community meetings

Community meeting about the rise of crime in Uptown informative and contentious

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By Sue Strachan, Uptown Messenger

Having your car broken into via smashed windows has become the new normal in New Orleans. On Tuesday, Jan. 14, a group of neighborhood associations hosted a community meeting at the Jewish Community Center to “discuss the recent uptick of crimes and ways to combat it,” stated a notice from the Faubourg Delachaise Neighborhood Association. The meeting, which was moved from a meeting room to the larger Donald Mintz Auditorium, attracted more than 100 fed-up and concerned citizens who wanted answers and solutions. What they came away with is that, particularly with juvenile crime, there is no single solution, and that any improvement is an evolving process including New Orleanians, the City Council, the NOPD, the Mayor’s Office, state legislature, and the local, state and federal judiciary.

court

Sewerage & Water Board liable for damage from SELA construction, judge rules

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Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Nakisha Ervin-Knott ruled that the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board is legally responsible for the substantial damages caused to more than 350 Uptown homes and businesses as a result of construction of the massive SELA drainage project. The court on Monday, Jan. 6, granted the plaintiff’s motion for partial summary judgment, finding the city agency the sole responsible party for claims of inverse condemnation, custodial liability and timber pile-driving claims.

According to plaintiffs’ attorney Michael Whitaker, all that is left now is for each claimant to prove the extent of the damage to their property. The ruling means claimants who provide evidence of damage will have their claims more swiftly decided and judgment entered in their favor. Trial on the next 20 claims is set for Tuesday, Jan.

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Sister Helen Prejean commemorates 10 years without any executions in Louisiana (video)

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Sister Helen Prejean, author of “Dead Man Walking,” commemorated 10 years without any executions in Louisiana — the longest such period in the state’s history — at a “Vigil for Life” ceremony in New Orleans on Jan. 7. Louisiana has executed 28 individuals since 1976. The 28th was Gerald Bordelon, 47, a Livingston Parish man sentenced to death for the murder of Courtney LeBlanc, his 12-year-old stepdaughter. He was pronounced dead from lethal injection at 6:32 p.m. on Jan.

court

Couple charged in Leonidas rape case in custody

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From the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office

A New Orleans man and woman indicted last month on charges that they raped another woman inside a Leonidas neighborhood home in January 2019 surrendered to authorities in court this week and have been remanded into custody, District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s Office announced Friday. Edward “Eddie” Budd, 39, and Echo Hurlburt, 26, appeared for arraignment before Criminal District Judge Laurie A. White. Each entered a plea of not guilty to a single count of first-degree rape, charges that were handed up Oct. 24 by an Orleans Parish grand jury. White ordered both defendants remanded into custody at the Orleans Justice Center jail.

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Danae Columbus: Court Watch NOLA celebrates 11 years of citizen advocacy

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The volunteers at Court Watch NOLA are a well-oiled data collection machine that have made a significant impact on the operations of the Orleans Parish criminal court system for more than a decade. “We are a basic exercise in democracy,” said director Simone Levine. Through the information skilled volunteers collect, the agency publishes reports “that spur dialogue and bring much needed transparency and accountability to the courts.”

Founded after Hurricane Katrina by the New Orleans Business Council and other forward-thinking organizations, Court Watch NOLA seeks to shorten the gulf between “insiders” and “outsiders,” Levine explained.  Outsiders are the crime victims, witnesses, defendants and jurors. Insiders are the public officials who run the system, including the judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, police officers and Sheriff’s Office officials. “Court Watch NOLA teaches outsiders the language of court so that outsiders can bring accountability and help to solve some of the problems that insiders have so regularly lived with that they often no longer see as problematic,” Levine said.

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Man charged with murder in his father’s death

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A man was charged in the shooting death of his father inside his grandmother’s Leonidas home, District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s office announced Thursday. Carldell Paul, also known as Carldell Daniels, was charged with the second-degree murder of 50-year-old Carl Daniels and with obstructing justice in a homicide investigation in the two-count indictment handed up by an Orleans Parish grand jury. Paul, 31, faces a mandatory lifetime prison sentence if convicted of the murder, and up to 40 years if found guilty of the obstruction count. The victim’s mother called New Orleans police at 9:19 p.m. on July 10 to report the killing inside a bedroom of her home in the 1200 block of Eagle Street. She told investigators that her son and grandson had been arguing about money, and that she suddenly heard gunshots in the victim’s room.

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Four charged in Central City gang activity

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Four alleged members of the Byrd Gang were charged under the Louisiana Racketeering Act and in other crimes related to a violent drug-trafficking enterprise based in Central City, District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s office announced on Monday. An Orleans Parish special grand jury on Oct. 23 handed up a 16-count indictment charging Tyrone “Six” Bovia, Chance “Doona” Skipper, James “Poo” Alexander and Randy “Tokey Hefner” Calvin with racketeering. In Louisiana, racketeering is punishable in Louisiana by a prison sentence of up to 50 years. The announcement of the indictment was delayed to give law enforcement officers a reduced-risk opportunity to arrest the suspects.

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New Orleans man indicted in Dixon area murder over missing cocaine, DA’s office announces

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From the District Attorney’s Office

A New Orleans man has been indicted for murder in connection with an August killing inside a home in the city’s Dixon neighborhood, District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s office announced on Thursday. Aaron “Yao” Lawrence was charged with the second-degree murder of 41-year-old Travis Smith, obstruction of justice in a homicide investigation, and with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in the three-count indictment handed up by an Orleans Parish grand jury. Lawrence, 33, faces a mandatory lifetime prison term if convicted of murder. He also faces up to 40 years in state prison if found guilty of the obstruction count, and 10-15 years if convicted of the firearms offense. Those penalties ultimately could be enhanced, based upon Lawrence’s extensive record of felony narcotics possession and distribution convictions.

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Drug raid in Leonidas nets three arrests

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The NOPD arrested three suspects on Tuesday, Oct. 8, in multiple narcotics and firearms violations. The arrests occurred in the 8700 block of Green Street. Following up on a Crimestoppers tip, Second District Task Force officers initiated surveillance on the location in the Leonidas neighborhood. Following surveillance and a subsequent investigation, officers obtained a search warrant.

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City issues statement on removal of hazardous materials in Gert Town

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The city of New Orleans has released a statement on the removal of hazardous materials in Gert Town about two weeks week after about 1,000 Gert Town neighbors filed a class-action suit against the city, according to media reports. WWL-TV first reported on the hazardous waste early in June. Later in the month, neighbors filed a suit claiming the city knew about the materials and did nothing to notify the neighborhood. Crews in hazmat suits dug up the material without alerting residents to its dangers, the neighbors claim. The materials were below the road surface on Lowerline Street and Coolidge Place.