Viewpoint: Has gun retaliation become a part of New Orleans culture?

Why are so many New Orleanians and visitors getting shot and even killed recently? The answer is fairly simple. People, especially our young people, are turning to guns to resolve the disputes that used to be handled less dramatically by cooler heads. Over the past few years, retaliatory violence has become as much a part of New Orleans culture as red beans and rice. We can’t arrest our way out of New Orleans’ crime problem.

Student injured in shooting outside Booker T. Washington High School

 

On Tuesday (Jan 10) at about 3:30 p.m., NOPD Sixth District officers responded to a call of shots fired outside Booker T. Washington High School on South Roman Street. Upon arrival, officers found a 16-year-old boy, identified as a student at the school, in the 3200 block of Erato Street who had been shot in the leg. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Police said the teen was standing outside the when someone opened fire from a passing sport utility vehicle, striking the teen in the leg. Two other students were also transported for precautionary reasons for non-gunshot injuries sustained in this incident.

Suspects sought in attempted ATM theft

The New Orleans Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying and locating two suspects wanted in connection with the attempted theft at the Regions Bank on Tchoupitoulas Street. At about 4 a.m.  on Tuesday (Jan. 10), two men in dark hooded jackets were captured on the bank’s surveillance video. They appeared to be trying to break into an ATM in the bank’s drive-thru. They were reportedly not successful in their attempt to gain access to the contents of the ATM.

Will Thoth roll on its traditional Uptown route?

The Krewe of Thoth — the altruistic children-centric parade that historically rolls through Burtheville and Hurtsville before heading down Magazine Street — hopes to return to its roots Uptown. Due to police shortages in 2022, the Krewe of Thoth lost over a mile of its Uptown route, including the Henry Clay and Magazine Street portion. Its unique route was designed 75 years ago to bring Carnival to the patients at Children’s Hospital and other institutions. “We’re trying to work it out,” said Pendleton “Penny” Larson, spokesperson for Thoth. “We’re still learning how the rules are going to play out.”

Police blotter: Two carjackings in Lower Garden District, shooting in Hoffman Triangle

Two carjackings and a shooting were reported in Uptown neighborhoods during the weekend, according to the New Orleans Police Department. A 47-year-old man was carjacked early Monday (Jan. 9) near the Pontchartrain Expressway exit on Tchoupitoulas Street. Soon after the carjacker took possession of the car at about 12:45 a.m., it got stuck and was abandoned, police said. A woman was carjacked Saturday (Jan.

Christopher A. Etienne, Sr., Letters from a Father: Empathy and Character (sponsored)

Dear Son:

The scripture teaches parents that we should “train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it” Proverbs 22:6. I believe and follow that scripture as an anchor to my fatherhood. Indeed, being a father to you, Christopher A. Etienne, Jr., is my most important job. I constantly reflect on when I first laid eyes on you, when you were born in 2019. I had no doubt the second I saw this gift from God with that gentle smile and big eyes looking up at me, I said, I will make sure to get you as healthy as possible with the help from the Lord. Indeed, the Lord continues to answer my prayers.

Rolling tonight: Phunny Phorty Phellows, Funky Uptown Krewe on the streetcar route

The Phunny Phorty Phellows and the Funky Uptown Krewe will herald the start of the Carnival season tonight (Jan. 6) with their traditional St. Charles streetcar rides. The costumed and masked krewe of the Phunny Phorty Phellows will gather to toast Twelfth Night, along with the Krewe of Oak, in the Willow Street Car Barn. The Funky Uptown Krewe will kick off Carnival with a pre-party at Bouree.

Mass shooting in Central City leaves two dead, three injured

Two men died and three people were injured Thursday night (Jan. 5) in gunfire that erupted in Central City, the New Orleans Police Department reported. The shooting occurred shortly after 8 p.m. at St. Andrew Street and Rev. John Raphael Jr. Way. Sixth District officers responding to reports of a shooting found five victims suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.