I haven’t been able to read anymore books about Post Katrina New Orleans. Period. As much as I want to. One symptom of Post Traumatic Stress disorder is continually reliving the traumatic experience and I have done enough of that just working with Karen on Squandered Heritage and my continual work on the Neighborhood Conservation District Committeee brings it all back without any artistic flourish. However, Ian McNulty is one of the city’s finest writers.

I have pestered Ian more than once about relegating his talent to the not-at-all challenging work of restaurant reviews, where his adjectives seem to go to waste.  I was so happy to see he’s actually completed a book that will zero in on a new feeling about our experience.  Why do I think this?  Because a few months ago I posted my recommended ”One Dead in Attic” through Good Reads and my youngest sister Kate picked it up and read it.

We discovered that her reading it helped her understand the magnitude of what I/we’ve gone through and are still going through here in New Orleans. She was very understanding when I explained why I have to bring my cats to Illinois when I visit her while on vacation next month. It made sense to her and made her miss New Orleans more. Since she’s visited me here, we have had a great amount to talk about as a result. 

“Season of Night”, promises to bring a new perspective to our lives post-Katrina. I am sure it will pack more bravado than all other books on New Orleans lately.  I am sure Kate and I will read it and compare notes. 

Ian is a very charming man and I love so much of what he does even beyond his writing. He encompasses that superior sense of whimsy that is New Orleans. Ian doesn’t need to ’sell it’. He’s the opposite of Chris Rose, he’s not a-social at all. For example, I love his Tour de Pants event, a bike ride / pub crawl through the neighborhoods of New Orleans which is hosted in conjunction with the final day of the Tour de France.   Ian’s Coolers and Candlight Party also speaks to his higher level of connectedness and ability to discuss this whole big experience in a its real context. Ian has a larger-than-life wit that I am sure will make reading about Katrina related events and emotions adventurous again and breath new perspective into our healing. I know that Ian can deliver us from darkness.

You can come see Ian at The Garden District Bookshop in The Rink at Prytania and Washington on Thursday, July 10th from 5:30-7:30. Having been in the bookselling business for many years, I must say that hearing an author talk about his work is always very enlightening! Hearing Ian speak will be a great treat.

Just in case you miss it elsewhere, here is the official publisher write up on the book:
In A Season of Night: New Orleans Life after Katrina, author and New Orleans journalist Ian McNulty offers an intimate account of that homecoming and the battle between hope and despair in a surreal landscape.
McNulty moved back to his wrecked New Orleans house soon after the floodwaters drained, living on the second floor and writing this book on a laptop by candlelight.
By turns haunting, inspiring, and darkly comic, this memoir offers a behind-the-headlines story of resilience and renewal for a neighborhood and a city. From bittersweet camaraderie in the ruined streets to the first flickers of cultural revival and the explosive joy of a post-Katrina Mardi Gras, A Season of Night delivers an unprecedented tale from the wounded but always enthralling Crescent City.

ps: Being a literary dork, this title reminds me of Celine’s “Journey To The End of the Night”. But that’s pretty French.

pps: Ian, I am really fucking proud of you! Thanks !  

Many of you have been following the ongoing effort to get rid of derelict buildings in New Orleans. Since Katrina, the number of blighted structures has absolutely mushroomed — only adding to the number of buildings that were abandoned and in poor shape BEFORE the storm hit. It’s been obvious in recent months that Something was going to be done — since not only our overpromising mayor but the entire City Council as a unit has decided it’s time to press ahead and either get these joints cleaned up or get them into the hands of those who will. Or to simply get them torn down, and the list of targeted properties is a long one. Our own Laureen Lentz has been heavily involved in this process, as she has documented.

Welp — it’s working. It was only a couple of months ago that Councilwoman Stacy Head participated in a news conference just a few doors down from our house — in front of a longstanding hellhole that everyone agreed had to come down. The place was bad when we moved here — disintegrating only moreso since Katrina. But it’s being cleaned up — at least outwardly — and all of us in the neighborhood are grateful.

But the even bigger news is that the junkyard (owned by the same person) next to our house has been the object of a massive cleanup effort over the past several days. Gone are the old cars, the overfull dumpster, the assorted appliances, the rotting bags of beer cans and bottles, the six-foot weeds and virtually every (outward) sign of decay. It looks like you could land a small plane in there (well, not really — but y’know).

Something Actually Worked. We appreciate it.

…though our cats are wondering where all their buddies have gone.

We’ve turned the corner into almost full-bore summer, given today’s temperatures and the afternoon thunderstorms. They’re the popcorn kind that are a Southern Thang — borne of the afternoon heat and the chunky air. But by about 8:30 or so at night, the cooler air has taken over and, though it’s still humid and warm out, the storms have pretty much dissipated. This gives way to what I call a Cigar Night — the kinds of evenings when it’s good to sit on the front stoop with an Adult Beverage and smoke and watch the neighborhood drift by. Sometimes it’s a solitary event, but so often it turns into conversation, more Adult Beverages and, at times, an impromptu party. The fact that it’s midweek makes little difference.

I used to indulge in cigars periodically, but they were little understood (and, I guess, looked a little silly) when my friends and I were in our 20s. Then came the time of raising small children and doing so damn many things and this and that and them other things that cigars and too many other lay-back pleasures were pushed aside. But (thanks in part to my brother-in-law Tyler — a truly good human being) I returned to cigars a couple of years ago. I’m fortunate to live near a very good tobacco outlet (Mayan Import on Magazine) and there are several others in the city as well.

Much of what I enjoy so about good cigars is that they drive away the annoying, the malingerers and the Just Plain Weird. As soon as you fire one up, you’re pretty much done dealing with the health nuts, the yammerers, the hipsters, the posers and the wannabes. You’re either left on your own or you’re left with those who Really Get It.

I like that. I really do.

Though the calendar won’t admit it yet, it’s summer in New Orleans and that means a series of things. Hot and humid, of course, touching off snarky arguments that escalate more quickly. It also means the sidewalk traffic on Magazine and elsewhere in the city drops off the table like a 16-pound bowling ball. Many of the city’s restaurants are offering special deals to those who are to venture out, while others will simply close up completely for a month or so. We’ve opted to close for two days in the middle of the week — giving us time to actually leave the city last week and visit our sailboat over in Florida for the first time in nearly a year. It was the first time in seven months we’d spent a night away from the house. We returned two days later — sunburned, sated by simple goodies we can’t buy here (Yuengling beer! Whataburger!) and, though we loved the break, thrilled to be back.

I gotta tell ya — it’s w-e-i-r-d out there, y’all. Smooth streets, you can call City Hall and a real, competent person answers, sidewalks are bizarrely clean. Stuff like that.

Anyway, I brought back something new from this particular trip. I returned with much less patience about How Things Are. Much less tolerance for That’s Just How It Is. The 50 or so hours we spent outside of New Orleans (and returning to the headlines of the latest Jefferson family indictments) provided the final impetus to push me out of my self-imposed New Orleans Acceptance Bubble and into being a more proactive individual. Not that I’m going to go all Falling Down or anything. But I’m now a lot less willing to simply accept the trash on the street, the crackhead stumbling down said street, the utter loons we continually put into elected office, the decrepit, rat-filled, derelict houses in my neighborhood, the incompetence of “public servants” and the overall throw-up-our-hands posture that’s a way of life for too many in New Orleans.

….so I’ll be bitching a bit more about stuff and being more Out There now that I’ve got a couple of days off each week.

…just so y’know.

Yeah.

…and thanks for the bump, Rayna.

Denied  Approved

Sitting up on the dais in Council Chambers is a very surreal experience since Karen and I sat in the audience for so many months together. I sit in Stacy Head’s chair as I am the appointee for Dist. B., channeling her strength of public speaking. I am rather meek by comparison.

I promised Stacy and Carla, her legislative aide, that I’d do my best not to accidentally use the ‘F’ word. I did my homework to help get the committee rolling with Robert’s Rules of Order as best I could. I believe in the need to publicly and transparently address the issues that have plagued the committee in the past, since I know them so well already. Matt McBride, Karen and Michelle Kimball (PRC) have all been helpful in bringing things to our attention, since there are so many things that can slip through the cracks and either fail to end up before the NCDC for review or items that come to us that are under special moratoriums, like the LSU/VA area in Mid City.

I was terrified at the first meeting and got there an hour early. I got busy helping Nelson, the Chair, making sure that we got enough agendas printed for the public on the table, shaking Bruce Eggler’s hand and meeting my fellow committee members. Eric, the contractor rep from Beck, who is in charge of managing the Federally funded demos, now attends our meetings. This alone has been a huge improvement to the process. Eric answers all my questions via email, even late on Friday and sometimes on Saturday. He’s very responsive.

Also, having community level representatives from each council district has created much more of a team atmosphere in general, it’s not so much the public v. ‘the City’ anymore. We have a lot more help and we respect our individual votes. The street-level of expertise contributing to the meeting is refreshing.

Hosting the meetings in the Chambers has also been a huge improvement because there is room for all the homeowners as well as the audience and everyone has a chance to get on the record. Although, we do have to be ready to go fast toward the end of the meeting, when Hillary Carrere, the Housing & Neighborhood Development rep starts his ’speed round’. He starts putting out motions before Nelson even announces the next property on the agenda. This is the sort of process issues we hope to correct. Thanks to my previous work with Karen Gadbois, this is old hat for me. I am very prepared for the meetings, going through some 70+ packets and checking Karen’s photos on Squandered Heritage and then heading out into the field myself for particular properties I am very unsure about.

The main factors we consider under the new ordinance are:
1) Current Condition fo the structure.
2) Architectural Signifigance of the structure.
3) Historical Signifigance of the subject structure.
4) Urban Design Signifigance as it relates to the pedestrian perception and movement and the height, area and bulk of the structure and how it relates to the street scene traffic.
5) Neighborhood context of the structure.
6) Overall effect on the blockface.
7) Proposed time/length the subject site is anticipated to remain undeveloped.
8) Proposed plan for redevelopment.
9) Stated position of adjacent neighbors, neighborhood associations or other interested individuals or organizations, either in writing(email) or during public comment at the hearing.(If you send me an email, I promise to read it into the record for you.)

This criteria is more holistic than the previous ordinance for the HCDRC. It’s still hard because I can’t help but wonder that if some people were offered the equivalent cash money being offered for ‘free’ demolition, they could use it to fix their house. But this is not the case. We’re all assigned this ‘do or die’ decision and once the houses are gone, an empty lot is all that is left.

Part of our purpose is also to ‘discourage underutilization of property in an urban environment’. We also have to be sensitive to the need to remove dangerous structures before hurricane season is upon us again. It’s not an easy task at all. Evaluating the possible eternal loss of the legacy of our unique architectural heritage along with the aspect of rewarding slumlords for years of neglect, and also the need to remove properties that are thwarting the ability for a neighborhood to thrive.

Another issue is that some properties are being quickly reclassified as Imminent Danger of Collapse (IDC). This maneuver exempts them from review of our committee and we are looking to be sure it’s not being abused. The problem with this is that the definition is vague in the ordinance under Article VI, Division V, Sec. 26-166: Minimum Housing Standards Code, there is no technical requirement here at all which needs to be fixed. While I am not one to distrust our Civil Service staff, this is so vague it’s useless. Basically, Johnny Odom decides. The only comfort I have to offer is that he’s better than Mike Centenio:
Sec. 26-166. Imminent danger of collapse.

The code official and the department of safety and permits shall determine as a matter of fact whether or not a public nuisance is in imminent danger of collapse and constitutes a menace to public safety. If the determination is made that a public nuisance is in imminent danger of collapse and constitutes a menace, then the code official is authorized to cause the demolition of the nuisance without previous notice to the owner, executor, administrator, agent, lessee, or any person who may have a vested or contingent interest in the public nuisance.

I know this is already far too long but one last thing I should tell you is that those chairs in Chambers are very large. After a couple hours your back hurts, because of this I sometimes sink back in the chair for a few minutes. I have taken to sitting on the large packet of applications given to us at the beginning of the meeting for the next meeting so I can sit high enough in the chair to get my face up to my mike for a clear smackdown when I have a point to make. It helps me feel a little less tiny while defending my well researched and sometimes big decisions.

If it weren’t for my work with Karen G. and Squandered Heritage, I don’t think I’d feel so good about taking on this duty. I take our collective knowledge up there with me when I hear the double-speak coming from the podium. I know I have a full arsenal of knowledge to do the best job possible for New Orleans. It’s a great honor, but it is still depressing work.

Someone gave me this quote of encouragement upon my appointment which is also useful.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in the worthy cause . . .”

Teddy Roosevelt. The Man in the Arena, Paris France, 1910.

Dear Neighbors;
Thank you for having us over, well really thank you for having the whole street over for BBQ. Thank you for offering us BBQ and for giving me some chilled white wine in a glass because wine is too good for a simple plastic cup. We were out when you decided to have a little get-together and when you started up the grill, thank you for noticing when we arrived home and taking the time to call our names and wave us across the street. We had a wonderful time meeting all of you especially the other children in the neighborhood. I am sorry that some of you are moving due to the crime in the area even though it is understandable, I guess. My husband and I have been together for nine years and this is the first time any of our neighbors have even invited us to any type of gathering. Out of all the places we have lived this is the first time I have ever truly felt like neighbors with anyone. You know in the old ‘50’s welcome wagons and “may I borrow some sugar?” kind of way. Thank you for being so nice to the little one. It was wonderful to be amongst people who did not feel put off by the baby. So often people think he is cute and then they go off to have a good time and leave me to tend to him alone only meeting up with me again at the end of the party long enough to say goodbye. You all made us both feel like part of the group. Thank you for helping me keep an eye on the little one and giving him high fives and pieces of your food. Those little things made me feel so comfortable and made the whole experience more enjoyable for me. We stayed out until his bedtime and the termites were starting to gather at the street lights. I just wanted to say thank you for being so friendly just like neighbors are supposed to be.

Busy Memorial Day weekend coming up, since we’re once again involved in the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience.

I know, I know: another petition. It seems like I’ve been posting an undue amount of dry, political stuff lately, but to be honest, this is pretty freaking important. For the past few years, the National Guard has helped maintain a semblance of order on the streets of New Orleans. No, it ain’t Disney World (thank goddess), but without the extra manpower, the situation could’ve been far worse.

Unfortunately, the National Guard doesn’t serve for free, and Jindal wants to pull out the troops next month. Keep in mind, he’s doing this at exactly the same time that lawmakers are (a) debating what to do with a projected surplus in the state budget and (b) talking about eliminating the state income tax.

I mean, no, really, that’s fine, Bobby: New Orleans is only the state’s goddamn economic engine, so what does it matter if you wreck it? As Katrina showed everyone, the state can hobble along without us just great.

Fucktard.

The National Guard is scheduled to leave NOLA in June! Take 5 to Help Us Keep Them in the City!

Crime rates across the city have skyrocketed since Hurricane Katrina. Murder rates have spiked, and assaults and burglaries are up. Meanwhile, the police shortage makes NOPD patrols in the storm-affected areas, especially in the Lower Ninth Ward and eastern New Orleans, nearly non-existent. It also pushes response times to 911 calls to an hour or more. Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans is supporting the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association in their efforts to keep the Louisiana National Guard in New Orleans until the following goals are achieved:

NOPD sub stations are rebuilt and re-staffed in all the storm-affected areas of the city. The number of NOPD officers reaches pre-storm levels. FBI crime statistics show a decrease in violent crime rates.

To date, they have only received 2300 signatures with a deadline to acquire 10,000 by June 2008.  It is imperative that you let your voice be heard! Take 5 Minutes To: Send a pre-formatted email to Gov. Jindal…> Read the complete petition…> Forward this to your friends…> Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Somehow I missed the fact that there’s a new New Orleans documentary on the scene–and it looks fantastic. Centered on the history of the Faubourg Tremé, it’s got great music, great footage, great names attached to it–Brenda Marie Osbey, Leni Sloan, Lolis Eric Elie, and Wynton Marsalis, to name a few–and best of all, it’s celebratory, not mournful. As the website says:

Faubourg Tremé is arguably the oldest black neighborhood in America, the birthplace of the Civil Rights movement in the South and the home of jazz. While the Tremé district was damaged when the levees broke, this is not another Katrina documentary. Every frame is a tribute to what African American communities have contributed even under the most hostile of conditions.

Also, no Chris Rose. Seriously, check it:

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TRAILER
Since Wordpress sucks for embedding media

(Thanks Xeni and BoingBoing!)

The French Quarter may not be as fraught with felonies as other neighborhoods, but it’s certainly not crime-free. In fact, it’s seen more than its usual share of activity in recent months–typically nothing too “front page”, but given the fact that the Quarter is the hub for tourists, everything that happens there gets magnified.

In response, author Joshua Clark has started an amped-up, higher-tech version of Neighborhood Watch called QuarterSafe. In a nutshell, he’s encouraging Quarter residents to purchase inexpensive video cams and create their own closed-circuit TV systems to monitor street activity.

Now, on the one hand, I think Clark’s plan is kinda laudable and forward-thinking and potentially very useful, especially given New Orleans’ under-funded police department. On the other hand–the Dear goddess, it’s Big Brother hand–it’s a little creepy. (Though it would be creepier if participants were giving NOPD full access to their computers.) Also of concern: Tuesday’s report in The Guardian that CCTVs don’t have much of an impact on crime. And on a practical note: how big of a hard drive do you need to store all that data anyway? Read the email release I got this morning and discuss below:

For ten bucks and a few minutes of work, you can help drastically curb the daily robberies and assaults on our French Quarter streets. QuarterSafe.com is working alongside the NOPD to build a reliable network of citizen-owned security cameras to deter and catch criminals. There is nothing as efficient and effective as well-placed video cameras to capture criminals. It’s as easy as…

1) Order a camera on eBay for $10 (w/shipping), so discrete [sic] it fits in the palm of your hand. Just search for “480K 6-LED Night Vision USB WebCam” or click here.

2) Install it. It runs off your PC. The driver disk comes with the camera.
Then download monitoring software free from SuperVisionCam.com. Make sure it faces the street as close to eye level as possible, and leave your computer running passively. Once you have the camera, please contact Detective Mike Carambat at 504 400 5214 or mcarambat@cityofno.com if you’d like him to come help you.

3) Send an e-mail to QuarterSafe@gmail.com and 8thDistrict@cityofno.com with the subject “Camera” with your name, phone number, and the exact address of the camera. Only when a crime occurs near you (God forbid you should be the
victim) may the police ask to obtain specific footage. Already have a camera? Let us know!

That’s it.

Please visit QuarterSafe.com or more information, options, extension cables, and easy links.