The slow death of New Orleans. (Jackson, Many: transplants, home, neighborhood)

[miserylovesco.]

I can give one piece of SOLID advice if you're considering moving here:

Do it for the right reasons. Don't equate visiting for a week once to living here, that's an honest mistake. The thing about New Orleans is that it's at a point right now that it's going through growing pains. It can either be BETTER than it ever was before, or it will fall into a sea of depravity far worse than anyone has seen.

There are a lot of new, exciting ideas that are being thrown around but if you want to see the blighted houses disappear and the people energized, fight for what you love and respect.
If Cleveland was nailed with a hurricane, it wouldn't have came back.
The passionate residents are what brought New Orleans back and relatively quick considering how much damage was done.

If you move here, become a part of the solution and GET INVOLVED.
Make New Orleans your home, fight for it because you believe in it and you want it to be that gem that it very well can be. Once you put your foot down and decide that you're willing to fight, your say is just as important as anyone else, native born or not.
If we let it fall through our fingers and let the thugs rule the streets then all hope is lost.

[Innotech]

Thats a close call. I was with several friends celebrating my roomates Bday in the French quarter on the 17th. We were there from about noon to right around 6 pm.

[Ransomed]

Maybe we should form a committee to bring positive change to NOLA????

My Mother bought a t-shirt from NOPD so that she will feel safer when she goes out to walk her dog in the evenings.

[thevonrandow]

Thanks for your post miserloves company! We'll e-mail you when we arrive in New Orleans.

As for the crime....it is out of control. The city is beautiful and the recovery has been goin pretty good. However, New Orleans badly needs a new and firm Mayor and obviously Police Chief. If you are planning on moving to New Orleans, like my wife and I, then be smart and aware. Know your surroundings and neighbors and get involved with your community.

Happy Trails

[summer grace]

It defintely needs a new mayor, I agree. He's good material for the Levee newspaper ( it's hilarious!), but he isn't a good mayor for N. O.

[tablemtn]

I think people in the city need to understand just how absurd the crime crisis has gotten. New Orleans's murder rate is the highest of any large city in the entire developed world. By a wide margin, too. In order to find a city with a similar murder rate, you'd have to look not only to the third-world, but to some very troubled third-world cities like San Salvador or Johannesburg.

If, say, New York or Toronto suddenly had New Orleans's murder rate, there would be an immense and immediate political eruption. Officeholders would be tossed out. Political pressure would force the rapid and massive expansion of police forces and the public safety (criminal courts) system. It simply would not be tolerated.

Citizens of New Orleans need to understand just how bad things are, and take the same attitude. Stop casually accepting the indefensible. Stop trying to rationalize things. Feel free to be consistently and loudly outraged, and let everyone know. That's how you get things changed.

[MetroBTR]

I don't know how many times New Orleans residents have to tell people like you that they DO care about the murder rate.

[tablemtn]

Some do. I'm not referring to them. I'm talking about the bulk of voters who are concerned about crime, but not enough to vote for any sort of systemic change, or demand it of their representatives.

[MetroBTR]

I know it sounds like a simple fix when you say it--I like to pin alot of things on Nagin too--but I'll admit New Orleans' crime problem is deep rooted and there are many factors involved...government being one of the major ones...not to mention poverty, pitiful public schools, and a class of elite who know that the crime is bad, but Nagin does everything he can to make sure "they" feel safe. Like they don't need to bother with security bars tackying up their mansion because they have armed guards on patrol. These are the idiots who stick their heads in the sand and keep putting Nagin back in office. It's not the "real" people.

[Drouzin]

My Mother bought a t-shirt from NOPD so that she will feel safer when she goes out to walk her dog in the evenings.

Ransomed, Hubby is with the SBSO and he won't allow me to wear his t-shirts in public. He says that there are people out there who could start something with me if they thought I was a cop, (Ha-ha right I'm a short fat middle aged woman. No one in their right mind would think I'm a cop..) I'm just letting you know that cops can be targets when off duty and that's why many don't wear anything that would id them as such when they are off duty. Best wishes.