Viewpoint: America needs leadership from a ‘gumbo coalition,’ Marc Morial says

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National Urban League President and former Mayor New Orleans Marc Morial was born to lead.  His parents, former Mayor Ernest N. “Dutch” Morial and educator Sybil Haydel Morial, wouldn’t have had it any other way. From his NORD playground days as a national champion Little League football star to his groundbreaking work in civil rights and economic empowerment, Morial has united voices and created meaningful change first in Louisiana and later across the globe.  

“A good gumbo depends on diversity and inclusion, the very thing companies, schools and institutions of all kinds find themselves wrestling with,” Morial said, discussing his new book “The Gumbo Coalition: 10 Leadership Lessons That Help You Inspire, Unite and Achieve.”

He believes that most leaders of large organizations are not taking full advantage of America’s “incredible diversity.”  

“America needs a national Gumbo Coalition movement right now because the ingredients for the most diverse gumbo in the world are already at our fingertips,” said Morial. “We have all the spices and flavors to create all manner of coalitions.”  

One of only 14 Black students out of 1,000 at Jesuit High School, Morial graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University before returning home to become a member of the Louisiana State Senate in 1992 and mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002. While mayor, Morial addressed corruption at the New Orleans Police Department, reduced violent crime by almost 60%, renamed and improved the Louisiana Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and accelerated economic growth. 

He also expanded the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, beefed up year-round youth programming, increased home ownership, initiated the return of the historic Canal and Rampart streetcars, strengthened ties to Latin America and the Caribbean, and brought NBA basketball back of New Orleans.  During his final year as mayor, Morial served as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He was selected to lead the National Urban League in 2003. 

Morial coined the phrase “Gumbo Coalition” after a campaign supporter prepared gumbo for a party being hosted in his honor.

Man shot to death in Lower Garden District

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A man was shot to death in the Lower Garden District on Sunday afternoon, the New Orleans Police Department reported. At 1:43 p.m, NOPD Sixth District officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 600 block of Felicity Street. They found a man, later identified as Johnathan Davis, suffering from gunshot wounds. Medical responders attempted life-saving measures; however, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Davis was 22.

Hurricanes

Finish storm preparations today, city officials urge

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Tropical Storm Sally is expected to bring hurricane conditions to southern Louisiana. Overnight and morning updates from the National Hurricane Center show its intensity has increased. The storm is now forecast to make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane, with impacts likely to begin Monday and last into Wednesday. City officials are urging residents to finish their preparations today. A hurricane warning and a storm surge warning are in effect for New Orleans.

crime

Two armed robbery suspects in custody

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The Second District of the New Orleans Police Department has made two arrests in recent Hollygrove armed robbery cases. The NOPD arrested Craig Elliot, 20, on Sunday, Sept. 6, in the investigation of an armed robbery on Aug. 27 in the 9000 block of Palm Street. NOPD Second District detectives identified Elliot as potentially one of the gunmen who robbed the victim and stole his vehicle and obtained a warrant for Elliot’s arrest.

opinion

Viewpoint: Does Churchill Downs prioritize gaming over horse racing?

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In a decision that critics say speaks directly to corporate greed, Churchill Downs is challenging the Louisiana State Racing Commission’s emergency ruling that requires Churchill to temporarily take in 500 horses displaced from Delta Downs by Hurricane Laura. The showdown will take place Friday, Sept. 11, in front of Judge Sidney Cates in Orleans Parish Civil District Court. 

Churchill Downs, the owner of the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots since 2004, grew from a one race-track company to a publicly traded conglomerate with multiple tracks, casinos and the country’s leading online wagering operation. They offer 800 video poker games at 13 facilities in Louisiana.    

Horsemen are puzzled because they know Churchill has the extra barn space needed for Delta’s horses and that it would be compensated for the additional operating expenses. But Churchill would not reap the same profit from horses as online wagering and video poker.

Audubon Zoo

Audubon Zoo welcomes critically endangered gorilla baby

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From the Audubon Nature Institute

A critically endangered western lowland gorilla was born in the morning hours of Sept. 4 at the Audubon Zoo. This is the first gorilla birth at at the zoo in 24 years and the first offspring for 13-year-old Tumani. Mother and baby are doing well, zoo officials report. Animal care staff are closely monitoring the infant’s health to ensure that mother and baby are receiving the care needed.

crime

19-year-old shot to death in Central City

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A 19-year-old man was killed in Central City on Wednesday, the New Orleans Police Department reported. NOPD Sixth District officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 1300 block of South Saratoga Street, near Thalia Street, at about 5:10 p.m.. Upon arrival, officers found the victim, later identified as Gerren Green, unresponsive with a gunshot wound. Medical responders declared Green dead at the scene, and the incident was reclassified as a homicide. He was 19.

crime

Teenager, three adults injured in Central City shooting

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Four people, including a 14-year-old boy and a 64-year-old woman, were shot in Central City on Monday, the New Orleans Police Department reported. The quadruple shooting occurred at about 8:30 p.m. in the 1500 block of Freret Street, near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Sixth District officers responding to reports of an aggravated battery by shooting discovered multiple victims who were struck by gunfire. The teenager suffered a graze wound to the ankle during this incident. An adult male sustained a graze wound to the head, and another man sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

opinion

Viewpoint: Candidates meet the moment with redefined campaigns

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Armed with push cards, customized face masks and signs, judicial candidate Rhonda Goode-Douglas spent Saturday morning greeting voters outside Congregation Coffee Roasters in Algiers. On Saturday afternoon, her opponent Derwyn Bunton posed with his wife Eileen and daughters Chloe and Reilly for photographs and video that will be used in social media. Both candidates would have attended the annual AFL-CIO Labor Day picnic in City Park today – always a highlight of the fall political season – had it not been canceled. 

While Labor Day signals the beginning of the final two-month stretch before the Nov. 3 elections, New Orleans candidates up and down the ballot are continually adjusting to the new normal of campaigning during COVID-19. 

“I came to this coffee shop because I wanted to meet the residents of Algiers Point,” said Goode-Douglas, a defense attorney who is running for Criminal District Court judge, Section E. “It’s difficult to spread our message and touch the community without being able to campaign door-to-door. We are dropping literature at people’s houses, but we are not ringing their bells.”  

“Trying to win an election during a pandemic requires extra creativity as well as a heavy reliance on technology and social media,” said Bunton, Orleans Parish’s chief public defender and also a candidate for Criminal District Court Section E. “The usual canvassing, meet-and-greets and handshaking can literally place you, your volunteers and potential voters in danger, so we are being respectful and following the science.” 

“Campaigns used to be about visiting people, but now they are all about content for social media,” said Ray Reggie, who has 36 years’ experience on political campaigns.

crime

Armed robbery suspect detained by victim, bystanders

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An armed robbery suspect was arrested early Sunday after he was held by the robbery victim and a group of bystanders in Hollygrove, the New Orleans Police Department reported. The victim, a 45-year-old man, was approached by a gunman at about 4:30 a.m. on Sept. 6 in the 2600 block of Eagle Street. The gunman demanded the victim’s property, but he resisted, resulting in a physical altercation. Some bystanders stepped in, and the suspect was detained until officers arrived.