Today's NOPD Complaint

This is not a solution. The police continue to put forth the claim that they are too short of staff to cover two different parade routes on Samedi Gras. I think this is a lot of hooey. Parade route consolidation has been the goal of law enforcement for decades now. This has served to remove several parading organizations from the neighborhoods where they were born thereby furthering the sad process of divorcing Carnival from its local traditions and converting it into a hollow pageant for the benefit of the plantation-tourist economy. It is a true sign of how damaged our culture is that we defer to the police and the hoteliers on these matters.

Case in point: Here's an example of NOPD's penchant for cultural criticism.

At an evening news conference on the steps of the 8th District police station, Nicholas specifically noted that the shooting occurred shortly after the performance of so-called “gangsta rapper” DMX at the House of Blues, which was right down the street from the bar. After the show ended, there was a crowd of several hundred fans outside the music venue on Decatur, Nicholas said.

Although police have not concluded whether the suspect or victims had attended the House of Blues rap concert -- they are reviewing video tape -- Nicholas said that he has concerns about the nature of the gangsta rap genre, saying it attracts some fans with criminal pasts. The three shooting victims all had previous brushes with the law.

“We have spoken to the House of Blues,” about hosting those type of rap concerts, Nicholas said.

Translation: "We certainly can't do much about the crime problem... but in the meantime, keep your jungle music away from the French Quarter. We've got white tourists to sell beads to."

The post-Katrina environment has ushered in a truly ugly race relations climate in New Orleans. The clownish offenses perpetrated by C-Ray, Harry Lee, Chris Roberts, The JP School Board, and the St. Bernard Parish Council spring immediately to mind. This kind of boneheadedness from NOPD is not helping.