Zurich Classic Starts Tomorrow

They're back at the TPC Louisiana this year.

I Can Save John Edwards $385

Presidential Candidate John Edwards pays $400 for haircuts from Beverly Hills stylist Joseph Torrenueva, using campaign contributions to foot the bill. He could save $385 by visiting the Golden Shears on Magazine Street.

Mitch Landrieu Won't Run for Governor

Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu has decided not to run for Governor. Here is a possible reason why.

John Kerry to Run for President Again?

This John Kerry quote makes it crystal clear, as usual:

"Could that change?" Kerry said. "It might. It may change over years. It may change over months. I can't tell you, but I've said very clearly I don't consider myself out of it forever."

Camellia Grill Reopens Saturday

Good news.

WINO Approved

Wine Institute New Orleans, or WINO, received City Council approval for a zoning change allowing it to remain open.

Mr. B's to Reopen Monday

Mr. B's will reopen on Monday, April 16.

Breaux Backs Out of Governor's Race

Former Senator and current Maryland lobbyist John Breaux, the self-proclaimed savior of Louisiana, has decided not to move to Louisiana and run for Governor after all. He wanted Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti to issue an advisory opinion rubber-stamping his candidacy, and when Foti declined to do so, Breaux dropped out. When the going gets tough, .... I guess websites such as this -- Lobbyist Breaux is Not Above the Law -- proved accurate in the end. Meanwhile, another website has sprouted up trying to smear Bobby Jindal, this one paid for by the Louisiana Democratic Party -- About Bobby. The Democrats need someone, anyone, to run for Governor.

Cynthia Hedge-Morrell: "Do You Know Who I Am?"

City Councilman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell yells "Do you know who I am?" at a state trooper who pulls her over for going 100 MPH on the shoulder of I-10. If you have to ask someone if they know who you are, you're not that big of a deal.

Bobby Jindal Says John Breaux Not a Louisiana Citizen

Former U.S. Sen. John Breaux is not a citizen of Louisiana and, therefore, isn’t eligible to run for governor, gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Metairie, said Tuesday in Alexandria. “In my opinion – no – he’s not, but I’m not going to get involved in court challenges. I’m no attorney, and I would rather tell people why Bobby Jindal is the best candidate for governor,” Jindal said after a speech delivered to the Alexandria Rotary Club at Convention Hall in downtown Alexandria.

Eddie Jordan Appellate Argument Over Firing of Whites

Eddie Jordan's lawyers presented oral argument in the Fifth Circuit over Jordan's mass firing of white workers when he was elected. The oral argument went horribly for Jordan, and there appears to be no chance that the multimillion dollar verdict will be overturned. Taxpayers are left holding the bag for Jordan's incompetence.

Nancy Pelosi's Bill Jefferson Problem

From the New York Observer:

It has been three months since the 110th Congress was sworn in, but Ms. Pelosi still refuses to keep her word and seat that district’s duly elected representative on the Homeland Security Committee—despite the obvious value of such a committee assignment to the Second District, which was decimated by Hurricane Katrina.

There are reasons for the Speaker’s reluctance—mainly political, but also very personal.

For starters, there’s the identity of the Second District’s Congressman: William Jefferson. All of Washington has been waiting for his indictment since August 2005, when F.B.I. agents raided his home and found $90,000 in cash stuffed in his freezer.

Now, Republicans are drooling over the prospect of Ms. Pelosi taking Mr. Jefferson’s committee nomination to the House floor—the perfect opportunity for the G.O.P.’s most sanctimonious attack dogs to force a fight and remind Americans of the Speaker’s promise to deliver “the most ethical Congress in history.”

There’s also the grudge factor. Long before that infamous cash began to thaw out, Mr. Jefferson had earned a prominent spot on Ms. Pelosi’s enemies list by seeking to undermine her standing among House Democrats after she refused to appoint him to head the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2002. Cross her even once, and Ms. Pelosi will still be twisting her knife in you years later.

So Ms. Pelosi, like a football coach trying to protect a lead by running out the clock, is delaying, hoping that much-anticipated indictment at last materializes and gives her cover for denying Mr. Jefferson his seat. It’s not the worst strategy, considering the damning evidence that has already emerged.

Wednesday at the Square

The Wednesday evening concerts in Lafayette Square start today with The Iguanas. Schedule here.

Houston's Opinion of Evacuees Grows Worse

Nearly two-thirds of Houston residents surveyed said the influx of more than 100,000 evacuees from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 has been "a bad thing" for Houston. Only 11 percent believe the evacuees have had a positive impact. Those numbers reflect a souring in Houston's attitude toward Katrina evacuee since last year, when as many as 36 percent of those surveyed thought the influx was "a good thing."

Profile of Bobby Jindal

Bobby Jindal Saves Louisiana.

Steve Scalise Calls For Repeal Of Stelly Plan

Rep. Steve Scalise calls for the repeal of the Stelly Plan tax increases on Louisiana families and businesses.

Judge Hunter Gives 42 Criminals Get Out Of Jail Free Card

Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Arthur Hunter said that next month he will release 42 poor defendants who remain in custody and suggested the public defender program should dump cases rather than continue working on them while it has only a skeleton staff, a staggering caseload and a lack of money. Judge Hunter said nothing about the crime victims' rights. Stories here and here.

Danziger 7 Prosecutors Ordered to Produce Documents

Attorneys for New Orleans police officers facing murder and attempted murder charges in fatal shootings on a bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina told a judge Thursday they need to see more documents from the grand jury that indicted the officers.

The judge in the case, Raymond Bigelow, ruled Thursday that prosecutors will have to turn over the documents to him, or make them available for review by all attorneys in the case. Bigelow gave the prosecutors until Tuesday to decide.

Stop Light Fixed at St. Charles and Jefferson

The traffic signal at the intersection of St. Charles Avenue and Jefferson Avenue has been fixed. Only in New Orleans does the simple repair of a stop light at a major intersection merit discussion. I saw an accident at the intersection the weekend before they fixed the light, most likely caused by the light being inoperable for months.

Watch Out For Alligators

Drivers, beware: Alligators are out again, and they could be a road hazard. A motorist ran over one gator Wednesday morning along eastbound Interstate 10 between the Twin Span and Irish Bayou, killing it. "If you hit an alligator like this 10-footer, it's certainly going to cause some problems for your vehicle, depending on the size and condition of your vehicle, but even hitting a smaller animal can do some damage, and it is dangerous for people," Dietz said.

NOPD Can't Hire Officers Fast Enough

Despite more officers joining the New Orleans Police Department, officials said there's still a lack of manpower -- and boosting those numbers is an uphill battle.

Breaux for Governor of Maryland

Former Louisiana Senator John Breaux picked up an endorsement for Governor of Maryland.

Jindal is Either Good or Bad

Either Jindal is Good or Jindal is Bad.

Angelina Jolie Can't Eat Because She Misses Her Mom

Angelina Jolie's brother, James Haven, says she is not eating and is losing too much weight because she is grieving her mother's passing. Jolie and her brother made out on national tv onstage at the Oscars a few years ago.

Jindal Wants Criminals Out Of Public Housing

Bobby Jindal does not want criminals living in public housing. Makes sense to me, but the activists with other agendas will disagree.

Great Gift Idea for Bill Jefferson

If you're like me, from time to time you need to park a spare $90,000 in cash from a delicate and, shall we say, undocumented transaction. The wad of cash is too thick to fit through the deposit slot at the ATM machine, so where are you going to keep it all? We've all had this problem before. Happens to normal, everyday, law-abiding citizens all the time. Until now, I always hid my cash in the freezer, but everybody knows about that spot because that's where Congressman Bill Jefferson kept his spare change. I have found the perfect solution: the iceberg lettuce safe. Yes, you heard me right, a safe shaped like a "realistic looking" head of iceberg lettuce. That's an actual picture of the safe, not a real head of lettuce, on the left. The bottom of it detaches to reveal a secret hidden compartment. More details and ordering information here and here.

Governor Blanco Drops Out Of Governor's Race

Governor Kathleen Blanco officially dropped out of the Governor's race this evening. The worst kept secret in Louisiana politics for months has been that she would either drop out of the race or be forced out by the Democrats. Tonight, she made it official, clearing the deck for former Senator and current Maryland resident John Breaux to run.

Louisiana's law expressly prohibits Breaux from running, given that he lives in Maryland, votes in Maryland, pays taxes in Maryland and has a Maryland driver's license, among other things. I don't recall any recent out-of-state carpetbaggers seeking state-wide office in Louisiana, but it seems to be a relatively common occurrence for Louisiana politicians to run for legislative seats in districts in which they do not reside, claiming that they reside in their newly discovered district because their mama lives there. Louisiana courts seem to buy this legal fiction and read into the statutes an invisible caveat that the candidate for office "or his mama" live in the district. Breaux has already been playing the mama card and taking it to a nonsensical new level, claiming that his mother, unfortunately now passed away, used to live in Crowley, and he inherited half of two vacant lots there from her, which somehow makes him a resident of Louisiana.

Gambit's Pro-Gun Control Cover Story

The Gambit has a horribly biased cover story on the increase in gun sales in the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina. It discusses what it calls the "delicate balance between people's need to protect themselves and the proliferation of guns in an increasingly violent city," when the real balance is between law-abiding citizens and criminals. It suggests that former Mayor Marc Morial's disastrous and hypocritical lawsuit against the gun industry failed due to opposition from the legislature and the NRA, when it failed due to the obvious fact that killers, not gun manufacturers, are responsible for their actions. The article wanders into irresponsible fantasyland when it suggests that the police can preempt crime from happening so that self-protection is unnecessary.

Food Network to Feature Zapps, Hubig's Pies and Haydel's

The Food Network's "Road Tasted" show was in Louisiana recently shooting footage for a segment on the Simon Hubig Pie Co., Zapp's Potato Chips and Haydel's Bakery.

McDonald's Franchisee Donates Vests to NOPD Recruits

The owner of 12 New Orleans area McDonald's restaurants has donated bulletproof vests to the 38 graduates of the first New Orleans police recruit class since Hurricane Katrina. Chris Bardell said he responded to a request for vests from police Chief Warren Riley.

San Antonio Gives Up On Saints

San Antonio never had a chance at landing a professional sports team, despite Tom Benson's desire to move his team there. They have given up on the idea.

Two More Candidates for Governor

Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell made his race for Governor official. Also, Walter Williams, the creator of the Saturday Night Live character Mr. Bill (ooohhhhh nnoooooo) plans to run.

Nagin Suggests Plot to Keep Blacks Away

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is again being skewered by the national press and blogosphere for his latest absurd comments after Katrina. See this Washington Post story for his discussion of the alleged plot to keep blacks from returning to the City.

Jordan and Riley Agree to do Things They Should Have Been Doing for Years

District Attorney Eddie Jordan and Police Superintendent Warren Riley have agreed to do simple things that they should have been doing for years in terms of cooperation between the DA's office and NOPD, yet they hailed it as if they just invented sliced bread. They tried to bill it as a solution to a longstanding problem, i.e., one that dates back to Harry Connick's days as district attorney, but that is false. The problems stem entirely from Eddie Jordan and Chief Compass and Riley's watches.

City Council Approves Trump Tower

I still don't think it will ever come to fruition, but Donald Trump has City Council approval to build his 70 story tower at Poydras and Camp.

GOP to Run Ads Targeting Breaux's Maryland Citizenship

The Louisiana Republican Party will run ads pointing out former Senator John Breaux's Maryland citizenship. "We feel like he is not a resident or citizen of Louisiana and we want to make this known to Louisiana residents," James Quinn said Thursday. "With all the supporting evidence and everything, we just want to make it clear that if he tries to run, we don't think he can."

Traffic Light and Pothole Update

The Times-Picayune has an update on the state of traffic lights and road improvements. The light at the intersection of St. Charles and Jefferson should be fixed soon. There is no good explanation for why it took so long to address that light. Somehow, the City pulled the wool over the Feds' eyes as to the condition of our streets and convinced the Federal Highway Administration to pay for street repairs that were, wink, wink, necessary due to Katrina damage.

NOPD Flip-Flops Again

After a weekend marred by bloodshed, New Orleans Police Chief Warren Riley said Monday his department is now focusing more on the city's most violent criminals and less on the small-time offenders.

His statements signal a major change in tactics and a marked departure from previous statements that the department would aggressively pursue even the lowest-level offenders.

This is a mistake. The notion of focusing on only one segment of criminals is misplaced. Violent criminals also commit lower level crimes. If you pick up people for the lower level crimes, you end up catching people who are wanted for far more serious offenses. To say nothing of the fact that it's just the right thing to do. Surrendering to small-time criminals in pursuit of the bigger fish is wrong. New York had revolutionary success in reducing crime by targeting all crime, not just the violent crime.

New Orleans area bloggers oppose Chief Riley's flip-flop. See here and here.

Liberate Lower Magazine Street

Here is a website dedicated solely to fixing the idiotic problem that has closed down Magazine Street for years. It is unacceptable for any street to be shut down that long, even a tiny dead end street much less a major shopping and commuting street. This fiasco is a perfect example of the lack of leadership in this city. I understand there are different aspects to this dispute such as historic preservation, street and drainage work, litigation, etc., but a leader would somehow cut through all that and find a solution. How much business are Magazine Street merchants losing because their street has been shut down for years?

Vitter Endorses Giuliani

The Rudy Giuliani Presidential Exploratory Committee today announced that Senator David Vitter will serve as the Southern Regional Chair. Senator Vitter will help lead the campaign’s efforts to build support in the south and in the United States Senate.

Judge Blasts Prosecutors for Making a "Mess" of the Danziger 7 Case

Prosecutors created a "mess" by compelling three of the seven police officers charged in deadly bridge shootings in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath to testify before the grand jury that later indicted them, the judge presiding over the case said Friday. Stories here and here.

Silence is Violence's Revamped Website

Silence is Violence has revamped their website.

What is Breaux Waiting For?

When is former Senator John Breaux going to announce his candidacy for Governor? He needs to quit delaying and announce so he can start raising campaign cash. The worst kept secret in Louisiana politics is the Democrats' desire to push Governor Kathleen Blanco out of the Governor's race. The face-saving script calls for her to say she has worked tirelessly for the people of Louisiana since Katrina and that she wants to be able to spend more time with her family and grandchildren, so she has made the difficult decision not to seek reelection. Democrats need to make this happen now if they are to have any chance of winning this fall.

Vote on Jefferson's Homeland Security Post Delayed

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has again put off a controversial vote on seating Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, on the Committee on Homeland Security. Perhaps the appointment of Jefferson does not fit with her promise to make this "the most honest, ethical and open Congress in history."

Boasso Makes It Official

State Senator Walter Boasso formally announced his candidacy for Governor.

Peyton Manning to Host SNL

Peyton Manning will host Saturday Night Live on March 24.

Last Chance

The Times-Picayune has a cover story and interactive graphics on the need for coastal restoration.

New Orleans Levee

Heh.

How New York Solved its Crime Problem

More on Rudy Giuliani's successful crime fighting in New York:

As mayor, he instituted a "zero tolerance" approach that cracked down on quality-of-life offenses like panhandling and public urination (in a city where some streets reeked of urine), in order to restore a sense of civic order that he believed would discourage larger crimes. "Murder and graffiti are two vastly different crimes," he explained. "But they are part of the same continuum, and a climate that tolerates one is more likely to tolerate the other." He linked the Dinkins era's permissive climate, which tolerated the squeegee men (street-corner windshield cleaners who coerced drivers into giving them money at the entrances to Manhattan), to the rise of more serious crime. "The police started ignoring all kinds of offenses," Mr. Giuliani later recounted of the Dinkins years. They "became," he deadpanned, "highly skilled observers of crime."

Mr. Giuliani changed the primary mission of the police department to preventing crime from happening rather than merely responding to it once it had occurred. His police chief, William Bratton, reorganized the NYPD, emphasizing a street-crimes unit that moved around the city, flooding high-crime areas and getting guns off the street. Mr. Bratton also changed the department's scheduling. Crime was open for business 24 hours a day, but most detectives, including narcotics cops, had previously gone off duty at 5 p.m., just as criminals were coming on "duty." No more.

The department brought modern management techniques to its new mission. It began compiling a computerized database to track the city's crime patterns and the effectiveness of the NYPD's responses to them. That database, known as Compstat, helped police target their manpower where it was needed, and in due course it became a national model. The department drove authority down to its precinct captains and emphasized that it expected results from these top managers. Mr. Bratton replaced a third of the city's 76 precinct commanders within a few months. "If you were to manage a bank with 76 branches every day, you would get a profit-and-loss statement from the bank," explained Mr. Giuliani. "After a week or so, you would see branches that were going in the wrong direction, and then you would take management action to try to reverse the trend. That is precisely what is happening in the police department."

The policing innovations led to a historic drop in crime far beyond what anyone could have imagined, with total crime down by some 64% during the Giuliani years, and murder (the most reliable crime statistic) down 67%, from 1,960 in Mr. Dinkins's last year to 640 in Mr. Giuliani's last year. The number of cars stolen in New York City every year plummeted by an astounding 78,000.

City Considering Tax Increase for Quarter

New Orleans is considering creating a special taxing district in the Quarter. Raising taxes will hurt the Quarter, not help it. Here is the story:

The city of New Orleans is reviving the idea of creating a special taxing district to generate funds to clean up and promote the French Quarter. Mayor Ray Nagin has appointed lawyer Virginia Boulet, one of his opponents in last year's election, to spearhead the effort. She said Nagin wants to find ways to enhance cleanliness, public safety, capital projects and enforcement of quality-of-life regulations in the district and to market it as a shopping and weekend-vacation destination.

Riley, Jordan Agree to Drug Field-Tests

Riley said the district attorney's office will now accept the results of police field-testing kits, used to confirm suspected drugs are the real thing, with one caveat: that police turn over a lab report within 24 days. It's just one example of a compromise in the often testy relationship between the two departments. The issue over the use of the kits, which have been relied upon more in the absence of a fully functioning crime lab, came to a head in February during a City Council subcommittee hearing. During the hearing, council members demanded answers and less finger-pointing from Jordan and Riley.

Someone Really Does Not Like Tom Fitzmorris

"Shut Up and Write About Food!" says its mission is to "document 'the self-important voice' of New Orleans' most pompous food critic, Tom Fitzmorris."

Morial Slams Danziger 7

In a letter to the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Marc Morial — a former New Orleans mayor — asked that the caucus support a federal civil rights investigation into the "circumstances surrounding the police killing of two unarmed African-American men and the wounding of four others." "What's the matter he doesn't have faith in Eddie Jordan?" said attorney Frank DeSalvo, who represents one of the officers. "I don't know what motivates these people to do what they do. I assume there is a political reason for it."

Occupancy Rate Near Sellout for Carnival

More than 95 percent of the city’s 30,000 available rooms had been reserved for Mardi Gras weekend, up from 92 percent during Carnival’s first weekend.

NOPD-DA Rift

From City Business:

Police Superintendent Warren Riley and District Attorney Eddie Jordan apparently dislike each other so much they pull audacious stunts such as delaying reports and releasing guilty criminals to antagonize and embarrass each other. At least those are the excuses each man offered when asked last week by the City Council to explain their ineffectiveness.

The dysfunctional relationship is the antithesis of what is needed in New Orleans today. The feud between Jordan and Riley hurts all of us by reducing the city’s ability to fulfill its responsibility to combat crime.

Endymion to Return to Mid-City in 2008?

Errol Laborde interviewed Mayor Nagin on PBS last night, and Nagin sounded very optimistic about Endymion returning to Mid-City next year. New Orleans bloggers are ready for Endymion to return to its home. See here, here, here, here and here.

Arthur Hardy's Blog

Arthur Hardy's Mardi Gras blog.

Mardi Gras Parades

Uptown: Zulu (8:00ish), Rex (10:00), Elks Orleans (11:30) and Crescent City (after Elks).
West Bank: Grela (11:00 and Choctaw (noon).
Metairie: Argus (10:00), followed by Jefferson Trucks and Elks Jefferson.
Covington: Lions (10:00), followed by Covington.

Flambeaux History

Article here.

Lundi Gras Parades

Uptown: Proteus (5:15) and Orpheus (5:45).
Metairie: Zeus (6:30).

Sunday Parades

Uptown: Okeanos (11:00), Thoth (11:30), Mid-City (2:00) and Bacchus (5:15).
West Bank: Adonis (12:00).
Metairie: Napoleon (5:30).

Britney Spears Shaves her Head

Louisiana native Britney Spears was spotted at a Los Angeles area tattoo parlor with a shaved head. "Some fans that were interviewed after Spears departed declared the new look less than flattering." You don't say.

Saturday's Parades

Uptown: Iris (11:00), Tucks (12:30) and Endymion (4:30).
West Bank: NOMTOC (10:45).
Metairie: Isis (6:00).

Pelosi Gives Jefferson Homeland Security Position Despite Security Risk

Freezer full of cash? Check. Vote for U.S. surrender in Iraq? Check. Result? Censure? Impeachment? Nope -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rewards Congressman Bill Jefferson with a coveted position on the House Homeland Security panel. "But he's not a security risk!"

Rep. Peter King responds:

"It sends a terrible message," said King, R-N.Y. "They couldn't trust him to write tax policy, so why should he be given access to our nation's top secrets or making policy for national defense?"

"Members of the committee have access to intelligence secrets, plots here in the country, overseas, and people under suspicion. This shows how unimportant the Democrats think homeland security is," King said.

Texting for Dollars

Unable to attract much interest in corporate sponsorship of Carnival, the City is begging high school and college kids to text them a few bucks. They are also hitting up hotel guests with pillow top solicitations, so in case any tourists feel they haven't been gouged enough by the hotel-motel tax, sales tax, etc., they can text a few dollars to the City via Paypal. Tacky.

Rep. Jefferson Votes for Non-Binding Resolution

Rep. Bill Jefferson speaks on the House floor for U.S. surrender against the surge in Iraq.

Friday Parades

Uptown: Hermes (6:00), Krewe D'Etat (6:30) and Morpheus (7:45).
Metairie: Aquila (7:00) and Jason (7:30).
Mandeville: Orpheus (7:00).
Slidell: Selene (6:30).

Petition Asks Eddie Jordan to Resign

Online petition says:

We, the undersigned, call on you District Attorney Eddie Jordan to do the right thing by the people of the great city of New Orleans -- resign with some dignity.

Resign now before this informal petition turns into a formal recall petition.

See Signal 26.

E-Mail from Shelly Midura about Crime

Dear District A Resident,

The level of violent crime currently plaguing New Orleans is intolerable. I know you are all angry, impatient, and looking towards your city's elected officials for leadership and an appropriate response. I share your anger and impatience. Our stakes are no less than the recovery of the great American city of New Orleans. We need a smarter, more effective criminal-justice system. Without functional, evidence based, accountable and effective public safety there is no recovery. As an elected official, I get that. We have no higher priority than the safety of New Orleans. But reform means doing things differently if we want a different result.

New Orleans, you deserve accountability from your government. We have a responsibility to deliver. While it takes money to solve some of our crime problems, money alone will never be the answer. The city has allocated close to 1/3 of our general fund to the criminal-justice system. We were averaging over 100,000 arrests per year before Katrina in a city of 460,000 people. We had the nation's 4th largest city jail and the world's highest incarceration rate. We currently have more law enforcement patrolling our streets in New Orleans than we have ever had before in our city's history. Yet despite all the millions of dollars, record numbers of law enforcement patrols, massive incarceration, and hundreds of thousands of arrests, the bottom line is that these traditional policies have still failed to make us safer.

We have heard from countless citizens about the impact of crime on their everyday lives. Whether it's the murder count, whether it's the recent armed mugging in the parking lot of Gulfstream on St. Charles, the attempted break-in in broad daylight on the 1400 block of State Street, or the various other incidents of crime in District A or elsewhere in the City. We are on it. Public safety is our number one priority.

We are facing a crisis that threatens the survival of our great city and this crisis requires an immediate triage in response as well as a plan for the longer term. Short term steps are under way to address the crisis - increased police visibility, foot patrols, increased street lighting, and after-dark checkpoints around the city. In the longer term the Council has been actively engaged in mapping a reform process with the goal of increasing the effectiveness of all our city's multiple criminal justice agencies. We need our police and district attorneys to work more closely together to ensure quality investigations and better prosecution of violent criminals. We need a higher functioning system that works with all its parts more seamlessly and efficiently. We need greater accountability, increased transparency, and reforms derived from data, research, and evidence. As a member of the Council, I commit to you that I will be vigilant in oversight of our struggling criminal justice system. But in order to for us to truly survive this crisis we must do even more, we must rise to the challenge and begin to think altogether differently about crime.

My office has been actively engaged on the issue and has worked especially closely with Councilmember Head and Councilmember Carter who have provided great leadership by reaching out to best practitioners around the country to help New Orleans solve our crime problem and by working to hold our system accountable. As we've researched successful models around the country we've discovered how different our system is in New Orleans compared to others and we've found some lessons learned and basic principles to guide us as we rebuild our city's criminal justice system. The Boston model has taught us the importance of options for judges, for programs and a strong social services support infrastructure that New Orleans currently lacks. New York teaches us the importance of data in driving policy solutions and the allocation of resources whether it's the deployment strategy of police through compstat or whether it's the detention policy determining who belongs in jail and who does not. Efficiency has got to be one of our principles when we are already spending close to 1/3 of our general fund on police and detention and our city is strapped for funds with so many other existing financial responsibilities.

We've also learned the importance of professionalism versus politics. Just as I believe it makes good sense for levee boards to be managed by engineers instead of politicos, I also believe that we must minimize the influence of political power in our criminal justice system so that it does not compete with the interests of public safety. We must insist upon increased professional standards from police who are charged not only with making arrests, but also with conducting complex investigations, writing quality police reports, and engaging neighborhoods and soliciting witness and community participation in the crime fighting process. When only 2% of a police force has a college education it may adversely affect the quality of investigations and the strength of a criminal case. If Chief Riley requests it, I would fully support measures and funding incentives to aid him in recruiting and retaining more qualified police officers.

In November this council addressed the pay issue for police by increasing their salaries, along with other city workers, by 10%. The Council went even further with the District Attorney's office by increasing the salaries of prosecutors by 30% to raise the average starting salary from $35k to $50k. Our job is to equip these agencies with the tools they need to do their jobs and then to provide oversight to ensure they are administrating effectively. The crime committee council meeting on Monday at 1:30 is open to the public and is a function of our responsibility to provide oversight and hold departments accountable.

I am more than seriously concerned by Thursday's Times Picayune report that states that there has only been one conviction out of the 162 murders from 2006. No reasonable citizen can find that kind of performance by our criminal justice system acceptable. It is, in fact, outrageous. We have an across the board breakdown in multiple agencies. We need a closer working relationship between police and prosecutors to ensure investigations and cases are as strong as possible to hold violent criminals accountable. We need a detention system that reduces recidivism. We need courts that prioritize cases involving violent criminals who pose a serious public safety threat.

Crime is not the cause of a city dying. Crime is the symptom of a city dying. Crime is the sound of a city dying. If we truly want a final solution for public safety, we will need a much stronger public education system and we will need to expand our city's middle class by offering our poorer and working class citizens economic mobility with better paying job opportunities. And while the recent civic activism around the issue demonstrates how engaged you all are as citizens, I encourage you to remain organized and vigilant. I am reminded of the great success and reforms brought on by active citizens in reforming our system for levees and assessors by demanding they be managed by professionals rather than by politics. We need those same principles, public passion, and organization to reform our criminal justice and public education systems. Our city's recovery and long term future depend on it.

Nagin and Riley Held in Contempt of Court in Illegal Gun Confiscation Suit

The federal judge in the National Rifle Association's lawsuit against the City granted NRA’s motion to hold Mayor Nagin and Police Superintendent Warren Riley in contempt of court for “failure to provide initial disclosures and to compel answers to discovery” during NRA’s injunction against the City for their illegal gun confiscation of law abiding citizens following Hurricane Katrina in 2006.

Thursday's Parades

Uptown: Babylon (5:45), Chaos (6:30) and Muses (7:30).

Bill Jefferson Sued by Stockholder of Company He Took Money From

A looming criminal indictment is not Congressman Bill Jefferson's only worry. A former stockholder in a technology company sued him and a former business associate Tuesday, claiming they bilked stockholders by using business funds to pay bribes.

Errol Laborde's Carnival Lists and Notes

Link here for lots of Carnival info.

City Council Grills Jordan and Riley

Monday's session seems fairly unproductive.

Both New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley and District Attorney Eddie Jordan said they are eager to work together to quash surging city crime. But the meeting ended with a fair share of finger-pointing and few resolutions.

The pair's fractured working relationship was on full display as council members pressed the two men on the state of their departments and the high rate of release and the low rate of conviction of arrested individuals, tying those problems to a lack of cooperation between their offices.

Wednesday's Parades

Uptown: Druids (6:00).
Metairie: Thor (7:00).

Get Out Of Jail Free After 60 Days

The criminals are on to Eddie Jordan, to noone's surprise:

On recent FBI wiretaps, agents can hear criminal suspects muttering about "misdemeanor murders," code for doing hardly any time at all for the worst crime on the books.

On street corners and in the grungy holding tanks at parish prison, they have another name for it: "701," shorthand for Article 701 of the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure. It states that no one can be held longer than 60 days on a felony arrest without an indictment.

Sometimes a 701 release merely eliminates a bond posted by a suspect in order to remain at liberty pending a trial. But in other cases, the 701 springs a murder suspect from jail because prosecutors have failed to meet the 60-day deadline, and that's been happening with astonishing frequency -- a tenfold increase -- in the widely criticized New Orleans criminal justice system since Hurricane Katrina.

Other N.O. Bloggers on Crime

Nola Mom.
Ernie The Attorney.
The Third Battle of New Orleans.

Additional Questions for Eddie Jordan

As I reported earlier, the City Council has requested that District Attorney Eddie Jordan and Police Superintendent Warren Riley address the Council on twelve topics. Here are some other questions the City Council may want to ask Mr. Jordan:

13. Where have you been? We haven't seen much of you since Hurricane Katrina.

14. When you were U.S. Attorney, why didn't you prosecute Cleo Fields? You had an elected official on videotape shoving a huge wad of cash from Governor Edwards down his trousers, and you let him walk? Why? What honorable public purpose did you think was served by that all-cash transaction? It didn't have anything to do with the fact that you and Mr. Fields share a cozy relationship with Congressman Jefferson, who knows a thing or two about all-cash transactions, does it?

15. Let's assume the newly hired president of a company comes in and fires all the white employees, and the company is then ordered to pay a multi-million dollar judgment in addition to owing hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Should that president immediately resign or be fired?

16. Why has your office failed to bring charges against so many criminals within 60 days of arrest, resulting in their being set free? Do you think putting violent criminals back on the streets will encourage witnesses and victims to come forward?

17. How many first degree murder convictions has your office achieved since Hurricane Katrina? (Answer: none).

Commercialization of Carnival Fails

The City's effort to further commercialize 2007 Carnival has been a failure. What's next? Tostitos Mardi Gras? Mardi Gras, Presented by AT&T?

Navy Destroyer Visits New Orleans for Carnival

The Navy destroyer USS Mitscher is scheduled to arrive in New Orleans on Friday for a six-day port call associated with Mardi Gras. The Mitscher will be berthed at the Gov. Nichols Street Wharf and will be open for visits Saturday through Mardi Gras from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Eddie Jordan and Warren Riley Called to City Council Meeting

The City Council has asked District Attorney Eddie Jordan and Police Superintendent Warren Riley to appear at a meeting tomorrow. Here is a list of the twelve issues to be addressed at the meeting. The most significant is the high number of 701 releases. 701 refers to the release of a suspect if charges are not brought by the DA within 60 days of the arrest.

Today's Parades

Uptown: Carrollton (noon) and King Arthur (1:15).
French Quarter: Barkus (2:00).
West Bank: Alla (noon).
Metairie: Rhea (3:30) and Centurions (4:15).
Chalmette: Nemesis (2:00).
Slidell: Dionysus (1:00).

Stop the Crime

Crime seems to have moved to the forefront of the local discussion recently, and for good reason. If you live Uptown, no doubt you've received e-mails warning of criminal activity in the past week, such as the armed robbery at Gulf Stream and attempted break-ins on State Street and Henry Clay. Coverage of crime now dominates the local media and has spilled over to the national media.

For an idea of how to effectively fight crime, see Rudy Giuliani's book "Leadership." In it, he talks at great length about how he transformed New York City after years of neglect. It is often referred to offhandedly as the Broken Windows Theory, but that is overly simplistic. It started with the premise that addressing conduct that had previously been thought of as minor nuisances to which the criminal justice system should not be allocating its limited resources, such as public intoxication, littering and loitering, would help foster an attitude of lawfulness throughout the city, but it quickly led to far greater results. Officials found that some of the people arrested for these petty crimes were wanted for other, far more significant crimes, for which they could now be charged and prosecuted.

The success built upon itself and led to objectively remarkable evidence of greatly reduced crime and improved quality of life. As part of the process, Giuliani tracked crime statistically and would grill his subordinates to achieve results, neighborhood by neighborhood. The thoughtful analysis of the statistics helped them understand the causes of some of the crime and anticipate some of it before it happened, allowing them to effectively redeploy resources as needed. Rudy held himself and his subordinates accountable at every step of the process.

Giuiliani's system had three hallmarks: competence, leadership and accountability. Unfortunately, we in New Orleans are stuck with elected officials who lack all three qualities. Therefore, any success in fighting crime will likely need to come from the bottom up rather than from the top down.

Report crime and demand that it be punished, whether a lesser quality of life issue or a more significant crime. Demand action from the Mayor, the District Attorney, the Police Superintendent and the City Council. Replace Eddie Jordan as District Attorney, and not with another political hack but with a competent leader who will achieve results. Replace those criminal court judges who are more concerned with criminals' rights than victims' rights.

Support groups and organizations involved in the fight on crime, such as: Signal 26, Nola Against Crime, Crime Stoppers, Silence is Violence, Vest Up, PANO, the Metropolitan Crime Commission, Danziger 7 and the like (post a comment here if there are other worthwhile groups I inadvertently neglected to mention). Take action to protect you and your families from crime. There are many good resources on the internet for information on home defense and related subjects.

New Orleans at the Time of the First Comus Parade

From New Orleans Magazine:

One hundred fifty years ago the Mistick Krewe stages its first parade. Would the marchers recognize the sites along the route today?

The New Orleans that Comus first saw is little changed in some ways. The street network in the French Quarter and business district is much as it was in 1857, and Canal Street remains the “neutral ground.” When Comus first rolled, he didn’t go outside of the American sector where St. Charles, Camp and Magazine were – and are – principal streets. Even some of the buildings would be recognizable to the first Comus.

Jefferson Parish Gives $100,000 to Crimestoppers

Good job by the Jefferson Parish leadership.

Saturday's Parade Schedule

Uptown: Pontchartrain (1:00); Shangri-La (2:00); Sparta (6:00); and Pegasus (6:45).
Metairie: Caesar (6:00).
Covington: Olympia (6:00).

Trash Update

The city's sanitation department has started rolling out personalized, bar-coded trash collection carts complete with instructions on the "do's and dont's of waste disposal." All carts are expected to be delivered within 6 to 8 weeks.

Curbside recycling, discontinued in most of the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina, is unlikely to come back anytime soon because there is nowhere to send the used newspapers, bottles and cans.

City Business is calling for a needed increase in public trash cans.

Friday Night Parades

Uptown: Oshun and Pygmalion.
Metairie: Atlas and Excalibur.
West Bank: Cleopatra.
Mandeville: Eve.

FEMA Wants Its Money Back

I am shocked to report that some people may have defrauded FEMA out of aid money in the free money giveaway that the federal government implemented after the storm. Now, FEMA wants its money back. Good luck collecting it.

John Georges Puts $2 Million into Governor's Race

John Georges has contributed $2 million to his gubernatorial campaign. “I have placed $2 million of my own money into the John Georges for Governor account,” said Georges. “Considering what we are all going through, the people of Louisiana deserve a choice for our next leader and I am willing to put my résumé of business success and public service against the others in this race. We are all tired of politicians telling us what we want to hear, we need someone who is going to actually do something."

Breaux Hosts Blanco Fundraiser

Former Senator John Breaux will host a fundraiser for Governor Blanco's reelection tomorrow night in Washington D.C. Surprising that he would support her this early on when many think she will drop out of the race or be forced out by Democrats who know she has no chance of winning in October.

Drew Brees to Reign as Grand Marshall of Bacchus

Saints quarterback Drew Brees will be the grand marshal for Bacchus 2007.

The Onion: FEMA Calls Rebuilding Complete

"Our job here is done," said Paulison, who was joined by Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco in a ceremony along the banks of the Industrial Canal. "Our beloved Big Easy has its soul back. The downtown shops are open and in full violation of code, the nightlife is alive with the sound of violence, and the streets are once again safe for poverty and vice." Full story here.

Sen. Vitter Endorses Bobby Jindal

Senator David Vitter has endorsed Bobby Jindal for Governor. "While we need allies from both political parties in Washington, we get political attacks and whining that turns off many of these potential allies. In short, while we need leadership and solutions, we get finger-pointing and excuses."

Instapundit's Thoughts on the Competence of Louisiana Politicians

"A tradition of competence in Florida . . . . Louisiana, not so much." An understatement. Link here.

Boasso Enters Race for Governor

Republican State Senator Walter Boasso has decided to challenge Governor Blanco in the October 20, 2007 election. "The state is a mess and somebody has got to clean it up," Boasso said in the statement. "I've decided I'm the one to do it."

Colts Win the Super Bowl

Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl, 29-17.

The Sport Guy Calls for a Super Bowl in N.O. Every Three Years

ESPN.com's The Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, calls for a permanent rotation of the Super Bowl between only three cities, New Orleans, Miami and San Diego.

Landrieu Wishes Terrorists Blew Up Levees

Sen. Mary Landrieu's outrageous comment:

“I often think we would have been better off if the terrorists had blown up our levees,” she said. “Maybe we’d have gotten more attention.”

Federal City Plan Proceeding

A reduction in financing for the military base realignment process shouldn't hinder plans to transform the Naval Support Activity's Algiers base into a campus for military and government agencies, Louisiana officials say.