Serpassed

See usually these kinds of things are announced on Monday morning so as to minimize their impact on the news cycle... wait.. that's not right.  Are we sure this didn't actually happen two days ago and is only being publicly disclosed today?

Anyway, wow!

Ronal Serpas is out as police chief in New Orleans.

After four often-rocky years on the job, Serpas will announce his retirement as New Orleans police superintendent at a news conference today, according to a source with knowledge of his plans.
What Serpas plans to do next is unclear.

Lt. Michael Harrison, police commander of the 7th District, will serve as interim NOPD superintendent.
The announcement was sudden, but shouts for Serpas’ resignation punctuated much of his tenure. The loudest came from police officer groups embittered about several issues, including reforms to the off-duty detail system and a stiff disciplinary regime that led to the termination of scores of cops on grounds that many viewed as specious or arbitrary. Serpas, the chorus went, never had their backs.

As recently as last week, newly elected City Councilman Jason Williams suggested in a little-noticed web broadcast last week that at least five members of the council were prepared to terminate Serpas — a power bestowed by the city charter but never before exercised.

Recently elected At-Large Councilman Williams is turning out to be an interesting fellow so far.  Put a pin in that for now, though.

The bad news is, now it's likely some of these goofballs will claim credit.

Demonstrators marched two miles Sunday from the Marigny to the Saint Claude neighborhood to protest Ferguson, Mo., police shooting of Michael Brown Aug. 9.

Nearly 60 people participated in the protest that began at Washington Square Park on Frenchmen Street and ended at the New Orleans Police Department's Fifth District headquarters, nearly two miles away at North Robertson Street and North Claiborne Avenue.

The New Orleans Anarchist Bookfair organized the protest on Facebook, though no one at the protest claimed responsibility for setting it up or being a member of the Bookfair.

The first rule of Bookfair is don't talk about Bookfair.

Often the worst actors in any situation like Ferguson are the clueless white kids in other cities out for what amounts to public masturbation. I hope they had fun storming the castle.

Anyway, if you'd like to discuss any of this with the mayor, he will be available tonight at the first community budget hearing.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu kicks off his annual tour of New Orleans' City Council districts Monday, fielding questions and concerns from residents and business owners before crafting his public spending plans for 2015.

The meetings mark the first public steps in weeks-long number-crunching that must end with the council approving the city's annual budget before the end of the year.

His first stop is in District C, the city's most diverse district and marred by a rash of high-profile violence, including a deadly shooting spree on Bourbon Street and a police officer firing on and striking a suspect in Algiers during a traffic stop. Councilwoman Nadine Ramsey has hosted several town-hall style hearings on public safety, but she did not immediately return messages left with her and her staff Monday (Aug. 18) asking for details on her priorities for 2015.

If you're driving over there this evening, the good news is there very probably will not be a sobriety checkpoint in effect. So BYOB.