Drive-by shooting near A.L. Davis Park leaves two men injured

Two men were injured in a shooting Wednesday (Sept. 30) evening on Washington Avenue in Central City, the New Orleans Police Department reported. The victims were walking in the 25oo block of Washington, near A.L. Davis Park, at about 5:10 p.m. when the gunman from a vehicle driving by. Both victims suffered gunshot wounds from the barrage of bullets. One victim, a 36-year-old man, was taken to a hospital in a private conveyance.

Viewpoint: To combat potential voter intimidation, make sure you’re vote-ready

Although Olga J. Hedge Pedesclaux was born after women earned the right to vote, as a Black female, she faced down intimidation registering to vote in the 1940s. “They didn’t want us voting and threw all kinds of barriers in the way,” said Pedesclaux, a 96-year-old Donaldsonville native now living in Gentilly.  

The mother of former City Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, Pedesclaux remembers that it took several trips to New Orleans City Hall to finally get registered. On her first attempt, officials asked Pedesclaux, then 20, to recite the entire Preamble to the Constitution of the United States.  

Pedesclaux forgot to wear her wedding ring on her second try and was rejected for lying about her marital status. On the third attempt, she brought along the neighborhood ward boss, who simply stood in the back of the room while Pesdesclaux successfully completed the necessary paperwork.  

Because of the intimidation she encountered just to get registered, Pedesclaux considers voting a sacred honor. “There is no reason anybody shouldn’t vote in every election,” she said. 

Although Pedesclaux is eligible to vote by mail, she prefers to cast her ballot in person during the early voting period.  “There is something special about going to the polls to vote,” she said.

Man wounded in Hollygrove shooting

The New Orleans Police Department reported a shooting Friday (Sept. 25) night in Hollygrove. Second District officers responding to a call at 11:24 p.m. in the 8900 block of Olive Street found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital by the Emergency Medical Service. Further details were not immediately available.

Police blotter: Robberies on Magazine Street, MLK Boulevard

Two robberies were reported Thursday (Sept. 24) on Uptown streets, according to the New Orleans Police Department. The first occurred on Magazine Street in the Touro-Riverside area. A 59-year-old man and 29-year-old woman were in the 3600 block of Magazine at about 11:50 a.n. when they were held up at gunpoint. The gunman approached them demanding property, the police report states, and they complied.

Shooting victim flags down officers in Central City

Sixth District officers patrolling in Central City late Friday night were flagged down by a shooting victim, the New Orleans Police Department reported. A 45-year-old man stopped the officers around midnight at Loyola and Washington avenues, near Lafayette Cemetery No. 2. He was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital. He had been shot by two assailants, the police report states.