Pro-Palestinian protesters recently disrupted the NOLA Pride Parade on June 8. A coalition of nine advocacy groups called the People’s Coalition for Palestine conducted a protest rally at the steps fronting Jackson Square just before the parade started. About 100 people attended the rally, which featured speakers from each of the coalition organizations. Those organizations … [Read more...] about No Pride in Genocide
Commentary
Legislative Update
The solons have gathered in Baton Rouge for the 2024 legislative session, the first under new governor, Jeff Landry, and the politicians in their infinite lack of wisdom have given us much to worry about. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Governor Landry’s agenda is pretty clear—proliferate the number of guns on the street and the number of Airbnbs in New Orleans, … [Read more...] about Legislative Update
Frank Perez Commentary: Jeff Landry & Eldorado
If you haven’t seen the recent films El Dorado: Everything the Nazis Hate and Rustin (both on Netflix), you should. Nothing could better prepare you for the impending inauguration of knuckle-dragging, arch-conservative Trump sycophant Governor-elect Jeff Landry. El Dorado: Everything the Nazis Hate (2023) is a documentary that casts a critical eye at Nazi Germany’s … [Read more...] about Frank Perez Commentary: Jeff Landry & Eldorado
The Pride Conundrum
How a person feels about Pride month says a lot about that person. I’m not talking about the people that hate it. The religious fascists will always be with us. I’m talking about members of the queer community. Theoretically, it’s fair to say we all like the idea of having a Pride month. But why? Maybe you’ve just come out of the closet and feel … [Read more...] about The Pride Conundrum
Frank Perez Commentary: The Trouble With Entergy and the City Council
Entergy’s catastrophic failure during Hurricane Ida illustrated not only its incompetence, but also the City Council’s failure to use its full regulatory power over the shareholder-owned company. Entergy has a state-approved monopoly in New Orleans and its sole regulator is the New Orleans City Council. The problem is that the Council has never truly … [Read more...] about Frank Perez Commentary: The Trouble With Entergy and the City Council
Confessions from the Campaign Trail
Earlier this year when I first considered running for City Council, I floated the idea by more than a few friends. Their universal reactions were supportive, surprised at first, but very encouraging. And then, after digesting the news, they all had the same question “Was I nuts?” They had a point. The job is not easy and carries an enormous amount of … [Read more...] about Confessions from the Campaign Trail
Ida, Entergy, and the City Council
Losing power during a hurricane is a reasonable expectation; however, a city-wide blackout inNew Orleans was not supposed to happen. The fact that it did raises serious questions about thefuture of Entergy’s exclusive monopoly in New Orleans and that's why I'm running for City Council. In 2017, the New Orleans City Council, which has the sole authority to regulate Entergy … [Read more...] about Ida, Entergy, and the City Council
“For the Love of Mardi Gras, Get Vaccinated!”
Have you browsed through some of the Southern Decadence groups on social media lately? If you didn’t know any better, you might get the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic is completely behind us. Sure, there are occasional posts about masks, but on the whole, one gets the impression that the hordes of Southern Decadence devotees who did not come last year are … [Read more...] about “For the Love of Mardi Gras, Get Vaccinated!”
The “Constitutional Carry” SB 118 is bad policy at its best and a moral failure at its worst.
The memorial on the little stone church in Treme is known by the public as “The Murder Board”. Since 2007, as pastor of St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, I have been researching and then posting the names of victims of violence on our Victims of Violence Memorials. For a time, the memorial was a worthy backdrop for stories about murder in New Orleans. Today, a certain kind of … [Read more...] about The “Constitutional Carry” SB 118 is bad policy at its best and a moral failure at its worst.
Congo Square, City Hall, & the Municipal Auditorium
City officials are stubbornly proceeding with Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s proposal to relocate City Hall to the old Municipal Auditorium despite fierce opposition from residents in Treme and other community advocates. Cantrell first suggested the proposal shortly after being elected. In 2019, the administration commissioned a study that found the existing City Hall was … [Read more...] about Congo Square, City Hall, & the Municipal Auditorium