Senator Landrieu Banned from Russia

March 20, 2014 by Charlie London

Mary Landrieu | Senator for Louisiana
Facebook Twitter YouTube Flickr RSS
20
Mar. 14

Dear Friend-

Earlier today, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin banned nine U.S. Officials from entry to Russia because of their efforts to promote democracy and freedom. I was one of them.

I want you to hear it from me first: I wear these sanctions by Putin as a badge of honor.

It will not stop me from using my power as chair of the Energy Committee to promote America as an energy superpower and help increase energy exports around the world.

We must minimize Russia’s influence over Europe, the former Soviet states-especially Ukraine that has fought so long for freedom-and our allies.

Know that I will not back down, and that I will continue to support democracy and freedom at home and aboard. Read more about these sanction in this WWL article.

Sincerely,

Filed Under: Featured, HISTORY Tagged With: landrieu, russia

Holiday Greetings

December 25, 2013 by Charlie London

beignets-noel
mayor-xmas-2013

Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a New Year blessed with peace and happiness. Happy Holidays!

Mayor Mitch and Cheryl Landrieu and Family

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: happy holidays, landrieu, merry christmas, New Orleans

Get Your Bass Out There April 6th

March 18, 2013 by Charlie London

big-bass-rodeo

If people concentrated on the really important things in life,
there’d be a shortage of fishing poles. ~Doug Larson


BigBass
To welcome springtime fishing, New Orleans City Park will host its Big Bass Rodeo and Fishtival, the oldest freshwater rodeo in the country. This 66-year-old event attracts over 600 participants and affords an opportunity for anglers of all ages and backgrounds to catch those elusive lunkers for bragging rights and trophies.

Unlike high caliber bass fishing tournaments, this nonprofessional rodeo encourages families and friends to enjoy a day in the park. This year’s Rodeo will be held on Saturday, April 6th with registration beginning at 6:00 a.m. at the Casino Building (presently Morning Call Café).

Fishing begins at 6:30 a.m. and weigh-in ends at 11:00 a.m. by the Bandstand. The entry fee is only $10 for Adults (13 and older) and $5 for kids (12 years and under). Be sure to visit: www.neworleanscitypark.com/bigbass for details, online registration, registration forms, rules & regulations and a fishing map.

There are 5 fishing categories:
1. Bass by baitcaster, spincast or spinning reel.
2. Bass by fly rod and reel.
3. Team Event-Rio Grande Roundup for the team bringing in the heaviest stringer of cichlids.
4. Junior Anglers for those 12 years and under catching the heaviest single bream or cichlid.
5. Champion’s Challenge for past 1st place winners of the Bass category compete against one another for the largest bass.

Catfish Kids is a bonus for those 16 years and under catching the 3 single heaviest catfish.

The Fishtival complete with music by a DJ begins at 9:00 a.m. (its free!) around the Casino and Bandstand area and offers activities for young and old alike. A special section for children by Wish To Fish La. offers a casting contest for ages 6-15, free casting and cast net throwing lessons and other activities. Wildlife educators from Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries will have demonstrations and exhibits as well as their pellet-shooting trailer. Numerous other exhibitors include local artists, ecology, wildlife, conservation groups, kayak displays, live “critters” to pet and more! And if you are feeling lucky you can participate in the $1 raffle for great fishing and outdoor gear including a fishing kayak or the $5 raffle to win one of 3 charter boat fishing trips with well known Captains C.T. Williams, Dudley Vandenborre or Aaron Gelfand. The popular Mardi Gras toss of fishing tackle during the awards ceremony affords an opportunity to put up your hands and catch baits to fill up your tackle box.

The Big Bass Rodeo was founded in 1946 by Paul Kalman. Paul spent many hours of his childhood fishing the tree-framed waters of City Park. For Paul, it was an angler’s urban heaven. After serving in World War II, Paul conceived the idea of an annual fishing rodeo, planting the seeds of what would become City Park’s Big Bass Rodeo. A reporter for the New Orleans Item at the time, he persuaded his bosses to sponsor the inaugural event. So armed with a meat scale borrowed from Schwegmann’s original grocery store, the Rodeo was launched. Under his guidance, the rodeo grew to where it drew as many as 1,000 participants. Although he passed away in 1987, his legacy lives on today with the Paul Kalman award presented to the angler 12 years old or less who lands the largest bass. The Joe Courcelle award has since been added to rodeo to honor his 30 years plus serving as Weigh Master and is given to the angler 13 years and up landing the largest bass.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 6th and try your luck to catch a record-breaking bass. Good Fishing!

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bass, bass rodeo, bayou, best, best neighborhood in New Orleans, big bass, city park, eclectic, faubourg, faubourg st john, fish, fishing, fishing rodeo, island, landrieu, neighborhood, New Orleans, new orleans best neighborhood, park, rodeo

Morning Call Grand Opening November 20th

November 16, 2012 by Charlie London

Click on the photo for a message to Morning Call from Faubourg St. John

photo by Brenda London

Morning Call Grand Opening at
New Orleans City Park

What: The café au lait will be steaming and the powdered sugar flowing when Morning Call celebrates its grand opening in New Orleans City Park. Mayor Mitch Landrieu is a confirmed speaker. Between 11 am and 1 pm on Tuesday, November 20th, customers will receive a free order of beignets when they purchase an additional item.

photo by Brenda London
Appealing to an eclectic and colorful clientele, Morning Call offers a unique and traditional experience. The rich chicory coffee is brewed using the time tested “French drip method” which allows the coffee to build intensity and body. Whole milk is heated to a near boil then mixed with the coffee to form the quintessential café au lait.

Where: The Casino building inside the park.

When: Tuesday, November 20th at 11:30 a.m.

What they are saying: “Since opening 142 years ago, Morning Call has become entwined in the fabric of New Orleans. It’s great to be back in New Orleans and even better to be operating under the beautiful oaks of New Orleans City Park” said Bob Hennessey, Morning Call Co-owner.

Bob Becker, CEO of City Park said: “”I believe Morning Call will be a destination in and of itself. What better place to read the paper on a Sunday morning or treat the kids to a powdered sugar delight.””

Mayor Mitch Landrieu said: ““It’s great to welcome Morning Call back to New Orleans. They’’re a welcome addition to City Park.””

Check out an article by neighbor Ian McNulty on the new Morning Call in City Park… http://www.bestofneworleans.com/blogofneworleans/archives/2012/11/08/morning-call-opens-in-city-park

photo by Brenda London

photo by Brenda London

photo by Brenda London

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bayou st john, beignets, best, city park, eclectic, faubourg st john, landrieu, neighborhood, New Orleans

BlightStatus Arrives

October 11, 2012 by Charlie London

Click here to view the City’s presentation at today’s BlightStat meeting.
<a href="http://blightstatus.nola.gov/">MAYOR LANDRIEU, CODE FOR AMERICA TO UNVEIL NEW TECHNOLOGY TO TRACK BLIGHTED PROPERTIES</a>

If you are having trouble viewing this message, read this in your browser.

MAYOR LANDRIEU, CODE FOR AMERICA TO UNVEIL NEW TECHNOLOGY TO TRACK BLIGHTED PROPERTIES

NEW ORLEANS, LA—October 11, 2012 | Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Code for America (CFA) will announce the launch of BlightStatus, a new interactive tool for residents to track the progress of blighted properties within the code Enforcement system in New Orleans.

Nearly two years ago, Mayor Landrieu announced a new, aggressive blight strategy aimed at reducing the blight count in New Orleans by 10,000 properties by 2014. A recent study released by The Greater New Orleans Community Data Center showed that blighted properties have been reduced by approximately 8,000 addresses since 2010. The study attributed the reduction in part to the focused efforts of City agencies to bring properties into compliance.

Neighborhood groups and engaged citizens have always been a crucial partner in the city’s fight against blight, and now, with the launch of BlightStatus, they will have access to previously inaccessible City data about the status of blighted properties. Easy access to this information will reduce barriers to participation in public blight hearings, and improve the quality of the interactions between the City and the community in the common goal of blight eradication.

WHO: Mayor Mitch Landrieu
Deputy Mayor Andy Kopplin
City officials
Code for America team

WHAT: Launch of BlightStatus, a new interactive tool for residents to track the progress of blighted
properties within the Code Enforcement system in New Orleans

WHEN: Thursday, October 11, 2012
1:00 PM

WHERE: 1708 St. Roch Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70117

###

Share this to:

Follow the Mayor:




    BlightSTATUS makes it simple for residents to find out what’s going on with blighted properties in their community – no long waits on the telephone or visits to City Hall required.
    A great example of government transparency at work, BlightSTATUS pulls up-to-date property information directly from the City’s official records, providing a single, comprehensive and authoritiative view to the public for the very first time.









    Write to [email protected] for more information.





    http://blightstatus.nola.gov/

    For decades residents have asked for easy access to information on the status of blighted buildings, and now we’re delivering. BlightStatus is a new interactive online tool for residents to track the progress of blighted properties within the Code Enforcement system in New Orleans.

    Anyone with an Internet connection can visit http://blightstatus.nola.gov to:

    •search for any property to view its case history in a clear and simple format;
    •create a “watchlist” to track the progress of multiple properties;
    •receive email alerts whenever a property on your “watchlist” moves forward in the blight process;
    •analyze blight citywide or down to the block level using interactive maps and charts; and
    •learn more about the blight process itself at the Help Center
    Reducing blight citywide is a top priority of my administration. Blight threatens our safety, the value of our homes, our quality of life and our environment. Nearly two years ago, we announced a new, aggressive blight strategy aimed at reducing the blight count in New Orleans by 10,000 properties by 2014. A recent study released by The Greater New Orleans Community Data Center showed that blighted properties have been reduced by approximately 8,000 addresses since 2010. The study attributed the reduction in part to the focused efforts of City agencies to bring properties into compliance by prioritizing aggressive code enforcement and code lien foreclosure sales.

    Recently, the City’s blight strategy was named a 2012 Bright Idea in Government by Harvard University’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, and was awarded the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary’s Award at the 2012 Council on Philanthropy Conference for its public-philanthropic partnership with the Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF), the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) and the Center for Community Progress (CCP).

    This is a major step forward in reducing barriers to public participation in blight hearings, and improving the quality of the interactions between the City and the community in the common goal of eliminating blight.

    Sincerely,
    Mitchell J. Landrieu
    Mayor
    City of New Orleans

    Filed Under: BlightStat Meetings Tagged With: bayou, bayou st john, best, blight, city, eclectic, faubourg, faubourg st john, fight, landrieu, neighborhood, New Orleans, news

    BlightStat 37

    September 13, 2012 by Charlie London

    by Charlie London

    The Landrieu administration currently has a goal
    of removing 10,000 “units” of blight in 4 years.
    Units are individual apartments/condos or lots with blight.

    Much of the precipitous drop in blight since 2005 has been individual homeowners refurbishing their homes. The City has instituted a much lauded BlightStat program that has done a tremendous job with few resources.

    And, there is where the problem is… few resources. When crime is rampant, infrastructure is crumbling and the city struggles to keep the streetlights working, should blighted properties be a main emphasis where significant resources are allocated?

    If so, are you willing to pay more taxes to make that happen? I am. I’d like to suggest a specific blight tax be implemented to help get blight removed from New Orleans. And, with that increased tax, I’d like to see an ordinance passed that says something like, “any property blighted since 2005 will have action taken on it by the City of New Orleans, regardless.” This would include blighted property that has people living in it. Why? Because 7 years is long enough for anyone to decide what to do with their property. Blight is holding back New Orleans. Blight contributes to crime and scares off potential investors… those investors bring jobs.

    While the the city’s goal of removing 10,000 blighted properties in 4 years is laudable, the chart above shows over 35,000 properties that still need attention. You do the math.
    10,000 blighted properties removed in 4 years. 35,000 total…

    That means it will be 15 to 20 years before the CURRENT inventory of blighted properties is removed. Meanwhile, future hurricanes and irresponsible owners will contribute further to the number of blighted properties in New Orleans.

    So, do we ignore the problem and complain that the city isn’t doing enough or do we step up and demand that a Blight tax be implemented and that it be spent specifically on blight reduction?

    And, how ’bout an ordinance that makes it easier for the city to rid New Orleans of blight? Is it fair for the responsible citizen to live next to blight just because? How long should the irresponsible owner be given to do something about their blighted property… 7, 10, 20 years?
    I don’t think so.

    Quite frankly, the city is doing the best they can with what they’ve got. Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough manpower to get the job done… specifically on the legal end. Click here to read my thoughts about this in a previous BlightStat report. The city can get the properties inspected timely but the adjudication process is slow and laborious. Yes, we should protect the owner’s property rights. But, how long should property owners be allowed to affect your quality of life… 7, 10, 20 years? I don’t think so.

    In the link below please find the city’s latest presentation on blight reduction in New Orleans:

    A PDF of the City’s September 13, 2012 BLIGHTSTAT presentation.

    Click on the chart above or visit the link below to view the Greater New Orleans Data Center’ report on the progress of the BLIGHT fight in New Orleans:

    The Greater New Orleans Data Center’s Report on Blight in New Orleans.

    Filed Under: BlightStat Meetings Tagged With: allen square, andy kopplin, blight, BlightStat, brenda breaux, brian lawlor, Charlie London, city, denise warren ross, FEMA, jeff hebert, John Hagan, Justin Kray, keith ferrouilet, lama, landrieu, miles granderson, New Orleans, oliver wise, pura bascos, rosalind peychaud, Tammy Jackson, tyler gray, william mcgowan

    Be Prepared | Not Scared

    August 26, 2012 by Charlie London

    photos and video by Charlie London unless otherwise indicated
    9pm Tuesday from Bob Breck at WVUE-TV: Isaac has essentially stalled, moving slightly southwest over the last couple of hours. 10 pm Tuesday: Bob Breck: radar image indicates storm is showing some movement again toward the northwest –after essentially stalling
    Neighbor Eileen Duke suggests, “Toilet won’t flush? Simply line your toilet, over the lid, with a 13 gallon kitchen garbage bag. The ideal situation would be to first scour the toilet — making it squeaky clean! The best time to do this is at the first indication that toilets are not flushing normally. Keep a clean bucket handy to escort this out of the house and into the trash.”

    Neighbor Jim Danner wrote at 7:51 pm 2012aug28 on the Yahoo group, “Winds at Lakefront Airport are 46 MPH sustained gusting to 63 MPH”.

    “hrdouv” writes on the Yahoo group at 6:49 pm: “Pecan tree down in back of 1120 N. Dupre St.”


    Power outage map —> http://viewoutage.entergy.com/nola.aspx


    Leading edge of Isaac as it approaches Zephyr Stadium at 6:30 a.m. on August 28th. Photo by Charlie London

    Neighbor Conrad Abadie says, “If you have an icemaker in your refrigerator, you might want to empty it into a small ice chest. It should come in handy when you lose power and will keep you from having to open the refrigerator.”
    ***
    Neighbor Bill Dalton sent in this interesting link to the Google Crisis Map for Hurricane Isaac —> http://google.org/crisismap/2012-tropical-system-isaac
    ***
    New Orleans Museum of Art will be closed Tuesday, August 28 – Wednesday, August 29
    due to Tropical Storm Isaac. NOMA & Besthoff Sculpture Garden will re-open to the public, weather permitting, on Thursday, August 30 at 10 am.
    ***
    Deutsches Haus will be closed this Wednesday and possibly open Thursday.
    ***
    Neighbor Eileen Duke made this suggestion on the Yahoo group:
    “For those that are staying, let’s please watch out for people casing our neighborhood… I’m not suggesting that anyone confront trespassers on properties other than their own, but we could at least sound a car alarm if we see someone entering someone’s backyard, etc. That could be a signal of sorts.”
    ***
    Neighbor Vince Booth sent in this link for traffic information:
    http://i10highway.com/i-10-traffic/new_orleans.html
    ***
    Hurricane Hunters on TWITTER —> https://twitter.com/NOAA_HurrHunter
    ***
    Call 1-800-9-OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243) for downed power lines or gas leaks.
    ***
    Louisiana contraflow lane reversals start 30 hours before the onset of
    tropical winds. A local software team has created a Google Maps mashup
    to make the state’s contraflow evacuation routes easier to understand.
    Visit contraflowmaps.com to plan your route.
    ***
    Please visit www.getagameplan.org and www.gohsep.la.gov to get detailed information on building a family emergency plan, emergency supplies, and evacuation information. Ready.gov is available with FEMA preparedness information. The city’s 311 system will be up and active during this storm. Please report any non-emergency issues to 311 including downed trees, signs and traffic light outages.

    Computer projections of the hurricane show New Orleans as a place where the hurricane is likely to make landfall. Why not make preparations now?

    Be prepared, not scared. Visit the link below for a few suggestions:
    https://fsjna.org/2012/06/are-you-ready/

    And, one of the things you should be doing on a regular basis is cleaning that catch basin near your home.

    Check out the link below for more information:
    https://fsjna.org/2012/05/free-protection/

    Accurate, immediate information, straight from the City of New Orleans to you via text, call, or email. NOLA Ready is the City of New Orleans’ emergency alert system and official source of information about every emergency situation, from power electrical outages to hurricane evacuations. What you need to know, when you need to know it, wherever you need to know it. Click here to sign up.

    More info at: http://new.nola.gov/ready

    Get WATER | BATTERIES | MEDICINE

    And, even if you have done it already, CLEAN THAT CATCH BASIN near your home. It gets re-clogged after every rain event. The pumps can’t pump what they can’t get.

    ***

    In the midst of hurricane preparations it’s easy to forget the simple stuff. If your trash pickup days are Monday and Thursday, don’t forget to put out the can.
    If the hurricane arrives, it might be a while before trash pickup resumes.

    ***

    With any calamity anywhere there are always opportunists. Bring in anything that could be transformed into a missle or be of value to an opportunist.

    Magnolia Bridge over Bayou St. John at 1 pm on August 28th.

    ***
    August 27, 2012 – New Orleans, LA – The New Orleans City Council continues to monitor Tropical Storm Isaac and its anticipated impact on the City of New Orleans. The City Council is staying apprised of the storm’s development and working with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the Mayor’s Office to ensure that the city is fully prepared.

    All residents are asked to take proper precautions to stay out of harm’s way. Each person should have a gallon of water per day for at least three days, as well as non-perishable food items and can openers. Residents are also encouraged to clean catch basins and secure all outdoor furniture. Trash pick-up stopped today and will not resume until later in the week; therefore, all residents are asked to secure their garbage cans and any loose debris.

    Streetcars ceased operation at 2 p.m. today (Monday), but buses will stay operational until wind gusts reach 25 mph. Neutral grounds will be open for parking starting this afternoon. Most airlines will cease operation once winds reach 35 or 40 mph.

    Louisiana price gouging laws are in effect from August 26, 2012 through Tuesday, September 25, 2012, following the state of emergency declaration from Governor Bobby Jindal. The price gouging statute prohibits the raising of prices above the pre-emergency levels unless there is a national or regional market commodity shortage. If you suspect price gouging, please contact the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office at 800-351-4889.
    ____________________________________________________________________________________

    Important contact info:

    Emergency: 911
    Non-emergency: 821-2222(NOPD) or 311
    Mental health or special medical needs: 658-2500
    Entergy: 1-800-9-OUTTAGE to report downed lines, power outage or gas leaks
    Log onto entergy.com to sign up for text alerts regarding power restoration timing
    Detailed hurricane-readiness information: ready.nola.gov

    For additional information, visit www.nolacitycouncil.com and www.nola.gov

    New Orleans City Council
    The New Orleans City Council is the legislative branch of New Orleans city government. The Council considers and enacts all local laws that govern the City of New Orleans. The Council also approves the operating and capital budgets for the City, as recommended by the mayor, and continually monitors revenues and expenditures for local government operations. The City Council is also the regulatory body for public utilities. It also reviews and has final say on many land use and zoning matters, as well as considers major economic development projects for the City. As a Board of Review for Orleans Parish, the Council examines appeals of property tax assessments for real estate taxes, and certifies tax rolls to the Louisiana Tax Commission. Other responsibilities of the Council include overseeing the operation of the public access television in Orleans Parish.

    The City Council is comprised of five districts and two councilmembers-at-large. Council President and Councilmember-at-Large Stacy Head; Council Vice-President and Councilmember-at-Large Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson; District “A” Councilmember Susan Guidry; District “B” Councilmember Diana E. Bajoie; District “C” Councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer; District “D” Councilmember Cynthia Hedge-Morrell; and District “E” Councilmember Ernest F. Charbonnet.

    Add a quick tree inspection to your hurricane to-do list today for the safety of you, neighbors and property:

    Check all medium and large trees for dead limbs, hanging snags, and leaning habits. Keep in mind that soggy soil doesn’t hold tree roots as well, and large, leafy canopies can catch a lot of wind, particularly with tall water oaks and red oaks. Note all trees that are located N and NE of your home as hurricane winds typically come from these directions.

    If you feel unsafe in your home due to a tree problem, ride out the storm in a neighbor’s home until you can consult a certified arborist. And remember, trees can actually help minimize wind damage to our homes and property when they are well-cared for and planted in the right place. If we take care of them, they’ll help us out too.

     

    Whether it’s a boil water advisory or hurricane alerts, you need to be ready… NOLA READY! Learn more by visiting the links below.

    nola-ready

     

    On the Web – http://new.nola.gov/ready/

     

    Via Email – http://new.nola.gov/ready/emergency-alerts/

     

    On Twitter – https://twitter.com/nolaready

     

    On Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NOHSEP

     

    Readiness starts with you

    Whether manmade or natural, every emergency situation is different, and requires both citizen and City to be prepared. From the Final Four to the Super Bowl, all-hazards alerts to hurricane evacuations, 24/7, 365 days a year, agencies across the City of New Orleans work to keep you safe and our city prepared for any event or emergency.

    For our City to be ready, our citizens must be ready.

    We must take all take important steps to prepare for an emergency. At NOLA Ready, we provide all the information residents need to travel their own road to being ready, including how to:

    • Get Informed
    • Make A Plan
    • Gather Supplies
    • Leaving Town
    • Coming Home
    • Get Involved
    • Sign The Pledge

    City-Assisted Evacuation

    City-Assisted Evacuation assists Orleans Parish residents and/or tourists who cannot self-evacuate during a mandatory City-wide evacuation by providing transportation from designated City evacuation pick-up points to the Union Pacific Terminal bus station, for outbound transportation to State and Federal shelters. Learn more here.

    Sign the NOLA Ready pledge

    Join Mayor Mitch Landrieu and make a commitment to the City committed to you. Make a Plan. Mark Your Name.

    Because I love New Orleans, I know how I will leave New Orleans. I am New Orleanian. I am NOLA Ready.

    Sign the Pledge


    Get notified: Emergency Alerts

    Accurate, immediate information, straight from the City of New Orleans to you via text, call, or email. NOLA Ready is the CIty of New Orleans’ emergency alert system and official source of information about every emergency situation, from power electrical outages to hurricane evacuations. What you need to know, when you need to know it, wherever you need to know it. Sign up here.

     

    • NOLA Ready
      • Get Emergency Alerts. Get NOLA Ready
      • Get Informed
      • Make a Plan
        • City-Assisted Evacuation Application
      • Gather Supplies
      • Leaving Town
      • Coming Home
      • Seniors & Medical Needs
      • Pets
      • Businesses
      • Get Involved
      • Sign The Pledge
      • Partners in Preparedness
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Feedback

     

     

    A CHECKLIST OF ITEMS FOR HURRICANE PREPARATION

     

    • Prescription medication for a month
    • Aspirin and non-prescription medicine
    • FIRST AID KIT
    • Antibiotic ointment
    • CASH
    • Drinking water (2 gallons per day per person)
    • Containers for storing water
    • Non-perishable food
    • Eating utensils, paper plates and towels
    • Baby supplies (up to 3 weeks)
    • Non-electric can opener
    • Battery powered TV or radio
    • TOILET PAPER
    • Boards for your windows
    • Matches
    • Fire Extinguisher
    • Flashlight with extra batteries
    • Lantern with extra fuel
    • Fuel for your generator or saw
    • Aluminum foil
    • INSECT REPELLENT
    • Month’s supply of pet food
    • Cat litter
    • Tools and shovel
    • Latex and regular work gloves
    • SIGNAL LIGHT
    • AX IN ATTIC
    • Rope or heavy cord
    • DISINFECTANT
    • Toiletries and feminine supplies
    • Soap and liquid detergent
    • Household bleach without lemon
    • GARBAGE BAGS
    • Sturdy work shoes or work boots
    • RAIN GEAR AND A CHANGE OF CLOTHES
    • Have a plan of action for your pets. Many shelters will not take them. Call the SPCA for more information to help you prepare for evacuating your pets… (504) 368-5191.
    • http://www.la-spca.org

     

    Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: 311, 911, bayou, bayou st john, be prepared, faubourg, faubourg st john, hurricane, landrieu, neighborhood, New Orleans, nola ready, preparedness, trees

    City Touts Progress in Fight Against Blight

    August 23, 2012 by Charlie London

    article by Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans | photo by Charlie London

    New Orleans received exciting news this week in the fight against blight in our city.

    As of March 2012, there are an estimated 35,700 blighted homes and empty lots in New Orleans, down from 43,755 in September 2010, as indicated by United States Postal Service (USPS) data. This means the city of New Orleans is no longer the most blighted city in America. According to The Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, the continued reduction in blight since 2010 is attributable to a strong economy and ongoing population growth complemented by the focused efforts of City agencies to bring properties into compliance.

    You can read the entire report at www.gnocdc.org.

    Nearly two years ago, our administration announced a new,
    aggressive blight strategy aimed at reducing blighted properties by
    10,000 by 2014. Since then, our tracking indicates 4,930 properties
    have been remediated through our effort. These new numbers validate
    that we are well on our way to achieving our goal.
    Keep up with our progress through BlightSTAT. Click here for
    more information on BlightSTAT meetings
    .
    Sincerely,

    Mitchell J. Landrieu
    Mayor
    City of New Orleans

    ______________________________________________________________

    Drop in New Orleans blight marks significant progress: Editorial

    Published: Wednesday, August 22, 2012, 7:02 AM
    By Editorial page staff, The Times-Picayune

    New Orleans no longer tops the nation’s list of most blighted
    cities, and though that’s not nearly enough to declare this chronic
    problem solved, it shows we’re making tremendous progress.
    The Greater New Orleans Data Center, in an analysis using U.S.
    Postal Service data, estimated that 8,000 properties in the city
    were repaired or rebuilt between September 2010 and March 2011. For
    any urban area, that’s a significant bite off blight. Indeed, that
    caused New Orleans to drop behind Detroit and Flint, Mich., which
    now have a larger percentage of ramshackle or abandoned properties.

    Much of the progress came as Mayor Mitch Landrieu launched an
    initiative to target this massive problem, and the mayor deserves
    credit for making blight reduction a priority in his
    administration. Residents who have continued rebuilding their homes
    and new residents who have moved into the area in recent years also
    deserve credit for the city’s progress.

    Shortly after taking office in 2010, Mayor Landrieu set a goal of
    eliminating 10,000 of the city’s then-43,755 blighted properties by
    the end of 2013. The city then proceeded to demolish almost 1,600
    properties last year. That was almost three times the number of
    buildings demolished in 2010. Many of the demolished properties
    included homes that were flooded after Hurricane Katrina and
    properties sold to the Road Home program.

    At the same time, the city cleared 1,750 lots in 2011, or almost
    twice the number it cleared the year before. The Landrieu
    administration has also been aggressive in filing writs to seize
    properties whose owners have neglected them. As a result of city
    efforts, owners brought more than 1,000 properties into voluntary
    compliance last year. The city also put some of its surplus
    property up for sale, and other public agencies, such as the
    Housing Authority of New Orleans, focused on getting rid of their
    own blighted property as well.

    These are impressive and encouraging results. Decades of neglect
    and poverty, aggravated by destruction post-Katrina, left our city
    with the country’s highest proportion of dilapidated buildings,
    reaching 34 percent in 2008. Progress since then has dropped that
    figure to 21 percent, according to the data center’s estimates.

    That’s still a very large number. Even excluding vacant units that
    are likely habitable, the center estimated that the city still has
    close to 36,000 blighted properties. Allyson Plyer, the data
    center’s chief demographer, said surveys show residents who have
    rebuilt are growing inpatient with blight in their neighborhoods.

    That gives Mayor Landrieu support to continue targeting blight
    aggressively and help the city improve further in this undesirable
    ranking.

    Filed Under: BlightStat Meetings Tagged With: bayou, bayou st john, blight, BlightStat, demolition, eradication, faubourg, faubourg st john, landrieu, meetings, neighborhood, New Orleans, progress

    Community Meetings on the Budget

    August 14, 2012 by Charlie London

    The District A Community Meeting
    will be held at the Lakeview Christian Center
    at 5885 Fleur de Lis Drive
    on Wednesday, August 22nd at 6 p.m.

    Mayor Landrieu announces series of community meetings
    Dear friends,

    It’s that time of year again. Budget season is upon us, and I’m
    asking for your help and input as we put together the 2013 budget
    proposal. This year, we will host a series of community meetings in
    each district as part of the Budgeting for Outcomes process. These
    community meetings allow us to hear directly from you on what your
    budget priorities are. We’re commited to producing results and
    sticking to to our budgeting principles- cut smart, reorganize, and
    invest in the future.

    We will host one meeting with the district councilmember in each
    council district. Deputy Mayors, NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas,
    NOFD Superintendent Charles Parent and department and agency heads
    will join me at these meetings.

    All meetings will start at 6:00pm. Prior to the meeting, from
    5:30-6pm, the City will host a Resource Center with representatives
    from several City departments and agencies. During that time,
    citizens will have the opportunity to talk one-on-one with various
    departments about programs, initiatives and specific complaints and
    concerns.
    Check out the full list of meetings below to find out when your
    specific meeting is. I hope to see you there.

    Sincerely,

    Mitchell J. Landrieu
    Mayor
    City of New Orleans

    2012 Community Meeting Schedule:

    District B – done

    District E
    Wednesday, August 15, 2012
    Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Church
    5600 Read Boulevard
    New Orleans, LA 70127

    District C
    Monday, August 20, 2012
    YMCA at Federal City
    2220 Constitution Street
    New Orleans, LA 70114

    District A
    Wednesday, August 22, 2012
    Lakeview Christian Center
    5885 Fleur De Lis Drive
    New Orleans, LA 70124

    District D
    Monday, August 27, 2012
    Dillard University
    Professional Schools Building, Georges Auditorium
    2601 Gentilly Boulevard
    New Orleans, Louisiana 70122

    Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bayou, bayou st john, budget, city, community, council, district a, faubourg, faubourg st john, guidry, landrieu, meeting, New Orleans

    BlightStat 36

    August 9, 2012 by Charlie London

    photos and article by Charlie London

    BlightStat 36 | August 9, 2012

    Mr. Oliver Wise, Director of the Office of Performance and Accountability, began the meeting with introductions and announcements. No meeting last month due to the implementation of the new city computer system known as LAMA(Land Management). Cameras from MSNBC were rolling. This was the 36th meeting to which the public was invited.

    Dr. Allison Plyer of the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center gave a presentation on growth in New Orleans neighborhoods.

    Between 2010 and 2011, both Census population estimates and U.S. Postal Service households receiving mail grew by roughly 5 percent. From 2011 to 2012, U.S. Postal Service households grew another 2.5 percent.

    Dr. Plyer indicated the New Orleans metro economy has weathered the recession relatively well. As jobs increase so will the number of people returning to the city. Among all metro area parishes, Orleans experienced the largest gain in households receiving mail over the last year.

    Fully 66 out of 72 New Orleans neighborhoods gained active residential addresses since 2010. About half of all neighborhoods have recovered over 90 percent of their households since the Federal Flood. The gain of more than 12,300 active residential addresses receiving mail since 2010 may indicate that a large number of homes have been renovated and re-occupied over the last 2 years.

    Mr. Andy Kopplin asked about how the numbers presented relate to blight. Dr. Plyer indicated that the numbers indicate that houses are getting rehabilitated. She indicated that her general theory is that stronger code enforcement has given people incentive to rehabilitate their property.

    It was a full house for BlightStat 36!

    A question from the audience indicated that blighted commercial properties are not being addressed so that services such as grocery stores can replace those blighted commercial properties.

    Mr. Kopplin and Mr. Hebert focused on the city’s efforts at removing large apartment complexes. Mr. Kopplin said the city’s legal team is working to get blighted strip malls removed or rehabilitated so that services can be provided to the returning populace.

    Jen Cecil introduces the new computer system for the City of New Orleans.

    125 users were trained on the new LAMA software. The input from these users was used to tweak the software to make it even more user friendly.

    Website content will be revamped. Permits and code enforcement cases will be easier to find. City departments are being interconnected. Website content is the main focus with an emphasis on easy to find comprehensive information.

    The return on investment will be recouped within 3 years. Accela cost the city $300,000 per year. The LAMA system will cost about $70,000 per year and will be more efficient which will produce even more cost savings over time.

    Ms. Pura Bascos sang the praises of the new system because it helps Code Enforcement find addresses for properties that do not have an address.

    The LAMA system will go “live” on the public website sometime in September, 2012.

    Mr. Allen Square indicated that the 311 system will eventually be integrated into the LAMA system.

    The assessor is also being integrated into the LAMA system.

    The LAMA number given at the time of a 311 call will be used by all departments accessing the system. So, a citizen that calls 311 can follow the process with the same number all the way up to the blight eradication hearing.

    http://data.nola.gov
    will have a plethora of information available to the public starting in September, 2012.

    Ms. Pura Bascos continued the meeting with a discussion of inspections. Inspections this period were not up the the usual high number. Vacations and computer system training slowed productivity somewhat. Fewer hearings were scheduled due to the implementation of the LAMA system.

    Ms. Bascos introduced John Hagan who will be concentrating on title abstracts.

    Mr. Carrere indicated that demolitions exceeded targeted expectations for this reporting period. He said the contractors are running out of buildings to demolish due to the entire process slowing down due to the implementation of the city’s new LAMA computer system.

    The Bayou St. John property cost the property owner $150,000 to demolish the property. Consistent action from the city got the property demolished. The city’s enforcement of laws gave the owner the needed incentive to demolish the property.

    There were 21 FEMA demolitions which consisted of 40 units. There are approximately 50 demolitions to go consisting of 160 units. The city has requested thousands more properties to be demolished by FEMA. Due to the many disasters that have happened recently around the country, the amount of money available is dwindling.

    Mr. Wise indicated that 414 properties that were threatened with demolition were rehabilitated. Mr. Wise indicated that there is a 2 to 1 ratio of compliance over non-compliance due to the city’s actions.

    Mr. Hebert indicated the city is now paying 25 dollars per lot for routine grass cutting and 175 dollars for lots that have extremely high grass.

    Mr. Granderson indicated that the backlog has been eliminated. Fifty-three files were accepted for foreclosure proceedings during this reporting period.

    There was some group discussion over the time it takes to get properties adjudicated. The process can take up to 90 days. Demolitions and writs are the slow end of the system.

    Mr. Kopplin suggested sending a letter immediately after properties are adjudicated that the city can and will demolish and/or take the property away from owners who refuse to comply.

    Mr. David Lessinger reviewed the NORA inventory disposition. 136 units have been rehabilitated or renovated. 245 newly constructed units have been completed.

    Noraworks.org has properties for sale online. Citizens can indicate interest on specific properties. This is for serious inquiries only.

    Mr. Brian Lawlor of the Office of Community Development indicated that they are working aggressively with non-profits to hold them accountable for the properties given to them.

    Mr. Lawlor indicated the Soft Second Program is really making a difference. This program gets first-time home buyers out of rentals and into their own homes. Once applicants have been certified through the lender the process moves along swiftly.

    Questions were taken from the audience.
    Thirteen inspectors are currently working in zones throughout the city. Code for America is working on a program that will show what city action has been performed on any property on a given street.

    Mr. Wise said hearings, historically, have taken a while because hearing managers had poor information. The new LAMA computer system is supposed to alleviate a lot of that problem.

    A new lawyer has been hired to look at Chapter 26 and 28 as well as occupied blighted properties.

    Call 311 for information about properties or call the Code Enforcement office directly at 658-4346 or go to data.nola.gov
    Mr. Kopplin indicated that 311 is the best avenue to acquire information about blighted properties.

    American Factfinder is the website for the U.S. Census.

    Click here for a PDF of the city’s presentation at the August 9, 2012 BLIGHTSTAT meeting.

    The next BlightStat meeting will take place Thursday, September 13th at 8 a.m. in the Homeland Security meeting room on the 8th floor of City Hall.

    Filed Under: BlightStat Meetings Tagged With: allen square, andy kopplin, BlightStat, brenda breaux, brian lawlor, city, denise warren ross, FEMA, jeff hebert, John Hagan, Justin Kray, keith ferrouilet, lama, landrieu, miles granderson, New Orleans, oliver wise, pura bascos, rosalind peychaud, Tammy Jackson, tyler gray, william mcgowan

    City is Bad Landowner

    July 17, 2012 by Charlie London

    article by Cain Burdeau, Associated Press

    More than 3,000 lots flooded by Hurricane Katrina and bought with federal money in an emergency bailout sit idle across this city — a multimillion-dollar drain on federal, state and city coffers that lends itself to no easy solution.

    An Associated Press examination of the properties sold to the government by homeowners abandoning New Orleans after the catastrophic 2005 flood has found that about $86 million has been spent on handling a total of 5,100 abandoned parcels. And there’s no end in sight to maintenance costs for perhaps most of the 3,100 properties that remain unsold.

    More than 3,000 lots flooded by Hurricane Katrina and bought with federal money in an emergency bailout sit idle across this city — a multimillion-dollar drain on federal, state and city coffers that lends itself to no easy solution.This portfolio of overgrown urban wasteland and blight represents part of the storm’s difficult legacy that persists nearly seven years later. And with federal funding for maintenance running out, there’s concern the lots could fall into deeper neglect when this cash-strapped city is forced to pay for upkeep and that they could contribute to New Orleans’s staggering blight. At last count the city found an estimated 43,000 blighted properties, according to a city-sponsored analysis of U.S. Postal Service data.

    Please visit the link below for the rest of the story…
    http://impact.nola.com/katrina/print.html?entry=/2012/07/millions_spent_on_upkeep_of_em.html

    Filed Under: BlightStat Meetings, Featured Tagged With: blight, city, city owned properties, landrieu, New Orleans, owned, properties

    Time to Restore Order

    July 11, 2012 by Charlie London

    How New York Became Safe: The Full Story

    A citywide effort, involving many agencies and institutions, helped restore order.

    Just 25 years ago, New York City was racked with crime: murders, burglaries, drug
    deals, car thefts, thefts from cars. (Remember the signs in car windows advising no
    radio?) Unlike many cities’ crime problems, New York’s were not limited to a few innercity
    neighborhoods that could be avoided. Bryant Park, in the heart of midtown and
    adjacent to the New York Public Library, was an open-air drug market; Grand Central
    Terminal, a gigantic flophouse; the Port Authority Bus Terminal, “a grim gauntlet for bus
    passengers dodging beggars, drunks, thieves, and destitute drug addicts,” as the New
    York Times put it in 1992. In July 1985, the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City
    published a study showing widespread fear of theft and assault in downtown Brooklyn,
    Fordham Road in the Bronx, and Jamaica Center in Queens. Riders abandoned the
    subway in droves, fearing assault from lunatics and gangs.

    New York’s drop in crime during the 1990s was correspondingly astonishing—indeed,
    “one of the most remarkable stories in the history of urban crime,” according to
    University of California law professor Franklin Zimring. While other cities experienced
    major declines, none was as steep as New York’s. Most of the criminologists’
    explanations for it—the economy, changing drug-use patterns, demographic changes—
    have not withstood scrutiny. Readers of City Journal will be familiar with the stronger
    argument that the New York Police Department’s adoption of quality-of-life policing and
    of such accountability measures as Compstat was behind the city’s crime drop.
    Yet that explanation isn’t the whole story. Learning the rest is more than an academic
    exercise, for if we can understand fully what happened in New York, we not only can
    adapt it to other cities but can ensure that Gotham’s crime gains aren’t lost in today’s
    cash-strapped environment.

    As New York suffered, an idea began to emerge that would one day restore the city.
    Nathan Glazer first gave it voice in a 1979 Public Interest article, “On Subway Graffiti in
    New York,” arguing that graffitists, other disorderly persons, and criminals “who rob,
    rape, assault, and murder passengers . . . are part of one world of uncontrollable
    predators.” For Glazer, a government’s inability to control even a minor crime like
    graffiti signaled to citizens that it certainly couldn’t handle more serious ones. Disorder,
    therefore, was creating a crisis that threatened all segments of urban life. In 1982, James

    Q. Wilson and I elaborated on this idea, linking disorder to serious crime in an Atlantic
    story called “Broken Windows” (see below).

    Yet it wasn’t just intellectuals who were starting to study disorder and minor crimes.
    Policymakers like Deputy Mayor Herb Sturz and private-sector leaders like Gerald
    Schoenfeld, longtime chairman of the Shubert Organization, believed that disorderly
    conditions—aggressive panhandling, prostitution, scams, drugs—threatened the
    economy of Times Square. Under Sturz’s leadership, and with money from the Fund for
    the City of New York, the NYPD developed Operation Crossroads in the late 1970s. The
    project focused on minor offenses in the Times Square area; urged police to develop
    high-visibility, low-arrest tactics; and attempted to measure police performance by
    counting instances of disorderly behavior.

    Despite some initial success, Operation Crossroads was ultimately aborted, and the
    NYPD returned to business as usual. Later, the police employed similar tactics in Bryant
    Park after Parks Commissioner Gordon Davis threatened to close it; again they met with
    early success, but again they eventually abandoned the attempt.

    As soon became clear, sporadic police programs weren’t enough. Only when a wide
    range of agencies and institutions began to work on restoring public order did real
    progress begin. In 1980, a second attempt to fix Bryant Park took off: the Bryant Park
    Restoration Corporation, headed by Dan Biederman, used environmental design,
    maintenance, private security, and other approaches inspired by the success of
    Rockefeller Center. Similarly, in 1988, the Grand Central Partnership (also led by
    Biederman) began reducing disorder in the 75 blocks surrounding Grand Central by
    employing private security and hiring the homeless to clean the streets. Thirty-two more
    Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) were developing similar approaches in New
    York.

    Public transportation was another area where public order became a priority. In 1984,
    David Gunn, president of the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA), began a fiveyear
    program to eradicate graffiti from subway trains. Then, in 1989, Robert Kiley,
    chairman of the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, asked the transit
    police (then located within the NYCTA) to focus on minor offenses; a year later, he hired
    as its chief William Bratton, who immediately zeroed in on disorder, especially fare
    beating. And in the early nineties, the NYCTA adopted similar policing methods for Penn
    Station and Grand Central Terminal.

    Neighborhood organizations, too, began demanding that order be restored

    —even the local community board in the Tompkins Square Park area, which had once been quite tolerant of disorderly behavior. And the judiciary branch got involved as well, with the 1993 opening of the Midtown Community Court, which swiftly handles those who commit minor offenses.

    In sum, a diverse set of organizations in the city—pursuing their own interests and using
    various tactics and programs—all began trying to restore order to their domains.
    Further, in contrast with early sporadic efforts like Operation Crossroads, these attempts
    were implemented aggressively and persistently. Biederman, for example, worked on
    Bryant Park for 12 years. When Kiley was struggling to restore order in the subway, he
    had to withstand pressure from powerful opponents: the New York Civil Liberties Union,
    the mayor’s office (which had suggested bringing portable kitchens and showers into the
    subway for the homeless), the police commissioner, and the transit police. In fact, it was
    after the transit cops resisted Operation Enforcement, Kiley’s first effort to restore order,
    that he hired Bratton.

    By the early 1990s, these highly visible successes, especially in the subway, had begun to
    express themselves politically. Better than any other politician, Rudy Giuliani
    understood the pent-up demand for public order and built his successful 1993 run for
    mayor on quality-of-life themes. Once in office, he appointed Bratton, who had
    orchestrated the subway success and understood the importance of order maintenance,
    as New York’s police commissioner.

    Under Bratton, the NYPD brought enormous capacities to bear on the city’s crime
    problem—particularly Compstat, its tactical planning and accountability system, which
    identified where crimes were occurring and held local commanders responsible for their
    areas. Giuliani and Bratton also gave the force’s members a clear vision of the “business”
    of the NYPD and how their activities contributed to it. In short, a theory previously
    advocated largely by elites filtered down to—and inspired—line police officers, who had
    constituted a largely ignored and underused capacity.

    Once the NYPD joined the effort, the order-maintenance movement expanded even
    more. Port Authority, initially skeptical about Kiley’s approach in the subway and Grand
    Central and Penn Stations, took similar action to restore order; the Midtown Community
    Court spawned the Center for Court Innovation, a nonprofit organization that helped
    develop the Red Hook Community Court in 1998; and BIDs increased from 33 in 1989 to
    61 in 2008.

    Clearly, Giuliani and Bratton were heroes in reclaiming public spaces. But Glazer, Sturz,
    Gunn, Kiley, Biederman, and others were stalwarts as well. They set the stage for what
    was to follow. Current mayor Michael Bloomberg and police commissioner Ray Kelly
    also deserve kudos; rather than overturning the Bratton/Giuliani innovations and going
    their own way—as new administrators are wont to do—they adopted, refined, and
    strengthened them.

    As New York confronts a fiscal crisis, its leaders need to remember that the city owes its
    crime decline to a broad range of public and private agencies. Maintaining the NYPD’s
    commitment to its proven crime-fighting methods is crucial, of course. But so is the
    broader citywide emphasis on public order.

    George L. Kelling is a professor at the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University
    in Newark and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

    The Mounting Evidence That Broken Windows Works

    Thirty years ago, James Q. Wilson and I published “Broken Windows” in The
    Atlantic, proposing that untended disorder and minor offenses gave rise to serious crime
    and urban decay. We also hypothesized that government and community action to
    restore order might reduce crime. Not surprisingly, responses to the article were mixed.
    The Justice Department’s research arm, the National Institute of Justice, prepared to
    fund a major experiment to study the links between disorder and serious crime, but
    senior officials nixed it as too controversial. Police were sympathetic to the Broken
    Windows theory but also wary, since they felt overwhelmed by 911 calls already and
    didn’t relish the prospect of still more work. And the article got little attention in the
    academy.

    But after New York City’s astonishing crime drop in the nineties—much of which Mayor
    Rudolph Giuliani and Police Commissioner William Bratton credited to the Broken
    Windows approach—a firestorm of academic criticism erupted, claiming that Broken
    Windows was racist, it harassed and criminalized the poor, it constituted cultural
    imperialism, it amounted to overzealous “zero tolerance,” and so on. Moreover, the
    crime drop had nothing to do with Broken Windows (or any other police action); it was
    the result of changes in the economy or other broad social trends. Some criminologists
    attacked Broken Windows to advance their careers, realizing that variations on the
    theme of “Broken Windows disproved” were an effective way to call attention to their
    own work. But for most, ideology was at stake. Not only did the effectiveness of Broken
    Windows undermine the decades-long assumption that only large-scale social and
    economic change could prevent crime; it also meant that breakthroughs in crime
    prevention could come from the Right—anathema to criminologists, most of whom
    occupied the far Left.

    Still, critics of Broken Windows had one good point: New York provided, at most,
    anecdotal and correlational evidence of a relationship between disorder and crime. There
    were very few experimental studies—the most certain method of establishing causality—
    showing that the first caused the second.

    But that changed last year, when University of Groningen researcher Kees Keizer and his
    colleagues published a paper in Science. In six experiments in the Netherlands, Keizer
    observed and compared the behavior of people under artificial conditions of order and
    disorder. Invariably, he found that disorderly conditions encouraged further and more
    serious levels of disorderly behavior. In one experiment, for example, Keizer placed an
    envelope conspicuously containing five euros in a mailbox. When the mailbox was clean,
    13 percent of people who passed it stole the money; when it was covered with graffiti, 27
    percent took it.

    Also in 2008, Harvard University researcher Anthony A. Braga and his colleagues
    published the results of a complex set of field experiments in Criminology. Researchers
    and police identified small neighborhoods in Lowell, Massachusetts, and randomly
    assigned them to experimental and control conditions. In each of the experimental
    areas—where police were maintaining order, Broken Windows–style—crime dropped
    more sharply than in the control areas and, moreover, did not simply move to adjacent
    neighborhoods. The article also built on an earlier experiment, with the same results,
    that Braga had conducted in Jersey City a decade earlier.

    While these studies do not settle, once and for all, the question of the relationship
    between disorder and serious crime, they do provide a substantial body of experimental
    evidence that fixing broken windows ought to be an integral part of any community’s
    response to crime. In fact, it’s hard to think of a policy option for fixing a major social
    problem that is as strongly supported—by both experience and solid research—as is
    Broken Windows.
    —George L. Kelling

    Compstatting the Fire Department

    In 2009, the New York City Fire Department will spend more than most state publicsafety
    agencies: its 2009 executive budget provides for operating expenses of $1.5 billion
    and capital commitments of $224.7 million. To date, the public has continued to support
    generous funding—understandably: the FDNY has earned its reputation as one of the
    city’s outstanding public agencies. But the department could do even better. While it
    fights fires with great success, bureaucratic mismanagement has resulted in serious
    problems in two other areas: controlling costs and managing risks.

    The FDNY’s expenditures don’t receive as much oversight as do state budgets, which are
    managed by professionals and subject to scrutiny by various local, state, federal, and
    independent entities. The department’s waste of tens of millions of dollars in overtime
    pay, among various embarrassing and costly mistakes, makes clear that it deeply needs
    accountability and performance measurement. Especially in a time of lean budgets, the
    city deserves a better accounting for its investment. Better risk-management practices,
    meanwhile, might have prevented some recent FDNY tragedies. The 2001 Father’s Day
    fire took the lives of three outstanding men and was started by an explosion in a building
    long overdue for inspection. Inspection failures were at least partly to blame for the
    deaths of two firefighters in the Deutsche Bank fire of 2008 as well.

    One way to address both problems would be to reinstitute an important tool: a firedepartment
    version of the NYPD’s Compstat system. Compstat, developed in the early
    nineties, issues weekly reports on crime statistics and trends. Local commanders also
    receive reports on department statistics, such as overtime, accidents, sick leave, and
    injuries. They are held accountable for meeting crime-reduction objectives and for
    managing their resources effectively.

    In early 2001, the FDNY launched its own version of Compstat, called FireMARC
    (Management Appraisal, Review, and Comparisons). The program was designed to
    improve communication and coordination among various bureaus in the organization.
    As in Compstat, information databases were coupled with a geographic mapping system
    that produced graphic displays, detailed reports, and trend analyses. These included a
    variety of reports on overtime, sick leave, injuries, accidents, and apparatus downtime.
    The system also assigned priorities for building inspections.

    FireMARC was still being integrated in June 2001, when the Father’s Day fire took place.
    A few months later, of course, the department was devastated by the 9/11 attacks, and
    FireMARC understandably took a backseat in the aftermath. But even once some sense
    of normality had returned, the system never became fully realized, and it was abandoned
    in 2002. It’s time the FDNY gave it another look.
    —Tom Von Essen

    Click here to view the original article

    Filed Under: More Great Posts! Tagged With: crime, landrieu, New Orleans, night out, prevention, shootings, solution

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • …
    • 5
    • Next Page »

    Copyright © 2023 · BG Minimalist on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in