundaries for the CBD are: South Claiborne Street; Canal Street (from the Mississippi River to Magazine Street) and Iberville Street from Magazine to South Claiborne); the Mississippi River (from Canal to Julia Street ); Camp Street (from Julia to Calliope Streets ; and the Expressway/Calliope (between South Claiborne and Camp).

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NEIGHBOR OOD SPOTLIGH HT

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NEIGHBOR OOD SPOTLIGH HT

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Broken Systems Lead to Broken Trust

or this particular edition of The Trumpet, I cannot help but share a personal story. As many of you know, my dear friend Rafael Delgadillo was shot in the head when two men attempted to carjack us last month in our neighborhood, Mid-City. It has been a long, emotional journey for us both as Rafael continues his incredible physical recovery. He has moved through this experience with courage, hope and, most remarkably, with total compassion. Although I have always held firmly that youth violence is a result of our broken public school system, I cannot help but feel so much anger toward the individual young men who did this to my friend – my friend who loves young people and works tirelessly for them and with them. Rafael’s compassion and forgiveness for these men and his commitment to improving their lives and this city inspire me. But our city’s and our nation’s culture of violence and disinvestment in public services disappoints me. Let this incident be a call to the City of New Orleans. It is not just a broken criminal justice system that we face in this city but also a broken school system, a broken healthcare system, a broken transit system, a broken trust in the value of public services that should be serving all residents. Those who can, opt out of these systems by placing their children in private schools, traveling out of state for better healthcare, purchasing their own vehicles to get around, and trying to ensure that those who hurt their loved ones pay their debt to society. No one should be faced with making such choices. We all deserve to have access to quality public goods and services. I have become intimately familiar with the healthcare and criminal justice systems here in the last few weeks, and both have been largely disappointing. The condition and service at University Hospital are dismal and inhumane; and the pace and concern with which the police have addressed our case are unacceptable.

Let this incident also be a call to our nation and the values we espouse. I have always questioned the validity of the Second Amendment: our right to bear arms. Our nation’s Constitution and many of its earlier amendments were drafted during a time when very few of us would have been considered citizens of the United States. It was written in the interest of those few, largely at the expense of the rest of us. Particularly, the Second Amendment was written to ensure that the United States could maintain its newly found sovereignty from England. Today, if we look at statistics around gun violence, it is rarely a result of self defense and never because a citizen had to arm himself or herself against an invading army. In fact, Rafael himself recently relayed a heart-wrenching statistic to me: A student at John McDonogh High School is more likely die from a gun than a U.S. soldier in Iraq. And yet, we continue to grasp so tightly for our right to bear arms and we support a foreign policy that is constantly waging wars around the world. This is our culture of violence. For our readers, I ask that you challenge our policies: Demand better from our government for public goods and services that are accessible to everyone; question values that we hold close but that may be destroying us; and help our young people create a future that is optimistic rather than desperate. As for me, as I find myself trying to develop a new concept of justice, wondering why bad things happen to good people. I replay Rafael’s words to me from a few days ago: “Find peace within yourself instead, so there is no need to make a distinction between justice and injustice.” It will be a long journey to find peace with this devastating incident. But, I hope that my inspiration for change continues to outweigh my deep disappointment in our failed public policies at all levels. I am just not so sure anymore.

Rafael himself recently relayed a heart-wrenching statistic to me: A student at John McDonogh High School is more likely die from a gun than a U.S. soldier in Iraq.

Advertise in the Trumpet! The Trumpet is New Orleans only community magazine written by neighborhood residents, for neighborhoods, and about New Orleans neighborhoods. The bi-monthly magazine, with a circulation of 5,000 copies throughout greater New Orleans, has over 110 contributors from our network who is fulfilling our vision of “community voices orchestrating change.”

And, We Would Like to Invite YOU to be a Part of this Symphony! As an advertising partner, you will help us shape each issue’s theme, which also contributes to the news and stories that affect our city, neighborhoods and residents. You can choose from either a 1/2, full or 3/4 page, which you will own for the entire year, (six issues). Whether you want to write something “article style,” or use the full space for a single graphic to highlight a service or event, you are welcome to shape your advertising space to best communicate your message. In addition, you will also have access to our other communication outlets, including our website, www.npnnola.com, The Trumpet Blog and our weekly newsletter, Trumpet Tidbits, which currently reaches 3,500 readers.

To Advertise, email info@npnnola.com THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

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Trumpet – 2011 Award Winners

Neighborhood Phoenix: NEWCITY Neighborhood

Best City-Neighborhood Partnership: Algiers Economic Development Foundation NFL Grassroots Initiative

Neighborhood Phoenix: NEWCITY Neighborhood In the past year, the NEWCITY area has received a $2 million federal grant to study the removal of the Claiborne Expressway, $30.5 million for the redevelopment of the Iberville public housing development, and Park has reopened. In addition, construction on the VA and UMC hospitals is underway and residents have begun moving into the Faubourg Lafitte development. Plans are currently being developed for the Lafitte Greenway and the N Rampart Streetcar. Overall, there are over $3.4 billion of development underway or planned over the next 3 years within this neighborhood. It is a true renaissance.

Best City-Neighborhood Partnership: Algiers Economic Development Foundation – NFL Grassroots Initiative AEDF recently received a $200,000 grant from the NFL Grassroots Initiative/LISC and the New Orleans Saints to add field turf and an irrigation system at Behrman Football stadium, which is the only stadium of this type on the Westbank of Algiers. The award is the result of a partnership between AEDF, NORDC, New Orleans City Council members Kristin Gisleson Palmer and Jacquelyn B.Clarkson and the City of New Orleans. Behrman Stadium is adjacent to O’ Perry Walker High and Delgado Community College. It serves residents of from low and moderate income areas. The field serves 110 youth football teams, ages 5-14. With approximately 30 children on each team, and 3200 youths playing sports are served at this facility. An online article about the award is available at: http://www.neworleanssaints.com/news-and-events/ article-1/NFLLISC-Grassroots-Program-and-Saints-Grant-200000-to-HelpAlgiers%E2%80%99-Behrman-Stadium/4a831731-7bb4-4947-b9478d9e9e1126f6

Best Community Beautification Project: City Year & Bywater Neighborhood Association

Best Community Beautification Project: City Year & Bywater Neighborhood Association Katrina Anniversary service project This project not only turned out fantastic outputs in the community and cleaned the entier neighborhood but it was truly run by neighbors and provided nearly 100 volunteers in Bywater! City Year and the BNA worked so well together and had over 100 people cleaning up the neighborhood- graffiti, trash, planting trees and cleaning up the old stables on Poland Ave. They did a fabulous job, engaging 60 volunteers and 30 corps members to accomplish multiple, needed, beautification projects in the Bywater n’hood. On August 28, 2011 over 100 volunteers from the neighborhood, Kristin Palmer’s office, and City Year, LA gathered to do major cleanup from Press Street to Poland Ave. The group cleaned streets, vacant lots, drains, painted over graffiti, and tackled the old horse stables on Poland Ave. Nieghborhood restaurants provided food and drink which was served to volunteers at Holy Angels cafeteria. It was a tremendous neighborhood effort. Bethany Housman in partnership with the Bywater Neighborhood Association put together the most conclusive and all encompassing neighborhood beautification day for our Hurricane Katrina Memorial Service Project with over 100 volunteers in attendance. The residents and volunteers completed more work in 4 hours than I have seen in any other beautification project. Every detail was thought through completely and throughly.

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Trumpet – 2011 Award Winners

Rafael Delgadillo

Tina Marquardt – Beacon of Hope

New Orleans Faith Health Alliance

Model Citizen Award: Rafael Delgadillo Rafael is the spirit of New Orleans in all of its greatest moments. Rafael brings people together who wouldn’t otherwise find themselves in dialogue, puts them at ease with a laugh, and then puts them to work together for the betterment of the community. Whether it’s talking to day laborers on street corners about public safety, encouraging immigrant youth to achieve their potential in school and beyond, or facilitating diverse coalitions to enhance opportunity and augment inter-ethnic trust, Rafael is always there for his community and his team. Rafael has dedicated the last three years of his life to community organizing for Puentes New Orleans. During this time he has shown leadership, strength of character and above all a vision for a city that is actively engaged in its own improvement. Rafael’s work was recently interrupted by yet another instance of youth violence in our streets - a dramatic manifestation of the very conditions he was working to change. Nevertheless, he has remained true to his values and character throughout, inspiring others with his strength and articulating a systemic analysis for all who care to listen. The community support that Rafael has received in recent weeks is a testament to the number and diversity of lives that he touched. It is our hope and belief at Puentes that Rafael will soon return to his work and will galvanize the collective energy of the community behind him. As we move towards an inclusive, civically-engaged and empowered New Orleans, those who know Rafael have seen and been inspired by what that kind of life looks like.

Best Recovery Resource: Beacon of Hope This organization started its work in Lakewood, a neighborhood of 400 households destroyed by the flooding caused by the levee failures following Hurricane Katrina. Gathering information, resources and volunteers; its residents were able to rebuild their lives and homes without help or guidance from government. They shared what they learned to neighboring communities helping them recovery too. Today the Beacon of

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Council Person: Jon Johnson

Hope continues to advocate not only for the needs of those still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina and share its lessons learned with other areas affected by disaster.

Best Faith-Based Community Initiative: New Orleans Faith Health Alliance NOFHA has been providing affordable health care for uninsured workers and their families in the Greater New Orleans region for years. In addition to providing a full array of primary care services, our emphasis is on prevention and wellness through the integration of physical, emotional, & spiritual health services tailored to the individual needs of each member-patient.

Best Neighborhood Council Person: Jon Johnson Councilman Jon Johnson spearheaded a major clean up effort in New Orleans East, dubbed “Operation Clean Sweep,” the largest single day volunteer cleanup effort dedicated to New Orleans East since hurricane Katrina. This undertaking on October 15 included over 300 volunteers converging on key corridors in New Orleans East. Volunteers picked up litter along major thoroughfares and corridors, cleared debris, mowed and edged overgrown lots, and even hauled away abandoned vehicles. After a morning of beautifying New Orleans East , Councilman Jon D. Johnson honored the volunteers with an appreciation celebration post party in Joe Brown Park featuring live entertainment from local bands and great food. This cleanup effort intended to do several things. First and foremost, raise the moral and spirits of citizens in the New Orleans East community, the City of New Orleans and the region. This effort will also prepare and enhance the appearance of the community as stakeholders begin an aggressive retail attraction open house series showing key locations in New Orleans East to site selectors from national retailers.

Trumpet – 2011 Award Winners

Most Outstanding Youth Group: VAYLA

Ponchartrain Park & MLB

Best Business-Neighborhood Partnership: Ponchartrain Park & MLB

An agreement was announced on June 16, 2011 between Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Foundation to build and operate a year-round youth baseball and softball outreach program at Wesley Barrow Stadium in Pontchartrain Park. The MLB Urban Youth Academy will operate in partnership with New Orleans Recreation Development Commission, providing programming for more than 1,500 underserved New Orleans area youth. The plan for the New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy is to operate in Wesley Barrow Stadium which, as one of Mayor Landrieu’s “100 Committed Projects,” is slated to receive more than $5.3 million in renovations. The new state-of-theart facility will feature three playing fields, including a baseball, softball and tee ball field. The fields will have scoreboards, seating, dugouts and lights. The complex will feature four batting cages, an indoor facility, pitching mounds and other major league caliber training facilities. The New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy will operate on a year-round basis, offering free baseball and softball instruction, as well as clinics, to youth throughout southern Louisiana.

Most Outstanding Youth Group: VAYLA The Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans (VAYLA-NO) is a youth-led community-based organization that empowers Vietnamese American and underrepresented youth through supportive services and organizing for cultural enrichment and positive social change. The majority of youth who lead environmental justice, educational equity and health equity efforts attend some of the lowest performing high schools in the country. In order to support these youth in their personal educational and career ambitions, VAYLA supplements its youth-led organizing campaigns with a holistic approach through supportive services. Members of the organization are encouraged to think

Jessica Williams — The Lens about their personal development and the development of the community as interrelated; by striving for personal academic achievement, youth develop skills and knowledge that will enrich their own lives and strengthen the community’s ability to advocate for itself. VAYLA’s programs include: programs in Education, Sports and Health; Safe Space, an informal support group that meets weekly; the Young Woman Leadership Program, focused on the empowerment and leadership development of young Southeast Asian women in their community; Hip Hop Dances; Stories of Versai, a project begun when young people in the community wanted to use the power of story telling to preserve their culture and heal divisions within the Southeast Asian community along with incorporating voices from other communities in order to facilitate solidarity within the neighborhood; and VAYLA’s Kickback Night, an organized and fun Friday night gathering open to all youth in the community.

Best Education Advocate: The Lens In 2011, The Lens has put together a dedicated group of reporters to provide regular coverage of the 45 Orleans Parish charter school boards, which oversee 65 public schools in the city. The Lens will publish the agenda and supporting materials for every board meeting in advance. Then, our reporters will follow up with coverage of the meetings, posting the documents distributed there. Our goal is to gather all the relevant information for each campus in one spot so you easily can follow the policy-making work of the school’s leadership. This dedicated reporting coverage is called “The Charter School Reporting Corps” and has diligently worked to explore all aspects of the rebuilding efforts of New Orleans through the charter school system, including accountability reports and charter school laws,

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Mayor Landrieu, Elizabeth Galante of Global Green USA and the NOLA Wise team unveil the program at a press conference on September 30. NOLA Wise is a public/private partnership of the City of New Orleans with Global Green USA, U.S. Department of Energy, Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance and Fidelity Homestead Savings Bank.

Make a Wise Decision – Worthwhile Investments Save Energy

Announcing a New Energy Efficiency Program for Orleans Parish Homeowners

n September 30th, 2011, Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced the launch of NOLA Wise, a new partnership between in the City of New Orleans and Global Green USA. NOLA Wise is an innovative initiative to help Orleans Parish homeowners finance home improvements to produce energy savings. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of a regional initiative with the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, NOLA Wise is a way for New Orleans homeowners to access all the support and advice they need for energy efficiency retrofits through one simple phone call. Since the announcement, the NOLA Wise hotline at Global Green’s Green Building Resource Center has been ringing with inquiries from residents who are interested in participating in the program. NOLA Wise offers a high-quality project management service that takes homeowners through these five simple steps to make their homes more comfortable, safe and efficient:

analysis of what individual measures you could install in your home in order to improve the efficiency and indoor air quality of your home.

Step 1: Evaluate Energy Loss With a whole house assessment, you’ll learn how much energy your home is wasting, an important first step in making smart choices to improve your home’s performance. A NOLA Wise certified home energy assessor will identify sources of energy loss in your home for as little as $50 (cost varies depending on several factors, including the size of and equipment in the home).

Step 5: Enjoy your home year-round while saving money and energy! Finally, you won’t have to bundle up in the winter or suffer through hot rooms in the summer!

Step 2: Recommend Energy Improvements The NOLA Wise experts will issue a list of recommendations to save you at least 15% on your energy use. This report will be a customized THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

Step 3: Help with Financing and Incentives NOLA Wise assessors and contractors help you access all local, state and federal incentives and rebates to help drive down the cost of your retrofit, including using Entergy’s Energy Smart program. The program also provides access to exclusive, low-interest loans for qualified homeowners from our local banking partner, Fidelity Homestead Savings Bank! Step 4: Identify and Monitor Expert Contractors All NOLA Wise participating contractors are trained in Building Performance Institute (BPI) standards, the national green building certification that results in the highest-quality energy efficiency retrofit. In addition, NOLA Wise provides quality control over each project to ensure job completion and customer satisfaction.

Our phones lines are open, so please don’t hesitate to call 504-523-WISE (9473) or check us out online at www. NOLAWise.org. Don’t forget to “follow” us on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook for the latest updates and success stories! 23

Support NPN’s Annual Fund! Have you heard about what NPN has been up to? We’ve been working with you, your neighbors, and your communities so that we can all work together to rebuild and make all our neighborhoods better in New Orleans. Without a doubt, we could not continue our work without our members, our partners, the network, and YOU. We are directly accountable to YOU. See the below list of NPN’s everyday expenses. Every gift to NPN, large or small, increases the value of NPN’s programs and outreach to you and your entire community.

$5 provides materials and labor for one NPN Best Practices Binder $15 provides materials for the Advocacy Task Force meeting $20 provides hosting of npnnola.com for one year $50 provides a month’s transportation for one Neighborhood Liaison to visit with community groups and attend important neighborhood events $100 provides Trumpet Tidbits newsletters for two months $500 provides for one issue of the Trumpet to be delivered all over the city $2,000 provides copy editing and printing of one issue of the Trumpet $10,000 provides for the Citizens Participation Process to bring experts on CPP’s in other communities to New Orleans to discuss with neighborhood leaders here Please consider supporting NPN and the work we do by making a gift of any size. NPN’s mission is to improve the quality of life by engaging New Orleanians in neighborhood revitalization and civic processes. If we work together - you, your organization, your neighborhood, and the Network that we have created - there’s no limit to what we can accomplish. Please continue your support and your vision of a better New Orleans, and continue your part of this wave of change and inspiration and make a donation today. 24

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

One evening over dinner, Ms. Palencia was seated at the table with her husband and infant son when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents entered her home and arrested her. The decision to detain Ms. Palencia this August was the latest in a series of injustices against immigrants and their families perpetrated by our local and national criminal justice systems.

Delmy Palencia: Civil Rights Leader, Mother and Community Advocate

Defending the Right to Remain

ince Hurricane Katrina, thousands of immigrants came to help rebuild our city and state. While these workers and their families built roads, schools, houses and businesses, they also built a strong community that calls New Orleans home. Immigrants have found that, instead of having their contributions recognized, they are fighting to defend their Right to Remain from the constant attacks of local and federal law enforcement officials. Ms. Palencia’s experience with the criminal justice system and her fight to defend her Right to Remain began in May. She was wrongfully arrested by the New Orleans Police after she locked her husband out of the house following a domestic argument. When the police arrived, she was arrested and immediately separated from her three-month-old baby son. No interpreter was sent to the scene. The U.S. Department of Justice’s report on the New Orleans Police Department finds that language barriers at NOPD cause “delays in or denial of services, incidents where victims were mistaken for suspects, and situations where encounters escalated unnecessarily due to gaps in communication”. Ms. Palencia’s experience, therefore, is not atypical or unique. Following her arrest by police, Ms. Palencia was held in the Orleans Parish Prison for 45 days. During this time she was separated from her nursing baby and her husband, who called repeatedly to ask that the domestic abuse charges against her be dropped. When the charges finally were dropped by the New Orleans District Attorney’s office, however, Ms. Palencia was not free to go. Through an informationsharing program called Secure Communities, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed a “hold request” on Ms. Palencia. Despite documents furnished to him by City Council indicating that submission to hold requests is voluntary, the New Orleans Sheriff decided to use city resources to hold Ms. Palencia for ICE. The law gives ICE 48 hours to assume custody of Ms. Palencia. The Sheriff, however, held Ms. Palencia for more than 48 hours. A community coalition and legal team led by the Congress of Day Laborers and the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice challenged her detention as part of a pattern of unconstitutional custody and secured her release. Ms. Palencia not only spoke out about her case, but also took action to ensure that her family was reunited. Immediately, Ms. Palencia became a key witness in a civil rights lawsuit denouncing the Sheriff’s pattern and practice of holding people with ICE hold requests indefinitely, in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Furthermore, Ms. Palencia used her story to educate City Council members about the financial and human costs that we all pay when our Sheriff submits to ICE hold requests. When the City

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Council pressed the Sheriff to explain his policy at the jail, he was evasive and uncooperative. Ms. Palencia joined others to bring community attention and scrutiny to these practices. Her activism was the backdrop for the August ICE raid to her home. Ms. Palencia is not a risk to the public. In fact, her civil rights work creates a public dialogue and demand for government transparency that benefits all New Orleans residents. According to the priorities articulated by the Secure Communities Program and strengthened in the recent memo issued by Department of Justice Assistant Secretary Morton, detaining or deporting Ms. Palencia is not an efficient use of scarce resources. Deporting a breast-feeding mother of a U.S. citizen child who is engaged in civil rights activism is inconsistent with the priorities of Secure Communities. Nevertheless, at the national level, 60 percent of ICE removals from 2008 to 2011 were non-criminals or low-level criminal offenders. These statistics have prompted communities across the nation to attempt to opt out of the program since it is not fulfilling its stated objectives and it is additionally undermining trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement. In recent conversations about the New Orleans city budget, residents have learned that 58 percent of general funds in our city budget are allocated to public safety and only 3 percent to children and families. City taxpayers paid the bill for Ms. Palencia’s 45-day stay in OPP. Our federal income taxes also paid for her detention at the ICE facility. Imagine what it would look like to realign our priorities so that we spent those dollars on strengthening children and families instead of detaining them. It would mean that New Orleans residents had more money to spend on education, youth programming, mental health, and other neglected priorities. It could also mean that the New Orleans Police Department could fund adequate interpretation services, such that the officer at the scene could have understood what was happening before arresting Ms. Palencia in the first place. Not only that, it would also send a message that New Orleans values the men and women who reconstructed our city and that we as a community embrace their Right to Remain. Because of community support, ICE eventually released Ms. Palencia from detention and gave her a temporary reprieve for six months. But Ms. Palencia still faces deportation. Her fight for her Right to Remain is far from over. In September, Ms. Palencia joined a group of women leaders in Atlanta, Georgia, to listen to the stories of mothers, daughters and community leaders who survive in a state that has passed Arizona copycat anti-immigrant legislation. She will not rest until all civil rights leaders, particularly in the South, have the Right to Remain.

CeCe Gets e v a u S t s i t r A The 1. How did you get the name Suave? Well, in my younger days I traveled and worked closely with Juvenile and UTP Records. One the members and good friend of mine Zuse, started calling me Suave because he said my look and image was much different from my smooth vocal style, but in a deceptively good way. Many people assumed when they saw me working with them that I was a rapper, but once I would sing it gave them a different outlook. Never judge a book by its cover. 2. What does N.O. culture mean to you? New Orleans culture to me means a balanced collective of all types of flavors and styles. From music to everyday lifestyle and architecture, everything about this city of ours is unique. We have a rich culture that embodies the spirits of all that paved the way for the city to be what it is. I’ve been blessed to travel a lot but nowhere has as much culture as the city of New Orleans. 3. Tell us everything that you do? I’m a man that wears many different hats, literally! I’m a singer, songwriter, Owner/ Founder of B.F.A.M. (Brothers From Another Mother) Music Group & Studios LLC., music educator, cultural arts activist, independent music business consultant, vocal producer, arranger, audio engineer, theatrical & cinematic music supervisor, and a child of God! 4.Where have you performed? I’ve been blessed to perform all over the world as well as some of the most historic venues here in New Orleans. At home I’ve performed at Tipitina’s, House of Blues, Snug Harbor, N.O. Jazz & Heritage Festival, Maison, Vaso, Dragon’s Den, Howling Wolf, Mardi Gras World, Soul Fest, Blue Nile, St. Louis Cathedral, French Market, The Home of Anne Rice, Sweet Lorraine’s, etc. And I’ve been able to travel and perform in Austin, Houston, Dallas, & Arlington, Tx.

By Christy “CeCe” Chapman, the author of the book, 20 Thoughts Every Woman Should Have. She is a New Orleans native who is “twenty something years of age.” Follow her on Twitter at @CeCetheAuthor.

8. As an artist how do you feel your music contributes to N.O. in a positive way?

Atlanta, Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, Baton Rouge, Philadelphia, Baltimore, McComb, Gulfport & Jackson, Ms. Cincinnati & Toledo, Ohio. And I have a return trip to Germany set for early next year that I’m very excited about. 5. Who have you collabarated with? I’ve been fortunate to work with many talented people in both the major and independent music circuits of all genres. From John P.Kee, KiKi Sheard, Smokie Norful, & Maurette Brown-Clark in the gospel realm to Nesby Phips, Juvenille, BG, Partners in Crime, D4L, Shawty Lo, Truth Universal, Lyrikill, Guerilla Publishing Company, Inner Recess Studios, Docta J, Jon Mercure, Melaphyre, Kourtney Heart, Rantz, DJ Raj Smoov, All Work/No Play, The Soul Rebels, Elliot Luv, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, The Blackstar Bangas, Flowtribe, Whygee. Poets Sunni Patterson, Asia Rainey, Team SNO (Slam New Orleans), Ophelia, Smut, Lionel King, Hollywood, Gian Smith, and many more. I hope if I forgot anyone they don’t hold against me. It’s a mighty long list to keep handy. I work with so many super gifted artists and musicians. 6. What part of N.O. are you from? I’m from uptown New Orleans. Third ward Broadmoor area to be specific 7. What event that you were a performer meant the most to you? I would say that the New Orleans Cancer Society’s Walk Against Cancer was the event that meant the most to me. I lost my mother to cancer a couple years before that event, so it had a very personal and special meaning to me. Being able to share my gift to spread the word about a disease that hit home, literally was a huge deal for me. It still is!

My music to me means life, love, and knowledge. Whether I’m singing about love, a good time, or uplifting our people who are oppressed, it is important that I always remain authentic. In a day and age where the majority of our commercially successful artists are told what to say and do, I just believe in singing and doing what comes from the heart. Unfiltered and honest. I strive to “Edu-tain” those that hear me; educate and entertain. Many think you have to compromise one for the other, but I strive for that balance in my music at all times. I want to show my comrades in music here that we don’t need a major label machine to get out music heard nationally. Just an organized and unified force. That’s what I hope to bring to the N.O. music scene. 9. How do you give back to your city? Giving back to a city that molded and nurtured me is very important not only to myself but the other artists I work closely with. I taught in the Charter school system for 2 years, various arts camps for over 5 years, and my company BFAM Music Group has thrown many events to raise not only awareness but funds for those in our community that matter the most, our kids. In 2010 we held “Learn2Live” a family expo that provided the community with free haircuts, school supplies, beauty supplies, health screenings and information on family resources, while engaging students in outdoor activities and workshops and treating parents to free chair massages. This past year we held a school supply drive at the Howling Wolf and we are currently working with a charitable organization in Ohio to raise supplies for an orphanage in South Africa and a benefit album with all proceeds going directly to students in need, no middle man. I also teach voice and music theory lessons on the side!

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

10. Who have you always looked up to? I’ve always looked up to my mother, Vanessa Paul-Cameron. She was a single mother in graduate school who worked tirelessly to provide for a son in a city where the odds were all against her. She was a God-fearing woman who believed that faith and balance were the keys of life. Everything I know and have instilled in me, including my drive and determination, are all due to that great educated black woman. She will always be my very own Superwoman! 11. What projects can we expect from you? Right now I’m really focusing on my first nationally distributed album called “The Feel Good Movement.” It’s going to be a full length album of nothing but original live instrumentation and lyrics with a lot of different flavors. Hip Hop, funk, soul, jazz, and many other styles. It’s my little contribution to the huge pot of musical gumbo this city has always had. Of course I’m always working with many artists on collaborations all around the U.S. The best is yet to come. 12. Tell us something we don’t know about Suave? Wow, that’s a hard one. I guess the one thing that many don’t know is that I began playing the clarinet for over 13 years and still can play it pretty well. I was section leader in the world-famous St. Augustine Marching 100 band in my sophomore year. I was taught by Ms. Yvonne Hitts and Mr. Edwin Hampton, two very well-known music educators in our city. Don’t sleep on my clarinet skills! 13. You’ve been on the road for most of the year now, how is the road life experience and what does it mean . to you? It’s definitely a blessing; one that requires hard work and very little sleep, but a blessing nonetheless. It’s amazing to get out of your comfort zone and see the reactions of those who haven’t heard your music before. It really gives you a sense of motivation like no other. What it means to me is that I get the opportunity to represent not only the city of New Orleans, but also my gifted comrades in the music scene there. It’s an honor that I don’t take lightly; I reflect on that every time I hit a new stage and a new city. 14. What does your music mean to you? We’d be here all day if I gave you this answer in its entirety! My music to me means life, love, and knowledge. Whether I’m singing about love, a good time, or uplifting our people who are oppressed, it is important that I always remain authentic. In a day and age where the majority of our commercially successful artists are told what to say and do, I just believe in singing and doing what comes from the heart.

Unfiltered and honest. I strive to “Edu-tain” those that hear me; educate and entertain. Many think you have to compromise one for the other, but I strive for that balance in my music at all times. 15. Lyfe Jennings is quoted saying your voice “doest sound like anything or anybody else on the radio,” how does that make you feel? His words make me feel inspired and motivated to keep it moving onward and upward to do greater things. I had a chance to really sit and talk to that talented brother face to face; just knowing the obstacles Lyfe Jennings faced before reaching where he is musically is an inspiration in itself. It lets me know that hard work and music from the soul pays off if you just keep at it. 16. How does it feel to be from New Orleans having our own genre of music and being able to expose the movement in the city? New Orleans and the people from this city are completing unique; we have our own way of doing things that is so different from any and everywhere else. So being able to represent that in my music is truly an honor to me. Everybody knows the hardships we have gone through - continue to go through - so that sometimes overshadows the amazing talent we have to offer via the next generation of New Orleans’ artists. My style of music is a representation of the all the different things we bring to the table as a city. Funk, jazz, hip-hop, soul, Afro-beat, second-line, reggae, gospel; you can find it all in aspects of my music because you can find it all in the gumbo pot of New Orleans’ vast music history. 17. You’re set to release your 3rd LP, “The Feel Good Movement.” What’s different about this project from your previous 2 release? This will be my first nationally distributed release, so I’m extremely excited about being able to reach and inspire more people with my art. Logistically, it’s completely different from all of my other projects because this album is all live instrumentation. No samples, no drum loops - just me and my band along with some other respected musicians and spoken word artists, all friends of mine. It shows the growth and maturity in not only my music, but in me as a man. I’m dealing with matters of the heart more on this album, also. Sometimes in order for us to feel good, we have to be honest about what makes us feel bad. I’m hoping to do that with this project. 18. “Heaven” is the lead single off the project and is currently being spun on 17 stations World Wide how does that feel and why do you think now?

My family at young.black.nappy. (www. youngblacknappy.com) asked to use it on a promotional video for their Kick starter project, and it got an overwhelming response from all over the world; people were going to their website and Facebook page to request the song. So, being a man of the people and all, I gave it to them. It just kind of spread from there. I was blessed to tour with the Liberated Soul Collective this past summer, so many of the venues and radio stations we hit during that time heard it, loved it, and shared it with their audiences, too. It’s definitely the kind of song that people can relate to. Your little piece of heaven can be your lover, your child, your city, your music, anything that makes you smile and encourages you to push on; that’s why I think people respond so well to it. 19. BFAM, explain what this is and your . role in it. B.F.A.M stands for Brothers From Another Mother. It’s a music group that my brother, LeBraun Robinson, and I started while we were students at Tennessee State University in Nashville. We’re a musical collective or artists who share the same values and respect for our craft; we’re not a record label. We’ve now grown to include more than six producers and recording engineers, four songwriters, two vocal producers, and a number of instrumentalists. We’re based out of New Orleans, where we not only produce, record, write, and perform, but also consult with other independent artists on how to handle the business of their music careers. The main goal of BFAM is to exemplify “Respect, Trust, & Loyalty” for all independent artists in a time when the music industry often turns its back on those principles. We strive to empower artists to have a do-it-yourself attitude when it comes to their careers in music and not be so dependent on major labels to give them a break. 20. When it’s all said and done, how do you want New Orleans Music hip hop and r&b music scenes to be viewed? I just really want people to understand the vital contributions that New Orleans’ artists make not only to urban music, but to American music as a whole. Our musical roots go all the way back to Congo Square; it was the first place in the United States where slaves were allowed to sing, play music, and share dances from their native lands. In understanding New Orleans’ role in inspiring and shaping contemporary music, it is my hope that our current musicians are shown appreciation as well. There’s more to New Orleans’ than Lil Wayne, No Limit Records, and Louis Armstrong; their contributions have shined a light on our city, but there are many other musical jewels just waiting to be revealed. At the end of the day, I want everyone to know how important New Orleans truly is to music, to all art forms, all over the world.

To be honest, “Heaven” received public exposure a little earlier than I’d expected.

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

Aware – and Shining a Light for the Future

Enjoying the beautiful Biloxi beach after a day full of workshops and discussions

By Laura Williamson, Education Outreach Coordinator, Puentes New Orleans

On Thursday, September 8, 2011, I boarded a bus bound for a weekend conference in Biloxi, Mississippi. Alongside me were three student participants in our LatiNola Youth Leadership Council, a youth leadership development and civic engagement program.

t was a beautiful New Orleans afternoon, and the NeighborWorks America event – the Gulf Coast Resident Leadership Conference – promised to be interesting and engaging. However, I must admit I felt a decent degree of apprehension in thinking about the experience ahead: shepherding three high school students at an otherwise all-adult conference for three days far from home. Would they be interested in the workshops and engaged in the conference as a whole? Would they hold their own among all the adults around them and represent the organization well? Would they go crazy with their newfound independence and get lost while under my supervision? Would I betray my true “inner darkness” and lose my “cool adult” label (a reputation I otherwise work hard to maintain with them)?

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Jesus, Jenifer & Francisco networked with lots of cool community advocates and artits from across the Gulf Coast, like Eryka Perry of Real Life Poets, Inc., based in Birmingham, AL, pictured here.

While I’m sure those readers among you who have traveled with youth can sympathize with these fears, I also know that, if you’ve worked with young people as stellar as those I work with, you’ll understand what I mean when I say I shouldn’t have worried. The three students were exemplary representatives of the LYLC, of Puentes, and of New Orleans; and by the end of the weekend they had the whole conference buzzing. Not only did they “hang with” the adults in conversations and workshops – in some cases they outdid them, with their thoughtfulness in discussions and creativity in problem-solving. By the end, an exercise during which individuals were to rotate to various discussion tables that interested them, the youth-led table had by far the most people and was brimming with energy and excitement. More than a few conference attendees echoed CCRA’s Greg Rattler’s sentiment when he said of one youth participant, “I was extremely impressed by that young man!” I am not exaggerating when I say they were the stars of the show, impressing not only fellow workshop participants but even conference organizers and building relationships from the Houma Nation here to Moss Point, Mississippi, and everywhere in between. Most importantly, they strengthened their relationships with one another and were able to use the information and tools gained in the conference workshops to design an awesome action plan around training their peers in leadership and organizing. The rock-star student participants were Jenifer, a senior at West Jefferson High School, Francisco, a senior at Bonnabel Magnet Academy, and Jesus, a junior at L.W. Higgins High school. Jesus had the following to say about his experience: “My time at the Gulf Coast Resident Leadership Conference in Biloxi was great. I learned about community organizing and resident-led community engagement. With community organizing, I can help my community organize itself for anything we want or need....In schools, we can set up committees for things that we want

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

to challenge and/or change and then plan an action to achieve it. With community organizing, we can gather people together to make change for the better. Community organizing is a process through which we can help others feel empowered. “Civic engagement is important to communities because it’s a way for people to know what goes on. Without civic engagement, youth wouldn’t get involved and they won’t have the opportunities they could have. On the first day, a presenter talked about the idea of being ‘specactors’ instead of spectators. To me, this is about civic engagement, and it means that we, the people, should challenge things of everyday life instead of just watching everything get even more corrupt. As ‘specactors,’ we show that we aren’t afraid to fight back and demand the change we all want. In the future I see myself being a ‘specactor’ because I will speak my mind against something that is not right and fight for what I think is right. “My experience was just great, and it was awesome. I learned a lot that I can bring back and use with my community and my friends. I am grateful for going to this leadership conference. Thanks for having me with you there.” On behalf of our whole team, I’d like to echo Jesus’ sentiment and offer a huge “Thank you” to NeighborWorks America for making this experience possible for us. And, from just my end, I send my proudest shout-out to Jenifer, Francisco, and Jesus for your hard work and dedication to social change. I’m so grateful to have been a part of your dynamic team!

Laura Williamson is the Education Outreach Coordinator at Puentes New Orleans, a community development non-profit working with Latinos in the Greater New Orleans area.

Neighborhood Meetings

Algiers Point Association Every 1st Thursday of the month @ 7pm Holy Name of Mary School Cafeteria Broadmoor Improvement Association 3rd Monday of every other month @ 7pm Andrew H. Wilson Charter School Cafeteria 3617 General Pershing St. New Orleans, LA 70125 http://www.broadmoorimprovement. com Bunny Friends Neighborhood Association Every second Saturday of the month Mt. Carmel Baptist Church 3721 N Claiborne Ave Bywater Neighborhood Association Every 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7p.m. Holy Angels Cafeteria 3500 St. Claude Ave. Carrollton Riverbend Neighborhood Association Every 2nd Thursday of the month Parish Hall of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Corner of Carrollton and Zimple Carrollton United Every second Monday at 5:00p.m. every other month St. John Missionary Baptist Church, corner of Leonidas and Hickory Central City Partnership Every last Friday of the month @ 1p.m. Allie Mae Williams Center 2020 Jackson Ave. http://www.centralcitypartnership.org Central City Renaissance Alliance

(CCRA) Saturday, September 19 @ 2p.m. 1809 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. http://www.myccra.org Chapel of the Holy Comforter Every 4th Thursday of the month @ 6:30p.m. 2200 Lakeshore Drive Claiborne-University Neighborhood Association Quarterly Meetings, time and date TBA Jewish Community Center 5342 St. Charles Ave Downtown Neighborhood Improvement Association (DNIA) Every 3rd Monday of the month @ 7p.m. Musicians’ Union Hall 2401 Esplanade Ave (entrance through parking lot on Bayou Road and Rocheblave Street) DeSaix Neighborhood Association Every 2nd Saturday of the month @10a.m. Langhston Hughes Academy 3519 Trafalgar Street http://danadesaix.org East New Orleans Neighborhood Advisory Committee (ENONAC) Every 2rd Tuesday of each month @ 6 p.m. St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church http://www.enonac.org Faubourg Delachaise Neighborhood Association Quarterly meetings, time/date/ location TBA http://fdna-nola.org Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association Board Meeting: Every 2nd Monday 7p.m. Holy Rosary Cafeteria 1638

Moss Street General Membership: 3rd Wednesday, every other month 6:30pm Black Gold Room at the Fairgrounds http://www.fsjna.org Faubourg St. Roch Improvement Association Every 2nd Thursday of the month @ 6:00p.m. True Vine Baptist Church 2008 Marigny St. Filmore Gardens Neighborhood Association (meet the 4th Thursday of each month) Rouse’s Food Market (Leon C. Simon & Franklin Avenue) 6:30p.m. to 8:00p.m. (No meetings in Nov. and Dec.) Garden District Association 1 annual meeting per year, time/date/ location TBA Gentilly Civic Improvement Association (GCIA) General Membership- Every 3rd Saturday of the month 10am Board Meeting - Every 3rd Wednesday of the month 6:30p.m. Edgewater Baptist Church 5900 Paris Ave. Gentilly Heights East Neighborhood Association Every 3rd Monday of the month @ 6p.m. Dillard University Dent Hall – Room 104 Gentilly Sugar Hill Neighborhood Association Every 3rd Monday of the month @ 6:30p.m . VOA – 2929 St. Anthony Ave. (meetings on hold until further notice)

Gentilly Terrace School 4720 Painters St. http://www.gentillyterrace.org Hoffman Triangle Neighborhood Association Every 2nd Tuesday of the month @ 5:30p.m. Pleasant Zion Missionary Baptist Church 3327 Toledano Street Hollygrove Neighbors Association Quarterly- Saturdays at noon January 9 April 10 July 10 October 16 St. Peters Church 3424 Eagle St. Eage St. and Edinburgh St. Holy Cross Neighborhood Association Every 2nd and 4th Thursday @ 5:30 Center for Sustainability, Greater Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church 5130 Chartres, Lizardi and Chartres http://www.helpholycross.org Irish Channel Neighborhood Association 2nd Thursday of the month at 7p.m. Irish Channel Christian Fellowship 819 First St. http://www.irishchannel.org Lake Bullard Homeowners Association See website for meeting schedule Cornerstone United Methodist Church 5276 Bullard Ave. http://www.lakebullard.org Lake Catherine Civic Association Every 2nd Tuesday of the month @ 7p.m.

Gentilly Terrace and Gardens Improvement Association Every 2nd Wednesday of the month @ 7pm

Get Connected to the New Orleans Neighborhood Network. Post News & Events for Your Organization at NPNnola.com 30

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

Neighborhood Meetings

Lake Willow Neighborhood Every 2nd Saturday of the month @ 10a.m. St. Maria Goretti Church Lower Ninth Ward Neighborhood Empowerment Network Association (NENA) Every 2nd Saturday @ 12 noon NENA – 1120 Lamanche St. http://www.9thwardnena.org Melia Subdivision Every 2rd Saturday of the month @ 5p.m. Anchoren in Christ Church 4334 Stemway Drive Mid-City Neighborhood Organization General Meeting – Second Monday of every month@ 6:30p.m. Grace Episcopal Church 3700 Canal Street http://www.mcno.org Milneburg Neighborhood Association Chapel of the Holy Comforter 2200 Lakeshore Dr. 6:30 p.m. Monthly meetings are every 4th Thursday of the month

Oak Park Civic Association Every 3rd or last Tuesday of the month Paris Oaks/Bayou Vista Neighborhood Association Last Saturday of every month @ 4p.m. Third District Police Station 4650 Paris Avenue Pensiontown of Carrollton Neighborhood Association Every 1st Saturday of the month @ 2p.m. Leonidas House Community Center (under renovation) 1407 Leonidas St. Temporarily housed at St. Paul AME Church 8540 Cohn St. (corner of Leonidas and Cohn) Pontilly Association Pontilly Disaster Collaborative – Every 3rd Wednesday of the month General Meeting – every 2nd Saturday of the month http://www.pontilly.com

Ask City Hall

Rosedale Subdivision Last Friday of every month @5:30 Greater Bright Morning Star Baptist Church 4253 Dale Street Seabrook Neighborhood Association Monthly meetings are every second Monday Gentilly Terrace School 4720 Painters Street Tall Timbers Owners Association Semi-annual meetings: Second Wednesday of October & April 7p.m. Board meetings: Second Wednesday of every other month 7p.m Tunisburg Square Homeowners Civic Association, Inc. Every 2nd Monday of the month @ 6:30p.m. http://tunisburg.org West Barrington Association 1st Tuesday of every month @ 6p.m. Holiday Inn Express 70219 Bullard Avenue

Send your neighborhood meeting details to: web@npnnola.com

Neighborhood Partnership Network 4902 Canal Street • #301 New Orleans, LA 70119 504.940.2207 • FX 504.940.2208 TheTrumpet@npnnola.com

THE TRUMPET | November/December | 2011

District A Susan G. Guidry City Hall, Room 2W80 1300 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112 Phone: (504) 658-1010 Fax: (504) 658-1016 Email: sgguidry@cityofno.com District B Stacy Head City Hall, Room 2W10 1300 Perdido Street Phone: (504) 658 -1020 Fax: (504) 658-1025 Email: shead@cityofno.com District C Kristin Gisleson Palmer City Hall, Room 2W70 1300 Perdido Street Phone: (504) 658-1030 Fax: (504) 658-1037 Email: kgpalmer@cityofno.com District D Cynthia Hedge-Morrell City Hall, Room 2W20 1300 Perdido Street Phone: (504) 658-1040 Fax: (504) 658-1048 E-mail: chmorrell@cityofno.com District E Jon D. Johnson City Hall, Room 2W60 1300 Perdido Street Phone: (504) 658-1050 Fax: (504) 658-1058 E-mail: jdjohnson@cityofno.com Council Member-At-Large Arnie Fielkow City Hall, Room 2W40 1300 Perdido Street Phone: (504) 658-1060 Fax: (504) 658-1068 Email: afielkow@cityofno.com Council Member-At-Large Jacquelyn Clarkson City Hall, Room 2W50 1300 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112 Phone: (504) 658-1070 Fax: (504) 658-1077

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Photo By: Scott Bicking