David Koen talks about Helen on NPR

Listen or read here. You should really listen.

Many, Many Photos from the New Orleans Enough! March

Miranda Lake was kind enough to take photos for me to post here. I was still en route from the funeral and recovering from a mean chest cold that rendered me voiceless. Thank you Miranda.

Many people complained about the racial make-up of the crowd. I just want to point out that it is pretty difficult to come out for a march that was planned quickly and takes place at 11 a.m. during a work day. When I taught in public schools, it was a good parent-teacher conference turn out if five families came in. Most people work -sometimes two or three jobs. I can't imagine you can tell your boss that you'll be leaving work for a demonstration.


David Koen and Kittee bee-lined it from So. Carolina, beginning the drive at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday and managing to get to the march in time. Here's David, below, wearing a strip of cloth that Kittee tied on his arm from the material she used to make her Helen vegan cupcake banner:



Francine, thank you for leaving this sign for us at our door. It was good to come home to:

People marched by neighborhood. Mine is Central City, which according to many accounts, received a hero's welcome when they arrived at City Hall. Central City was the first neighborhood to be super plagued with murders after the storm. The so-called "Triangle of Death" is within the bounds of this very large neighborhood.

Central City:

From a March 21, 2006 Nolanik post:


Central City at the march, continued...






Bywater, one neighborhood downriver from Marigny:




Gentilly:



The Irish Channel:


Read these signs:

Ruthie Monday XXXIV

Well, It's time to get some normalcy going on up in here. So I will resume Ms. Norma's Ruthie Mondays.

She posed for about 2 seconds in this ribbon on Christmas day...