I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT STREET CANADA IS ON – AL CAPONE

A few weeks ago, while I was traveling out of state, I happened to catch the front page of USA Today. The headline screamed out, “Crime takes hold of new New Orleans.” The tag line was, “Murder rate soars after Katrina as violence creeps into upscale neighborhoods.”

As of December 1st there have been 147 people killed in New Orleans, and with the current population that means that New Orleanians are killing each other at a rate of 73.5 murders per 100,000 residents. The article claimed that this “honor” put us ahead of the nation’s previous title holder, Compton, CA, whose murder rate was 67 murders per 100,000 people in 2005.

The article continued to state:
70% of the murders are drug related.
Orleans Parish Police Superintendent, Warren Riley estimates that 80% of the criminals that operated in New Orleans before Katrina have returned.
Before Katrina, 1,668 officers patroled the street. Since the storm, 183 officers have been fired or resigned. 109 officers are out sick or injured. 80 have been assigned desk jobs because of administrative layoffs, there are currently only 1,275 officers on the street. 4 out of 5 officers lost their homes in flooding.
The Orleans Parish Prison has about 2,200 beds, down from 7,200.
The D.A’s office lost more than 30 of its attorneys.

Of course, I am aware of the murder rate in New Orleans, but for some reason the comparison against Compton really struck me. I decided to look up some basic statistics comparing New Orleans to Compton and this is what I found.



Median Family Income
Compton: $37,246. New Orleans: $35,878

Sales Tax
Compton: 8.25% New Orleans: 9%

Auto Insurance Premiums
Compton:$2,186 New Orleans: $3,099

Job Growth
Compton: 13.69% New Orleans: -0.99%

Median Home Price
Compton: $340,000 New Orleans: $128,000

Home Price Gain
Compton: 36% New Orleans: 7.80%

Number of Colleges, Universities & Professional Schools
Compton: 23 New Orleans: 11

Test Scores Reading
Compton: -52.5% New Orleans: -36.8%

Test Scores Math
Compton: -42.8% New Orleans: -35.9%

Personal Crime Risk (100 is average, lower is better)
Compton: 420 New Orleans: 445

Property Crime Risk
Compton: 121 New Orleans: 276

Personal Crime Incidents (per 100,000)
Compton: 1,613 New Orleans: 948

Property Crime Incidents (per 100,000)
Compton: 2,626 New Orleans: 5,162

Movie Theaters (within 15 miles)
Compton: 113 New Orleans: 23

Restaurants (within 15 miles)
Compton: 12,115 New Orleans: 2,087

Bars (within 15 miles)
Compton: 527 New Orleans: 465

Libraries (within 15 miles)
Compton: 178 New Orleans: 44

Museums (accredited by AAM within 30 miles)
Compton:14 New Orleans: 6

Yes, we need some help.

During my research, my first shock was to discover that Compton was voted one of the top 100 places to live by Money Magazine. How could that be possible with the rampant crime, exploding drug use, and the Crips & the Bloods roving the streets 24/7? Truth be told, I didn’t know much about Compton except for what I learned in the media; which essentially was the blaring headlines similar to the one I read in USA Today about New Orleans. I had a good friend I grew up with live through the riots in 1992 that resulted from the outcome of the Rodney King trial; her stories gave me nightmares for weeks. But what I didn’t know…

Compton was recently designated as an “Entrepreneurial Hot Spot” by Cognetics, Inc., an independent economic research. Compton made the national list for best places to start and grow a business, and ranked #2 in LA County out of a field of 88 cities. The city provides a business assistance program consisting of a comprehensive mix of resources to small business owners and entrepreneurs. It has over 140 public golf courses within 30 miles of the city, 7 ski resorts within 100 miles, a celebrated equestrian club and one of the best astronomy programs for teens in the country. 80.2% of the city has a health plan (couldn’t find the statistics for New Orleans). Of course, it does has its corruption factor. In 1995, the mayor and a councilwoman were convicted of extortion. In 2002, the new mayor was convicted of using city credit cars to purchase golf supplies and lavish hotel stays for himself and his friends. He was sentenced to three years in prison (oh, dare to dream). I was unaware of all of this and would have remained so if I had not taken the time to look up these facts. It’s definitely changed my perspective.

Of course, in the USA Today article, there was no mention of the rebuilding efforts of local New Orleans organizations. It mentioned the murder of Addie Hall. It didn’t talk about the volunteer groups who spend countless hours assisting residents gut and clean their houses. It cited how an 18-year old from Mississippi was stabbed to death on Bourbon Street. It didn’t point out how every day more and more businesses are reopening their doors. It referenced the shooting near The Spotted Cat in October. They also quoted various residents.

“The sun goes down, and I go in.”
“This is a city out of control.”
“The parents don’t want the kids down here.”

They didn’t ask me. They didn’t ask my friends. They didn’t ask my neighbors.

When the National Guard came back into the city following the shooting death of 5 teenagers, I got frantic calls and emails from around the world. My friend from Japan called asking me if there was a safe way for me to get out of the city. My friend from Australia emailed me asking if it was true there were military roadblocks on every street. My parents called me begging to come home. I got other emails from WA, NY, CA, PA & CO asking about my safety and offering their homes as havens. These are not uniformed and hysterical people.

Do I think New Orleans is perfect? No.
Did I think it was perfect before Katrina? No.
I have the “healthy” balance of a love/hate relationship with this city.
Yup, we have our problems.
What I do know is entertainment is the city’s main form of income. It is our lifeline. We need to bring back our people and we need to bring back our tourists!

Before, the idea of going to Compton was along the same lines of going to Iraq to sunbathe.

In Compton, I imagined constant gun fire, cracked out prostitutes convulsing in the street, barefoot kids running through the streets with guns. That was my ignorance and I take responsibility for it. But even with that, I have a tenacious curiosity and I worry that the average guy from the Midwest isn’t going to take the time beyond what is spoon-fed to research the “new New Orleans reality.” What are they thinking about us?

We are promoting our ADD society with catchy headlines and exploitive pictures. We live in the catchphrase generation. But we don’t have to be at the mercy of the media.

Speak out! Tell your story.

I compare the media coverage to out of town guests. As I am sure all New Orleans residents can attest, everyone, at one point, has experienced the same emotion when you cross your arms across your chest, sigh and tell your guests, “No, there is more to New Orleans than Bourbon Street.”

You take them canoeing in Jean Lafitte National Park. You take them to the sculpture garden in City Park. You take them to the cemeteries. You take them to hear Washboard Chaz at the Circle Bar, Rebirth at The Maple Leaf, or Kermit at Vaughans. Or hell, cram them in the Apple Barrel or Spotted Cat. You take them to a burlesque show at One Eyed Jacks, shopping on Magazine Street, ride a streetcar (real soon) on St. Charles. Feed them burgers at the Clover Grill, gumbo at Liuzza’s and po’boys from The Verti Mart. Then your guests start to slowly understand a little bit about New Orleans.

This is what we need to do to the media and anyone who will listen. Yes, we are hurting. But yes, we are getting better.

I wish the reporter from USA Today could have been with me last week. Looking for some down time before The Big Easy Rollergirl Bout (I tend to get nervous and distracted, which is often misinterpreted as rude and insincere) some friends and I decided to go to Celebration in the Oaks at City Park. Driving in City Park, my heart started to sink. It was dark and I didn’t see anyone. Was this going to be another let down? With recent personal events I couldn’t bear to be let down by a less than stellar reaction of the reopening of the walking tour of City Park. I quickly realized that I drove in the wrong way. When I did find the correct entrance, it was packed! Families galore! Kids decked out in their winter gear barely able to contain their excitement! Couples lovingly holding hands and kissing. The cars were lined up and I couldn’t find parking less than a half-mile away. Ordinarily, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but with my knee injury, I couldn’t push it.

Yet, I drove home happy.

It was just another example of the rebirth of the new New Orleans, still rooted in tradition.

Please, get the word out!

On Wednesday, December 13th from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM there is going to be a general membership meeting of the Faubourg Saint John Neighborhood Association FSJNA at Mount Calvary Fellowship, 2900 Grand Route St. John


The meeting will include election of board members and officers for 2007, as well as an update from The Unified New Orleans Plan UNOP from Wayne Troyer and Lisa Amoss and information on the Keep LA Beautiful Grant from Daphne LeSage and Bobby Wozniak.




I hope everyone can attend. It’s not just a secular event that involves our little neighborhood, it’s for everyone in New Orleans.

A few days ago, one of the gallery owners that stocks our wares called me and said that someone walked into her store and bought every single one of our items. She was completely out and needed to restock immediately. My first reaction was pride and celebration that people were getting out and buying local. My second reaction was panic over having even more orders to complete this season. This is always the busiest year and time management is a must.

But wouldn’t it be great if all of our local artisans, craftspeople and businesses were filled with the same emotions?

After getting some work done and not cleaning up after my Christmas party, I decided to head into the French Quarter and keep some locals busy.

My first stop, of course, was to Santa’s Quarters in the French Quarter to add some more decorations to the donation bin. There were so many wonderful decorations to choose from, but I tended to sway toward the local-themed ornaments. I would have loved to purchase an upside down Christmas tree, but they were sold out and $499 (order early next year). As well as getting some great gifts for the donation drive, I managed to get a lot of my own shopping done. At one point, the owner came over and slipped some of their pralines into my coat pocket and I must say, although, I am not a huge fan of pralines, they were fantastic! I highly recommend them. I was pleased to see that there were already quite a few decorations in the bin, but we need more! Please stop by this week and help fill it to the rim.

Afterward, I decided to get some more shopping done (I won’t say what, don’t want to give away any surprises). The streets were festive and everyone was in a high-spirited mood. I ran into some people I knew, which is always fun on an afternoon instead of a blurry-eyed late night.



Andrew Jackson and Josie Arlington




Grandpa Elliot

I stopped off at Aunt Sally’s (great name). I loaded up on more gifts there and was surprised to find that they have more than pralines; art, books, photos, crafts. There are so many options to buy local.



The Little Toy Shop carries a lot of great children’s books from local writers and artists and I had to pick some up for myself.



I walked around some more, enjoying the day, oblivious to the fact that since it was difficult to carry my shopping bags around, it was probably going to be more difficult to get them home since I rode my trusted bike, Lillian down to the French Quarter…. It was a slow ride back, but well worth it.

A friend of mine just started a new venture, B-Native. It’s a great site and she just had her debut party last Friday.

Please get out and support your local businesses and artists!

If you were to ever experience the joy (or excruciating pain) of sitting next to me while I unpacked my Christmas ornaments, these are some of the stories you would hear.



The beaded candy cane ornament and wreath: I made it when I was in “Indian Princesses.” It was a father-daughter group that met once a month for weekend camping trips. While my father said we could chose our own name for our “tribe,” he was horrified when I elected to call us “The Red Hot Mamas”

The glass bell: My mom got it for me when I was eight-years old and I felt so trusted and so much like an adult to have something that was so fragile. Of course, I chipped it shortly after.

The ceramic bear will a scarf and bell: My mom bought it for me when I was in boarding school in Colorado because she said it would keep me warm.

The wooden buffalo: Me and my boyfriend were driving cross-country and ended up hitting Jackson Hole, WY at 10AM. We later discovered it wasn’t the wisest idea to stop at the Cowboy Bar and have some drinks before eating breakfast. The ornament was a result of not being able to drive, so we had to wander around town until we sobered up.

Santa on the Eiffel Tower: We got that in Paris. Yes, it is cheesy, but it gets the point across.



Elvis: Picked one of them up in Graceland, the rest from all over.

Brass Unicycle: My friend’s mom bought fit or me and gave it to me at one of her Christmas parties because I used to ride (or attempt to ride) one. I use her Christmas parties as the standard.

Ferry: From my hometown in WA.

Mini stockings: my mom crocheted them when I was younger and stuck candy canes in them. She used to threatened us not to eat them but we always did.



Eggs: from my boyfriend when he was in Prague.

Velvet shoes: I bought them at Harrods in London during a summer heat wave.

Stick reindeers and santas: I purchased them when the small drugstore in my hometown closed down.

Clara: from when I took my friend and his daughter to the Nutcracker in Seattle. I bought us matching ones.



Santa in a grass skirt: from my brother the first year he lived in Hawaii.

Trust me, the list goes on and on.

My parents still have the giant cardboard star I made by gluing tried beans to it. It weighs about four pounds and one year fell off and struck our cat Smilin’ Jack in the head, who had a minor seizure and then retaliated by peeing on some of our presents.

Christmas ornaments evoke memories. They are markers in life. They have stories to tell. They let you take a moment and reflect.





Every year brings changes. Good and bad. I, like everyone else, have had many ups and downs this year. Surviving another year post Katrina, job changes, creative pursuits, injuries, relationships that have grown or fallen apart. But I am lucky that I can still pull out the Christmas tree skirt I made in ninth grade to avoid failing home-ec class AGAIN. I’ve made many skirts since then for friends and family and even though I look at the one I made and cringe, it represents a time in my life and I honor that.






You don’t need possessions for memories, but, still, I find it comforting to hold in my hand some of the ornaments my great-grandmother once held in hers. I hope one day, I can pass these ornaments and their memories onto my children.

A lot of people in New Orleans are not as lucky, which is why I encourage everyone to help out as much as they can.

The Big Easy Rollergirls are teaming up with The Arabi Wrecking Krewe and Common Ground to provide holiday decorations and toys for local families affected by Hurricane Katrina.



The Arabi Wrecking Krewe’s goal is to bring our musicians and our music back home. They have assisted thousands of local musicians, their families and extended families. They have gutted, cleared and repaired numerous homes free of charge. To better understand the unselfish commitment of these volunteers, listen to Brian Denzer from WTUL’s Community Gumbo give an interview with the krewe. If this won’t help you understand the depth of their commitment and the positive impact they have had on the community, nothing else will.
Community Gumbo Interview

For more information on AWK visit
The Arabi Wrecking Krewe


Common Ground provides short-term relief for victims of hurricane disasters in the Gulf Coast region, and long-term support in rebuilding the community affected in the New Orleans area. They are collecting toys to give to deserving children this holiday season. Please give a child an opportunity once this year to wake up to an optimistic future. For more information visit
Common Ground

Santa’s Quarters in the French Quarter is offering a special discount to people who donate to The Holiday Décor & Toy Drive. Not only do you get 15% off any item you buy in the store to donate, but 15% off your entire purchase! Please take advantage of their incredible generosity. You can also drop off any ornaments or toys at that location. They have an incredible selection of artificial Christmas trees, lights, ornaments, nativity scenes and much more. Come visit the husband and wife team who have been part of our local landscape for over thirty years.
1025 Decatur Street. Daily from 10-6
Santa’s Quarters


You can also drop off decorations and unwrapped toys at the following business locations

Tommy Crane Group, Realtors
3702 Bienville St
Monday-Friday from 8:30 to 5:00
Tommy Crane Group


Vespa of New Orleans
901 Julia Street
Tuesday to Friday from 10-6
Saturday 10-5
Vespa New Orleans


To mail tax-deductible contributions, please send them to
Big Easy Rollergirls
P.O. Box 19751
New Orleans, LA 70179
Please make your checks out to Arabi Wrecking Krewe or Common Ground (or both)! In the memo please write, “Holiday Décor and Toy Drive” or HDTD. Please get them to us by Friday, December 15th so we can get them to the families.

Of course, The Big Easy Rollergirls will have a bin set up for donations at their next bout, Saturday, December 16th at Mardi Gras World. Buy your tickets now at
Rollergirl Tickets

Please support your community by buying from local businesses and artisans. For more information on local businesses, check out Buy Local at
Buy Local

My New Favorite Christmas Cd

Fabulous local music. Very appropriate to New Orleans style - They take something traditional and adapt it to their own musical phraseology. I've always been a fan of Ingrid Lucia, New Birth Brass Band and Dukes of Dixieland, and they don't disappoint. The whole cd is a Big Easy hybridize of classic Christmas favorites.







You can find "New Orleans Christmas" at

Putumayo

THE AIM OF EDUCATION SHOULD BE TO TEACH US RATHER HOW TO THINK, THAN WHAT TO THINK – RATHER TO IMPROVE OUR MINDS, SO AS TO ENABLE US TO THINK FOR OURSELVES, THAN TO LOAD THE MEMORY WITH THOUGHTS OF OTHER MEN – BILL BEATTIE

A new documentary, “Left Behind: the story of New Orleans public schools,” is debuting this week at Canal Place. I urge everyone to check it out. I am curious to discover what the filmmakers have learned.

According to The New York Times, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), forced schools to reduce class time spent on other subjects (science, art, history) and eliminate them all together for some low-proficiency students.

NCLB depends entirely on standardized testing to measure student advancement. Studying for standardized tests is not the same as asking questions and learning to think independently.

Robert Stenberg, the dean of arts and sciences at Tuft University, states that the “massive” amount of standardized testing is “one of the most effective, if unintentional, vehicles this country has created for suppressing creativity.”

A survey, by the independent group, Center on Education Policy, found that since the passage of the federal law, 71 percent of the nation's 15,000 school districts have reduced the hours of instructional time spent on history, music and other subjects to open up more time for reading and math.

At Martin Luther King Jr. Junior High School in Sacramento, about 150 of the school's 885 students spend five of their six class periods on math, reading and gym, leaving only one 55-minute period for all other subjects.

"Only two subjects? What a sadness," said Thomas Sobol, an education professor at Columbia Teachers College and a former New York State education commissioner. "That's like a violin student who's only permitted to play scales, nothing else, day after day, scales, scales, scales. They'd lose their zest for music."

According to the filmmakers of NCLB, their new film chronicles the corruption, controversy and failures of New Orleans city schools premieres Tuesday, December 5th at Canal Place Cinemas at 7:30 pm. A second screening at Canal Place is scheduled for Wednesday, December 6th at 7:30. Admission is $10 and seating is limited.
The 90-minute documentary, Left Behind: the story of the New Orleans Public Schools, follows three High School seniors through the 2004 and 2005 school years in one of the worst public school systems in America, before, during and after Hurricane Katrina.
A limited number of tickets will be available each day of the screening, December 5th and 6th, at 5 PM at the Canal Place Cinema Box Office. The show starts at 7:30 PM each night.
The directors and some of the people featured in the film will be present at showing for a short question and answer session immediately after the show.
Academy award-winning writer and producer of Crash, Bobby Moresco, is executive producer of the film. The music is composed by Rolfe Kent, composer for Sideways and Wedding Crashers.
I will be there on Tuesday and hope to see everyone out there!
More information, as well as the movie trailer, is available online at: New Orleans Left Behind
For more information contact:
Mandy Vincent 
504-913-6819
leftbehindmovie@gmail.com
or
Jeremy Cooker
504-247-4181
leftbehindmovie@gmail.com