Faubourg St. John Discusses Short Term Rentals

August 2, 2016 by Charlie London

The City Council is voting on short term rentals on October 6th.
Write to them and tell them you want to keep neighbors in your neighborhood.

 

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no-air-bnb
 

YOU BETTER PAY ATTENTION OR
YOU’LL PAY A WHOLE LOT MORE

 


Short term rentals drive up rents.

The New Orleans City Council will vote on short term rentals on Thursday, October 6th.

fsjnalogo4fsjnadotorg
August 8, 2016

Director Robert D. Rivers
City Planning Commission
1033 Perdido Street, 7th Floor
New Orleans, LA 70112

RE: FSJNA Positions on Short-term Rentals

Director Rivers,

The Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association (FSJNA) would like to put on record our opinions regarding Short-Term Rentals in New Orleans. These opinions are based on the existing CPC study, research into how other cities in the country are handling the same challenges,  recommendations from other New Orleans neighborhood associations and,  our members.

FSJNA found there is a greater adverse impact to our neighborhoods from short-term rentals than we originally anticipated and that the number of housing stock used for short-term rentals has increased from what was observed in the 2015 festival season.

For the four types of Short-Term Rentals itemized in the existing CPC study:

PRINCIPAL RESIDENTIAL / “WHOLE HOUSE” – FSJNA is in complete opposition to this type and strongly believes the CPC was right to remove this option from the earlier report. This type of use has the most adverse effect on neighborhoods and residents. It removes valuable housing stock that could be used as affordable rentals or sales to primary residents, and artificially inflates home sale prices and property tax values.

TEMPORARY – We are against any whole home rentals, even if owned by an owner-occupant. We believe there is no practical way to enforce the proposed 30 day/4 times per year restriction.

ACCESSORY – Allow only a permanent resident owner to rent out spare bedrooms or additional units in a multi-family that he or she occupies, but he or she must occupy at least one of the units.

COMMERCIAL – FSJNA believes that the CPC must identify the types of commercial zones they will allow this use, not just all “Commercial or Mixed Use” properties. Additionally, FSJNA believes that ALL short –term rentals in Commercial or Mixed use zones should ONLY BE ALLOWED AS CONDITIONAL USE.

For Overall Short-Term Rental Options:

FSJNA supports requiring a permit number be associated with every online listing.

Fines for enforcement or taxation violations should be the cost of doing business or a minimum of $1000 per instance whichever is greater. Penalties for breaking the law must be very high to ensure compliance with any new zoning use and enforcement. They should also attach to the property, such as a tax lien, to ensure compliance.

FSJNA reserves the right to offer additional opinions to city agencies and City Council pending the results of CPC Staff draft ordinances and reports expected this summer.

Thank you for your consideration, we would be happy to work with you to offer our ideas about ways to ensure compliance and to ease enforcement. For further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Steve Mardon
President, Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association
[email protected]
(504) 486-8125

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SHORT TERM RENTALS

brinkman_j_lgby Emile J. Brinkmann

intlunionI am submitting these comments in connection with the City Planning Commission’s reconsideration of the issue of Short-Term Rentals (STRs) in Orleans Parish, and the City Council’s directive that a proposed zoning ordinance be drafted. As a point of background, I am the retired Chief Economist of the Mortgage Bankers Association in Washington and spent years running a research group dedicated to housing and housing finance issues. I have appeared on all of the major network and cable news shows, and have been quoted in newspapers through the US and other countries. Even though I retired and moved back to New Orleans two years ago, I am still the US representative on the executive committee of the International Union of Housing Finance, a 100-year old organization dedicated to housing issues around the world.

1strdestructionBased on my background, I cannot think of an action that would be more destructive to the fabric of our neighborhoods and the well-being of our homeowners than the legalization of STRs for the benefit of a few, thereby rewarding those who take advantage of a lack of enforcement to violate existing laws with impunity. In Part One of my comments, I will make three basic points about the negative economic effects on homeowners. In Part Two I will address comments that have been made to the effect that AirBNB, VRBO, and similar operations are like Uber and are merely part of the growth of the so-called sharing economy.

Part One
1) STRs fundamentally upset residential valuations by introducing unsustainable commercial valuations into residential neighborhoods.
We have already seen home prices in historically significant neighborhoods increase at rates far in excess of the local incomes needed to support those prices. A significant portion of those home price increases are due to ability of some of the properties to earn upwards of 20 percent to 25 percent return on investment through illegal renting. This is great news if you already own a home in one of these areas and will be selling soon. Because the Assessor’s Office has no way to separate out house sales for STR usage, this is great news if you are the city collecting residential property taxes based on values inflated by STR commercial use. It is bad news if you are trying to buy or rent in Mid-City, Treme, the Bywater, or other impacted neighborhoods in order to live in the city.

It is terrible news if you are a long-term resident with no intention of moving, but are now faced with an annual property bill driven up by the valuation effects of illegal renting.

The valuation and property tax problem will likely be exacerbated by the idea that the city can mitigate the negative impact of STRs by limiting the number allowed per block face. The owner of the first one on the block makes a killing, and the value of that property goes up. However, the other owners on the block not only have to deal with the disruptions caused by the STRs and the higher property taxes, they are precluded from selling at the higher STR-driven prices because no other STRs will be allowed on their block (assuming for the sake of argument that the city would actively enforce density limitations). Therefore, the idea that the negative impacts of STRs can somehow be ameliorated by reducing the permitted densities can actually make more people worse off from a valuation perspective.

Given the instability of this structure and the lack of equitable treatment in terms of valuation and who is allowed an STR and who is not, I do not believe density limits would survive legal or political challenges, and are therefore not a viable option to prohibition.

1neighborhoods4neighborsThe result is that if you are a New Orleans resident with no intention of selling and moving, you would not only face the prospect of having weekly fraternity parties next door, you get to pay higher property taxes for the privilege. The result is that if you are looking to buy, you risk over-paying and being underwater on your mortgage if something were to happen suddenly to impact negatively the STR business, as will be covered in the next point.

2) Short-term Rentals directly inject the business risk of tourism into residential neighborhoods.
keepneighborsHotel owners and operators are accustomed to the business risks associated with the travel and hospitality industry. These risks are reflected in their operational plans, capital investments, and equity and debt financing costs. They understand that in a recession, travel is disproportionately impacted as businesses cut back on discretionary travel as a first response. They learned in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks that terrorism can interrupt air travel, and that even when flights are restored, companies will impose travel restrictions on key personnel.

In New Orleans and other hurricane-impacted areas, they have learned that even the threat of a storm, with or without a mandatory evacuation, can cause their rooms to empty and disrupt operations for some time. (As a side note, would operators of STRs be required to maintain enforceable hurricane evacuation policies for their guests, or would responsibility for these visitors fall on the city?)

In contrast, the health of the hospitality industry has a more muted impact on the traditional residential housing market in New Orleans. Tourism is only one of the legs of the New Orleans economy, and there are other legs to support the New Orleans jobs market and home prices. STRs, however, directly inject the risk of the tourism market into every neighborhood of the city where they exist. Demand for houses and high prices exist when owners can earn high returns, but what happens in a downturn? What happens when tourism suddenly slows for one of any number of predictable and unpredictable reasons? What happens is what we have seen in other housing markets dominated by investors and speculators. At the first sign of a reversal, they sell with a vengeance, driving down prices and leaving the long-term residents suffering the consequences of rapidly falling prices and “For Sale” signs everywhere. If the properties are leveraged, they can sit for months and years as they work their way through the mortgage foreclosure (and probably bankruptcy) process, further depressing values.

Real estate speculation is a fact of life. Some people win and some people lose. When a strip mall goes bankrupt on Airline Highway, the negative consequences (other than to the property’s owners and lenders) are limited to having one more eyesore around town. When that speculation, however, is driven by STRs and is occurring in some of the city’s most important and historic residential neighborhoods, the negative consequences of a drop in tourism will go right to the hearts of these neighborhoods, and will be much more severe and widespread than any normal downturn.

3) Weekly bachelor parties are more than a nuisance. They represent a real loss of value for the neighbors.
Many of the comments presented to the CPC and the City Council on this issue have dealt with the horror stories of late night parties and the problems that occur when out-of-towners believe that they can freely extend the revels of Bourbon Street to the residential neighborhood where they have rented a house for the weekend. The problems go far beyond loss of sleep, frustration with the inability of an under-staffed NOPD to deal with noise issues, and the absence of a private right of action to move against the owners of the offending properties. They represent a real loss of value to anyone attempting to sell an impacted home to anyone other than an STR operator. (I do not know whether the failure to disclose a nearby nuisance STR in a real estate declaration has been tested in a Louisiana court, but I am fairly certain it would be actionable in other jurisdictions.)

The logical outcome is that once an STR opens on a block, the only informed sales that would not be negatively impacted by the existence of the STR would be those to another STR operator. As already noted, however, such a sale would be prohibited if density limitations were put in place as part of an attempt to make STRs politically palatable.

This points again to the utter fallacy of putting any faith in density limitations. The idea that the CPC and the City Council would not be inundated with requests for exceptions, and that many of those requests would be granted, simply ignores political reality. That assumes, of course that the many illegal operators of STRs would even apply for exemptions to the density limits. The reality is that the city has failed for years to deal with illegal STRs. Based on this history, it is reasonable to expect that any density limits would be ignored or gutted in a few years.

keepneighborhoodsIn conclusion, the adoption of a legal STR framework for residential neighborhoods, particularly for non-owner occupied structures, would have tremendous and largely irreversible negative impacts on the fundamental character of the city for years to come. Ignoring the quality of life issues, the economics alone will lead to a further hollowing out of the city’s full-time residents. Homeowners will see that the rational action is to sell. They would avoid both the higher property taxes and the risk of a speculative bubble bursting with downturn in the tourism industry.

Part Two
AirBNB is not like Uber
It has often been argued that AirBNB and similar operations are nothing more than Uber for houses, that they are simply one part of an irreversible movement toward a shared economy where technology brings together the buyers and sellers of various services. At their best, such arguments are facile and do not stand up to even a modest amount of economic scrutiny. At their worst, they are a bald-faced attempt to direct attention away from what is illegal activity by saying that it is no different from what everyone else is doing in other areas of the economy. In reality, the only similarity between Uber and AirBNB is that both rely heavily on computers and smart phones.

Uber is an example of what the Austrian-American economist Joseph Schumpeter described as “creative destruction”. The idea is that in a capitalist system, economic growth occurs when innovators put their money behind new ideas for goods and services. While the creative process is the key for creating new markets and new opportunities, it comes at the cost of destroying old products and services, and the capital invested in delivering those old goods and services.

A prime example is Blockbuster versus Netflix. Blockbuster invested huge sums in brick and mortar stores and an inventory of video tapes, and later DVDs, to fill the shelves in those stores. It had a large complement of employees to man the cash registers and stock those shelves. Along came Netflix with the idea that people could go to their computers, select what titles they wanted to see, and have the DVDs delivered a few days later by the postal carrier. Immediately successful, the service Netflix created began the destruction of the hundreds of millions of dollars Blockbuster had invested in its system. Later, when Netflix switched to streaming content, it effectively destroyed the capital Netflix itself had invested in DVDs and its mail order business.

In Uber’s case, it challenged the existing way of summoning a taxi, as well as introducing a model that matched supply and pricing to peak periods of demand. Uber was challenging the economic model of the taxi business, but, more importantly, it challenged the local regulatory framework for taxis that existed in each of the cities where it sought to operate. Its success has come in exposing and differentiating between those regulations that were necessary for the public’s protection and those regulations that merely existed to protect the status quo. After all, until Uber, the method of summoning a cab outside a hotel had not really changed since the 1800s. This is Schumpeter’s creative destruction process at work.

The key difference between Uber and AirBNB (and similar companies) is that there is nothing fundamentally illegal about the service Uber provides. Paying someone to take you in his or her car from Point A to Point B is not inherently illegal, provided appropriate licensing requirements are met. The only ones harmed by the Uber innovation are those invested in the old ways of doing business.

In contrast, AirBNB and similar services are providing technology platforms that offer services that are fundamentally illegal. The regulations of which AirBNB facilitates the violation are not there to protect capital invested in the hotel industry. Rather AirBNB is facilitating, for a profit, the violation of zoning laws that were enacted to protect individual homeowners from this type of commercial activity. If the only harm was to the established hotels and legal bed and breakfast establishments, it could be argued that AirBNB is just another example of Schumpeter’s creative destruction. However, the true harm and destruction is to the residents of the neighborhoods disrupted by the illegal short-term rentals. The residents of these neighborhoods do not have capital at risk in the hospitality industry like Marriott or Hilton. Rather the capital they have at risk is in homes that they trusted would be protected by zoning laws and the enforcement powers of the city government. It appears that trust was misplaced.

Therefore, AirBNB has nothing to do with Uber or Schumpeter’s growth through creative destruction, but is simply a case of making a fast buck at the expense of someone else by facilitating an illegal activity. The closest parallel to AirBNB is not Uber, but hiring prostitutes with Craig’s list.

Sincerely,
Emile J. BrinkmannNO-short-term-rentals

 

 

 

 

TODAY, Tuesday, June 14, at 1:30 p.m., the City Planning Commission will propose a CZO amendment to allow all categories of short-term rentals, and make short-term rentals permitted and conditional uses in all neighborhoods. The CPC Staff Preliminary Report makes these and other recommendations, and has little information on enforcement mechanisms to control and penalize illegal operators.
For information on today’s meeting and a link to the Preliminary Staff Report, please use the link, below – short-term rentals appear as agenda item 9.
http://cityofno.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php
Call the CPC at (504) 658-7033 before you go to make sure the vote will take place today and that there will be time for public input.
If you are able, please attend the 1:30 p.m. today, Tuesday, June 14 CPC meeting in City Council Chambers to voice your opinion. Thank you.

Preliminary Staff Report

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 1

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 2

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 3

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 4

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 5

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 6

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 7

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 8

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 9

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 10

Jay Brinkmann is the retired Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research and Education at the Mortgage Bankers Association where he worked on a wide range of issues impacting single-family, commercial and multifamily real estate finance. His team handled economic forecasting, responding to regulatory and legislative issues impacting the mortgage industry, and benchmarking the operational efficiency and profitability of the mortgage divisions of commercial banks and independent mortgage companies.

Jay is a native of New Orleans, but began his career on Capitol Hill as the press secretary to U.S. Rep. David C. Treen. He then served as Treen’s deputy chief of staff when Treen was elected governor. He worked in commercial banking at what was then Louisiana National Bank/Premier National Bank in Baton Rouge, and was on the business school faculty at the University of Houston where he specialized in financial institution regulation and energy markets. Immediately prior to joining Mortgage Bankers Association, he worked in the portfolio strategy group at Fannie Mae.

He has published articles on bank regulation and housing finance in various academic journals and on the op-ed pages of The Wall Street Journal and the American Banker. He was frequently quoted in print and electronic news outlets on real estate finance topics, has appeared on the news shows of all of the major broadcast and cable networks, and has testified before the US House and Senate banking committees. Jay holds a Ph.D. in finance from Purdue University, an MBA from Tulane University and a BA in International Affairs from The George Washington University. He currently serves at the US representative on the executive committee of the International Union of Housing Finance, a 100-year old organization dedicated to housing issues around the world.

He returned home as a full time resident to New Orleans in 2014 after a 40-year absence, intending to spend his time being a grandfather, and renovating an old home. He has instead found his time increasingly occupied by being a volunteer for various public policy and community service projects.

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Lisa Amoss writes, “This is a problem that is rapidly spiraling out of control. While, in our post-Katrina recovery and rebuilding mode, we haven’t been paying attention, our neighborhood (and many others) have been invaded by short-term rentals and they are drastically changing our character and culture. I am NOT talking about neighbors renting out rooms in the homes they occupy, nor about anyone occasionally renting out the entire home they occupy for Jazz Fest while they are out of town. I am talking about developers coming in and buying up multiple houses, then renting them out as a business venture. These are hotels in residential neighborhoods. They are creating parking and noise problems on our residential blocks, and they are helping to drive up housing prices so that young families cannot afford to buy homes here any more. Our neighborhood is becoming increasingly occupied by transients who have no vested interest in keeping this a vibrant, diverse and safe place to live. If your block has not yet experienced this, there are many in FSJ that have. And it’s changing faster than you can imagine. ”

Cynthia Scott writes, “The ‘hotel’ on my block has now graduated to an events rental venue. Last week, for 3 or 4 days running, the space was rented to someone from Tales of the Cocktail for a daily party from early afternoon to 7 pm each day, with a DJ blasting extremely loud hip hop and other music and a constant stream of people being ferried from the CBD to the location via Uber. A week or two earlier the space was rented for the day to a HUUUUUGE (to paraphrase a certain candidate) birthday party which drew people from all over the city, with cars racing up and down our one-way street and parking in people’s driveways. They departed by sundown, so neither of these rentals could be considered a “home rental” by any definition.

An open letter to the Tales of the Cocktail Community regarding the effects of Short Term Rentals in New Orleans

Dear friends,

This open letter is not about Air…BnB as such, but about the challenge of supporting your industry and community amidst new paradigms of travel and tourism. When Tales of the Cocktail was founded, we deliberately placed the event in July, one of the most difficult months for our local economy, in an effort to help increase revenue for New Orleans’ many hospitality businesses and employees. The hotels, bars, restaurants and thousands of hospitality workers they employ have been grateful for Tales of the Cocktail, and we want to continue to do right by them. In this spirit, we write to you today to help raise awareness about the effect short term rentals, such as AirBnB, are having on residents, business owners, and event producers, like ourselves.

Bar manager at Erin Rose, and former CAP, Rhiannon Enlil was given a notice of eviction last week, after four years in her apartment because her landlord wants to list the property on AirBnB. This is by no means an isolated incident. There are now over 4,316 AirBnBs operating in New Orleans.

“There are a finite number of homes in this city, and the demand is high for workers and residents who keep the economic engine running. If you allow short-term rentals to eat away at that supply, the appeal to live and work in this city diminishes. All of the visitors who use short-term rentals, who want to eat in our restaurants, listen to our live music, drink in our bars… who will serve them if we in the service and entertainment industry cannot afford to live here?”

Rhiannon Enlil
Erin Rose
Newly evicted tenant

This issue is also having a significant impact on the hotels and licenses B&B’s in New Orleans. Hotels are one of the longest standing harbingers of hospitality. They employ hundreds to thousands of people, provide insight and infrastructure to guests, and work with event organizers to facilitate events that would otherwise not be possible, such as Tales of the Cocktail. Every tasting room and seminar we facilitate is done so in a hotel, and it’s hard to imagine where else we could possibly produce so many events within one week. Because of our longstanding relationships with these hotels, we’re able to negotiate special rates for Tales attendees year after year. Hotels are experienced in the practice of hospitality, and legally qualified to accommodate our guests, whereas short term rentals, which are illegal in New Orleans, fundamentally upset residential valuations by introducing unsustainable commercial valuations into residential neighborhoods.

In this spirit, we encourage you to stay with one of our partnering hotels (or even another local hotel if you prefer), but please avoid staying at an AirBnB or other short term rental property that is not legally sanctioned to operate in New Orleans. Each short term rental takes revenue away from our own hospitality industry; if the hotels are operating below projected capacity, staff hours get cut, and employees get laid off. Tales of the Cocktail is one of many organizations in New Orleans working to have these illegal rentals addressed by our city government, but in the meantime, we encourage you to consider the matter for yourself. Everyone wants the best deal they can find, but sometimes the best deal results in an exceptionally rotten deal for everyone else. We employ you: help us keep locals in their homes and guests visiting our city in the many beautiful and hospitable hotels and B&Bs New Orleans has to offer. Thank you for your time and consideration. If you support this effort, please share this post.

Respectfully,

Tales of the Cocktail

Thank you to our partnering hotels: Hotel Monteleone, Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans, Ace Hotel New Orleans, AC Hotel New Orleans Bourbon, Bienville House, Bourbon Orleans Hotel, Dauphine Orleans Hotel, Hotel Le Marais, Hotel Mazarin, MOXY NOLA, Omni Royal Orleans Hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, W New Orleans – French Quarter.

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“Venice, whose world-famous canals are constantly in a precarious condition because of the environment, is now seeing some 22 million visitors per year, which dwarfs the estimated 55,000 people who actually live there. And while many Venetians rely on tourists filling hotels, going for gondola rides, and eating in restaurants to stimulate the local economy, it’s clear that some people would rather the travelers go home.”

The effects of “over visiting” in Venice is reaching a boiling point, so much so that residents are posting signs telling tourists to go away. An independent study projects by 2030 there will be zero locals living in Venice.

http://www.cntraveler.com/story/venice-locals-to-tourists-go-away?mbid=nl_082016_Daily&CNDID=31819853&spMailingID=9388026&spUserID=MTMzNDg1MTk2ODkzS0&spJobID=981661951&spReportId=OTgxNjYxOTUxS0

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Filed Under: CRIME, Featured, HISTORY, More Great Posts! Tagged With: air bnb, bayou, best neighborhood in New Orleans, blight, Charlie London, destruction of neighborhoods, eclectic, faubourg, faubourg st john, fsjna, fungus among us, homeaway, New Orleans, new orleans best neighborhood, no more neighbors, preservation, short term rentals, str

St. John’s Eve Ceremony

June 21, 2016 by Charlie London

St John’s Eve Ceremony

 

Thursday, June 23 at 7 PM

Voodoo on the BayouSt. John’s Eve Ceremony on the Magnolia Bridge over Bayou St John (across from Cabrini High School on Moss St. in New Orleans)

Sallie Ann Glassman and La Source Ancienne Ounfo celebrate St. John’s Eve with their annual Headwashing Ceremony (form of Vodou baptism) dedicated to Marie Laveau. Wear all white and bring a white scarf or rag for your head (It will get dirty.)

Bring an offering for Marie Laveau. She likes flowers, blue and white candles, Creole foods, hair ribbons and hair dressing supplies (She was a hairdresser.), Vodou-esque items (Voodoo dolls, potions, gris-gris bags, etc.), or images of Marie Laveau.

The ceremony will feature the beautiful sculpture of Marie Laveau by Ricardo Pustanio.

For more info, call Island of Salvation Botanica: (504) 948-9961.

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Saint John’s Eve
By James Duvalier

Voodoo in New Orleans is much a solitary practice as compared to the religion in Haiti, but there is an exception: The Feast of Saint John the Baptist, which falls on the 24th of June. The feast day is celebrated in Haiti, and indeed throughout the Catholic world, but nowhere as intensely as in New Orleans. This feast is particularly popular in Francophone countries. In rural France, people light bonfires on Saint John’s Night and in Quebec, on the morning of the feast, an old superstition dictates that one collect drops of dew from leaves and grass to sprinkle around the house for good luck. Also, some believe that when applied to the face, this water will bless a person with a youthful appearance. In New Orleans, the Feast of Saint John is observed most intensely by Voodooists, perhaps as a remnant of a time when it was fêted more fervently by the general population. It is believed that on this night, the veil between the spirit world and the physical world is virtually nonexistent and communion with the ancestors, saints and lwa can be easily achieved. Curiously, a similar belief in the Galicia region of Spain holds that that the souls in Purgatory can return to Earth on that same night, since the mystical dividing veil is lifted. On the eve of Saint John’s Day, every Voodooist is expected to attend a communal drumming session in which members of the local community make food offerings to the ancestors and saints, and this is one of the rare occasions when animal sacrifices, usually chickens, are made by the presiding Voodoo Queen.. All Voodoo queens and doctors, if they are to remain in good standing with the spirits and the local community, are expected to attend a service on this night. The following is a description of the events that occur on this sacred night. The character names are fictitious and represent no persons living of dead, but the details of the ceremony are accurate.

Immediately following Easter, Evangeline carefully plans the sequence of events for the Fête de Saint Jean Baptiste. This year she will serve as presiding priestess over the ceremony, a role to which she was nominated by last year’s mistress of ceremonies, Muriel, her friend and fellow Voodoo Queen. Evangeline contacts all of her friends, family and acquaintances and inquires as to whether she can expect their presence on Saint John’s Eve. In the following weeks, she visits those planning to attend and collects donations to defray the cost of the ceremony. Then she secures a location for the gathering on the Bayou Saint John, where Marie Laveau conducted her infamous ceremonies, and obtains the necessary permits from the city. Then the drummers are hired and Evangeline buys the food and live animals necessary to make offerings to the spirits and to be consumed by the assembly.

The day before the ceremony, Evangeline and two close friends, Renee and Stacey, meet to prepare the food for the following evening. Renee and Stacey prepare such Southern and Creole classics as collard greens and fatback, spoon bread, hopping john, shrimp Creole, dirty rice and pulled pork, all to be consumed by the congregation. Only Evangeline, however, is permitted to prepare the ritual offerings for the spirits. She takes great care to make sure that no a single grain of salt comes into contact with the food offerings. She makes white rice, roasted pork spiced with black and cayenne pepper, grits, and a dish called “amala”, which is a slimly concoctions of chopped okra stewed with corn meal resulting a slippery mess, a taste and texture unappetizing to the human palate, but absolutely decadent to the spirit world. Evangeline thanks her friends and they leave with all the food that has been prepared, and it will be their responsibility to bring the offerings to the gathering the following night. All those expected to attend the service take special herbal baths at home the night before to rid themselves of negativity and neutralize their spiritual vibrations as to be able to fully receive the blessings of the saints and spirits.


Photos and video by Charlie London

On the afternoon of Saint John’s Eve, Evangeline’s friends arrive at the predetermined site and set up the wood pile that will become a massive bonfire. They arrange tables with the previously prepared food as the sacrificial chickens await their imminent death in cages resting on the ground. The drummers arrive shortly after and set up their musical equipment and in the late afternoon the guests start to arrive and socialize while they anticipate the presence of the mistress of ceremonies who is due to arrive at sundown.

When the last amber rays of summer sunlight retreat behind the tree tops, Evangeline arrives. She parks her car a short distance down the street, preferring to make her entrance on foot. Seeing Evangeline in the distance coming toward them, the guests form a semicircle and she takes her place in the center. She stands there for a moment in silence, dressed in white from head to foot resting her weight on the ribbon and bell bedecked baguette des morts. Then, she bangs the stick three times of the ground and makes the opening prayer, “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The congregation makes the sign of the cross and responds “Amen.” Raising her outstretched palms toward Heaven, she cries, “faith, hope and charity,” the three virtues by which Voodooists are compelled to live. The congregation once again responds with a resounding “Amen” and with that, the ceremony has begun.

Renee and Stacey, Evangeline’s designated helpers from the previous day, come to meet her in the center of the circle. They are to hand her all supplies that she will need throughout the evening. Renee hands her a small vial of holy water that she herself had taken from the baptismal fount at her parish church earlier that day. While Evangeline sprinkles the ground around the soon-to-be ceremonial pyre the congregation softly recites the opening prayers in unison: The Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Apostles’ Creed, in that exact order. Stacey takes Evangeline’s baguette des morts and respectfully holds it while Evangeline tends to the preparation of the fire. The wood having been previously dowsed with kerosene will light without trouble, but Evangeline must first sprinkled the mound with a variety of dried herbs, some graveyard dirt and a few drops of holy water before it is torched. Meanwhile, Renee and Stacey trace a cross in the dirt next to the fire pit using a mixture of cornmeal, ground white eggshells, dust from a church and dirt from a graveyard and a crossroads. When Evangeline finishes consecrating the fire pit, she turns her attention to the cross that Stacey and Renee have prepared. She touches the ground three times and makes the sign of the cross. Then, from a pitcher, she spills water three times on the ground and says “pou mo-ye,” for the dead. Then Renee and Stacey bring her the dishes of food she personally prepared the previous day. With the dishes neatly placed at the four points of the cross, Evangeline declares “mange sec pou mo-ye,” dry eating for the dead. Voodoo pactitioners refer to food offerings as “mange sec” to distinguish them from animal sacrifices in which case the spilt blood is the offering, not the animal itself. The spirits and saints take the offerings of food and spilled blood and convert them into pure energy that is then used to grant their petitions and bring good luck and prosperity into their lives.

With the offerings all laid out, Evangeline takes a sip of rum and then spits in out onto the dirt floor altar in front of her. Then she places a small white taper in each dish of food. When the last taper is lighted, before placing at the center of the cross, Evangeline uses it to set the ceremonial pyre ablaze. The congregation claps and cheers and the drummers begin to play. The rest of the night is a pleasant combination of religious rituals and a friendly party atmosphere. The guests dance and eat traditional Creole specialties as well as drink beer and rum drinks. Throughout the course of the evening, they sing songs in Creole, French and English to call down the saints and ancestors. The spirits make take possession of whomever they choose, not just Evangeline. When a spirit or lwa touches a person and takes control of his body, the drumming stops and the congregation waits in silence for this person to speak. He or she comes forward and speaks to those assembled and gives instructions for spiritual workings to be carried out. The spirit, through the medium, will let the people know if the evil eye or any hexes have been placed on them. If this is found to be true, Evangeline immediately cleanses them of the evil eye or unclean spirits by passing a live chicken over their head and touching it to the palms and backs of their hands. Then, she snaps the chicken’s necks and slits its throat with a sharp knife, squeezing the animal until the last drop of blood is spilled on the ground. The chicken is then disposed of, since it cannot be eaten because the negative influence once on the person has been passed to the chicken.

As the night progresses, more spirits mount the guests and people ask favors of them and lay flowers and dollar bills at their feet to thank them for favors granted in the previous year. This night is one of the few occasions in New Orleans Voodoo where spirit possession takes place, and it is considered an honor to be touched by a spirit. As dawn approaches, Evangeline calls all the guests to the form a circle once again. She calls down her personal spirit guide who indicates the person who is to serve as next years presiding Vooodoo Queen at the fête de Saint Jean Baptiste. It is Stacey. Stacey readily agrees and they seal the new appointment with a kiss on each cheek. Renee retrieves Evangeline’s baguette des morts, which Evangeline once again bangs three times of the ground exclaiming, “faith, hope and charity.” “Amen,” responds the congregation. She strikes three more blows to the earth and prayers, “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Another magnificent “Amen” rises up from the crowd. They all make the sign of the cross and head for home. The ceremony is over. Only Evangeline remains. She gathers the offerings of food and places them in the center of a cotton cloth, which she then ties up into a neat bundle. She collects the dollar bills strewn about the grounds, which she will donate later that day to a church or charitable organization. As she drives off, she is sure to take a different route than the one she used to get there, as not to let any bad spirits follow her home and ruin her luck. Quickly stopping at a crossroads, she leaves the cloth bundle with the food offerings for the spirits. She drives to her church where Renee and Stacey are waiting for her, and they attend an early morning mass together to celebrate the Feast of Saint John the Baptist.

While Evangeline, Stacey and Renee are fictitious characters, the rituals described in the above story are true and accurate. Other traditions may exist in various communities, since there is no set liturgy as in established churches, but in the Voodoo tradition, the feast of Saint John remains of the most important feasts of the year and is universally observed wherever Voodoo is practiced, be it in Haiti, New Orleans, Martinique or in Afro-Francophone communities in New York and Quebec. Nowhere, however is the tradition more intensely adhered to than in New Orleans. Perhaps this is due to the fact that in Louisiana, as opposed to the other locations mentioned, Francophone Creoles and Voodooists are an ever increasing minority, and the fact that enough people choose to practice this beautiful faith and gather each year to give thanks to God, the ancestors and the saints and be together as a community of believers is cause for celebration. In short, the fact that a people who have been told for centuries by the white Anglo establishment that their culture, language and faith are inferior have been able to hang onto the language spoken by their ancestors who toiled in the cane fields and practice a faith both brought over on slave ships and enriched by the prayers once sung in Latin from high church altars is in and of itself a miracle! The Voodoo faith, like those who profess it, is a Creole religion, and the concept of Creole is simple: A syllogism of drastically different elements melded to form a new and living reality. It is a religion of power and survival.

Article courtesy James Duvalier
http://jamesduvalier.com/blog/2010/11/saint-johns-eve/

Filed Under: Featured, HISTORY Tagged With: bayou, bayou mass, bayou st john, faubourg st john, New Orleans, religion, religious, sallie ann glassman, st. john's eve, vodou, Voodoo, voodoo on the bayou

Bodacious Boogaloo

May 16, 2016 by Charlie London

by Charlie London

2016boogaloobanner4fsjna

Since the beginning, the Bayou Boogaloo, held on the banks of Bayou St. John in New Orleans during May, has had a mission to give back to the community. The first Bayou Boogaloo in 2006 was a healing effort for the community. Many folks were still rebuilding their lives and their houses after “the storm”. The Bayou Boogaloo was a welcome respite from the daily grind. It provided much needed fun for both adults and children.

One of the often forgotten aspects of the Bayou Boogaloo is its emphasis on zero impact on the environment. I’ve personally witnessed the meticulous cleanup after the event. One would never know the music festival ever took place because the area is left as clean or cleaner than it was before the event.

The Bayou Boogaloo has promoted solar energy, recycling and encouraged folks to consider the environment. The Bayou Boogaloo has led by example. Several huge oak trees have been planted along the banks of Bayou St. John leaving a lasting positive impact on the environment and the community.

The Bayou Boogaloo gives back in other ways too! The event helps neighborhood organizations raise funds for their operations, has helped build playgrounds, has supported community sports initiatives, helped plant native habitat-building and erosion-preventing marsh grasses, and replaced trees lost during hurricanes.

The City even recognized the Bayou Boogaloo’s founder, Jared Zeller, with a proclamation for promoting an economically and environmentally sustainable event.

Join the Bayou Boogaloo this Friday, Saturday and Sunday May 20, 21, and 22. The Bayou Boogaloo is more than just a music festival, it’s a community building coalition!

More info at: http://thebayouboogaloo.com/

***
THE BEAT GOES ON AT THE BAYOU BOOGALOO
By Geraldine Wyckoff
Contributing Writer

It’s been less than three weeks since the last notes rang out at the Fair Grounds to close the 2016 edition of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Not far away, bands will strike up again at the 11th Annual Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo. The free event is presented from Friday, May 20 to Sunday, May 22, 2016 along the banks of Bayou St. John between Dumaine Street and N. Jefferson Davis Parkway. It features three main music stages at Dumaine Street, Orleans Avenue and Lafitte Street plus a Kids Stage that has both music and other activities to please the youngsters.

There are some excellent local and national headliners at the festival that didn’t perform at this year’s Jazz Fest including Nolatet (Sunday, 6 p.m.), The Lowrider Band (Saturday, 7:45 p.m.) and the Wailers (Friday, 7:45 p.m.).

Let’s start with Nolatet, a band of all-star jazz masters – drummer Johnny Vidacovich, bassist James Singleton, vibraphonist/percussionist Mike Dillon and pianist Brian Haas. This performance marks the first time many local people will have the opportunity to experience this group as they’ve only performed in New Orleans several times. Formed spontaneously in 2014 and quickly releasing its exciting debut album, Dogs (The Royal Potato Family) just this year, Nolatet has been out on tour promoting the CD and, according to Vidacovich, has been very well-received. “They liked it a lot – a lot more than I imagined,” he is quoted in OffBeat magazine. “I thought the music would be a little too orchestral. There’s a lot of things that we’re doing that are just out of the norm.”

“I can tell you what it sounds like to me sometimes when I’m involved with the music and my head is spinning,” he continued. “It reminds me of a circus and a Christmas tree with a lot of lights.”

Because pianist Haas, unlike the other members, doesn’t live in New Orleans, Nolatet is a get-it-while-you can band though all concerned express their hope and intent to do much more in the future.

Just an aside – it’s great to have Dillon, who absolutely floored the crowd at last year’s performance of his New Orleans Punk Rock Percussion Consortium – back at Bayou Boogaloo. Hopefully, the Consortium, an amazing collection of rhythm masters will return next year or be booked somewhere else soon.

The Lowrider Band, which partly due to the presence of one-time Crescent City resident, drummer Harold Brown, feels almost like its from New Orleans. It’s also got that funk and street band attitude that music lovers here can really relate to. The last time the Lowriders performed in New Orleans was in 2009 at a benefit for the Save Charity Hospital organization. Now that’s awhile ago…

The band is, of course, made up of original members of the group War, including Brown, the great harmonica player Lee Oskar, guitarist Howard Scott and bassist B.B. Dickerson, who, because of health issues will be unable to perform with his fellow Lowriders. Due to a court order, nobody in the group is allowed to mention their participation in War in any promotional material or advertisements. Fortunately, these talents have been able to retain their rights to their compositions and receive royalties.

“Here’s how we say it,” Brown explained. “We are the original composers of and performers on ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends?,’ ‘The Cisco Kid,’ ‘The World is a Ghetto,’ and ‘All Day Music.’ All our friends know the Lowriders. Everybody knows exactly who we are.”

“When we come to play in New Orleans it’s like playing at home in our living room,” Brown once proclaimed. “You can drop all of your big shot attitudes. In New Orleans they want to know about your soul – your spirit. I tell people when they come into the city, to turn off the radio and roll down the windows.”

The socially conscious messages of tunes like Bob Marley’s “One Love” are much needed in today’s world. The Wailers keep that warmth, the much-loved classic songs and laid-back reggae riddims alive. Bassist Aston “Family Man” Barrett is the only member of the touring band that performed and recorded with the group that backed the late, legendary Bob Marley who influenced the world with the magic of his music and his pen. Barrett was the heartbeat of the rock steady beat, the sound that could be felt to one’s core. Reggae by the Bayou seems so right.

Our local stars like bassist George Porter & the Runnin’ Pardners (Sunday, 4 p.m.), the Queen of New Orleans Soul, Irma Thomas (Saturday, 5 p.m.) and zydeco go-getter, accordionist/vocalist Dwayne Dopsie (Friday, 6:15 p.m.) also bolster the impressive schedule.

Parents might want to bring their children to the Kids Stage on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. where Daria Dzurik, the leader/steel pan player/vocalist of Daria & The Hip Drops fame will hold a percussion workshop. With her talent, lively personality and big smile, Dzurik has the qualities to educate and entertain the whole family. She and the Hip Drops certainly caught the crowd at this year’s French Quarter Festival.

On Friday, the music schedule is abbreviated and begins in the evening on two stages starting at 5 p.m. The Wailers, which hit the stage at 7:45 p.m. close it down. On Saturday and Sunday the music gets going at 11 a.m. Naturally there are food and beverage vendors aplenty and arts and crafts booths from one end of the fest to the other.

One of the beauties of the festival remains its wonderful setting and just being able to sit along Bayou St. John and relax.

This article originally published in the May 16, 2016 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.

Filed Under: Featured, HISTORY, Living Well, Magical Mystery Tour, More Great Posts!, Postcards from Home Tagged With: bayou, bayou boogaloo, bayou st john, best neighborhood in New Orleans, boogaloo, family friendly, faubourg st john, festival, fun, good food, music, musicians, neighborhood, New Orleans, new orleans best neighborhood, new orleans festival, new orleans fun, party

Lights, Cars, and Holes

March 4, 2016 by Charlie London

3streetlights-GrandRtStJohn-2016mar4

If you see potholes, streetlights, abandoned vehicles, etc., please get as much info as possible.

Correct addresses are very important. Make, model and license number of abandoned cars are mandatory. Each light pole has a unique number attached to it, so be sure to note that in your communications to [email protected]

Things that need to be repaired or corrected are the main focus. However, all issues affecting quality of life are important such as: parking, neighborhood access, illegal vending, and crime.

potholes-2014apr21-danner Please report issues to [email protected]

Filed Under: CRIME, Featured, HISTORY Tagged With: 311, abandoned car, bayou, bayou st john, best neighborhood in New Orleans, faubourg st john, jazz fest, Jimmy Fahrenholtz, New Orleans, pothole, renew, repair, replace, report issues, streetlight

Bayou Road Buildings Get Facade Improvements

December 27, 2015 by Charlie London

article by Danielle Del Sol | Photographs by Liz Jurey
excerpt from the December, 2015 issue of Preservation in Print with permission from author

bayouroad-photobyLizJurey-2015dec

The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority has awarded nearly $1 million in the past year to property and small business owners on Bayou Road to improve the facade of their building in a historically appropriate way.

The Bayou Road businesses received grants up to $37,000 each and up to 30 hours of technical assistance to renovate their buildings with NORA’s Facade Renew program.

The technical assistance portion of the grant, administered by NORA project partner Tulane City Center, gives owners information on what their building originally looked like, and the context in which it was developed.

The $1 million came from the Louisiana Office of Community development, using post-Katrina Community Development Block Grant funds. The program has inspired business owners who may not have previously realized the value of restoring historic features.

On Bayou Road, one of the oldest commercial corridors in the city — the ridge was a Native American center of trade for many years before European settlers arrived — New Orleans Tribune publisher Beverly McKenna and her family are continuing to improve properties they started buying 35 years ago.

The area is like a small slice of the Caribbean, with vibrantly colored buildings, feral chickens and businesses like the Coco Hut, known for its jerk chicken, and Club Caribbean, the top reggae club in town. McKenna and her husband, landlords to these beloved businesses, are receiving Facade Renew grants to revitalize four of their properties.

Club Caribbean will receive a fresh coat of paint and a new patio area. The other buildings will receive tropical paint jobs and other improvements, as well, at the able hands of contractor Sidney Barthelemy, Jr. of B-Squared LLC.

McKenna, who lives and works within blocks of Bayou Road, said that she and her husband were keen to offer the properties as opportunities for local residents to realize their dream of being small business owners. As such, they didn’t overdevelop the investment properties they acquired. NORA’s grants allow the couple to expedite needed work to the buildings while helping them keep rents affordable.

http://prcno.org/programs/preservationinprint/piparchives/2015%20PIP/December%202015/0.html

Filed Under: Featured, HISTORY Tagged With: bayou, bayou road, bayou st john, broad, danielle del sol, economic impact, facade improvements, faubourg st john, historic preservation, history, New Orleans

Le Marche des Fetes Tres Bon

November 21, 2015 by Charlie London

On Saturday, December 5th from 10am-4pm, visitors enjoyed shopping with over 30 artist vendors for one-of-a-kind handmade art and accessories and Mignon Faget jewelry, they met Papa Noël, enjoyed live music, purchased great books autographed by their favorite New Orleans authors, and munched on tasty local and exotic treats. The creole colonial-style Pitot House was decorated in the traditional style for Christmas and was open for tours.

Click on any of the photos by Charlie London for a larger view.

 

Location of event:
1440 Moss St
New Orleans, LA 70119

Saturday, December 5th
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m

llsfete


video by Charlie London

Filed Under: Featured, HISTORY Tagged With: bayou, bayou st john, best neighborhood in New Orleans, book signing, books, bring ya momma-n-dem, event, faubourg st john, fete, fsjna, landmarks, louisiana landmarks, New Orleans, new orleans landmarks, pitot house, society

Slippin’ into darkness…

October 27, 2015 by Charlie London

image courtesy memberize.com
image courtesy memberize.com


Tonight, you have the unique opportunity to take part in Bayou Paddlesport’s night paddle event. Enjoy a peaceful trip down the serene waters of Bayou St. John tonight from 7 to 9 pm

Bayou Paddlesports is hosting a night paddle TONIGHT, October 27th from 7-9 pm
Please call 504-515-3398 for reservations (website reservations are not available at this time).
Call 504-515-3398.

You can still check out the details of the night paddle on Bayou St. John in the link below:
https://a.zozi.com/#/express/bayoupaddlesportsla/products

Call 504-515-3398 for reservations.

night-paddle1

Bayou Paddlesports was established in 2011 to provide the Greater New Orleans area with easily accessible paddling services and a great way to see New Orleans like a local. Their attention to detail and superior customer service serves locals and tourists alike.

Enjoy a little piece of sportsman’s paradise right here in New Orleans. Paddle from the launch site (on Moss Street at Florida Avenue by the LSU Dental School) up the bayou to Orleans Ave or down to Robert E Lee Blvd. Experience the city from a new perspective.

Bayou St. John is home to a wide range of flora and fauna. Maybe you’ll spot a pelican swooping down for a fish, or spy the egrets, herons, ducks, loons and more. The route sweeps through residential areas with an array of architectural styles from French Colonial to lavish modern mansions.

Total route distance is about 8 easy miles round trip, perfect for beginners and experts. Join your friends and neighbors tonight for a fun, wallet-friendly way to get your paddle on! Doing the whole trip is not necessary. Paddle at your own pace.

night-paddle

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bayou, bayou st john, best neighborhood in New Orleans, canoe, event, faubourg st john, fun, kayak, New Orleans, night, paddle board, paddlesports, rent, service, surf board, tandem

Who Knows What Lurks in Yonder Bayou

September 8, 2015 by Charlie London

information gathered by Charlie London

An alligator will absolutely bite the hand that feeds it.
An alligator will absolutely bite the hand that feeds it.

dont-feed-themNot all alligators are considered nuisance alligators.  The mere presence of an alligator does not qualify it as a nuisance, even if it is located in an unexpected place.  Most alligators, if left alone, will move on.  Alligators less than 4 feet in length are naturally fearful of humans and are generally not a threat to pets, livestock or humans.  Alligators at least 4 feet in length that present a threat to pets, livestock or humans are considered “nuisance” alligators.  The following information should help you determine if an alligator may pose a threat to you, your pets/livestock or your property. If, after reading the following, you determine that an alligator is a “nuisance”, please see “How can I report a nuisance alligator?” below.

Determine Whether an Alligator is a Nuisance
Some of the following information was taken from the “If You See an Alligator…” portion of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s website (www.tpwd.state.tx.us).

    • If the alligator is not approaching people or otherwise posing an obvious threat, wait a few days if possible – even up to a week – before contacting LDWF. In spring and summer, alligators are moving to breed or find new habitat. Most of the alligators moving around are smaller ones that have been pushed out of their normal habitat by larger alligators. Usually, these smaller alligators will move further on in a week or two.
    • If you hear an alligator hiss, it’s a warning that you are too close.
    • Alligators have a natural fear of humans, and usually begin a quick retreat when approached by people. If you have a close encounter with an alligator a few yards away, back away slowly. It is extremely rare for wild alligators to chase people, but they can run up to 35 miles per hour for short distances on land. Never make the mistake of thinking that an alligator is slow and lethargic. Alligators are extremely quick and agile and will defend themselves when cornered. A female protecting her nest might charge a person who gets close to the nest, but she would quickly return to the nest after the intruder left.

It is not uncommon for alligators to bask along the banks of a pond or stream for extended periods of time. These alligators are usually warming their bodies; they are not actively hunting. Oftentimes a basking alligator may be seen with its mouth open; this is a way to cool its body temperature down, since alligators do not pant or sweat. An approaching human should cause these alligators to retreat into the water. (In some cases, the alligator may be protecting a nest – see below.) However, an alligator may be considered a nuisance if it leaves the banks of the water body to spend time near homes, livestock pens, or other structures.

  • If you walk near the water and an alligator comes straight toward you, especially if it comes out of the water, it is definitely a nuisance alligator that needs to be reported to LDWF. In many cases, these are alligators that have lost their fear of humans.  This can be caused by feeding alligators (intentionally or unintentionally) or other reasons.
  • If you see an alligator while walking a pet make sure that your pet is on a leash and under your control. Your pet will naturally be curious, and the alligator may see it as an easy food source. Alligators have a keen sense of smell. In areas near alligator sightings it is wise to keep pets inside a fenced area or in the house for a few days, during which the alligator will often move on.
  • If you see an alligator in a roadway, yard or other unexpected place, DO NOT attempt to move it! It is not only illegal for the general public to handle or possess alligators but can also be dangerous.
  • If you see a large alligator in your favorite swimming hole or pond, do not swim with it. Although alligator attacks in Louisiana are rare, it can happen. The “attack” reports in Louisiana are usually more accurately described as “encounters.” As with all outdoor activities, realize that wildlife encounters are a possibility.
  • It is not uncommon for alligators to pursue top-water fishing lures or floats (bobbers, corks), and this activity does not constitute a threat to humans. As with fish, alligators are attracted to these lures because they mimic natural food. Most alligators can be easily scared away from boats or fishing lures. However, alligators that repeatedly follow boats, canoes, or other watercraft, and/or maintain a close distance without submersing may be considered nuisance alligators.

Photo taken from the Magnolia Bridge on October 9, 2015Photo taken from the Magnolia Bridge
by Stacey Arton on October 9, 2015

How can I report a nuisance alligator?
Anyone experiencing problems with nuisance alligators may contact any Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries office to make a nuisance alligator complaint.  The LDWF office will record pertinent information and supply that person with a nuisance alligator complaint number and the name and contact information of the nuisance alligator hunter for your area.  You will then contact the nuisance alligator hunter and provide him/her the necessary information.  The nuisance alligator hunter should respond within 24 hours (less in an emergency situation).  Nuisance alligator hunters may charge up to $30 per complaint for removal of nuisance alligators less than 6’.  In most cases alligators less than 4’ are not considered a nuisance or threat to welfare of pets, livestock or humans.

DOs and DON’Ts for Living with Alligators
Some of the following information was taken from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s website (www.tpwd.state.tx.us), adapted from “Living with Alligators,”(Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, www.myfwc.com).

Don’t – kill, harass, molest or attempt to move alligators. State law prohibits such actions, and the potential for being bitten or injured by a provoked alligator is high.

Don’t– allow small children to play by themselves in or around water.

Don’t– swim at night or during dusk or dawn when alligators most actively feed.

Don’t– feed or entice alligators. Alligators overcome their natural shyness and become accustomed or attracted to humans when fed.

Don’t– throw fish scraps into the water or leave them on shore. Although you are not intentionally feeding alligators, the end result can be the same.

Don’t– remove any alligators from their natural habitat or accept one as a pet. It is a violation of state law to do so. Alligators do not become tame in captivity and handling even small ones may result in bites. In particular, never go near hatchling/young alligators or pick them up. They may seem cute and harmless, but the mother alligator will be nearby, and will protect her clutch for at least two years.

Do– call your local LDWF office if you encounter a nuisance gator that has lost its fear of people.

Do– closely supervise children when playing in or around water.

Do– use ordinary common sense and precautions. Swim only during daylight hours.

Do– inform others that feeding alligators creates safety problems for others who want to use the water for recreational purposes.

Do– dispose of fish scraps in garbage cans at most boat ramps or fish camps.

Do– enjoy viewing and photographing wild alligators from a safe distance of at least 50 feet or more. Remember that they’re an important part of Louisiana’s natural history, as well as an integral component of many wetland ecosystems.

Sept. 23, 2015 — People living in Mid-City are posting warnings about aggressive alligators in Bayou St. John. Residents tell Eyewitness News they’ve seen several in the body of water in recent weeks.
http://www.wwltv.com/story/news/local/orleans/2015/09/23/neighbors-warn-of-aggressive-gators-in-bayou-st-john/72717876/

Olivia Greene captured this photo while walking her dog over the Esplanade Bridge.
Olivia Greene captured this photo during August, 2015
while walking her dog over the Esplanade Bridge.
photo by Desmond X. Bennett 2015sept04
photo by Desmond X. Bennett

desmondxbennet2015sept4
Desmond X. Bennett captured these photos of a small alligator in Bayou St. John on September 4th, 2015.

 

Greggory Morris sent this photo taken by his girl friend on September 9, 2015.
Greggory Morris sent this photo taken by his girl friend on September 9, 2015.
https://fsjna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/alligator2015sept17.mp4

Cell phone video by Desmond X. Bennett.   September 17, 2015.

https://fsjna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/video-1445036041.mp4.mp4

Christy Lemoine Helmke shot this video of the alligator on Friday, October 16, 2015

Filed Under: HISTORY Tagged With: alligator, bayou, bayou st john, best neighborhood in New Orleans, faubourg st john

Faubourg St. John Keeps the Holiday Bright

December 26, 2014 by Charlie London

by Charlie London
Ponce-de-Leon-Angelico-2014dec25A home on Ponce de Leon in Faubourg St. John.

Christmas night, I took a long stroll around Faubourg St. John taking random photos of lights neighbors had put up for the holiday. What was going to be a thirty minute walk turned into a four hour hike.

While I did get a bunch of photos, they do not fully represent the enormity of enthusiasm Faubourg St. John residents have for the holiday season. Visit the links below to take a holiday tour of just a few of the many homes in Faubourg St. John with the holiday spirit.

 

N-Dupre2-2014dec25NORTH DUPRE

https://fsjna.org/2014/12/north-dupre-neighbors-express-holiday-spirit/

 

N-Hagan4-2014dec25NORTH HAGAN

https://fsjna.org/2014/12/holiday-lights-north-hagan/

 

Bell1-2014dec25BELL STREET

https://fsjna.org/2014/12/bell-street-neighbors-decorate-holiday/

 

Sauvage4-2014dec25SAUVAGE

https://fsjna.org/2014/12/sauvage-neighbors-light-street/

 

N-Lopez2-2014dec25NORTH LOPEZ and NORTH RENDON

https://fsjna.org/2014/12/lopez-rendon-shine-bright/

 

N-White4-2014dec25NORTH WHITE

https://fsjna.org/2014/12/neighbors-north-white-keep-christmas-bright/

 

N-Gayoso2-2014dec25NORTH GAYOSO

https://fsjna.org/2014/12/neighbors-gayoso-decorate-holiday/

 

Orchid2-2014dec25CRETE AND ORCHID

https://fsjna.org/2014/12/neighbors-crete-orchid-keep-holiday-festive/

 

Maurepas1-2014dec25MAUREPAS

https://fsjna.org/2014/12/maurepas-neighbors-brighten-holiday/

 

Esplanade7-2014dec25ESPLANADE

https://fsjna.org/2014/12/esplanade-homes-shine-holiday/

 

Desoto9c-2014dec25DESOTO

https://fsjna.org/2014/12/neighbors-desoto-light/

 

Ursulines9a-2014dec25URSULINES

https://fsjna.org/2014/12/neighbors-ursulines-brighten-holiday/

 

GrandRoute1-2014dec25GRAND ROUTE SAINT JOHN

https://fsjna.org/2014/12/grand-route-neighbors-highlight-holiday/

Moss-at-Bayou-2014dec25
Bayou St. John on Christmas night 2014.

Filed Under: More Great Posts! Tagged With: bayou, bayou st john, christmas, christmas in new orleans, christmas on the bayou, faubourg st john, holiday lights, New Orleans

Savor the Flavor of Faubourg St. John

October 28, 2014 by Charlie London

artwork by Jane Hill
hill-dome

Sometimes, it’s important to simply enjoy what you’ve got.

“I ARISE IN THE MORNING TORN between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world,” wrote the essayist E.B. White, “This makes it hard to plan the day.”

Ah, that’s the dilemma. You live in a nice place. But it could be nicer—if only the park were fixed up or the traffic slowed down, if the schools were better or the business district brighter. So what to do first? You’d like to plop down on a bench for a while, soak up the sunshine, listen to the birds sing or kids play, and just watch the world go by. But you really ought to be organizing a meeting, handing out flyers and enlisting volunteers for the big event.

Actually, it’s important to do both
. Without taking time to truly savor your neighborhood, you lose touch with why you love it in the first place. Soon, all you see is what’s wrong. And that quickly diminishes your effectiveness as community advocate. No one is inspired by harried, humorless, negative leader who would really rather be doing something else.

On a strategic, as well as a personal, level it’s smart to take a long stroll every evening, linger at the sidewalk café, stop for a chat with neighbors, and just generally revel in all the great things your community offers. Otherwise, what’s the point of living there?

IN THE IRISH HILL NEIGHBORHOOD OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, THE PROFESSIONAL PORCH SITTERS UNION IS COMING TO ORDER. Crow Hollister, who founded it, explains in Orion magazine that the organization attracts hard-working activists, professionals, artists, mothers, revolutionaries, gardeners. “People like you. They work hard, volunteer in their community, sit on boards, have schedules to keep and chores that need tending.” Each meeting follows an agenda, but there is nothing written on it. Iced tea is served, followed by beer. Stories begin to flow. Andy brings up how his neighbor was visited by the windshield wiper fairy. Hillary talks about an article coming up in her self-published zine Bejeezus. Mike has got the inside scoop on how to get concrete bench tops for free. Then, Hollister reports, “ A neighbor walking her dog is enticed to join us. A lot is getting accomplished.”

The Professional Porch Sitters Union began on the porch described above in 1999 and now features chapters across the country. Hollister encourages you to start your own, keeping in mind that the organization is governed by only one rule: “Sit down a spell. That can wait.” He’d like to hear how it goes, but don’t sweat it if you don’t get around to writing him.

Filed Under: Featured, Living Well Tagged With: activism, bayou, bayou st john, best neighborhood in New Orleans, faubourg st john, porch, volunteer

Under the Dome November 8th

September 25, 2014 by Charlie London

CHURCH2

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church invites you to participate in their Fall Dinner and Raffle where you might win 10,000 dollars! Only 300 tickets will be sold.

drawing-nov8

Enjoy ham, turkey, sweet potatoes, dressing, green beans and desserts along with your choice of beer, wine or soft drinks which are included with your meal.

Donate to a worthy cause, enjoy a great meal with your neighbors and friends and anticipate the possibility of winning that $10,000 raffle on November 8th!

Filed Under: More Great Posts! Tagged With: bayou, dinner, dome, raffle

Trees on the Bayou

July 19, 2014 by Charlie London

by Conrad Abadie

oaktrees-nearmouth-byustjhn-nearlakeI am pro-tree plantings along Bayou St. John. But, that does not mean that the neighbors fronting the bayou should not have some say. I encourage them to notice that the lower bayou, from Mirabeau to the lake, has trees. It also has more animal life. One of the contributing factors, is the trees. There are migratory and native birds that find roosting spaces. You will see egrets, herons and ospreys in greater numbers. Seasonally, you will see migratory ducks and more pelicans. The trees not only provide cooling shade for shore animals, including humans, but for the fish along the shoreline.

BayouStJohnFor those who think the bayou “never had trees” I suggest you refer to page 5 of this post-K study that was done by experts. https://fsjna.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Bayou+Plan+2006-small.pdf

Bienville and the natives had to dodge cypress while navigating the bayou. In the 90’s when we asked for the bayou to be lowered to have access to the bottom for major cleanups, large cypress stumps were exposed. North Lopez was once called Encampment Street. There the developer of Faubourg St John sent the clearing crews to make camp at the original Bayou Road, now Bell Street, to begin the clearing of the cypress swamp. Much of that cypress was milled nearby for construction of homes throughout the city.

On page 13 in this link is a list of recommended trees. Deciduous trees, such as cypress, provide shade in the hot months, color in the Fall, and bare in the Winter. Trees prevent soil erosion, prevent subsidence and do so much more.

Surely, there must be some areas along the bare expanse of the bayou where trees would be welcomed. It is important for the bayou.

bayou-trees1

***

Many thanks to Jared Zeller for spearheading the idea and for putting large trees along the bayou. Let’s return all of Bayou St. John to its original glory! Learn more in the link –> https://fsjna.org/2013/11/big-trees-on-the-bayou-saturday/

***

video by Charlie London

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bayou, bayou st john, best neighborhood in New Orleans, faubourg st john, trees

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