First, the people came back. Then, the crime. Now, more than two years after the near death of a great city, the money is starting to arrive, which would sound like a solution if this were some place other than New Orleans, and this was some other era but America at the millennium.

For the people of New Orleans, even the promises of redevelopment come with strings attached, and every dollar that shows up – whether from government disaster relief, or from venture capital, or even from those seeking to remake New Orleans in the wake of Katrina – carries with it new dynamics and new risks. National interest has waned, moving on to the next headline, but those who know and love the Crescent City have no choice. They must find their way back to what matters in the life of their city. However, little of what they can bring to bear yields a quick result, and nothing about New Orleans – its government, its police department and courtrooms, its school system – works as it should. Nothing is easy.

In the end, their only weapons are community. And culture.

Created by David Simon (HBO’s “The Wire,” “Generation Kill” and “The Corner”) and Eric Overmyer (“St. Elsewhere,” “Homicide: Life on the Street” and HBO’s “The Wire”), the Peabody-winning drama series “Treme” kicks off its ten-episode third season Sunday, September 23 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Having met some of these New Orleanians in the journey thus far, “Treme” picks up on the ongoing battle topreserve what matters to the vulnerable city this season. Attorney Toni Bernette (Melissa Leo) carries forward her lonely fight against a staggeringly corrupt police department, and finally stumbles upon a natural ally in L.P.Everett (Chris Coy), an out-of-town freelance reporter working for ProPublica and The Nation magazine. Together and separately, they continue to pick apart the lies that have papered over death after death in the immediate aftermath of Katrina. That investigation creates new problems in Bernette’s wary friendship with Lt. Terry Colson (David Morse), who finds himself in the crisis of his career, confronting the failures of his department and the complicity of so many with whom he labors.

Other characters find it’s a constant challenge to preserve their slice of New Orleans culture in the face of disaster capitalism. As the money returns – sometimes in the hands of politically-connected deliverers, sometimes in the hands of those who seemingly support the vibrant culture – so do the decisions and complications.

Exiled to some of New York’s finest kitchens, Chef Janette Desautel (Kim Dickens) considers a profitable career opportunity in New Orleans, one that will test her desire for personal and culinary authenticity. Similarly, Annie Tee’s (Lucia Micarelli) career begins to accelerate, requiring her to find more ambition than often resides in the New Orleans clubs and on street corners, and demanding she acknowledge that the forces dictating American culture often lie elsewhere. Meanwhile, having struggled as a journeyman musician and having failed as a bandleader, trombonist Antoine Batiste (Wendell Pierce) examines his own life and discovers meaning and a sense of civic purpose where he least expected it.

Made vulnerable by the indictment and conviction of his local political patron, Texan Nelson Hidalgo (Jon Seda) struggles to find a way back into the money trail, even as the big money is arriving in New Orleans. As the large development projects begin to come online, he’s determined not to be left behind.

All the fresh talk of a new New Orleans, however, finds little favor with Big Chief Albert Lambreaux (Clarke Peters), who’s heard it many times before. And while the possibility of creating something worthy in the wake of the Katrina disaster is tempting to many, including his son, modern jazzman Delmond Lambreaux (Rob Brown), the Big Chief of the Guardians of the Flame seems stubbornly rooted in the traditions of the past – ever more so as he suddenly finds himself in the fight of his life.

A victim of a brutal sexual assault and robbery last season, bar owner LaDonna Batiste-Williams (Khandi Alexander) embarks on another long fight to reclaim her life, her purpose and her dignity as the case against her attackers winds slowly toward a courtroom. As the stakes are raised, LaDonna draws conviction and confidence from an unlikely new friend.

The Greek chorus to both comedy and tragedy, DJ Davis McAlary (Steve Zahn) finds it difficult to balance girlfriend Annie Tee’s rising career with his own more improbable one. He has grandiose plans and visions, and few who believe in his projects, but his pursuit of the golden ring brings him to understand that his might not be the only musicalcareer that was denied its just rewards. For McAlary, the cost of following his dream is the realization that a devotion to New Orleans and its culture guarantees no greater reward than the love itself.

Meanwhile, Annie’s ex-boyfriend Sonny (Michiel Huisman) continues to fight his addiction, and comes to the realization that he might have to do so by walking away from the city and its culture, and confronting himself in a different world altogether – and with different allies – but starts to see a path to a better way.

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Holly Springs, U.S.A. — On August 8, Liberty Institute will represent Opulent Life Church of Holly Springs, Mississippi, at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans, La. The Court will hear oral arguments from the City of Holly Springs, Opulent Life Church and the U.S. Department of Justice. Like Liberty Institute, the DOJ contends that Holly Springs’ ordinance improperly singles out places of worship for special restriction and is in violation of federal law.

“We are thankful that the Department of Justice is weighing in on the importance of securing religious freedom for a church like Opulent Life that is facing discriminatory restrictions,” said Hiram Sasser, Liberty Institute’s Director of Litigation. “Churches should be able to grow and expand free from discrimination. Placing special burdens on them is unfair, unconstitutional and illegal.”

In the case Opulent Life Church; Telsa DeBerry v. City of Holly Springs, Mississippi , the Church sought to move to a new space in the town square area of Holly Springs, Miss. Due to zoning restrictions, the city told the church it must get the approval of 60 percent of local property owners and the city’s mayor before it can exist in the downtown area. This ordinance only applies to churches. Businesses and other groups are not subject to this requirement.

In January 2012, Liberty Institute filed a lawsuit on behalf of Opulent Life Church and its pastor, Telsa DeBerry, and sought a preliminary injunction, which the federal district court unfortunately denied. In March 2012, Liberty Institute filed an appeal, arguing that the city’s zoning ordinance unfairly singles out churches, and asking the court to reverse the lower court’s decision.

Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal group dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America, their vision is to reestablish religious liberty in accordance with the principles of the  nation’s Founders

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David Stern would never openly admit it to us. Nope, no commissioner would ever even publicly hint at a sense of displeasure, anger or absolute frustration regarding which franchise just received the number one pick in the upcoming draft – especially when that pick is projected to be an absolute can’t-miss superstar the way Kentucky’s Anthony Davis is.

But let’s be real about this; the New Orleans Hornets winning the NBA Draft Lottery on Wednesday night was Stern’s worst nightmare come to life.

If you compound the never before seen sequence of events that took place involving the Hornets and their elite point guard Chris Paul just before this abbreviated 66 game season got underway with the all-time historically atrocious struggles of the Charlotte Bobcats during 2012, nothing could make Stern look shadier to the league’s ever so skeptical fan base, which is now crying out conspiracy.

It all began way back in early December when Stern – thinking not as the impartial commissioner, but rather as the Hornets owner due to the league having control over the franchise at the time – shockingly pulled the plug on a blockbuster three team deal between New Orleans, the L.A. Lakers, and the Houston Rockets for what he justified as “basketball reasons.”

The trade would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers, seven foot forward Pau Gasol to the Rockets, and forward Lamar Odom, guards Goran Dragic and Kevin Martin, forward Luis Scola and the Rockets’ 2012 first round draft pick to the Hornets.

Stern expressed that the transaction was “not in the best interest of the Hornets,” but given that the pieces offered included an immediate first round pick and four players that have proven that they possess very solid NBA talent over the years, no one cared to buy that explanation.

The Lakers said they would work to sweeten the deal in order to completely appease New Orleans; however, Los Angeles’ other basketball team, the Clippers, began to show interest in acquiring Paul.

And from that very moment Stern’s level of trust amongst viewers has inevitably taken the mother of all nosedives.

At this point fans everywhere knew that if the Clippers – the most insignificant team in the Los Angeles sports scene since moving to the city only a handful of decades ago – went on to win this battle, it would be for a reason. What would it be exactly? To finally make them relevant and actually add some spice to a Lakers-Clippers ‘rivalry’ that has always been conquered by the Kobe Bryant-led purple and gold.

So when the Clippers did get Paul for guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman, forward Al-Farouq Aminu and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 2012 first round draft pick, that only added fuel to their argument. How does that trade sound any better than the one the Lakers and Rockets put together? Oh, that’s right, it doesn’t. Not to mention the fact that the Hornets had to ship off two future second round picks of their own in this deal.

All that did was give the appearance that Stern was attempting to rig the power balance in the West for years to come. The Clippers had their best season in franchise history, finishing fifth in the conference at 40-26. Meanwhile, the Hornets closed out the season with a record of 21-45 – tied for third-worst in the entire league.

Gordon did only participate in nine games all year long with a bone bruise in his knee, so it’s unsure how the team would have performed with him out there consistently. However, he can leave the team this offseason as a free agent, something that should have kept the Hornets from desiring him in the first place.

Farouq Aminu only averaged an inadequate six points and 22 minutes per game this season, and Kaman’s struggles got to a point where the team discussed sending him home or releasing him.

There’s a great likelihood that the team would not have had such turmoil had they just gone through with the initial Paul trade. Odom did have the worst season of his career in 2012, as a result of personal issues stemming from both being a trade piece and a rough offseason, but other than that, Martin, Dragic, and Scola averaged 17.1, 11.7 and 15.5 points per game, respectively.

The Rockets also missed the playoffs by a mere two games, as they posted a 34-32 record.

On top of all this, the team with the worst winning percentage of all-time, the Bobcats at .106, didn’t win the draft lottery? You’re kidding, right?

Too bad Stern can’t force the Hornets to give the pick to the Bobcats. He definitely wanted to after the process made him look like a complete sham.

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WASHINGTON, U.S.A. – America’s Wire released a commentary by Jenga Mwendo, a community activist in New Orleans, who strongly objects to a New York Times magazine article that was titled “Jungleland” and depicted the city’s Lower Ninth Ward as wilderness overrun by wildlife and weeds.

Ms. Mwendo writes that while the article cites the city government’s futile attempts to improve the neighborhood, it barely mentions the overall lack of government support before and after Hurricane Katrina and the hard work by committed citizens to improve the community. “Yes, many parts of the Lower Ninth are overgrown and neglected,” she writes, “but what the article missed is that many are not. Moreover, the untold story is how city, state and federal government abandoned this community.”

Further, she adds, “the Times probably had good intentions — document the bad situation so our community can get help. But while writing about broken people, vacant lots and weeds may be sexy journalism, the community needs the outside world to understand how implicit and unconscious bias caused by a history of racism pummeled us.”

Ms. Mwendo, an urban-agriculture, community organizer in the Lower Ninth Ward and founder of the Backyard Gardeners Network, writes that “after Katrina, millions of dollars flowed into New Orleans, and the Lower Ninth was declared the glaring example of what needed rehabilitation. Yet, nearly seven years later, the French Quarter and other areas of tourism and affluence are sparkling, while few improvements have been made in the Lower Ninth.”

This commentary, as well as news articles, are available for publication free of charge from America’s Wire.  Go to www.Americaswire.org  and click the “Download” button in the right column.

“This commentary demonstrates that some minority communities have not recovered from Katrina and residents are feeling abandoned,” said Michael K. Frisby, president of America’s Wire. “The New York Times article exposed the conditions in the Lower Ninth Ward. But the residents, such as Ms. Mwendo, are looking for more. They want the nation to know that they are battling structural bias every day as they fight to save their community.”

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Santa Monica, CA, U.S.A. – Exactly thirty five years ago born in the New Orleans neighborhood of Treme, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band revolutionized the New Orleans brass band by incorporating funk and bebop into the traditional style.

Anchored by original members Roger Lewis, Kevin Harris, Gregory Davis, Efrem Towns and Kirk Joseph, the band has signed with Savoy Jazz who will help celebrate their auspicious anniversary with the release of “TWENTY DOZEN”—an all new eleven track album which will be released on May 1st.

Produced by Scott Billington at The Music Shed in New Orleans, the album showcases the Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s quintessential sound mixed with a heady Caribbean flavor. The band have confirmed a triumphant series of shows and events in their native New Orleans surrounding the Jazz & Heritage Festival, culminating in a very special album release/35th Anniversary reunion concert at the Temple on April 28th and a featured slot at the Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 3rd.

Born under the auspices of the Dirty Dozen Social and Pleasure Club in 1977, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band are a seven member ensemble who started out as the house band and eventually broke through the boundaries of the traditional brass band to evolve into a highly lauded world-renowned musical force.

With several incarnations throughout the years, the band now consists of Gregory Davis (trumpet, vocals),Roger Lewis (baritone, soprano sax), Kevin Harris (tenor saxophone), Efrem Towns (trumpet, flugelhorn),Kirk Joseph (sousaphone), Terence Higgins (drums) and Kyle Roussel (keyboard). Former member Jake Eckert (guitar) is featured throughout “TWENTY DOZEN”.

Confirmed performances and events:
4/26/2012 New Orleans LA, Tipitina’s
4/28/2012 New Orleans LA, The Temple, 35th Anniversary Family Reunion / Album Release Party, co bill with Big Sam’s Funky Nation
4/29/2012 New Orleans LA, House of Blues, support to Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
4/30/2012 New Orleans, LA, Tipitina’s, Instruments A Comin’ Benefit
5/1/2012 New Orleans, LA, Louisiana Music Factory, In-store performance
5/3/2012 New Orleans LA, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
5/4/2012 New Orleans LA, d.b.a.
5/5/2012 New Orleans, LA, Joy Theatre, Preservation Hall Crescent City Revue w/ Dirty Dozen Horns

“Twenty Dozen” track listing:

For more information, visit:
http://www.savoyjazz.com/sites/savoy/sjDetails/d_dirtydozenbrassband.asp

Image Courtesy of  fantail media

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On April 4, a federal judge sentenced five former New Orleans police officers for their roles in the Danziger Bridge shootings, which occurred during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, killing two civilians and leaving four wounded.

U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt imposed sentences ranging from six to 65 years in prison on the former cops.

Robert Faulcon Jr., who was convicted of shooting the two civilians who died as well as other crimes, received the stiffest sentence. The lightest went to former Sgt. Arthur “Archie” Kaufman, a police investigator who helped orchestrate the department’s cover-up by crafting a false report and planting a gun at the scene, but wasn’t involved in the actual shootings.

The sentencing marks the latest chapter in a long-running legal drama that has so far seen federal prosecutors secure convictions against 15 ex-officers for crimes committed shortly before and after the hurricane.

More court hearings loom:

• Officer Ronald Mitchell awaits sentencing for perjury in connection to the slaying of Danny Brumfield Sr., who died in front of the city’s convention center after being shot by Mitchell.
• Retired Sgt. Gerard Dugue, a detective charged with participating in the Danziger cover-up, is slated to be re-tried after Engelhardt declared a mistrial during his trial in January.
• Lt. Travis McCabe, who was found guilty in 2010 of falsifying evidence connected to the murder of Henry Glover, successfully appealed his conviction and will stand trial for a second time.

ProPublica, with PBS “Frontline” and the New Orleans Times-Picayune, has been covering alleged police misconduct in New Orleans since 2008, raising questions about the department’s use of force in nearly a dozen incidents that transpired in the aftermath of the hurricane.

by A.C. Thompson, ProPublica, April 4, 2012 6:32 pm EDT

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Exactly thirty five years ago born in the New Orleans neighborhood of Treme, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band revolutionized the New Orleans brass band by incorporating funk and bebop into the traditional style.

Anchored by original members Roger Lewis, Kevin Harris, Gregory Davis, Efrem Towns and Kirk Joseph,  the band has signed with Savoy Jazz who will help celebrate their auspicious anniversary with the release of “TWENTY DOZEN”—an all new eleven track album which will be released on May 1^st.

Produced by Scott Billington at The Music Shed in New Orlemusians, the album showcases the Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s quintessential sound mixed with a heady Caribbean flavor.

The band will embark on a series of tour dates including a three night BAM residency in Brooklyn with Dr. John and a triumphant series of shows in their native New Orleans culminating in a very special album release/35th anniversary reunion concert at the Temple on April 28thand a featured slot at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 3rd.

Born under the auspices of the Dirty Dozen Social and Pleasure Club in 1977, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band were a seven member ensemble who started out as the house band and eventually broke through the boundaries of the traditional brass band to evolve into a highly lauded world-renowned musical force.

With several incarnations throughout the years, the band now consists of Gregory Davis (trumpet, vocals), Roger Lewis (baritone, soprano sax), Kevin Harris (tenor saxophone), Efrem Towns (trumpet, flugelhorn), Kirk Joseph (sousaphone), Terence Higgins (drums), and Kyle Roussel (keyboard). Former member Jake Eckert (guitar) is featured throughout “TWENTY DOZEN.”

Says Roger Lewis:  ”It’s a big old musical gumbo, and that probably made the difference, separating us from other brass bands out of New Orleans.  It put a different twist on the music. We were not trying to change anything, we were just playing the music we wanted to play and not stay in one particular bag.”

“Twenty Dozen” track listing:

Confirmed tour dates:

3/31 – Ft. Lauderdale – New Times Beerfest
4/4 - New Orleans, LA - Wednesdays at LaFayette Square
4/6 - Shreveport, LA - Fatty Arbuckle’s
4/12 - Brooklyn, NY - BAM Residency w/ Dr. John
4/13 - Brooklyn, NY - BAM Residency w/ Dr. John
4/14 - Brooklyn, NY - BAM Residency w/ Dr. John
4/20 - Little Rock, AR - Sticky Fingerz
4/21 - Vicksburg, MS - Vicksburg Riverfest
4/26 - New Orleans, LA - Tipitina’s
4/28 - New Orleans, LA - The Temple – 35th Anniversary Reunion Concert
4/29 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
4/30 - New Orleans, LA - Tipitina’s Instruments A Comin’ Benefit
5/3 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – Main Stage
5/4 - New Orleans, LA - d.b.a.
5/17 - Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Festival
5/24 - Kansas City, MO - Crossroads
5/26 - Cedar Rapids, IA - Legion Arts CSPS Hall
5/27 - Chillicothe, IL - Summer Camp 2012
6/1 - Fall River, MA - The Narrows Center for the Arts
6/2 - Augusta, NJ - Crawfish Festival
6/10 - Vienna, VA - Louisiana Swamp Romp – Wolf Trap
7/29 – Niigata, Japan - FujiRock Festival
8/11 - Goshen, CT - Litchfield Jazz Fest
8/17 - Bethlehem, PA - Levitt Pavilion
8/19 - Salem, MA - Salem Jazz & Soul Fest

For more information, visit:
http://www.savoyjazz.com/sites/savoy/sjDetails/d_dirtydozenbrassband.asp

Image Courtesy of   http://www.dirtydozenbrass.com

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Having sold houses for a living for 24 years, Vick Dyer has faithfully attended his company’s international conferences for 14 years. This year, though, he’ll be making the trip of more than 700 miles under his own power ­– simply to make a point about technology.

On February 6 at 10 a.m., Dyer, 58, sets out from his Knoxville, Tennessee, office on his bicycle, pedaling some 40 pounds of gear and clothing 13 days on a mid-winter ride to the New Orleans Convention Center.

His route takes him across the breadth of four states and through 12 overnight stops, ending on stage before an expected 4,000 attendees of the Coldwell Banker Real Estate’s International Business Conference.

Dyer aims to use a 150-year-old transportation technology to focus attention on the newest communications technologies and their rising importance in real estate services, an integral part of this year’s conference theme, “Generation Blue Experience.”

Along the way, he plans to conduct business with clients from his bike, using a smart phone and an iPad. Dyer will also document his ride electronically, tracking progress with a GPS signal and a blog. In addition, he will stop at eight Coldwell Banker offices en route to exchange ideas on how technology can help colleagues become better real estate agents.

“The business tools we use now change every year, from online video to mobile marketing and cloud computing,” Dyer said. “My business has weathered the economic downturn well in part because I learned about these new tools and techniques at past conferences.

“I believe home ownership is the key to better times ahead. Now that the housing market is starting to rebound, this ride is my way of helping home buyers and sellers take advantage of new opportunities.”

The public is invited to see Dyer’s start at 10 a.m. on February 13 at the Bearden office of Coldwell Banker Wallace & Wallace REALTORS, 140 Major Reynolds Place, Knoxville, Tenn. For more information, call 865-584-4000

Image Courtesy of    Maxim Petrichuk / Shutterstock.com

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New Orleans bursts at the seams with parade-goers and excitement during its annual Mardi Gras season, when the entirety of the city celebrates its unique cultural festivities. Although the Mardi Gras parades only occur once a year, where people enjoy one last party before the beginning of Lent, the parade floats and decorations can be seen year-round at Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World.

A factory-sized warehouse located just a few minutes drive from the French Quarter is where Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World houses an extraordinary amount of Mardi Gras memorabilia. Operating since 1947, the Blaine Kern Studios is one of the most prominent artist studios that produce some of the most exceptional work for Mardi Gras.

A majority of the floats and props seen in the New Orleans’ parades are created by the Blaine Kern team. Upon arriving to the warehouse, people are immediately greeted by a walkway lined with elaborately designed statues of animals, cartoon characters and celebrities. The larger-than-life scale of these statues is just a glimpse of what’s to come throughout the warehouse.

A one hour guided tour of Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World kicks off in the gift shop, where ticket holders are each given beads, New Orleans’ signature party favor throughout Mardi Gras. The group is taken into a screening room, where everyone gets to watch a short film on the history of Mardi Gras.

It’s in this film that people are able to gain a better understanding of the cultural importance Mardi Gras plays in the city of New Orleans. Tour goers have a chance to taste one of New Orleans’ signature sweets as well. The King Cake, a pastry that is a crowd favorite during Mardi Gras, is colored in shades of green and purple, traditional colors of the Carnival season.

After everyone has a chance to have a piece of King Cake and a cup of coffee, the tour is led into the main warehouse where all the artistry of creating and producing the Mardi Gras floats happens. A knowledgeable tour guide explains to the group how months of preparation and work goes into making the floats for the Mardi Gras parades.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the tour of Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World comes from seeing the artists at work. Talented artists with a love of Mardi Gras are busy painting and designing the floats as the tour group passes by. Each work station shows a detailed sketch of the design of the float, while pieces of the larger than life product are constructed before everyone’s eyes.

Station after station holds different intricately designed floats, all which are made to roll down the streets of New Orleans for Mardi Gras. These floats are never used for more than one Mardi Gras season. Once the parades are over, the artists go back to the drawing board to start planning their floats for the next year.

Everything from colorful flowers, towering elephants and gorillas, famous sports stars, celebrities, musicians, and cartoons are recreated. The floats are larger than expected and some can hold more than 100 people who throw beads and cups to parade onlookers. When the tour is over, visitors are encouraged to take their time wandering around the warehouse, to marvel in the floats’ elaborate designs and character.

Celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans is an experience that just can’t be found anywhere else in the country. For those who happen to visit the city when Mardi Gras isn’t in full swing quite yet, a stop at Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World is a must. Transportation to and from the warehouse is made extremely easy, as a free shuttle with multiple stops across the city are available. For more information on seeing the floats of Mardi Gras first hand, visit Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/21061651@N08/

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An hour away from the nonstop action of New Orlean’s Bourbon Street is the quiet, peaceful countryside of Louisiana, where historic plantation houses still stand on secluded back roads. Cajun Encounters, a local New Orleans tour company, gives visitors a chance to step back in time to the American and Creole past that significantly define the region.

A full day tour is the perfect way to get a taste of the beautiful state of Louisiana, away from the cosmopolitan city of New Orleans. A tour of the Laura and Oak Alley Plantations allows tourists to experience the wonders of these iconic southern plantations.

Some of Louisiana’s most famed plantations are close enough to New Orleans to give visitors easy access to them. Along the Mississippi River Road is where some old plantations are found, including grand Southern houses and acres of land. The Laura Plantation is the first stop on the Cajun Encounters’ Plantation Tour, where people are given a walking tour of the historic land. The Laura Plantation is unique in the sense that it is a traditional Creole Plantation, which sets it apart in history and character.

Located in Vacherie, Louisiana, the Laura Plantation is over 200 hundred years old and was once a thriving sugarcane plantation. On a guided tour, the knowledgeable tour guide highlights the important physical attributions of the colorful Creole house. Stepping into the building gives visitors a real life representation of how life once was on the land.

The plantation’s house is fully furnished with period pieces and the tour brings visitors from room to room, explaining the purpose and history of each. Along with the interior of the house, the tour takes people around the property, where the old slave quarters stand.

Although it once held a very successful sugar company, the Laura Plantation, like many other plantations in the area, has a dark past of slavery. The walking tour around the land sheds insight on the owners of the plantation, run by four different women, as well as teaches visitors about the role slaves played in the production of the sugar company. Visiting the Laura Plantation is a historic look back in time, to when plantations, and slavery, thrived in the South.

A second plantation tour is included in the Cajun Encounters package, that being the tour of the Oak Alley Plantation. This specific property epitomizes the grand scale of wealth and beauty found in many traditional plantation houses across Louisiana and other southern states.

Located close to the Laura Plantation, also in Vacherie, Louisiana, the Oak Alley Plantation is surely not one to be missed. With a picturesque walkway lined by 200 year old oak trees, the entrance to the Oak Alley Plantation is one that is often photographed and extremely popular with visitors.

A guided tour of the house is provided with the Cajun Encounters package, revealing the rich lifestyle the owners of the plantation once lived. Walking through the dining room, fully set with a table that can fit over ten people, shows the elaborate dinners the owners once held. People are able to explore the rooms where parties were thrown, as well as the upstairs bedrooms where intricately carved furniture still stands.

A beautiful wrap around porch circles the house and gives way to a view of the property below. This antebellum home is one of the most popular attractions in the area, and with its proximity to New Orleans, it is not only an easy destination to visit, but a beautiful and historical one as well.

Cajun Encounters provides intimate tours of Louisiana plantations, as well as other organized tours including a tour of New Orleans and of Louisiana swamps. Visit Cajun Encounters for more information on making reservations for any of their intimate and exciting tours.

Image Courtesy  of   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cajun-Encounters-Tour-Company/118003684917053

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A report issued by the Department of Justice in March has confirmed a long standing belief by many of New Orleans’ minority residents—the New Orleans police department is racist and abusive.  The city’s African-American population has complained about the frequent abuses at the hand of the police force, long before Hurricane Katrina swept into town, making an already bad situation much worse.

The 115-page DOJ report, which details the findings of a 10-month-long investigation, attacked nearly every area of the department’s operation, from the recruiting, training and supervision of its officers to its tactics of policing.  The investigation found a pattern of unconstitutional conduct and violations of federal law, extensive use of excessive force, and unwarranted stops and searches.  The report also detailed discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.  The Justice Department accused the NOPD of gender-biased policing and a systematic failure to investigate sexual assaults and domestic violence.

The document “is as damning a report as you could possibly imagine for any institution where people are allowed to carry weapons,” said William P. Quigley, who is a law professor at Loyola University in New Orleans and the legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. “If this was a business I think it would be declared bankrupt. If New Orleans was a foreign country, I think this would be enough to constitute a no-fly zone.”

Quigley added: “What this shows is that the people that are supposed to be serving and protecting, are actually a serious threat to the people of New Orleans.”

Being a police officer in New Orleans is not an easy job.  The city has had a high murder rate for decades and communities filled with drugs and violence.  However, in those communities hit hardest by crimes, residents do not fear the criminals as much as the police officers.

“When you have the type of brutality that has happened in our community, going on from generation to generation, from white police committing atrocities, to blacks committing them and often being more brutal than the whites, it leaves a traumatic impact,” said Malik Rahim, an activist who has long decried police brutality and violence in the city. “But what can you do? You can’t do nothing. If you do something you risk getting shot or killed. And then it’s like, who cares?”

Federal and city officials will soon begin negotiations toward a consent decree that would formally place the department under federal oversight and create a strategy to implement specific systematic reforms.

“The challenges confronting the New Orleans Police Department are serious, systematic, wide-ranging, and deeply rooted,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s civil rights division, in a letter to Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans. “As devastating as Hurricane Katrina was, our investigation has revealed that these serious deficiencies existed long before the storm.”

Although the report is alarming to some, it is expected to others.  “This report validates what many in the African-American community had been saying all along,” said John Penny, a criminologist at Southern University of New Orleans. “Their voice is finally being heard after years of silence. I think that now there’s a confirmation, so something has to be put in place so that integrity is the heart and soul of the Orleans Parish police department.”

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