business

Viewpoint: Who would want to do business in crime-ridden New Orleans?

By |

When I want to know what New Orleanians are thinking about the news of the day, I need not look any further than the app Nextdoor to get an unvarnished, uncensored view.   

Gina Melita posted about a carjacking at Sycamore near Carrollton. Laurel Street’s Avi Scott wrote about two teenage males who were pulling on door handles on her block. A clearly aggravated James Henderson in Algiers Riverview shared a video of his “lazy G-Man,” who picked up the trash bag on the curb but ignored the trash can. De Borah Wells in Milan posted a photo of Sir Paul, a Doberman she was mourning after his passing. Jenn C in Huntlee Village was warning neighbors about a hustler prying for information about her home security system.  

Then there’s Paulette Perrien from Maple Area who, along with several dozen others, remarked about the May 20 early-morning theft of $300,000 worth of iron beams and additional sheet metal from the former Times-Picayune site at 3800 Howard Ave., where the upscale Five O Fore driving range is under construction.

crime

Shooting suspect shot while breaking into cars, the NOPD says

By |

The New Orleans Police Department has named a suspect in a shooting early Saturday (May 13) near Joseph and LaSalle streets. At about 6:30 a.m., a man was shot in the leg and taken to the hospital by the Emergency Medical Services. About 10 minutes later, another man arrived at a local emergency room with a gunshot wound and police began investigating a possible connection. The 35-year-old victim had been inside his parked vehicle when he saw two gunmen with their faces covered pulling on the door handles of vehicles parked in the 5500 block of LaSalle St. They were being followed by an accomplice driving a black SUV, the NOPD said.

crime

Police blotter: Two shootings, two robberies and two home invasions reported uptown

By |

Two shootings, a robbery, an attempted robbery and two home invasions were reported in Uptown neighborhoods over the weekend, according to the New Orleans Police Department. Shootings
A shooting Sunday night (May 14) in Central City left a 17-year-old injured. The victim was in the 2300 block of Toledano Street at about 10:10 p.m. when he heard gunshots. He ran into a residence and realized he had been shot. The Emergency Medical Services took him to the hospital.

crime

Gunfire on Saratoga Street leaves a man dead

By |

A man was shot to death Sunday night (May 14) in a barrage of bullets on South Saratoga Street, the New Orleans Police Department reported. At 10:37 p.m., NOPD Sixth District officers responded to shots fired in the 3300 block of South Saratoga, near Toledano Street. Upon arrival, officers discovered an adult male lying on the sidewalk. He was unresponsive and had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The Emergency Medical Services pronounced him dead on the scene.

crime

Women sought in shoplifting from three Uptown stores

By |

The NOPD is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying and locating three suspects in multiple thefts at Uptown stores. On May 5, three women entered a boutique in the 5500 block of Magazine Street and shoplifted numerous items of clothing. Second District detectives, after viewing surveillance video, identified three women as suspects. The same women were also spotted allegedly shoplifting from another Uptown shop, in the Sixth District, on the same day and have now been linked to a previous theft in the Second District. Anyone with information regarding this incident or the identity of these subjects is asked to contact Second District detectives at 504-658-6020 or Crimestoppers anonymously at 504-822-1111.

Police blotter: Woman abducted in Fontainebleau; bullet strikes man on Claiborne

By |

A shooting and a kidnapping were reported in Uptown neighborhoods over the weekend, according to the New Orleans Police Report. The kidnapping occurred early Sunday (April 23) in the Fontainebleau area. The victim, a 35-year-old woman, was giving a man a ride home at about 3:20 a.m.

When they arrived at Earhart Boulevard and Broadway, he took out a gun and demanded that she keep driving. She drove around the area until they reached South Carrollton Avenue and Walmsley Street, where she jumped out of the car. The kidnapper got out of the vehicle and fled on foot.

crime

Three teens arrested in string of armed robberies

By |

A 17- and two 16-year-olds were arrested Wednesday (April 19) for two attempted armed robberies in the Uptown area and one armed robbery near City Park. The New Orleans Police Department determined the teens had gone on a robbery spree targeting women. In the first robbery, a 65-year-old woman was retrieving items out of her white 2004 BMW on the 1100 block of City Park Avenue when she was approached by two male teenagers, shortly after 10 a.m.
One was armed with a handgun and demanded her keys. She complied and the robbers fled in her vehicle, followed by a shiny blue Honda. Later that morning, at 11:30 a.m., a 53-year-old woman was approached on the 1300 block of Octavia Street by two male teens.

crime

Viewpoint: Citizens weigh in on picking a police chief

By |

The International Association of Chiefs of Police has been conducting meetings across New Orleans this week to receive public comment on what citizens want to see in their next police Chief. NOLA Messenger queried more than a dozen residents to get their ideas of what attributes and policy directives are most important. The responses were wide-ranging and touched on many areas. 

“We need a Police Chief who is committed and laser focused on New Orleans with a clear vision of what is needed. He or she also must to be able to express that vision and get the job done,” said Irma Muse Dixon, former chair of the Louisiana Public Service Commission. 

“Citizens have a strong desire for a police chief who represents change. A leader who is forward thinking and open minded when it comes to evolving within the current state of policing in society.

Viewpoint: The four teens must bear responsibility for their actions in deadly carjacking

By |

The family of Linda Frickey visited her grave this week, a year after the 73-year-old was brutally killed in a Mid-City carjacking. “We want justice for our family member, but it’s not just for Linda. We want this for all elderly people. For all the victims of  juvenile crime,” said Kathy Richard, Frickey’s sister-in-law. 

Three of the Frickey Four — the teenagers who laughed in Frickey’s face as she bled to death on the North Pierce Street on March 21, 2022 — are expected to go to trial in April. Lenyra Theophile, one of the four defendants in the case, was found to be incompetent and too depressed to stand trial.

armed robbery

Police blotter: Carjacking, robbery reported in Hollygrove

By |

A carjacking and a robbery were reported this week in the Hollygrove neighborhood, according to the New Orleans Police Department. A 68-year-old woman was carjacked on Tuesday (March 21) in the 8300 block of Apple Street. Police said the woman was getting out of her vehicle at about 3:15 p.m. when a man pushed her to the ground and demanded her vehicle. The robber then fled in her white 2022 Genesis G70, with Louisiana license plate 956FCE. He was followed by a silver Kia Sol.