Violence in New Orleans, how do we stop it?

OK so this past weekend 10 people were shot in New Orleans, one of them a nine year old and the other a little not even 2 year old girl who later died. The NO murder rate is 10 times the national average! There were 51 homicides per 100,000 residents here last year, compared with less than 7 per 100,000 in New York or 23 in similar-size Oakland, Calif.

“From September of last year to February of this year,a student attending John McDonogh was more likely to be killed than a soldier in Afghanistan.” Is what NO mayor said recently.

This story is sad, it's right before Christmas and now this mother has to bury her baby, and it happened just days before the little girl was going to turn 2. The girl was playing in the courtyard of her public housing complex, when someone drove by trying to shoot a 19 year old and they got her instead, the 19 year old was hit also, but he lived.

Today they held a vigil for the little girl, and her mom made a plea for anyone who saw anything to come forward and tell them police. I don't think this is going to happen. I know there were people who saw what happened to this little girl, know who did it and are planning on "street" justice.

Here is the little girl that was killed when she was shot in the head


First of all I think people need to realize that street justice isn't going to work. It's a never ending cycle, you shoot someone, then someone they know shoots you, they have someone they know shoot someone you love etc etc etc....

People in New Orleans have always been afraid to talk to the cops, they think of the cops as their enemy. I grew up in a bad area of NO, and know all too well how locals think about the cops. I know many here do also and I don't blame you. I have seen the videos of police brutality, I know there are bad cops out there, especially in NO.

I'd like to know what happened to getting mad at someone then going outside and beating them up real good, throw a few punches, and it's over with, nowadays people bring guns with them and they don't like you they shoot you!

Every day another mother or father or grandparent has to go through this grieving and burying their child I think is needless and stupid! The only time people want to do anything about it is when a child is hurt or murdered. I think it's great people are calling an end to violence but it's not going to stop, not unless people who saw something speak up.

I don't know what the answer is, I know it's not going to change. What do you ATS think could be done to stop this? People around here are calling for Marshal Law!! They are saying they want the National Guard back protecting them!!

Here are some links about the little girl that was murdered, may she RIP, and some other links about crime in NO:

The New Orleans murder rate can't be downplayed: Jarvis DeBerry
Source

New Orleans Struggles to Stem Homicides
www.nytimes.com...

10 people shot in New Orleans in violent weekend
source

Vigil Held For Toddler Killed In Central City Shooting
source

reply to post by WhoDat09


That is very sad,

I would die from grief if I were the parent.

Its AWFUL that people have to live in fear...

It is OUTRAGEOUS that going to College
has a greater causality rate than War/Open Conflict in Afghanistan!

I makes me SICK.

WhoDat09, You are very passionate and caring for your home state,
I found this out earlier this year when I was covering the Mississippi Flood.
You were a core contributor to that thread.
You were concerned with the safety of not only the people in Louisiana, but everyone affected.

I wish I had an answer to end the violence.

I wish I had a solution!

What I can do is this...

Pray and send positive vibes down south.

And Star and Flag this thread so others can join in on the positive reinforcement!

Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays

Thank you for your response, I think I would die from grieve also It's all just so sad. I really don't have an answer of how to make it stop, but it needs to!

Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays to you too!

Here is a story about people wanting the National Guard to come back! For those of you who don't know the National Guard were here a lot after Hurricane Katrina:
WDSU NOLA News

I dont know why the "gangsta" image includes shootouts with kids in eye's view. This tragic story reminds me of one recently in Staten Island NY, a little girl about 2 yrs old, sitting in her stroller, shootout involving her family, and she is the only one that gets shot, in her eye at that. This story came back into the news again when they arrested her father weeks later for having crack/coc aine on him. I was so pissed! He was very close to losing his baby daughter over his stupidity, and instead of learning his lesson, he continued, now in jail, this beautiful one eyed girl has no father now (which I guess is better, but its not).

I hope the people in the New Orleans area speak up for this little girl and her family!

Such a tragedy...

I can see why for some people, National Guard seems to be the answer. Are things that bad in some places that we actually need a Military presence?

That story out of Staten Island is sad too. I think part of the problem is that in New Orleans they have a revolving door on criminals, I know it's like that in a lot of places. The 19 year old who was the intended target was out of jail, he had a criminal record. I think the judge who let him free needs to have action taken against him. I don't live in NOLA but I live very close to it. I knew crime was bad down there, every morning when I turn my TV on I hear about another shooting, I did not think it had gotten bad enough to call in the military!

reply to post by WhoDat09


Another heartbreaking story. Its terrible.. There is a lot of crime here in New Orleans.. But can you blame these kids? Kids killing kids. Most of these crimes commited are in the projects and ghetto. Its what they know. There parents aren't there for them, they are locked up, or off at the local crack house sending there children to whore themselves for drug money. Its disgusting.

Unfortunately these people may not see justice. There are huge class issues here. Many people in the projects have been there for generations. The sect. 8 waiting list is 10 yrs in NOLA! When you get sect. 8 its supposed to be temporary, to help you get on your feet and ... So forth.. I could go on and on...

So national guard? I just cant see them back here again.. But maybe its what we need.. I mean the NOPD should be cracking down on these neighbor hoods, yet the NOPD is corrupt and no good, and all drugged up, so no help there?

Wow, maybe the National Guard is the only way... But what can they do?

I am not sure the National Guard can do anything to help with the problem, I'm not sure they have the right to arrest anyone, maybe they can "guard" things but I don't know.

No I can;t blame these kids, they come from nothing and the way they are living they will die with nothing. I have seen many people living in Section 8 housing that have big screen TVs, the latest PlayStation games, a Cadillac etc .... I don't know what the answer to that is either. Do you kick them out?

It is a very sad story, the police are corrupt, nobody trusts them, the judges let criminals right back out of jail, seems like NOLA is facing quite a few problems. All I know is this isn't going to just stop on it's own.

I have been thinking about this a lot lately, and this is what I came up with, I posted in the other thread about this but figured I'll post it here as well.

They found one of the men who killed the little girl, and they are looking for a second man. These men were career criminals and never should have been out on the street in the first place. A third man who they say had something to do with the girl's murder was killed Monday. The kid they shot is in critical condition, and he was arrested also, but was out on bond, and he never saw a judge so I take back the comment I made about the judge that let him out.

They were part of the 3-N-G drug gang, I've never heard of them but they were apparently named that because of the streets that they formed or met on or something just as stupid.

It doesn't even matter why they shot, the fact remains they shot! and WHY? why do people these days think that the only solution to a problem is to shoot someone? What can be done to stop this? They don't realize or care that DEATH is FINAL. I think it should be a mandatory class in school that these kids have to go through that makes them see what bullets do. How bullets kill people, they should have to go to a shooting crime scene and watch what the investigators do, then they should make them go and tell the family their loved one isn't coming back and finally they should make them watch the autopsy. They should make them attend the funeral. Then maybe they would understand that you can't just "respawn" yourself, you can't reset the game and make yourself alive again.

I really don't know what the answer is but, there has to be an answer! They aren't scared of the police, they aren't scared of anyone, but maybe if they see the finality of death, maybe just maybe they'll understand.

RIP Keira Holmes

1 man arrested, 1 man sought, 1 man dead after 2-year-old's fatal shooting

So here we are in another year, and the violence has only gotten worse!!

Today is January 26, 2012 and so far there have been 22 murders in the city!! It's crazy, I don't see an end in sight! Yesterday a man a good Samaritan heard a woman screaming he ran over to help, and saw she was getting car jacked, he jumped on the hood of the car and the car jacker shot him and killed him, his two children saw the whole thing. His killer is still on the loose!

There have been many killings or injuries by people getting hit with stray bullets! I don't know what people think happens to bullets when you fire them, but they do go somewhere and in a city they are likely to hit someone!An 11 year old was shot in Jefferson Parish while sitting in his living room, it killed him.

There has to be something we can do to stop this, it is crazy and out of hand, people in New Orleans are once again calling for Marshall Law!

They called for Marshall Law last month when the two year old was shot, but they caught her killers, it seems everyone forgot what they felt when that little girl died.

Complete termination of every living human there is much more logical. It's never going to end and hope doesn't exist. No god, no angels, NOTHING will save this place. If all life is dead then it means children don't have to suffer and those filthy thugs can't spread else where. Sometimes things like this have to happen for the greater good.