Neighbors Oppose Sale of Alcohol by Stallings Playground

June 25, 2015 by Charlie London

GentillyFoodMartOn February 9, 2015,  Brian Kelly represented Mario Hizaj and Gentilly Food Mart at the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association meeting in an effort to obtain support for a license to sell beer at 1629 Gentilly Blvd.

The minutes from the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association meeting indicate that Mr. Kelly stated that the facility is 300’ from the playground (Mr. Kelly revised that number to 127 feet from the playground at the hearing). A copy of Sec. 10-237 of the City Code was provided at the meeting. Mr. Kelly further stated that there are variances allowing stores to sell beer. The variances include limiting the amount of liquor that can be sold, that package liquor can not be advertised outside of the business, and re-registration each year. Mr. Hizaj is proposing that 7% of his store will be dedicated to beer. Mr. Hizaj will provide a monthly donation to the park. The store has closed-circuit TV and he doesn’t allow loitering.

A motion was made by Sarah Stogner to oppose the request to sell any alcohol at Gentilly Food Mart. The motion passed.

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GentillyFoodMart1On June 18, 2015, neighbors saw a notice on a utility pole on Maurepas Street about a hearing to be held where the City Planning Commission had recommended approval of zoning docket 52-15 which would allow the sale of alcohol for off-premises consumption at 1629 Gentilly Blvd.   Provisos were suggested.

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On June 23, 2015, over 20 neighbors on both sides of Gentilly Blvd. attended the hearing. The neighbors were all against the sale of alcohol across from the playground due to the detrimental effects on the playground of the sale of alcohol from the Fair Zone convenience store before it closed.   Increased crime, constant loitering, and drinking of alcohol by loud and unruly men in the playground were cited as reasons for opposition.

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In the video below, you will see a diverse group of people all in opposition to the sale of alcohol across from Stallings playground.

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Details can be found here in the preliminary staff report.

Gentilly-Food-Mart-ZD_052-15-2015june23

Filed Under: Featured, HISTORY, Zoning Issues Tagged With: alcohol in playgrounds, bayou st john, best neighborhood in New Orleans, faubourg st john, New Orleans, opposition to alcohol, stallings, stallings playground, zoning

Stallings Playground Gets Boosters

April 7, 2014 by Charlie London

 

Stallings Gentilly Playground Booster Club

2700 Lapeyrouse Street |PO Box 820396 |  New Orleans, LA 70182  | 504.434.2197

PRESIDENT Kendra Crawford  |  VICE PRESIDENT Corey Dowden

TREASURER Dyan French | SECRETARY Glenda Cannon

 

Stallings Gentilly Playground Booster Club was organized this year in order to meet the funding and financial challenges of operating and maintaining cultural, sports and other programs for the youth of the community.

 

stallings-small1The Stallings Gentilly Playground Booster Club has a board of resourceful officers and members along with a group of excited club members and volunteers who are ready, willing and eager to restore its image to that of its intended purpose; a place for safe, engaging cultural and recreational activities for children and families.

 

Funding through foundation grants, business and corporate sponsorships, and individual donations are being obtained to support cultural, recreational and sports programs. Not only is the Stallings Gentilly Playground Booster Club passionate about a Stallings Gentilly Playground ‘renaissance’, the Stallings Gentilly Playground Booster Club is also very committed and dedicated to this mission.

           

Events are planned throughout the summer for the Stallings Gentilly Playground community. Everyone is invited to our first major event, which is our Family Fun Day on Saturday, April 12, 2014 from 11:00 a.m. until 2 p.m. and “Movie in the Park” on Friday, May 16, 2014 at 7:15 p.m.

 

Kendra Crawford

President

Stallings Gentilly Playground Booster Club

StallingsGentillyFamilyFun1Stallings Gentilly Playground Booster Club

President

Kendra Crawford

 

Vice-President

Corey Dowden

 

Treasurer

Dyan French

 

Secretary

Glenda Cannon

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: faubourg st john, gentilly, ground, New Orleans, play, playground, stallings

Be at Stallings Playground on May 29th at 6 pm

May 15, 2013 by Charlie London

Stallings-input-2013may29

Your Input Requested on the Future of Stallings Playground
Wednesday, May 29th at 6 pm
1600 Gentilly

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bayou st john, best neighborhood in New Orleans, faubourg st john, gentilly, New Orleans, new orleans best neighborhood, playground, stallings

Fair Zone Removal

November 10, 2012 by Charlie London

This photo, taken by Tommy Lewis on October 31, 2012, shows the removal of the Fair Zone convenience store at the corner of Laharpe and Gentilly. The corner of Laharpe and Gentilly is directly adjacent to Stallings Playground.

The building was damaged by the recent storm and by fire.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bayou st john, fair zone, faubourg st john, gentilly, New Orleans, stallings

Nov 26: Movie Night at Stallings Playground

November 21, 2011 by Charlie London

photo by Charlie London

6:00 pm | NOV. 26 | STALLINGS GENTILLY | A BEE MOVIE

1600 Gentilly Blvd. | New Orleans

Click on the BEE for movie info.

If the Movie Night is canceled due to weather, call 504.658.3016 for make-up dates. Participants are asked to bring blankets or lawn chairs. Bug spray is optional. Parking is limited, please consider walking or carpooling.

Filed Under: More Great Posts! Tagged With: bayou st john, faubourg st john, fsjna, gentilly, movie night, stallings

BAND AGAINST CRIME

August 30, 2011 by Charlie London

NEIGHBORS BAND TOGETHER AGAINST CRIME


photo by Charlie London

A big crowd showed up for the NOPD 1st District’s
Walk Against Crime

Neighbors danced and sang along with the band

photo by Charlie London

Many neighbors showed their support for efforts to eliminate crime in and around Stallings Playground

CLICK HERE FOR A SHORT VIDEO


Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bayou st john, crime, fairgrounds, faubourg st john, fsjna, neighborhood, nopd, stallings, triangle, walk

Parents Deem Stallings Playground Unsafe

August 12, 2011 by Charlie London

In 2008, the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association worked in conjunction with KABOOM to restore the children’s’ play area at Stallings Playground which was negatively impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Now, the threat of crime is forcing parents to keep their children away from the playground.


Monica Hernandez / Eyewitness News

NEW ORLEANS — On a Friday evening after school, a Fairgrounds Triangle area playground sat empty.

While large groups of youngsters were on the basketball courts and in the pool area of Stallings Playground, none was in the playground or park area of the facility.

Neighbors like Kermit Roberson said they won’t allow their children to play there.

“My impression is that it’s a place of growing concern,” said Roberson. “We have been noticing elements of violence and crime appearing in the neighborhood.”

Roberson said two gun arrests Thursday evening at Stallings Playground are just the tip of the iceberg.

New Orleans police officers arrested Julius Dunn, 18, and Chevroun Smith, 20, for illegally carrying the weapons in their waistbands. An anonymous caller alerted police to suspicious men in the area.

Last summer, a shooting in the playground wounded several people.

But Roberson said his biggest concern is what happens in the playground every day.

“Drinking in the park, smoking illegal substances,” said Roberson.

Neighbors said grown men drink in the park throughout the day, and they believe that spurs crime.

“I don’t want to put my children in an unsafe environment,” said Roberson.

A NORD sign posted outside Stallings Playground says no alcohol is allowed on the premises, but city officials say there’s no way to enforce that because New Orleans has no laws banning alcohol from playgrounds.

“If people are drinking there all day long, it’s got to be causing problems,” said District A council member Susan Guidry.

After a push from neighbors, NORD officials are supporting a possible ordinance that would ban alcohol from NORD playgrounds, with the exception of NORD sanctioned activities, making the posted rules enforceable. It’s something Guidry plans to begin drafting soon.

“We’re going to keep trying until we have children in that park,” said Guidry.

But a longtime Stallings coach believes the problems don’t stem from the regulars who drink on the premises, but rather, young people who come from other neighborhoods.

“Most of the guys around this area are guys I done coached,” said Ortegas Coleman, who has been a volunteer coach at Stallings for nearly 20 years. “So they know, no tolerance in the neighborhood, Coach not having that… We can’t control the ones that come in from other neighborhoods, we can’t control that.”

Still, Coleman said he would be in favor of banning alcohol at NORD playgrounds.

And with liquor stores on both ends of Stallings, parents like Roberson say they hope the alcohol, drugs, and violence they’ve seen at the playground are cleaned up soon.

“Laws are one thing, but enforcment will be the key,” said Roberson

http://www.wwltv.com/news/Neighbors-say-recent-gun-arrests-tip-of-the-iceberg-at-Stallings-Playground-127631168.html

The Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association worked hard to make Stallings Playground a safe place to play. Now, parents are keeping children away because they fear for their safety.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: crime, fairgrounds, faubourg st john, fsjna, gentilly, New Orleans, playground, stallings

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