Drainage app

Forget about the fact that he wants to make a St. Roch market out of it for now and look at this.

Circle Food Store dates to the 1930s and was one of the country’s oldest African-American-owned groceries. It closed in October after sputtering through a final period of irregular hours when shoppers found increasingly bare shelves.

Before reopening, Torres said he wants to discuss the area's drainage issues with New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell's office. The store gained a spot in the national memory during Hurricane Katrina when an image began to circulate showing floodwaters reaching several feet up its signature arches

In 2015 Sidney bought a series of television ads complaining about crime in New Orleans.  The ads bought him a closed door meeting with then Mayor Landrieu and then Police Chief Michael Harrison. This, in turn, led to an oddball arrangement of  state troopers, "citizen patrols" and off duty NOPD details in the Quarter funded by a special sales tax, a slice of that famous Convention Center surplus, and some vehicles Torres donated. 

Also Sidney made an app for these patrols to use.. or not... it isn't clear how useful that was. But for Torres, it's the perception that matters more than anything else.  So in 2017 he bought a mayoral debate which, amazingly, most of the candidates agreed to participate in. Among those who did was now Mayor Cantrell who took the opportunity to loudly and confidently praise Sidney's app. Results matter, LaToya said, and according to her.. and little else.. Sidney's app "reduced crime." 

Now Sidney wants to meet with the mayor about drainage. Can't wait to see how that goes.

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